Friday Featured Four 5/18/12

May 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

What a week. Still can’t believe the Facebook (FB) IPO today was such a dud. I guess with 571 million shares it’s hard to pop a double figure percentage, but just a gain of $0.23. Ugh. This market is in trouble. Anyway, onto our Friday Featured Four. This week the FFF hail from Philadelphia, Michigan, Oregon, and Dubai.

Anise Smith – Where do I start? Anise has an incomprehensible passion for Social Media and its peripherals. These peripherals include Mobile Marketing, QR Code Marketing, Web Analytics, and Custom Facebook iFrame applications. Anise loves what she does and it shines through with the work she delivers. If you’re up at 3AM Eastern, you’ll likely find Anise on one of the many networks she frequents. Anise isn’t much of a sleeper. Always moving. Earlier this year she started a site in partnership with her Father Earl Smith Heal or Die Trying which focuses on health and making healthier choices. Anise is constantly giving and is involved with several charitable projects. All Philly, all the time, and a huge Shaquille O’Neal fan.

Facebook                                                                         Twitter

Anise Smith                                                                   QR Code

Facebook Page                                                               Anise Smith Marketing

Brian D. Hawkins – Brian is the man behind Hot Blog Tips, and one of the most experienced bloggers you’ll come across today. Brian is from Michigan, and a proud veteran of the US Army. Brian wants to make you a better blogger. He has over 10 years experience and really understands the process of blogging. His site is loaded with great content for all bloggers looking to learn and improve. I pick up something new with every visit, and that’s why I keep going back. Brian cuts through the BS and tells you like it is and what you need to do. If you’re a blogger and/or interested in SEO, get over to his site this week.

Facebook                                                                        Twitter

Klout                                                                              LinkedIn

Empire Avenue                                                             Google +

Ryan J Zeigler – Ryan is one of those guys online that knows a lot about a lot. A super talented photographer and very cerebral in nature, Ryan has made his presence felt through the computer screen. Ryan is the founder and manages arguably the best Empire Avenue group on Facebook called Social Empire. There have been many solid relationships built in that group, and the subject matter is diverse. Ryan’s is an accomplished photographer, and consistently delivers breathtaking photographs on many networks. Make sure you check out Ryan’s photography at Flickr, Instagram, and the networks below.

Facebook                                                                       Twitter

Social Currency                                                           Klout

Empire Avenue                                                            Google +

Rami Kantari – Rami is a partner at Meirc Training and Consulting, located in beautiful Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Meirc offers an impressive range of training, consulting and research services in the business field. Rami’s participation in Social Media is nothing short of impressive. He doesn’t seem to miss a day on the major social networks, and he’s always sharing interesting information. By the way, Rami was a swimmer for his home country of Lebanon, and competed in the 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1988 (Seoul) Olympic games. Please take some time to visit Rami’s networks below.

Facebook                                                                       Twitter

Blog                                                                               Klout

Empire Avenue                                                           Google +

 

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend…

 

 

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4 Surefire Ways to Influence your Klout Score

May 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

If you care about your Klout score, but tend to struggle increasing the number, this is for you. Here’s more on Klout if you’re new to the platform.  While the Klout score tends to garner more weight in Social Media and Marketing, other verticals such as retail and food have felt the influence.  The mysterious Klout algorithm has definitely showed its hand since the controversial update back in October 2011.  So if you’re looking to improve your score for business reasons or you just want to be eligible for the premium perks, digest and follow these 4 ways below.

Activity – If your not active let me introduce you to the Klout 20′s.  Even our buddy Justin Bieber, the creme de la creme of Klout with a score of 100, is highly active on Twitter.  He’s tweeted over 15K times.  With 21 million followers, you can imagine the number of RT’s and mentions he gets per tweet.  Someday.  If you really want to improve your score you need to be active 5-7 days a week.  Once you get to a number that is satisfying, you can generally take some time off without too much damage.  Although, the higher your score, the less forgiving Klout is to inactivity.  In order to have influence, you have to show up.

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook – Your Klout score is derived from your influence on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, and Foursquare.  First thing, LinkedIn and Foursquare have little or no effect on your Klout score.  I’ve yet to see a profile where they account for more than 1-2%.  Since Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ has to be connected to generate a score, it makes sense that LI and foursquare don’t play much of a part.  All things being equal, Facebook makes up the brunt of your score.  So if your activity is equal on FB, Twitter, and G+, your Facebook activity will have the greatest impact on your Klout score.  Even when your activity is slightly greater on another network, Facebook will count the most.  See the diagram below.  Now, if you have blowout volume on Twitter or G+, that network will take the lead.  Bobbi Jo Woods is a monster on G+.  Over 51K people have her in their circles and every post is a +1 and sharing bonanza.  Her Klout break down is 99% G+ and 1% Facebook.  She has a Klout score of 80.  Impressive.  For most, Facebook will be your driver.  Spend your time there and make it happen.

Photographs, and more Photographs – So Likes and Comments are the crux of your Klout score when Facebook is the lead dog.   Posting a beautiful photograph of mountains, the sky, or moon are “like” gold.  Post it and they will come.  The “Likes” will fall from the heavens and splash on your wall.  In many cases, the comments will follow closely on the heals of the like.  A collage from National Geographic can be your buddy, and your friends and followers will eat it up.  Now, if you actually post tantalizing pictures that you actually take yourself, jackpot.  Did I mention photos of kittens? Dogs? Just about any animal will work.  Most people love a quality photograph.  A motivating or witty quote with a picture background is the next best choice.  Sprinkle some photographs and quotes with your other content, and your Klout score will be off to the races.  This does work.

Grow your Following and Increase Friends – This is just the “law of averages” at play. While it’s not impossible to have a high score with a modest number of followers and friends, most of the users in 70+ land share high followers/friends numbers.  It doesn’t mean you have to friend every Tom, Dick, and Harry on Facebook.  However, with a mindset to expand your reach you’ll undoubtedly be taking steps to build an audience that will like, comment, share, retweet, and +1.  Your odds will simply increase, and more importly you’ll be “meeting” some great people along the way.

Klout Scores of Notables in Social Media

Guy Kawasaki           86       @guykawasaki

Robert Scoble            82       @scobleizer
Marie Smith              78       @marismith
Chris Voss                 78       @chrisvoss
Scott Stratten            75       @unmarketing
Chris Brogan             74       @chrisbrogan
Gary Vaynerchuk     70       @garyvee
Jason Falls                  70      @jasonfalls
Ann Handley            69      @marketingprofs
Brian Solis                 69      @briansolis

Please take your Klout score with a grain of salt.  It really doesn’t mean anything.  It’s not like you would lose a job opportunity because of it…Well

Do you care about Klout? How often do you check it? What have you done to help your score? Please leave your comments below…

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Friday Featured Four – 5/11/12

May 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

I hope everyone had a great week. One of the best parts of Social Media is the opportunity to meet great people from all over the globe. The FFF this week hail from India, France, and two very intelligent women from Southern California.

Kamal Bennani – Kamal is Founder & CEO of E-MHOTEP out of Paris, France. E-MHOTEP is a web agency providing multiple communication solutions, with over 14 years experience in design, construction, operation and promotion of websites. Kamal always brings great content to his networks and is a complete pleasure. You can find Kamal on Facebook, Google +, and Twitter where he’s very active. He’s an authority in the digital space, and someone you’ll want to connect with today.

Facebook                                                                          Twitter

Klout                                                                                Site

Empire Avenue                                                               Google +

Marieke Hensel – Marieke runs Branding Personality based in Southern California. Branding Personality provides SEO, Online Advertising, and Social Media services that help businesses gain customers since 2007. Marieke has quite the international flavor. She is originally from the Netherlands, but has lived and worked in Brazil, Romania, and the United States. You can also add author to Marieke’s list of accomplishments. She co-authored Businesswise, and Next Up: Essential Social Media Strategies for Auto Dealerships. Oh, and today just happens to be Marieke’s birthday. Happy Birthday Marieke.

Facebook                                                                        Twitter

Klout                                                                              LinkedIn

Empire Avenue                                                             Google +

Shaan Haider – Shaan is from Delhi, India and is the founder and is the owner and founder of Geeky Stuffs. Geeky Stuffs is a diverse blog that provides insight on applications, software, gadgets, social media, and blogging. Shaan generally posts at least once a day with superior content. Geeky Stuffs brings in the visitors, and has an Alexa Rank of 37K. Shaan is one of those guys that is extremely passionate about Technology and Social Media, and gives you feeling that he is online 24/7.

Facebook                                                                       Twitter

Geeky Stuffs                                                                 Facebook Page

Klout                                                                              Google +

Denise Sonnenberg - Denise is a Social Media Marketing consultant out of Huntington Beach, CA. Denise is one of my favorites, and I’ve learned a great deal from her about the Social Media space. Social Media Dot Connection is Denise’s site that discusses Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Social Media, and Blogging. You could spend days there soaking up the material. Denise has been in Marketing Communication since 1993, and currently is pursuing a MBA in Marketing. As Denise says, she is guided by the C’s in her life: Connection, Communication, Compassion, Contribution, and Camaraderie.

Facebook                                                                       Twitter

LinkedIn                                                                       Facebook Page

Empire Avenue                                                            Google +

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s our there…

 

 

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Traffic Transparency – Are you sharing your Stats?

May 9, 2012 By 3 Comments

trans·par·ent - easily seen through, recognized, or detected.

Transparency is frequently sought after in the world of Blogging. Generally, transparency makes the organization or individual more attractive to the reader. We tend to show more trust when the source is open, and shows some vulnerability. Bloggers also care about traffic. Whether we want to admit it or not, most of us care. It may not be #1, but it’s up there. We all like visitors.

Over the last 4-5 months I’ve found four individuals that share their traffic data along with any income they bring in through blogging. Month in and month out they post their numbers. They provide detail on what worked, and maybe more importantly, what didn’t. Both newbies and veterans can learn from their experience.

Magnet4Marketing – Is a site that provides online marketing and blogging tips. Fabrizio Van Marciano resides in the UK and started this blog in mid 2010. His motivation for sharing his traffic reports is twofold. He does it to inspire other bloggers, but also to leave a footprint for himself to see what has been successful. Here’s part of Fabrizio’s traffic results from April 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While it was a hectic month for Fabrizio, where other commitments chewed into his blogging time, the site still attracted just shy of 10K unique visitors. Over 80% of the traffic comes from Google/Organic. A combination of solid keyword research and a ton of content. Fabrizio goes into detail about improving bounce rates along with other helpful hints on his site.

TrafficGenerationCafe – Ana Hoffman brings readers, as the title of site suggests, information to generate traffic. Ana provides a great education on Marketing Tools and SEO. As Ana says, blogging is all about “Walking the Walk” and that’s her driver for sharing results.

This Google Analytics shot displays the traffic sources for March 2012. Ana provides additional detail about the new Google rules, referral traffic sources, and her March income from the blog. Great information that is helpful to any blogger looking to generate traffic.

Dragon Blogger – Is a Technology and Entertainment portal, the creation of Justin Germino. The site had an incredible 103K unique visits over the last month with 132K pageviews. Yes, Wow. Each month Justin delivers a breakdown of his earnings that gives great insight to his paid sources.

TheFinancialBlogger -This financial blog is the main contributor of a few sites that brought in 290K visitors in February, including over 400K pageviews. The blog income report gives plenty of detail on the revenue generating pieces including: Adsense, Affiliate deals, Private Advertising, and Niche websites. The sites collectively took in over $10K in February 2012, although expenses were roughly $4K. The breakdown of the earnings and traffic is robust. Mike also provides a monthly snapshot of his assets and net worth It would take quite some time to get through all the content.

So, are you publishing your traffic stats monthly? Once you’ve hit some numbers you’re comfortable publishing, what better motivator than to share your traffic data with your readers. You’ll be providing your audience with a learning experience while pushing yourself to maintain/exceed previous traffic numbers.

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Friday Featured Four

May 4, 2012 By 1 Comment

A new weekly post that will feature four individuals that YOU should connect with immediately.  Well at least soon.  This weekly post will showcase four people that exemplify Social Media today.  It will consist of people that share, give, provide value, are consistent, and perhaps most importantly, are approachable.  Yes, these people are communicators.  It is a two way street for them.  A few weeks ago I published a list of 8 people to follow on Twitter that was well received, so I figured a weekly post made sense.  I will go into more detail on each person, and show you several networks where you can connect further with these folks. These 4 and future featured people will not be made aware of the list before being published.

Timothy Snow – Timothy delivers amazing content daily.  He curates spectacular photos delivered to us via Facebook and Flickr.  Timothy runs Mediapeel which provides branding, video production, advertising, and web development.  Timothy is a Klout superstar.  His score currently sits at 81.  He currently ranks 9th in a Klout Red Bull Brand Page contest happening now.  Stop by and say Hi with +K in Red Bull.  This is rarefied air territory on Klout, and yes his score is higher than Red Bull’s.  While Timothy is a Patriots fan, let’s not hold that against him, as he resides in Rhode Island.  His wife Marie is no slouch when it comes to Social Media either.  They’re definitely a Social Media Power Couple (I smell another post). Below I’ve listed some of Timothy’s prominent networks where you can meet and get into his world.  Oh yeah, and he speaks Japanese.

Facebook                                                                          Twitter

Klout                                                                                Flickr

Empire Avenue                                                               Google +

Jackie Bigford – Jackie is an angel.  Period.  Jackie is all about giving, and making the world a better place. You can feel her passion through the computer screen.  I learned of Jackie from her tireless effort at Global Village Champions Foundation.  GVC is an important organization that provides nutrition to the world’s hungry.  She definitely made her impact felt as their Social Media Director, and inspired many to get involved with the cause.  Jackie resides in Ottawa, and is currently a partner at Savvy Media Marketing which delivers full service website development and Social Media Marketing.  Jackie also heavily supports Dolphins Love Us, and was a key participant for Project: Forgive raising over $100,000.  Always a breathe of fresh air, and a consummate professional, I highly recommend Jackie to you.

Facebook                                                                        Twitter

Klout                                                                              LinkedIn

Empire Avenue                                                             Google +

Adam Justice – Adam is the CEO of Elkhorn Media located in Kentucky.  Adam also successfully launched the site Social Media Sun this year.  SMS is full of valuable content that covers a wide range of Social Media topics, and features an original post daily by some of the most influential names today.  Adam has been designing and developing websites since 1998.  I think he was about 5 when he started.  Adam has also been a Yahoo! featured contributor in the areas of Technology, Politics and Autos.  Another person that is generous with his online knowledge. Adam provides many great services and consistent worthy content. Adam’s enthusiasm and work ethic are second to none.  I know you’ll enjoy him.

Facebook                                                                       Twitter

LinkedIn                                                                       Facebook Page

Adam Justice                                                                Adam-Justice

Saul Fleischman - Saul is the voice behind the blog Osaka Bentures which dives into various Social Media topics.  As you might have guessed, Saul resides in Osaka, Japan.  His roots lie in Philadelphia, and that spirit comes out on his blog.  One of the best things about Saul is he tells it like it is.  You don’t always see that online, as many keep it close to the vest. Saul is also the community development guy at IdeasWatch.  This is a site where entrepreneurs and developers around the world discuss startup ideas. I don’t throw expert around often, but Saul falls into that category with Triberr and StumbleUpon.  He’d say otherwise, but trust me on this fact.  If he believes in the content you deliver, who won’t find a better promoter.  Find him on the networks listed and reach out.

StumbleUpon                                                               Twitter

Facebook                                                                       Facebook Page

Empire Avenue                                                            Google +

 

Have a great weekend…

 

 

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Twitter 101 – How do I use Twitter?

May 2, 2012 By 11 Comments

We’re going back to the basics with this post.  With 140 Million active users and growing, Twitter continues to show it’s here to stay.  Yet I know so many that should be using it as a tool that haven’t stepped up to the plate. Hopefully this info will help those individuals on the sidelines to jump in and join the platform.

Twitter Name (Handle) – Depending if this account is personal or business will determine what you choose.  There is a max of 15 characters for your handle.  Keep it as tight as possible.  A shorter handle will give you more flexibility with tweets. So think @rjones instead of @randyjones

Avatar/Picture – Do not succumb to the dreaded Egg default avatar.  Have a avatar/picture ready to go when you’re first registering.  If you been on Twitter for a while and still show the Egg, shame on you.  Go into Settings – Profile – Picture and upload an image immediately.  There is absolutely nothing positive about the Egg. Most see it as laziness and inexperience.  Get something up immediately, you can change in the future if needed.  The maximum size is 700K, JPG, GIF, and PNG.

Biography – You have 160 characters to tell the Twitter world about yourself or your company.  Put your interests, objectives, and/or description of product/services.  This is another area of your Twitter profile which should not be neglected.  You really want to get your message across to other users, and let them know who you are and what you do.

Twitter Lingo:

Tweet – A message containing up to 140 characters

Tweep – A user on Twitter

Mentions – This is whenever someone uses your handle (i.e. @sbhsbh) in their tweet.

@reply –  An update posted by clicking the “reply” button on a tweet.  The reply will begin with @username

#Hashtags - Categorize Tweets by Keyword.  Pick your spots using #hashtags.  Don’t over do it…

Retweet  – Hitting the Retweet button will share that tweet with your followers without adding a comment

Retweet (RT) – The act of copying a tweet and sharing your comments as Retweet.  This has become an extremely popular way to retweet.

Direct Messages (DM) - This is your private Twitter Mailbox.  Many send automated messages as soon as you follow them.  Most people ignore the existence of the messages and the mailbox.  It’s up to you.

Twitter Interface and Best Practices:

 

 

Profile:

Tweets – A tally of the messages that you’ve sent.  This is the heart of Twitter.

Following – The number of Tweeps (users) that you follow.  When you first start, look to follow people you know and/or Tweeps that are of interest to you.  So business and personal friends is a good place to start.  Follow companies and celebrities if you would like, just keep your expectations low for replies to your tweets, especially with celebrities.

Following Best Practice Tip – Follow users that are active and have a following/followers ratio close to 100%.  Generally these balanced users are more apt to follow you back.

Followers – The number of tweeps (get use to it) that are following you.  This number is perceived in many circles as the “important” number.  Just keep in mind that there are a lot of tools out there to inflate that number.

Follower Best Practice Tip – Try to make a handshake every time someone follows you with a tweet back to them.  While this can be  as simple as a “Thank You”, you can also ask a question bases on their topics, where they work, or where they are located.

Lists – A very important part of managing your Twitter account, especially as your following/follower numbers grow.  Lists help you group users by topic, interests, or location just to name a few.  You may have a list of everyone that tweets about politics, or a list of people from DC.  It’s wide open on how you want to group users for your lists.  You can create 20 lists with 500 users each.

List Best Practice Tip – Utilize lists from the beginning.  It will make your experience on Twitter efficient and fruitful. Going back and creating lists after you are following a few thousands users is a headache.  Lists can also be viewed easily through a Social Media Management Dashboard such as Hootsuite.

@Connect

Interactions – Here you will see all your mentions, Retweets from others retweeting your tweet , and tweeps that just followed you

Mentions – Is a filter of interactions, only including mentions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(view from Interactions)

#Discover

Stories – Headlines that are breaking on Twitter

Activity – Highlights the latest retweets and follows from people you follow

Who to Follow – Twitter suggests users to follow based on the users you currently follow

Find Friends – Allows you to search contacts from your e-mail clients (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL) that are currently on Twitter

Browse Categories – Shows a wealth of categories and suggested people to follow

Some thoughts and suggestions to kickstart your Twitter experience:

Should I follow everyone?  No, but you should follow just about all that follow you.  Most often celebrities don’t follow you back.  Why? Well they could care less about what you’re tweeting.  Justin Bieber has 21 Million followers and actually makes an attempt by following back 122K, but most don’t follow back many at all.  Are you a celebrity?  Do you want to come off as elitist?  Twitter is much more about two way communication than other social platforms.  Twitter invites the community to share and discuss with people you don’t know, and yes you can build relationships online.  Ted Coine, with 125K followers wrote a great post, “Ted’s Twitter Follow-Back Policy” which should be embraced by more.

Suggested not to follow:

- Eggs (no profile picture or avatar)

- Blank Profiles (always suspect)

- Tweetless Tweeps (you’ll see they have thousands of followers with zero or little tweet activity)

- Use Explicit Language (you’ll see in their profile or Tweets)

- Low and inconsistent activity (You don’t want to follow back air)

 

12 Rules of Thumb:

  • Be active and consistent (to get the most out of Twitter you need to show up)
  • Communicate with others, don’t just broadcast
  • Determine what your goals are for Twitter
  • Keep the self-endorsements to a minimum (yes big brands too). They should be less than 10% of your tweets
  • Add Value and Help/Promote others
  • Don’t tweet more than once every 15 minutes (conversations or scheduled chats excluded)
  • Every tweet doesn’t and shouldn’t have a link
  • Retweet and mention consistently
  • Reply to direct questions within a 24 hour period (the sooner the better)
  • Say Thank You to those who’ve retweeted you directly or by retweeting something of theirs
  • Have patience if you’re a business seeking results.  It takes time…
  • Have fun and enjoy the experience

I hope this helps you get off to a great start with Twitter.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.  I’m happy to help you get started.

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The Social Media Manager I Want

April 17, 2012 By 4 Comments

social media manager

I have been watching the Lion King today. I’m not sure how many times I have watched it, but it’s a fantastic movie. My son loves it, and he keeps watching it over and over again. It’s like he’s watching a brand new movie every single time. He’s like that. I know every little detail in that movie by heart. Still, it’s like he’s looking for new things to appear, things he missed the first 50 times he watched the movie.

And, sometimes I’m like that too. Not when it comes to watching the Lion King, but when it comes to social media.

It’s like that quote from Einstein, the one about insanity. I’ve been staring at the screen, waiting for things to happen for so long, and I realize that things are happening. I’m social, but I feel like I’m everywhere, and at the same time, it’s like I’m nowhere at all. I don’t have any control. Or maybe I do. I just don’t know. I’m doing the same things over and over again, and I’m expecting new things to happen.

I need a brand new social media manager…

What a social media manager is

I need to focus on social for a while. I know what I want, and I know why I want it. The only problem is that I haven’t found it, at least not yet.

I am using Twitter, and I am using Facebook. I am not as active on Google+ or LinkedIn or Pinterest, but I’m a member. And I’m a member of several other social media sites as well. But, the thing is, I don’t want to keep logging in everywhere to see what’s going on, and I don’t want to keep publishing the same things across all the networks.

I want to be using a social media manager, where I can post where I want, when I want, and I want to be able to do everything by using one tool only.

Yes, one tool only. Not one tool for Twitter only, and one tool for Facebook, and not one tool for publishing posts. I need one tool to rule them all.

3 Features I really want and 2 More

I have been using HootSuite for a while, and it’s more or less fantastic. But it’s missing a few things. The same goes for Buffer. I love how powerful, yet simplistic it is. And there are so many other cool services as well. But, so far, I haven’t found a single one where I can manage everything. I might have too high demands for a social media manager, I don’t know.

Here it comes.

Publish everywhere

I want my social media manager to be able to publish my content where I want and when I want. This means that I want to update my status, and pick Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, G+, Pinterest etc.. and schedule it. I want to publish it to one social media site, or many. And the schedule part is important.

Track keywords and organize

I want to be able to track keywords. So when I person mentions my blog in a tweet, or in a blog post, I want to receive that information. And I want to be able to respond to it. I want to be able to track everything, a lot like I am using Google Alert.

And, I want to be able to organize everything I track, so it’s easy to find it.

Analytics

I love statistics, and I am using Clicky to see what’s going on. I need some kind of analytics to test and improve what I’m doing in social. I need to understand what people are replying to and what people are liking, and what’s going on.

I don’t just need to see how many people have retweeted my posts, but I want to see how many actually clicked on the links inside the posts, and how many liked my Facebook updates, and how many visitors I had on my recent blog post.

Organize and Reply to Blog Comments

I simply love comments on my blog posts, and during a day, I receive too many on both old and new posts, and it’s hard to keep up with replying to them all. I want to be able to reply to everything, and I need a system to organize it for me, and I want to be able to reply to all comments from a social media manager, I don’t want to log in to my blog to do that.

The inbox saves the day

Finally, here’s my point to what I really want.

Do you remember the image at the top of the post? It’s from a service I started testing a few hours ago, it’s called Postling. I’m not saying that you should try it, because I don’t know enough to say anything good or bad, at least not yet. But, one thing that I really like about it, and one thing that I have been thinking about for a long time, is how important an inbox is.

To me, a social media manager should be organized like email, and everything should be inside an inbox. We can use filters and add different things to different folders, but the inbox is where we get everything from all the various social media sites. I receive every mention on Twitter and every tag on Facebook, and every comment on my blog posts inside one inbox. And from this inbox, I can delete, reply or just read. I can do whatever I want, and I have total control, because I find it all in one place.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on social media managers

Are you using a social media manager? If you are, which one? And what features are you looking for in a social media manager?



Jens P Berget

Jens P Berget

A Norwegian guy, writing about marketing strategies. Topics related to Internet marketing; blogging, copywriting, seo, and social media.

Website: SlyMarketing

Twitter: berget

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3 myths other Internet Marketers don’t tell the truth about

April 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Internet Marketing is all the rage at the moment. Everyone wants to have a business where they can work from home and watch the passive income flood in. It’s becoming more and more popular, particularly as more people are hit by the credit crunch or just fed up of the rat race and want to become their own boss.
Unfortunately whilst the concept of becoming an Internet Marketer grows so does the hype and BS within the industry. Not to mention scams and products which continually under-deliver. You really do have to do your research before investing your cash.

As you’ve probably already gleaned from reading my blog, I try and be honest and tell it like it is. Internet Marketing is bloody hard work. It’s not easy and it takes time to make money consistently.

Here’s 3 common myths about Internet Marketing:

Make money working from a beach

How often have you seen a blog or a video from an Internet Marketer showing off how they’re working from their hotel/beach/villa etc.? Looks gorgeous, blue skies, sand… kind of hypnotic – want a piece of that? Well I don’t know about you but I’ve never worked from a beach before. Technically (as I’m virtual and just need a PC) I could but let’s face it I have commitments, I have a family and as much as I would love to pack up and take my daughter out of school – her school wouldn’t allow me to (as most schools) and I’m not planning on home-schooling! Plus have you ever tried getting sand out of your PC or Mac?

But let’s get back to reality here… Most of the Internet Marketers who film themselves at their luxury resorts made their money before entering the world of Internet Marketing. How many times have you read the sob story of how they were broke and then they finally found the system/solution and now make 7 figures a month etc. (and therefore work from the beach). I’m sorry but I just don’t buy it and I doubt you do too.

I’m proud to say that before becoming an Internet Marketer I set up and sold a successful business and prior to that I was a Training Manager in London and worked with clients including Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver. I haven’t struggled and I don’t plan on struggling. Yes I’ve made mistakes along the way and I’ve also made and lost a lot of money… but that’s part of running a business. Any business.  You have to be prepared to take risks – sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t… it’s all part of the fun of running a business.

And what about Internet Marketers filming videos/creating blogs by their gorgeous swimming pools and huge houses… it’s all perception it’s not real. It’s created as an illusion to impress you. Don’t let it fool you.

The 4 hour Work Week

I have to be honest here – I genuinely don’t think the 4 hour work week exists. I’m sure many people will argue this with me (and please feel free to do so) but how an earth can you create millions consistently working 4 hours a week? I don’t know anyone who does.

Take a look at the top entrepreneurs they work crazy hours. In fact the more I earn, the more I seem to work… silly I know but I guess I get greedy and want more and if I work a little more on launching a new product or mentoring another client that means more hours for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining – I love what I do and feel very privileged to be able to work from home and earn a good income whilst spending time with my family. But a 4 hour work week – I’m not buying it!

You can make money quickly online

Well let’s look at the facts. I made money reasonably quickly online… BUT and it’s a big but I already had a presence. I already had sold a business, had contacts, and was an active user Social Media (I’ve been active on social media since 2008) so had a following/presence online. Someone starting out fresh, or for an unknown person, it will take considerable amount of time to build. In fact most people soon realise that it doesn’t actually happen overnight and soon give up for that very reason. Many people don’t realise how much work is involved and a lot of people start off with having a day job on top of this which is one of the reasons “give up” rate is so high within Internet Marketing.
I could go on… there are so many things that Internet Marketers just don’t tell you about. The industry is viewed through very rose tinted glasses. Remember – if it was that easy everyone would be doing it. Running a business is incredibly hard work and it takes time to get results and Internet Marketing is no different.

What are your favourite internet marketing myths? Share with us in the comments.

 

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Lilach Bullock

Lilach Bullock

Lilach Bullock is a social networking pioneer, business consultant, mentor and personal brand expert. One of the most dynamic personalities in the world of UK social media, she is frequently credited with the accolade of being the first in the industry to actively leverage networking.

She launched and then sold her first business within three years of becoming a mother. Even now, she juggles a demanding home life with commercial commitments. Lilach’s contribution was recognised nationally, when she became a finalist at the Best MumPreneur of the Year Award, presented at Downing Street, where she was praised for her entrepreneurial efforts.

Website: http://www.socialable.co.uk

Twitter: lilachbullock

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8 Twitter Powerhouses you Must Follow: They actually communicate with the little guy

April 5, 2012 By 30 Comments

I never really planned on creating a Top People list of X when I started blogging.  You see them all the time, and it’s generally hugfest city.  I guess one could argue this list is a hugfest.  Yes, I do know all of these people and have directly engaged with them all.  How else could I form a list if I didn’t have communication with people I’m highly recommending to follow on Twitter?  Many lists I see are 50 or 100 of the Top X.  It’s as if they don’t want to leave anyone out.  This list was kept short on purpose.  With a list of 100, each individual is diminished because of the size.  These 8 people are Twitter Powerhouses in their own right.  This list isn’t for them, this list is for you.

If you have an interest and tweet about Social Media, Technology, Marketing, Business, Leadership, or Blogging these are 8 people you need to follow today.  Why?  They know what they’re talking about.  There’s a high probability that they’ll follow you back.  There’s a high probability that they’ll tweet back to you, and yes they have followers.  They care about the Twitter platform and their topics of interest.  You can build relationships with them, and it would be to your benefit to take advantage of their knowledge and accessibility.

Sharon Hayes – @SharonHayes – Marketing Strategy, Email Marketing, and the Domain industry are Sharon’s bread and butter.  Sharon is a consummate professional, with a work ethic second to none. Long hours just a day in the life.  Sharon is the CEO of Domainate . Domainate offers domain names and other domain related services. Sharon has been on several Top Twitter lists over the years, so this is nothing.  Speaks her mind. With almost 130K followers and approaching 75K tweets Sharon has an incredible amount of Twitter experience, and should be followed now.

Ted Coine – @tedcoine – Ted is such a Pro.  You see it in his writing at Switch & Stiff.  A true authority on business, leadership, and motivation.  A former CEO, Ted is an author and speaks on leadership.  Ted also has a very transparent mantra on “following” on Twitter.  Ted’s follow-back policy is definitely one you should seriously consider for yourself.

 

John Paul Aguiar – @JohnAguiar – John really has a handle on making money online, coaching, blogging, and twitter.  John has a ton of valuable content on his site John Paul’s Blog – Dummy Money that will make you an efficient and powerful twitter user and blogger.  You could spend days on John’s site consuming quality content.  He’s definitely taught me a lot about twitter and how to make the most of the platform.
 

Michael Q Todd – @mqtodd – Michael eats Social Media for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I wonder sometimes if there is more than one of him, as he seems to be everywhere online.  His passion for Social Media is off the charts.  He’ll really help you anyway he can.  He wants you to be better online.  Michael leads many Tweetchats, including #EavChat and #Toolschat.  Check out Michael’s blog to learn more about Twitter strategies and best practices.
 

Daniel Zeevi – @Dashburst – Just an unbelievable amount of valuable content on Daniel’s twitter account that includes: Social Media, Marketing, Business, Technology and Art. Daniel has a strong hold on these topics, and is another workaholic that brings this information to his audience non-stop.  Daniel’s site Dashburst, which will focus on Social Media and Web Analytics, will be launching soon.
 

Neal Schaffer – @NealSchaffer – A Social Media veteran who has authored two terrific books on Maximizing LinkedIn.  Neal works with companies on their Social Media strategies, has spoken at over 100 events worldwide.  Somehow Neal still manages to run a superlative Twitter account.  

 
 

Robert Caruso – @fondalo – Robert is a firecracker.  He has no problem speaking his mind, regardless if it’s the popular view.  That’s refreshing, and welcomed by most.  He gets it, and you get a good feel of his persona after seeing about ten tweets.  A lot of back and forth with other tweeps.  Social Media, Marketing, and Technology is his forte.  Robert is the person behind Social Content Management System BundlePost
 

Roseli Bakar – @EzyBlogger – Roseli might be the nicest person on the planet.  I’m not kidding.  He’s just an unbelievably kind person, and that goes for online and in-person.  A Social Media junkie with an emphasis on blogging.  The content on blogging that Roseli uncovers blows my mind.  He brings it day after day. You can learn more on Roseli’s blog EzyBlogger.

I look forward to your comments.  Please share 1 or 2 people that are must follows on Twitter for you in the comment section below.

Name Twitter Followers Tweets Location
Sharon Hayes @SharonHayes 129,816 74,436 Canada
Ted Coine @tedcoine 118,238 33,100 Florida
John Paul Aguiar @JohnAguiar 111,647 28,230 Boston
Michael Q Todd @mqtodd 66,842 36,205 Tokyo
Daniel Zeevi @Dashburst 51,504 14,433 Pittsburgh
Neal Schaffer @NealSchaffer 50,429 39,231 California
Robert Caruso @fondalo 34,454 91,765 Oregon
Roseli Bakar @EzyBlogger 21,011 16,451 Malaysia

 

 

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