Thursday, June 18, 2009

Get Your Google Profile Filled Out!

The latest tip I have received for getting online visibility is to fill out your Google account profile! I heard about it in a seminar on using blogs and having your blog be found. The Google account profile consolidates all that you do online and offers you a nice way to introduce yourself professionally and personally.

I have to admit I have a problem filling out profiles mostly because I just don't know how to answer some of the personal questions. Guess I have no life!! What "are" my interests .. what "do" I like to do? Do you experience that? Or ... are you a profile nut! My business also seems to be changing all the time in terms of all that I offer so how do I fill that section out and keep it in sync with what might already be out there? Do I even worry about this?

Profiles are vital right now. Your social network profiles are very, very important for your success and they also get listed in the search engines. Is this fact alone worth filling them all out? What do you think? Do we need to do this? I say yes but please.... prove me wrong as it is one of least favorite things to do.

Keep your business garden growing ...
margie

Note: I have to admit .. I did enjoy filling out the Google profile. Check me out .... http://www.google.com/profiles/todaysway Get yours done today!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Facebook Usernames

Hi all...

Well, facebook is finally letting us use our names in our page URL to make it easier for people to find us! However some people do not like this!

Some people simply do not like change. Are you one of these? They say people can search in the search window for them by name .. why do they need it in the URL? They are content just the way it is! If it isn't broken why fix it?

Others are past My Space users and liked Facebook cause of its differences from My Space. Using our names, they say, is making it be like My Space. Any former My Space users out there that feel this way?

Personally I am just worried that my name will get taken before I get it. Or worse ... that I mis- spell what I submit and then I'll be stuck with it! No one will find me! Other than that I'm cool!

What do you think? Let me know!

Keep your business garden growing ...
margie

Friday, May 29, 2009

Facebook Ads

Hi all,

Welcome to my weekly mailing readers who are joining us here.

Facebooks ads are quite interesting, aren't they! Has anyone given them a try? You will not find a more targeted way to market. You can define your outgoing and snail mail by targeted demographics but these are usually people you have already identified. If you are using email you "must" only communicate with those you already know.

Facebook allows you to target the exisitng Facebook demographics within the "entire" Facebook membership, not just your networks. You may target geography, age, sex, keywords, education, workplace, relationship status, even language! It really does hold true possibilities.

A client of mine, new to facebook, is a photographer. He had experienced seeing ads for some of the major players in his field appear "only" when he was on his photo gallery pages and when he would be thinking about such services! Choice of keywords made that happen. I really don't know in the world of the small business person where else you would have that happen. Does anyone have input on that?

Please share your experiences with us ... not just with Facebook Ads but pay per click on Search Engines as well! I welcome your comments.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Finding Ideas For Article Writing On Twitter!

Hello all,

Having started using Twitter when it was still pretty much in beta I find it fascinating to learn how it's uses have expanded amongst the professionals.

My weekly mailing this week mentioned how journalists will search Twitter for ideas for articles. Never thought of strategizing my tweets for such an opportunity, but it definitely is something to think about. Is anyone already doing that?

The use of hash marks would probably be the best way to begin. You could also carefuly choose your followers. Actually, where you can have multiple accounts on Twitter you might just want to set up multiple accounts for different types of conversations. Combine that with the use of hash tags and you probably would have some visible success! Something to think about for sure.

Let me know your ideas ... I welcome your creative thinking!

Keep your business garden growing ...
margie!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Twitter Hash Tags

Hi ..

Once again I welcome my weekly mailing readers to my blog! So what do you all think about hash tags? Have you been confused? Are you an old salt and been using them for years on other social networks and in other applications? Are you new and having learned a little about them, excited about the new possibilities??

Just a quick review for those arriving at the blog without seeing my mailing, a hash tag is identified with the "#" symbol. It is used along with letters, numbers, both as an acronym to categorize tweets into different topics/subjects. They are used when many people are tweeting about the same topic, or from the same event. And yes, they are also used on other social sites.

My personal feeling is although they appear to be a nuisance within the daily list of tweets... they are a blessing if you are truly marketing on Twitter. When you do a search for hash tags you will find out what people are talking about, interest in etc. First a entire new list of potential followers is in front of you and second knowing what people are saying gives you the platform on which you can introduce whatever it is that you sell. Maybe it is just a platform to build the relationship on and maybe it is a more direct path to a business sale! It obviously depends on what the hast tag means!!

Two great resources are: www.Hashtags.org. and http://tagal.us/

Let's discuss it! Put your questions, ideas and opinions in the comments section. I welcome your input.

Keep your business garden growing ...
margie



Thursday, April 30, 2009

Search Engines Like Bloggers!

I welcome all of you who came here from this weeks weekly mailing! It is a fact that search engines like bloggers! So let's talk about it....

"How do I write a blog" is a common question. Blogs were originally daily journals and that alone suggest a "freestyle" form of writing . .. just letting it flow as it comes to the mind. You can still do this with just an additional "bit" of the mechanical.

Go ahead and write "freesyle!" Then go back, once completed, and insert keywords you have identified as important to your topic. Use both keywords and/or keyphrases.

Don't like to write and need guidance? Find out what people are reading about, look for the keywords and patch the thoughts together! It will come to you, I promise. Or another idea, talk about it! Pretend there is someone sitting across the kitchen table from you and just converse! Then write down what you said. You might record it and then write from the recording.

Comment below on your challenges and we can all try to help you out! Need to know first so submit what keeps you from becoming a blogging bullet on the internet! :-)

As in all things in life .. practice makes perfect! You'll soon be teaching others how to write a blog!

Keep your business garden growing ...
margie