I get lots of questions from different people on “How can all this social media stuff like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Squidoo, Digg, YouTube, Blogs help me?”

So lets first define Social Media, with Wikipedia’s Definition: Social Media is a form of internet marketing which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media including writing content that is remarkable, unique, and newsworthy. Lastly Social Media utilizes social networking and user-generated content platforms to promote a product, service or content.

Now that being said…necessary tools for Social Media are bookmarks, blogs, forums, podcasts, networks, communities, wikis. Important and versatile sites are places like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Myspace, Digg, Stumbleupon and Squidoo.

The number one point to remember is this

..Due to Social media marketing being so easy to implement and it being so affordable, it is of significant importance to small businesses.

So where do I start?

By a long shot, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook were the top four social media tools used by marketers, with Twitter leading the pack. All the other social media tools paled in comparison to these top four. Download Social Media Marketing Industry report.

How do I measure the effectiveness of social media?

A significant 81% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated exposure for their businesses. Check out Social Media Marketing Report. Improving traffic and growing lists was the second major benefit, followed by building new partnerships. A rise in search engine rankings is also an evident increase, as well as a reduction in your overall marketing expenses. Now that is some GOOD news…if your not involved in Social Media Marketing…then it’s TIME!

StartupNation does make a valid point when it says that many small businesses have failed to embrace the opportunities in social media marketing.

If that’s you, then speak with an Internet marketing consultant or do your own research of how social media marketing can help you. It would be beneficial for you and your company.

Last year in February, an article came out on “Social Media Will Change Your business“

It’s a good read with some great links for blog writing. One of the paragraph talks about “grabbing you by the collar, and shaking you into action” and that was written LAST YEAR! All in all there is some important information for newbies and veterans alike. The story of the google employee that got fired is one of them…because it shows how fast social media can work.

Another way Social Media can help your business is the customer relationship.

As a business you would be interested in creating a dialog, direct and immediate feedback benefits, and to learn directly from your customers on what has been successful and what areas need focus and enhancement. Sharing content is the real power and the advantage of using social media. Businesses can keep their online community up to date with news, events and what the business has to offer.

Ezine @rticles has some great thoughts on Blogging, Relationship Marketing, Customer Voice and Social Marketing. Customer Voice is a huge one this year which is where Twitter or blogs have been the most efficient.

Customers want voice in your business…give you feedback.

Relationship Marketing

Is also top in 2009 as a tool to build loyalty, along with a timely response, or you can have a blog and a Twitter account as these all have interaction with the customer. These also allow you to create a personality for your business as well as develop an image as a forward-thinking company that is responsive. Responses include Tweeting back on Twitter, a FaceBook response, sending a personable card, thank-you card and a quick thinking of you card. A top of the line online card system that is extremely affordable and saves you time and effort is SendoutCards. The fastest, most affordable Relationship Marketing tool online with over 13,000 cards available along with gifts and gift cards. You write it, they print it, stuff it, stamp it and mail it for you. Can’t beat that deal!

Facebook for Business!..

Yes you read that correctly…Facebook for business is very real…read this artlcle: Facebook’s Latest Design Update Helps Businesses part of it reads “With the latest evolution, Facebook makes its service more valuable to businesses.”

Here’s another good one to check out: 30+ Apps for Doing Business on Facebook great read from Mashable The Social Media Guide.

What is LinkedIn? and why should I be a part of that?

If you’re running a small Internet business or have a regular brick-and-mortar business, “knowing” the right people and being able to ask and answer questions significant to your business will help you build your network with contacts. Someone you know in your line of business is already on LinkedIn. You just need to set up a profile, start introducing yourself around, join groups and discussions, start discussions with any questions, or answer discussions with your expertise in your area. What a wonderful way to reach beyond the limits of time and travel to someone else who is like minded and able to discuss important things, answer questions all in a few lines.

Never heard of a Squidoo lens before?

A Squidoo lens is a free web page that states what you are interested in…it could be as simple as a recipe if your a restaurant, to as complex as how to take the perfect picture. Along with links to anyplace you want, you can join groups, be a lens master, create as many pages as you want and get the word out!..

StumbleUpon…great name…what does it do?

Here’s how it works. Install the toolbar, identify some categories you like on the web, then hit the Stumble button. The service takes you to a web page that is popular with people who share your interests. You’ve got the option to give that page a thumbs up, a thumbs down or just leave it by hitting the Stumble button again. Over time the service learns what you like and integrates that into the decisions it makes in sending you someplace new when you hit the button. If you’re a small business with very good content, submit that content to stumbleupon. When these people finally will shop they will shop in their local area and an most of them will use Google to do it. Yes you will stand out with a Stumbler in this sea of 10. Try it…you’ll be surprised!

What has Social Media done for me?

I really enjoy meeting new people, creating new relationships, networking along side people with like interests, and using the tools available to generate opportunities and provide insight to help others. As a business owner, I have enjoyed the benefits of Social Media, it’s simple approach with countless of avenues. I also enjoy presenting this knowledge for others to use as it would benefit them by building relationships with other like-minded businesses and entrepreneurs along with keeping their customer base informed of products, generate better customer relations and service.

Social Media has opened a whole new door for businesses and individuals alike.

Social Media is the solution for your business…have you gotten on board yet?

Read more from the original source: How Social Media Can Help Your Business

SEO Marketing

Microblogging is quickly becoming one of the most popular technologies on the Internet with adoption of tools like Twitter growing at an exponential rate.

As the number of people using these technologies grows, the way people take advantage of them is becoming more sophisticated: they are being used more and more as a business tool. This article explains what microblogging is and introduces the most popular microblog sites. It discusses how these are being used from a business and marketing perspective and provides tips on safe and effective use of these forums.

What is a Microblog?

Microblogs are very simple internet technologies that allow users to post short statements or sentences, usually limited to 140 characters on a central site. The post can be made available to anyone or only to a chosen audience. Much like the Facebook status box these services were used initially as a forum to share triviality (like what was for breakfast) with a wide audience but people quickly tired of the banality and now the way microblogs are used is becoming more sophisticated.

Sometimes seen as a factor in the evolution of blogging, micro blogs are, as the name suggests, like mini blogs in that they allow you to post information and streams of consciousness and make these available to the world over the Internet. Unlike a blog, however, a microblog doesn’t have unlimited room for creativity – you are forced to get to the point.

Which Microblog?

By far the largest microblog is Twitter (according to Hitwise in Australia alone the popular microblog grew by over 500% new users in one calendar month this summer). Twitter was founded in 2006 and quickly gained attention by winning a prestigious South by South West Blog award in the spring of 2007. Although the site is growing at a tremendous rate, the user volume is still very small in comparison to social networking behemoths like MySpace. Using a simple clean interface, users can get set up and start Twittering really easily.

Another microblog technology that is growing in popularity is Plurk. Plurk differs from Twitter in that it provides a more visual “timeline” interface showing your “Plurks” and those you are following on a time sheet-style screen. Just launched in May this year, Plurk is a little more complex than Twitter to use but once you get the hang of it, it definitely appeals to those left brained people among us.

The omnipresent Google of course has its own version of a microblog which they obtained in late 2007. Jaiku has since been closed to new users as they beta test the latest version (which seems very visually appealing with a nice map interface). Request a beta invite to try it out.

The other major player in the microblog scene is Pownce. This one is very similar to Twitter in its look and feel but it has more capabilities in terms of being able to share files and events. Also Pownce doesn’t limit you to 140 characters so you can add more detail to your posts.

Newcomers in the field Spoink promote microblogging by phone from wherever you happen to be. Nothing new in that since most of the other offerings allow you to post from your mobile but what is different about Spoink is that it features the ability to podcast from anywhere. This is one to watch.

Microblogging for Business

Now that we know more about microblogs and the tools in this arena, let’s take a look at how companies and individuals are using microblogs to benefit their businesses.

The first thing any company or professional should do is to ask themselves: is a microblog pertinent to my business? are my peers using this service? and, more importantly, are my customers either using or listening (monitoring these forums) to microblogs? The early microblog adopters tended to be the youth market and the tech community but more and more mainstream professionals and companies are becoming active as time goes on. If you decide that your audience is applicable then the benefits of microblogging actively are numerous:

A microblog presence is a stellar way to establish expertise and build awareness of what you or your company does. Build your brand by regularly posting on your subject area. Remember to add your logo and branding to the design of your microblog page and link to back to your blog if you have one so that your microblog contacts are aware of it and can click to read more. Threadless, the T shirt company that has made social media marketing an art form uses Twitter (@threadless) to update their audience regularly in this way.

Microblogs are a great way to expand your network and build your contacts. To do so share neat links and always add value for your followers, if you do this effectively you can sit back and watch your contacts expand.

Microblogs provide a good source for the latest information in your industry – if you’re following the right people, that is. Be cognizant of this as you add friends. Check out posts and look for those that add value, are industry luminaries or are using the forum in innovative ways. Network with peers in your industry to develop your knowledge and to build better partnerships.

Microblogs are shorter than blogs and more concise so if you only have a few moments you can hone in on the juicies more readily. If you don’t have time to blog but still have something pressing you want to share, microblogs are a great way to do this quickly and effectively.

Microblog technology can be used to expand the reach of your service and spread word quickly. An example is the police and fire services using Twitter to get the word out in emergency cases. The Los Angeles Fire Department (@LAFD) uses Twitter to spread fire related Tweets to interested parties.

By linking or announcing new articles or changes to your site from a microblog you can drive more traffic to your site. Twitter is now the 4th largest driver of traffic to the Out-Smarts blog.

Use microblogs for research by monitoring what’s being said about your product or industry so you can keep ahead of the pack. It’s also an excellent medium to elicit feedback on an issue you need more information on or are in the dark about. Tweetscan is a very simple tool that facilitates listening.

Some companies are using microblog technology too collaborate on projects with decentralised participants or colleagues in short blasts. The CBC recently did this to great effect on Twitter during the Canadian federal election and were able to incorporate feedback from Twitterers on the ground in many constituencies.

While direct selling on microblogs is discouraged, many companies use it to bring awareness of the existence/benefits of their products and services to new markets or to provide customer service updates. Whole Foods (@wholefoods), an organic food chain headquartered in Texas does exactly that whilst adding value by Twittering on community events and organic topics too.

Effective Twittering Tips

I have it on good authority that the Twitter microblog site is this year’s web 2.0 tool of choice for net savvy professionals to communicate with and grow their networks. Here are some tips for you to use to tweak your “tweets” and get more out of your Twitter presence:

Add value – don’t just spout off about boring stuff. Nobody is interested in what color shoes you are wearing (maybe your underwear but definitely not your shoes!).

Use TinyURL or a similar url abbreviation tool to shorten the length of url links in your Twitter posts so they fit in the 140 character limit.

Don’t spam or sell.

Friends and Followers – be selective about who you follow. Before you follow someone, check out their recent Tweets to see if they are of interest to you before you add them (they may not be of interest at all). If someone starts following you, don’t automatically add them and follow – take a look at the number of followers they have compared to their following If someone is following way more people than they have followers then it may be best to avoid them. They could be “Follow Spammers” more interested in gaining exposure than in finding interesting Tweets.

Don’t let Twitter suck up too much of your time – it can be very distracting. Instead schedule it in to your week and spend a few minutes each day updating and enjoying.

Limit the number of people you follow to avoid Twitter information overload. If you’re following too many people, you might miss that gem of information.

Use Twitterfeed to feed your blog to Twitter.

Monitor the Tweetosphere and make sure you are aware of anyone who mentions you so that it comes to your attention and you can be ready to counter any adverse Twittering. Use Tweetscan to monitor what is being said about you or your company on Twitter.

Don’t click on a link from anyone you don’t know or trust. Many Twitterers use TinyURL or similar to shorten URLs (I do) but this camouflages the true source so you don’t know what you’re clicking on. These could be disguised links to potentially dangerous sites or viral downloads so be careful.

Read the Twitter blog for updates and information on malware and spam issues.

Secure your Twitter name. Get a Twitter profile in your business name before someone else does.

Use common sense when Twittering and remember that most of these announcements can be seen by anyone and everyone. You don’t really have to announce that you’re away from home.

If someone you’re following overloads you with spam then use the Twitter block at the right of the side panel to block them and let Twitter know too.

Call on the community. If something adverse does happen then make your community aware of it. You will be amazed at the support, advice and action of the collective.

Conclusion

If you decide that your business can benefit from microblogging, participation in these sites can really impact your online marketing efforts, drive more traffic to your site and increase brand awareness. Before you start microblogging, take some time to check out the different offerings to find out which is best for you. Once you choose, schedule time to microblog and grow your contacts and always look to add value and tell your community something they don’t know. If you decide to hold off on microblogging for now, keep this on your radar: with its speedy user adoption rate. It’s only a matter of time before, like social networks, these become mainstream.

Follow this link: Microblogging For Business

Website Value

Working in the usual office setup is the usual scenario to maintain a job and earn a living. But if you want to have a break from your usual nine to five grind, then it is high time to look for options to make money. Here are some online home business ideas that you can try today.

Offer professional services online. Starting an online business at home does not mean that you will completely abandon what you have used to do in the office. The only difference in this situation is for you to present yourself as someone who can do this for your clients instead of doing this for your immediate supervisor. So if you write articles for websites, then you can offer professional article writing service. If coming up with best viral marketing video is your thing, why not offer these to company website owners or internet marketers instead? These are just examples of best online business ideas that you can start today using the same type of work that you have been doing through the years. All you need to do is to create your own website and promote this to get your initial roster of clients.

If you really want to have a complete career change as you create your home business, why not pursue a passion that you have already missed doing in the past? If you really love baking but are not doing it because of rushing to the office everyday, then this is the perfect time to push your baking skills to make money. Also if drawing caricatures makes you happy throughout the day, why not start coming up with samples so you can offer your passion for profit? If that is the case, you just have to prepare your digital camera so you can take pictures of your products to be posted on your website. If you are going to sell your caricatures, you can make a quick video on how you draw some basic ones to share on your site. You can even use these short demo videos to initially build traffic to your website.

Do you want more online home business ideas to consider? You can also try your hand at selling your pre loved goodies on auction sites. If you have organized garage sales before then this is something that you are comfortable doing online as well. Grab some boxes and place those pre loved items that you will sell online. This business hits two goals, that is to clear your house of excess items as well as turning these ones into additional income for your family.

Getting yourself in trying affiliate marketing is another option to make money online. You just have to find some products that you can sell online. These are mostly digital products as opposed to the physical goodies that you will sell on auction sites. No need for you to take care of shipping if you are going to offer these digital products to your customers like electronic books, guides and tutorials to name a few.

Lastly, you can also post about your everyday ideas and make money in the process. You can set up a blog using WordPress, Blogger and Site Build It and then start posting away. If you want to have a central theme on your blog, you can use free keyword tools to research on the specific topic that you want to cover. If you want to talk about general topics that’s fine as well. This is also the best time to learn about some seo techniques so you can promote your website and get more visitors. You can then sell a space on your blog to promote a product that is somewhat related on your site’s topic. For example, if you have a beauty blog, then you can sell ad space to online cosmetic companies for additional income.

These are just five online home business ideas that you can try today. There are some where you can carry over your usual office task to get started while there are some that need you to discover your previous passion to make money. But if you are going to really focus your attention and efforts to it, then you can definitely rely on this to make a sustained income for your family while you are just a chair away from them.

See more here: Five Online Home Business Ideas To Try Today

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The Amazon Associates program is an easy way for bloggers as online making money trick, a little earning from their work. Amazon sells a wide range of products and is one of the most trusted webs based retailers, so customers feel comfortable buying products through Amazon when referred over to the famous shopping site. Signing up to the Amazon Associates program is easy and free. As soon as you sign up, add the Amazon Associates toolbar to your browser. The toolbar will appear whenever you log into the Amazon site, and it simplifies the process of getting Amazon Associates links to use in your site.

To benefit from the Amazon Associates program, whenever your blog requires about any physical check, Amazon has a suitable product. Once you find an appropriate product, click on the “link to this page” button to create a link that includes your Amazon Associates ID. You can choose various versions of feature boxes, or you can just select a text link for online citations. Embed the Amazon ad box or the text link into your blog post and you are all set to earn. Commission rates start a 4% and rise with sales volume.

Other ways to use the Amazon Associates program include setting up an Amazon store. Stores can either be hosted by Amazon directly or placed on your own site but fed by Amazon. Some bloggers set up a separate resource page with links to books and other products related to their blog’s topic as online money making tricks. The resource page acts like a small store for the blog or website and some bloggers make a nice income from this strategy.

Inserting an Amazon search box into the sidebar of the blog allows your visitors to search Amazon and earn you commissions on anything they buy. Another way to online money making tricks involve placing contextually targeted Amazon ad boxes on your site. Amazon also has a special integration feature with free Blogger blogs that makes using the Amazon Associates program very easy for Blogger users. Watch the Amazon Associates home page for details on new programs since Amazon always seems to be working on an innovation angle for promoting through the Amazon Associates network.

A couple of words of caution are in order on Amazon Associates network. Amazon Associates is the country based, so a UK or Canadian blogger with an American audience may want to sign up for the US program rather than the program in their home country. Tax regulations in certain American states have caused Amazon to abandon the Amazon Associates program for webmasters based in selected American states. Double check your eligibility before planning a whole business around Amazon Associates as online money making tricks.

Google News and Yahoo News are the biggest automated news aggregators online. Millions of news junkies across the world read these news sources on a daily basis. If you want major exposure and publicity for your blogs, Google and Yahoo are where you want to be.

You will drive HUGE traffic to your blog plus you gain instant popularity from readers across the world! This is another great way to showcase your expertise and credibility to mass audiences.

Before you can submit your blog URLs, make sure to sign up for both a Google and Yahoo account (sign-ups are free!)

How Google News Works

Google “crawls” news sites and gathers articles. Headlines are crawled based on algorithms/certain factors: how often and the particular site where the story appears.

Google taps into more than 4,500 English-language news sources worldwide. There are NO human editors associated with selecting articles. They solely rely on online news outlets and online publishers to determine which stories have the most prominence/relevance. Google News consists of top stories and eight sections: World, Nation, business, Sci/Tech, Sports, Entertainment, Health and Most Popular.

The rest is here: Lifestreaming… business opportunities?

Recession is a word that fills people with dread and bad visions. It’s a time people consider bad for finances, a time capable of magically shrinking a dollar’s value overnight. It also automatically increases the cost of basic living. And where money is a huge concern, people always ask, Can I still save for real during a recession? The answer is: of course you can. You just need to be wise and creative about the whole thing.

During the recent recession, unemployment has been highest in places with little sectoral diversity. This era of high joblessness is probably just beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar men. It could cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a despair not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years to come.

During one of the roughest economic patches we’ve seen, internet and social media have played a great part in our slow recovery. Global recession and economic crisis had brought millions of people unemployed, and millions more struggling to survive on a minimum wage. But such case could be prevented. We can avoid being stagnant and letting ourselves being eaten up by worrying about our debts and mortgages. The recession in the US market and the global meltdown have engulfed complete world economy with a varying degree of recessional impact. In-spite of the various measures to subsidies the impact of the recession and cut down the inflation present nothing really sound have been done.

Well, accept it. There are times when your efforts are just not sufficient – mostly because you don’t earn enough. Instead of asking for a raise that might never occur or waiting for a promotion to drop on your lap, consider finding other means with which to earn (and save) money.

Do you know what business has been booming in recent times, as many industries are struggling? Earning money through proven home businesses with the help of the cyber world. Proven home business had prevented people from being too much preoccupied on the thought that there is a crisis going on. It helped people to explore money making opportunities.

Proven home business such as blogging can help. Building blogs is one of the common methods to build your experience and trustworthiness as a writer. The best part is that you don’t need to spend any money to buy a website, software or other complex tools to create your own blog. There are so many blogging sites which you can sign on and create your own blog in minutes. These sites also allow customization of look and feel to make it either a personal or business blog depending on your blog content. If you are more familiar with softwares and programming you can take advantage of that skill as to work on websites which requires you a little troubleshooting skill.

Affiliate marketing is another money making opportunity and a proven home business where you advertise other companies’ products and you earn a commission when people buy. It’s very simple as all you have to do is make a website or blog worth reading. The internet offers you more, such as opening an eCommerce businesses, drop shipping, reading emails, answering surveys or even selling clothes or accessories in the internet. Online shopping is a trend now since people tend to prefer buying clothes in the internet than going to the malls because of the demand in their schedules or for their own convenience.

If you are into photography, you can make money out of it. You can sell your eye catching and stunning photographs as pricey as the ones displayed in art exhibits. Others make money by testing video games and other electronic products. If you are opinionated, free spirited and speaks your mind all the time, you can make use of those by commenting on the blogs and posting relevant contents related to the issue to increase traffic and readers patronizing such blogs.

Proven home businesses don’t just avoid you from getting broke. It also utilizes and explores your capabilities to be determined and dynamic in harsh times like these. The extra income you earn, along with your recession-powered money-saving plan, will help you make enough until after the tough times are over. In these proven home businesses like any other business in the world, the criteria to be successful is to be effective you need commitment, effort, and most of all, be focused.

View original post here: Recession Brings Better Opportunities For Home Businesses