Author Archive

It’s a funny thing with Twitter.  You’ll often see spammers or some poor misguided folks promoting the latest follower-getting tools with messages like “get 99,000 new Twitter followers in 2 days just by using this ONE secret trick!!!”

But you don’t need resort to this type of craziness as I am sure most of you know.  Of course, you may boost your numbers–but can you really connect with that many people?  How meaningful will those connections be?  It’s actually a lot more fun to gain new followers the organic, “natural” way.

So how do you do that?

1. Share cool stuff. Regularly tweet links to interesting stories from other sites, blog posts you’ve come across that might be helpful to others, or pictures you’ve taken or found online.  This is an easy way to “give” to the community and make it clear that you are not just there to promote what it is you’ve got going on.

If what you are sharing is truly interesting and valuable to others then it is very likely you will be “re-tweeted.”  This is often how new followers will find you.

2. Engage in the conversation. This sounds obvious, but you don’t know how many times I see twitterers whose presence is very one-sided.  They may tweet about things they are promoting or even share cool links, but there is no interaction.

Start conversations with others or jump into ones that are already in progress.  Don’t be shy here.  Even if the person is someone you have never interacted with before, people appreciate when others take an interest in what they’ve tweeted.  Those who aren’t following you yet will often begin to do so based on seeing your involvement in these conversations.  It’s a great way to raise your profile in the twitterverse.

3. Utilize available tools. Luckily, there are a ton of great tools out there to help you make the most of Twitter.  Some of the ones I recommend for finding new people are Twellow, Who Should I Follow, Twubble and Mr. Tweet.  These services are all free ways to zero in on targeted new folks to follow based on various criteria.

If you have any other ideas to add, feel free to let me know in the comments–and happy twittering!

Often, small business owners who have a presence on Facebook ask me for tips about what else they could be doing to create visibility for their blog on the site.

There are two primary strategies I always recommend: adding both the Notes and NetworkedBlogs applications.

The Notes application is used to import your blog posts into your profile.  After you have set the application up, anytime you publish a new blog post the post will then appear on your profile automatically.  Here is how to configure the Notes application to do this:

In the bottom left corner, click on “Applications.”  If you don’t already see Notes in your list, choose “Browse More Applications” and search for it.  Add it to your profile, then go to “Notes Settings” and then “Import a Blog.”  You will then be able to add the feed address of your blog.  (A feed address will look something like http://feeds2.feedburner.com/Communicatevalue)

Once you have Notes installed, you can go to the settings page and adjust how your posts show up on your wall.

The other application which can help create visibility for your blog is NetworkedBlogs.  This lets users add their own blog, favorite their friends’ blogs and encourage the large number of Facebook users to visit your site.  It’s worth noting that many people still do not understand or utilize RSS feeds, so this is a nice way to introduce a more mainstream audience to your blog.

Additionally, NetworkedBlogs supplies a widget you can add to your site that allows visitors to follow your blog on Facebook.

To configure this application, search for it within Applications as you did above.  In order to claim your blog, you will need to add some HTML code to your blog temporarily.  When it has been confirmed that you are the owner, you can start inviting friends to join your network.

Once your blog has 11 readers, you can have your posts automatically show up on your Facebook profile.  If you are already using the Notes application to do this, you can still use NetworkedBlogs to interact with your readers and drive traffic to your site.

The great thing about importing your blog posts with NetworkedBlogs is that they also show up in the News Feed of your friends.  Your posts then take on a viral quality, adding to your credibility and expert status and driving traffic to your site.  This traffic can result in more email and RSS subscribers as well as clients, customers and sales.

Try these strategies and start building your community of raving fans of your blog—and your business!

What is social media exactly?

As I am sure you have noticed, social media is one of the hottest topics out there right now.  Google the phrase “social media” and you will find many definitions.  It is described as web-based tools for sharing and discussing information, websites where users create the content with a strong emphasis on user participation, online platforms where people communicate and connect….and on and on.

But I like to describe it as one giant conversation without borders.

As entrepreneurs, we’re interested in how we can use social media to market and grow our businesses.  Social media marketing can be described as businesses having conversations rather than in-your-face promotions.  It’s participating in online communities where your customers hang out.

The most crucial thing to understand about this type of marketing is that it’s never about a hard sell, or “pushing” anyone to do something.  Rather, it’s about connecting, building relationships and word of mouth.

So why social media now?

Traditional marketing still has it’s place, for sure.  But people are becoming more and more immune to advertising.  Online users want to participate, share and give their views and opinions.  The internet has allowed us to shift from being passive consumers to more actived, involved ones.

I still hear plenty of people refer to these social sites as fads or only for teenagers or college kids.  I have to remind them of the fact that our now president, Barack Obama, raised a large portion of his funds through social networking–including social sites, social elements on his blog and email marketing.  Definitely something to think about.

It’s more than MySpace

What are some examples of social media platforms?  There’s video (YouTube), micro-blogging (Twitter), imagery (Flickr), as well as RSS, blogging, widgets, chat, forums, poscasting and more.

But one of the biggest is networking and it’s what you would consider two of the largest social media sites–LinkedIn and Facebook.  These sites are also two of the most popular among business owners and professionals.

A common question I’m asked is what is the difference between them.  I like to say that LinkedIn is more a business network with social aspects whereas Facebook is more a social site with business aspects.  I’ve also heard them compared as “button-down” vs. “t-shirt and jeans.”

Keys to Success

How to make sure you are getting the most out of social media?  First and foremost, you want to be authentic and real.  Fill out your profiles thoroughly and aim to be consistent across different networks where you have a presence.

Balance out any promotion you do with genuine, useful conversation and relationship-building.  The important thing is to be seen as engaging and helpful and to participate regularly.

Results won’t happen overnight–but you are planting the seeds and growing relationships that can pay off significantly for you in the future.

Hello everyone!  I’m excited to begin blogging here!

As I am sure you have noticed from my title, I am not a Mom…yet.   However, the reason I was drawn to doing business online was because I began thinking ahead to when my husband and I do start a family (hopefully not too far off).  I decided I wanted to craft a flexible business so that I can be home with my children when the time comes.  Couple that with a strong desire to work for myself and here I am.

One of the most supportive groups I’ve found is here in the Mompreneurs Online community.  Not only is everyone more than willing to share helpful information and cheer you on, the ladies are inspirational to me in a big way.  Seeing so many successful women juggling both a family and a business helps me see that it is indeed very possible.  And I always appreciate the candor–sharing both the good and bad and ups and downs of being a Mompreneur!

As for my business, I’m an Online and Social Media Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Coach.  I teach small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelm of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits.  My mission is to teach others how to gain more time, money and freedom by leveraging the power of the Internet.

I’ve always been interested in media, communication and technology. In college it was mass media—TV and radio. But I have really been an internet junkie since I was a teenager. I started my first blog in 2004 and have had several since then. About 4 or so years ago, as new media was really coming to the forefront—podcasts, RSS, social networks—what people refer to as Web 2.0—I became really fascinated with that.

Around the same time I started a couple of businesses and really became aware of how big of a role marketing played in keeping a solo business afloat. It wasn’t enough to be good at what it was you were doing.  Since I was so comfortable with technology I really immersed myself in learning all of these online marketing techniques.  There started to be a buzz around this thing called social media and I was drawn to how this could be used to connect to all of these potential clients and customers. And be done in such a way that was very natural and not a type of “push” marketing which never sat well with me anyway.

I really liked the whole relationship-building aspect of it and that at its core it was about connecting and conversation. I was seeing that the results could be phenomenal. And because I see so many solopreneurs struggling with marketing, especially because they feel it’s sort of disingenuous and “yucky” and the whole resistance to the early morning business card exchange type networking, I realized there was a real need to teach these social media/online marketing integrated strategies. To show them it doesn’t have to be such a struggle and that you can really leverage this technology.

So, that’s a bit about me.  I can’t wait to help you learn more about social media and online marketing!  I am looking forward to the discussions.

Christine Gallagher, MLS, MSIS
Online and Social Media Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Coach for Small Business Owners
http://communicatevalue.com

Friend me on Facebook: http://profile.to/christinegallagher/
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChristineG
Link up on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/christinesgallagher