From the category archives:

Social Networking

Ways to Build Website Traffic Through Twitter

by BlondieWrites on December 20, 2009

You’ve probably been hearing about Twitter a lot lately. It has become the latest rage for keeping up to date on absolutely everything. While Twitter can be great for contacting friends or finding out about the latest gossip, it’s also an easy and effective way to build your business.

Twitter is a social networking site, much like Facebook or Myspace. Twitter allows you to tweet from your computer, phone, or other mobile device. Posts must be short. This allows you to keep your followers updated on everything that’s going on with you. Followers can be friends, relatives, or the most important for you, current and potential customers.

To promote your business effectively with Twitter, you must have followers. There’s really no point in tweeting if no one is reading it. Here are a few quick tips to gain followers:

Follow people and they’ll often reciprocate. Often it’s pretty easy to find someone in your field who you can follow. They may have a popular website, blog or newsletter and will post their Twitter ID or you can search for them. Don’t stop there. Twitter allows you to not only find out what’s going on with them, but lets you see who they’re following and lets you become a follower as well. The beauty in this is that once someone sees that you’re following them, they’ll often follow you back. Just be sure not to follow too many people at first. Keep it close to the number of people that are following you.

Often people will do the same thing you did. They’ll find people they like and know of and see who they’re following. So simply by getting a few people to follow you, you’ll often build up more Twitter followers without doing anything. And the more Twitter followers you have, the more Twitter readers will see your tweets, and the more people who see those tweets might come to your site.

If you want word about you to spread on Twitter, you need to make your tweets count. Sure, you want to link to your website when you have updates, but you also want to give them a reason for listening to you. Has someone published an awesome new product? Posted a helpful blog post? Is there a big sale going on? Pass this info on. If people know you’ve got good info to pass on, they’ll become your follower, and then hopefully your customer. Remember to choose wisely. If you’re constantly tweeting, people might stop following you.

Remind your current contacts that you’re on Twitter. Whether it’s a customer you do business with or someone you meet at a business seminar, pass on the fact that you’re on Twitter. When you tell them, you can also ask for their contact and become a follower yourself. This will remind them who you are and help them remember to follow you.

You might also want to take advantage of different software that works with Twitter. There are programs that automatically post tweets from your blogs, ones to keep you updated on the tweets of others, and countless others.

If used properly, Twitter can be a great way to build website traffic, gain new business clients, and keep your relationship going with current contacts.

Popularity: 3% [?]

{ 0 comments }

Twitter – a Great Traffic Generator

by BlondieWrites on December 20, 2009

Many people already know that Twitter is a great way to keep up to date on everything that’s going on in the world around you. Whether it’s finding out about the latest product releases or just knowing what your friends are up to, Twitter is a quick, easy and popular way to keep an eye on the pulse of the modern world. But it’s also a great way to get traffic to your website. More and more people are expanding their numbers using Twitter and so can you - you just have to know how to do it.

If you’ve never used Twitter, it’s pretty simple. It takes about a minute to create an account, then you can type in short messages (less than 140 characters) and they’re sent to everyone who has chosen to be one of your “followers”. You can also follow people you’re interested in and get updated whenever they make a post.

These are a few reasons Twitter is a great tool for getting traffic.

*It’s easy. Pretty much anyone who can use a computer can use it. And we all know that the less work people have to do to use something, the more likely they’re going to be to use it.

*It’s accessible. People can use Twitter from their computer, phone, or pda. That means they’re always checking it and always getting updates. It becomes a part of their life. And if they follow you, that makes you a part of their life too.

*It’s Popular. Millions of people are already using Twitter, and thousands of new users join each day. So you can transfer networks over from other sites, or your email list, and watch your followers grow from there.

The first step to increasing your traffic is to simply gain followers on. If you’re tweeting and no one is listening, it’s not really going to do you or your website any good.

The easiest way is to bring along your network from other sources, like your business contacts, email list, message boards, or even other social networks. If you don’t have anyone to add, or you want to expand, simply start following others in your field. Many will follow you in return, and if you use your tweets properly, the word will get out.

Once you have followers, there are many strategic ways to use your tweets wisely. Don’t just talk about anything:

*Keeping up relationships. Whether it be clients, potential clients, or business contacts, Twitter can help you update your followers, and following them can help keep you updated. This makes them feel more connected with you and gives you a better relationship. You can even take it a step further and follow-up on their tweets through other communication lines. And remember, happy customers means repeat customers and referrals.

*Product release. If you have a decent number of followers, Twitter is a great way to get the word out about a new product, website, or service offer. You can also use it to build excitement before a new release.

*Website changes. If something changes about your site, even something small like a new article, spread the word. This gets them to come back to your site, even if they’ve already been there.

*Become a resource. If there are things going on that interest you and that might interest your followers, spread the word. They’ll be thankful that you shared valuable info with them and be more likely to pass on your name and pay attention to future tweets.

Popularity: 3% [?]

{ 0 comments }

8 Key Twitter Networking Tips You Must Know

by BlondieWrites on October 13, 2009

It’s easy to not understand what Twitter is when you happen upon someone’s personal page. The micro posts are a potpourri of replies that don’t quite make sense to the visitor, but that’s okay because you’re not connecting with your visitors, you are connecting with your followers.

Twitter tweets allowance is 140 characters. It may seem short, but you can get in quite a mouthful. No one ever said networking had to be a long drawn out novel. Don’t underestimate the power of short and quick replies because with the right words they can add a lot of punch.

What I have observed over the months is everyone uses Twitter for different reasons, but the majority of people who use it for networking don’t always know how to network properly.

These 8 tips will show exactly how you can get the most out of your networking efforts on Twitter.

1. Start by using your real name on your profile, upload a real photo of you and fill out your bio. Your bio is about you and not your business. Your website link will take care of that.

2. Follow people that interest you and who can help grow your business. Follow quality people. Quantity is not important.

3. People want knowledge, information and resources. It’s always better to give first and then receive. I’m not saying you shouldn’t self-promote, but if the whole time you’re on Twitter and you’re just self-promoting, people aren’t going to care and will most likely un-follow you.

Networking is about sharing and connecting with others. A person who only has self-promotion on their mind is looked upon and labeled a spammer.

4. People like freebies and tips. Offer your best tips on working from home, on direct sales, web designing, and marketing and even Twitter tips. There are tips for everything so find something in your niche that you think would be valuable information. Throw in a few freebies as everyone loves something for free.

5. It’s important to engage in conversations with your new found “friends”. Don’t ignore their tweets. Use it to strike up conversations as you will never know where these will lead.

6. If you read an interesting or newsworthy tweet, retweet it. This is a great way to say something if you can’t find anything to say. When you help to promote others, others will help to promote you.

7. Don’t abuse direct messaging (similar to private messaging) or use it as a means to spam your followers. Many will not hesitate to use the block feature.

8. Expect to spend some quality time and be consistent in your networking. Try to visit daily. Enjoy and be yourself on Twitter and be respectful. Your reputation should always be guarded.

Not enough people take networking seriously because they don’t know how to do it properly. There are many people who do know and can show you the ropes or better yet take the time to learn and observe what others are doing.

When you learn networking is not about sell, sell, sell and me, me, me, you will soon find more people are attracted to you and what you have to offer.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Follow Sophia on Twitter to network, get work at home tips and freebies twitter.com/WorkAtHomeSpace. You can also find daily work at home job leads, home business opportunities and business resources; join in the discussions, network and more on her work at home forums.

Popularity: 2% [?]

{ 0 comments }

Do You Use Social Media in your Business?

by BlondieWrites on October 13, 2009

Social media is one of the most important things you can do for your business. Social media is basically networking online and it’s crucial if you own a business online. It’s the best way to find potential customers online.

There are many sites you can use when it comes to social media, but the best are Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Each has it’s own advantages to help you grow your business.

One of my favorites is Twitter. Twitter is like instant messaging. You can add as many followers as you want and people will follow you as well. The thing you need to understand about the followers is you can see almost all the posts that your followers post, but unless they are following you, they won’t know if you’ve posted a message to them. Now there is one way you can see those posts and that’s if they click on the button that says replies. This area of Twitter is for posts that people have made to you. That’s it; nothing else is visible in this section.

One disadvantage to Twitter is that you are limited to 140 characters. Characters are different than words. A character is a punctuation mark, a space, and each letter you type. This can cause a problem when you have a lot to say. So, my solution is TwitWall. TwitWall is a blog that is directly linked to your Twitter page. Each and every Twitter user has a TwitWall.

The great thing about TwitWall is you can include formatted text, you can upload videos from YouTube and other sources, and you can include pictures. Because it’s a blog you have unlimited text space, so you can say what you want and not worry about abbreviating or making multiple posts that might get separated.

We have all been told that a blog is a must in business. It’s not a bad idea to have one, but some people don’t know how to set one up, build traffic, and make it look and work the way they want. Some just have no desire at all to have a blog, but they want the ability to use Twitter in a way that doesn’t limit the number of characters they use. This is where TwitWall comes in. There is no set up required. You login to TwitWall.com using your Twitter username and password and you are ready to start posting.

TwitWall looks just like your Twitter page in that your background follows you. What don’t come across are your posts made to others and your posts made on Twitter. So if you used Twitter or another program like Twitdeck to make a post it wouldn’t be visible on your TwitWall. The only thing you see is the posts you make from that page.

There are so many reasons why a person would want to use TwitWall rather than their regular Twitter page. One huge advantage I see is that you are not limited on the number of characters you use so you don’t have to worry about abbreviating words and you don’t have to worry about someone missing part of your post and questioning what you are talking about.

Check out TwitWall today. I think you will be thankful you did when you realize the potential that comes with it and what you were missing before.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She enjoys helping others reach their goals and dreams. Check out her website at www.virtualfreedom4you.com.

Popularity: 1% [?]

{ 0 comments }

WAHM Networking 101

by BlondieWrites on July 18, 2009

If you have been searching online for work at home opportunities, you have probably come across several websites, message boards and forums. These message boards and forums will allow you to meet and network with WAHMs across the world.

Networking online with other moms on message boards is very easy! Find a forum that you like, register an account and post an introduction message right away. Let the other moms know where you are from and what you want to accomplish with working at home. The women you meet there will provide you with advice on how to start a business, information on a wide variety of subjects, employment opportunities, and they will be more than happy to lend an ear when you need to complain about a bad day.

Start reading other people’s posts – you will notice that there is a section where the poster can list their business website. Visit the different websites – eventually you will find a few work at home moms that have businesses similar to the type you would like to start. Send them a message and let them know you admire their business and ask for advice on how you can get started in the same type of field.

Keep reading and replying to posts regularly; you will find that people have questions about things you are an ‘expert’ in. By building relationships and establishing credibility, people will come to you when they have a need for the product or service you provide.

Seek out the services of other home based moms when you need help with something. If you have done business with a certain mom, recommend her services to others when they need them! Your work at home friend will appreciate your help and will recommend your services to other people.

Eventually, someone new to the WAHM community will seek you out and ask for your advice on how to get started. Take them under your wing and show them a few helpful pointers. You may not be able to pay back all of the mothers who have helped you with your business, but you can definitely pay it forward by helping others!

Popularity: 1% [?]

{ 0 comments }