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I’ll be the guest on The Best People We Know Radio Show (Motivational Radio Show) on: February 3, 2011 and at 7pm (EST). We will be talking about:

• marketing
• search engine optimization
• website design
• graphic design
• social media
• …and more

Host Deb Scott

Deb Scott is an award winning author of, The Sky Is Green & The Grass Is Blue -self help book- and a certified professional coach and motivational speaker. She is a terrific host and an incredible person. If you have not meet Deb, make sure to visit her site (motivational website).

Православни икониИкониikoniПодаръциикониикониПравославни икониикони на светцииконописikoniсвети георгиikoniхудожник на икониИкони на светци

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Using Audio In Your Social Media

Tell YOUR VISITORS what YOU want them to hear!
I’m starting to play with a free online voice recording tool called, Cinch. Basically, Cinch that lets you call in from a phone and record a short message. Business owners might find this useful since it could be used to easily record: specials, upcoming promotions and announcements. Once a recording is made, distributing the snippet can be done using the social media features provided in each account; including ways to embed, link and download the recorded message.

Blog Talk Radio & Cinch

Anyone hosting a Blog Talk Radio show will also find the option to downloaded very handy. Once the recording is downloaded it can then be uploaded into a Blog Talk Radio account and used in a variety of ways. Specifically, BTR hosts could use the Cinch recording during their shows, or create a recording that promotes a future show.

The Future Of Cinch

Cinch is new to me, but some of the features might prove to be valuable and a fun way to help get any message out.

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You’re starting to gain traction in your quest to build a social network, now it is time to think about, how to be a great social media friend. The definition of a friend is, “A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard …a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter…”. The important thing to remember is the social media friendship just begins at the acceptance or friend request. Once the lines of communication are open, it’s what you say and do that counts; and a social media friendship is about communication: liking, commenting and sharing with others. To be a great friend you have to have a good balance between listening and talking. My friendship formula is: two-thirds my time is spent promoting my friends; and one-third the time promoting myself.

I like the two-thirds to one-third formula because it allows me to learn about others and share their interest with my friends, while giving me time to talk about my interest; and that is what a friendship is about.

Twitter -

• Re-tweet the things you find interesting.
• Mention and thank new followers.
• Mention or Direct Message a friend that has shown “a lot” of support. You don’t need to do this after every re-tweet or mention, just special occasions.
• At least one or two times a week, “go beyond the re-tweet.” Get to know a friend better. Visit their site or blog and tweet what you find with others.
• If a follower, friend or fan are active on another social network, tweet a link to their “public profile.”
• Watch for specials or events friends are promoting and do your best to tweet the news. If you know someone in your network is hosting a radio show (or going to be a guest), tweet the show.
• If a twitter connection uses LinkedIn, tweet their public profile.
• Tweet friends Facebook Fan Pages.
• Use hash tags to help tweets get found on searches. The hash tag is the number sign on the keyboard. This is important because a lot of people use Twitter search to find subjects/people they are interested in finding/meeting. If you are not familiar with Twitter Search go take a look and search for something you are interested in. click here >> Twitter Search

Facebook-

The coveted Facebook Fan! Wan’an be a good fan …or a GREAT FAN! Come on don’t be shy. Get involved. Share. Comment and like what you see. This does two things:

1. Fan interaction makes a page interesting and fun.
2. Facebook’s live feed algorithm loves to see comments and likes on a fan page. The more the better.  And (not everyone knows) that when a status update is posted on a fan page, not all fans will see the update. To determine what fan page updates will be posted to a fan’s news page, Facebook first must determine if the content is something “the fan” will be interested in. The fan pages with a large number of fans will get priority. But, the more comments and likes a post receives, the better chance that update will be seen on a fan’s wall. So commenting and liking status updates is very important.
3. Also, if the situation is appropriate, make sure to use the Add to My Page’s Favorites. This is very easy to do: When you are on a fan page you like, in the left sidebar is a link, Add to My Page’s Favorites. Here is a screen shot for those not familiar with the link:

How To Be A Great Social Media Friend -

Do you have a GREAT social media friend you want to brag about. Give us a little professional background on them and why they are such a good friend. Make sure to post a link to their profile so we can get to know them too. Please, keep it to one link. Thanks for sharing.

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The internet is getting bigger and social media has become a powerful marketing tool. While the future seems to be clear -the internet is not going away and social media will continue to grow- many business owners are still unsure how to use social media to promote their brand and generate sales. The good news is understanding how these new marketing tools are used does not have to be difficult. Although developing an online social network takes a lot of time and a decent understanding of social media tactics, the role social media plays in today’s marketing plan is a relatively simple concept to grasp.

A Websites

1. A website is similar to a store-front that is open 24/7.
2. A website can also be described as an online brochure.

Google:

1. Google is like the Yellow Pages (Phone Book)
2. A search engine can also be compared to the Library. Remember that place?

LinkedIn:

1. LinkedIn is similar to using a Chamber of Commerce to network with other business owners.
2. LinkedIn can also be described as a modern, Referral group (like BNI).
3. All the old timers out there will appreciate this comparison, LinkedIn is like the Rotary Club.
4. LinkedIn can be thought of like the White pages of the phone book.

Twitter:

1. Twitter is like a cocktail party -Lots of short conversations flying around the room.
2. Or, tweeting is similar to driving by a billboard on the freeway. You only get a glimpse to get the message.
3. For all those raised when newspapers dominated, tweets are like headlines. The goal is to get the reader to stop and read the story (click your tweet if there is a link ..etc.
4. For those who like videos, here is a classic video about twitter. It is from the Late Night Show with David Letterman interviewing Kevin Spacey. Great video. Lots of fun.

Facebook & Fan Page:

1. Facebook is like hanging out at the Barber Shop or Beauty Salon, only you can’t get a perm or color with facebook, yet -maybe there’s an app for that???
2. Coffee shop or Diner. I’m not just talking about Starbucks.

Email Signature:

1. Adding a signature at the bottom of your email with links to your social network accounts and website/blog is like a modern day business card.

Blog:

1. Blogging is like giving a presentation.
2. Blogging is also like a press release (depending on the content.)
3. Some people might compare blogging to sending a letter to the editor of their local newspaper. Imagine that, sending a letter by mail.

When social media and the internet are described in these terms, confused business owners might get a better idea of how modern marketing tools are similar to traditional methods. If you have any comparisons you would like to share, be sure to  comment below. I would really like to read your ideas.

See Ya Read ya soon,
Gary

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Facebook can use your photos in ads. Specifically, facebook has the default set to use your friends photos in third party advertising -Yikes! To prevent facebook from using your photos follow the instructions below:

1. Log in to facebook
2. On the top right (in the blue bar) roll over “settings”
3. The fly out menu, click “privacy settings”
4. Click, “News Feed And Wall”
5. Click the “Facebook Ads” tab
6. There is a drop down menu next to “Appearance in Facebook Ads” -click “no one”

Please pass this information on.

thanks

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When I think of marketing I’m reminded of extreme sports.

I have surfed an 18 foot wave -Ya it was a rush. I have sparred with a 260 pound guy who had a left jab that felt like a right hook. I’ve SCUBA dove at 125 feet to watch the gray sharks. I have jumped off a 50 foot cliff into the ocean -and I don’t like heights. I do these things because I want to, not because I have a death wish. Sure each activity carried a certain amount of risk. But with training and practice I can make sure I’m prepared. This risk to reward ratio is also how I approach Extreme Marketing; and when the day is done the reward  is worth pushing the marketing limits.

What is Extreme Marketing?

Extreme Marketing is about creating new and imaginative ways to use the latest marketing tools to promote your brand or service. But before I go higher and faster I’m going to make sure to DO IT RIGHT! Sometimes bigger is NOT better. It is NOT about crashing …or failing. It is about correctly using every marketing tool available. This translates into:

• Search Engine Optimization -Being above the competition in Google.
• Social Networking -Using sites like Twitter to promote a brand, promotion or event.
• Traditional and Online Marketing -Coordinating a direct mail campaign with a landing page.
• Creative Promotions -Attract customers with a text messaging campaign.
• Email Marketing -Knowing how to contact customers using an email campaign.
• Logos and Branding.
• …and more

The owner of Caliber, Dan Ryan, has a quote he likes to say,

“If you always do what you have always done …you will only have what you had before.” -By the way Dan is the king of extreme automotive marketing.

This saying is what Extreme Marketing is about. It is why I keep pushing myself to stay ahead of the competition. I will not lie, it is not always easy to motivate myself. There are many days I don’t want to develop a new technique, or learn the latest marketing tool. But something in me will not rest and I’m always searching for the next best marketing technique.

The First Step To Extreme Marketing

Extreme Marketing means being in front. Blazing the tail and cutting a path “…being ahead of everyone to enjoy an unspoiled view.” For some clients the “Extreme” part starts with taking the first step on that untraveled path. For the conservative business owner who is still trying to learn how to email, I might start with a website. Later we might talk about a landing page for a pay per click campaign? However for the client that is ready to take their marketing to the next level, I can also create a marketing campaign that uses all the latest tools. This might include: designing a website and blog, create a promotion that uses text messaging and an online contest. Or, a client might want to coordinate a direct mail campaign that uses an online sweepstakes to generate a buzz around their product, service and brand.

The possibilities are endless. The point is that marketing does not need to stop at a direct mail postcard …at least not if you are into Extreme Marketing.

If you have a marketing technique that has worked for you make sure to share it with our readers.

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“Starting on Saturday, June 13th at 12:01am EDT, Facebook will begin allowing individuals to select facebook usernames. Also, in an effort to thwart squatting, Facebook is providing rights’ holders with the ability to prevent the unauthorized registration of usernames by submitting their brands.”

What You Need To Know About Facebook

Earlier this week I noticed Facebook was going to be starting to allow “vanity” urls. I thought, “that will be nice.” As the story goes, I noted the date, but the time-line did not sink in (I was doing too many things at once) …in other words, it is happening this weekend! So here I am giving everyone a shout-out to make sure they know this will be taking place.

To be clear the rush starts, June 13, 2009 –at 12:01 estern time.There are a few names that have already been reserved (or blocked) by Facebook, but if you have a business, trademark, or custom user name you want to use, you will want to act quickly. Does this mean setting your alarm clock for 11:45pm so you can be at your computer when 12:01 strikes? I guess that just depends, but at least now you know (hopefully you are reading this before the deadline).

In any case here is the article about facebook vanity urls, from the facebook blog.икони

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If you don’t tweet, you may want to start. Why? On May 6, 2009  CNET news reported on Twitters efforts to improve their search engine. Specifically the news article reported:

…in a one-on-one discussion, Jayaram [Twitter's new VP of Operations who until recently, was VP of Search Quality for Google] confirmed that Twitter Search, which currently searches only the text of Twitter posts, will soon begin to crawl the links included in tweets and begin to index the content of those pages.

cnet logo

The New Twitter Search

This improvement to Twitter Search will have two effects.

It will keep the existing users tweeting and it will increase the number of new users. The bottom line is, an improved twitter search will make Twitter more valuable at a time when Twitter and Social Networking are seemingly everywhere.

Twitter Search

Tips on Using Twitter

There are a lot of ways to use Twitter. Let us know how you use Twitter. Is it for business or personal? Do you use Twitter for branding? Or, do you tweet your latest blog articles? When you comment on how you use Twitter make sure to include a link to your twitter account and tell us what you think of Twitters new search.

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Social Networking

Social networking is changing the way people work and play online. Social networking sites are nothing new to the internet, in fact you probably heard of Geocities and Usenet, two early social networking websites. But unlike Geocites and Usenet, today’s social networking websites like: mySpace, facebook, digg and the recently popular LinkedIn and Twitter, appeal to a broad range of users that go beyond teenagers.
From the graph below you can see a sharp increase in “social networking” based on search volume.

Social Networking Trend - source, compete.com

What is social networking?

Generally a social networking website is an online community that is based around either professional or personal relationships.

If you visit a social networking website, you will find the majority of sites are created around a niche and membership is usually free. Once you join you will create a profile based on both personal and professional information. When your profile is completed,  you can:

• Join groups.
• Chat.
• Discuss topics in a community forum.
• Post news or articles.
• Search for other members with similar interest.

Why do people use social networking sites?

The appeal of social networking is different for everyone. On a personal level it is a great way to meet interesting people with similar interests. On a professional level, social networking sites have become a great way to:

• Expand a company’s online brand.
• Promote business articles.
• Promote blog posts and blogging.
• Keep current on the latest news.
• Watch the competition …ok “spy” on the competition.
• Meet colleges.
• Find employment.

From the points above, I want to discuss blogging. Blogging is huge online and social networking websites are a great place to promote a blog. But to really understand how big blogging is, I’ve gathered some information starting with the three most popular blogging platforms WordPress, Blogger and Typepad.

popular blogging software: Blogger, WordPress and Typepad

Interesting stats:

• Unique visitors Blogger -#28,147,310 (2/08-2/09)
• Daily estimate search for keyword, “blogger”: #1,716
• Unique visitors WordPress -#22,147,374 (2/08-2/09)
• Daily estimate search for keyword, “wordpress”: #6,466
• Unique visitors Typepad -#9,611,366 (2/08-2/09)
• Daily estimate search for keyword, “typepad”: #11

Note -The Unique Visitors metric only counts a person once no matter how many times they visit a site in a given month. Unique Visitors are typically used to determine how popular a site is. (stats from–compete.com)

Now add those statistics to the an estimated 175,000 new blogs every day; the total as of 8:23 CST on June 27, 2008 is: 209,593,000 (source -Technorati’s count on February 11, 2008 via: youdesignit.blogspot.com)

So with social networking you can promote: a blog, yourself, find contacts, find a job, promote articles and meet interesting people …and more.

Most popular social networking sites

The recent serge in online social networking also has a lot to do with how social networking sites are adding new features and languages. Sites like Facebook have seen a huge increase in popularity as they expanded internationally, while simultaneously improving user control over content.  Recently facebook’s efforts have resulted in huge growth, overtaking mySpace.

Facebook and MySpace unique visitors

Interesting stats:

• Unique visitors Facebook -#73,787,766 (2/08-2/09)
• Daily estimate search for keyword, “facebook”: #355,929
• Unique visitors mySpace -#53,066,785 (2/08-2/09)
• Daily estimate search for keyword, “myspace”: #366,765

To help demonstrate how big facebook and mySpace have become, here is a graph the compares the unique visitors of mySpace, facebook and Google.

Unique Visitors For Google, Facebook and mySpace

Interesting Stats:

• Google unique visitors: 130,285,302 (2/08-2/09)
• overall daily search estimate for keyword, “google”: 445,684

Two more popular social networking sites used to promote articles, blogs and news are Digg and Stumbleupon. I’ve also added a niche site that focuses on developing business contacts, the social website is called LinkedIn:

Unique visitors to Digg, Stumbleupon, LinkedIn

Interesting Stats:

• Digg unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #33,433,760
• LinkedIn unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #11,228,746
• Stumbleupon unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #4,418,609
• Daily estimate for keyword, “digg”: #1,204
• Daily estimate for keyword, “LinkedIn”: #4,204
• Daily estimate for keyword, “stumbleupon” : #1,074

Flickr, Photobucket and Webshots are three social networking sites related to photo sharing:

Unique visitors for: Flickr, Photobucket, Webshots

Interesting Stats:

• Photobucket unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #24,470,242
• Flickr unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #23,769,885
• Webshots unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #4,565,611
• Daily estimate for keyword, “photobucket”: #27,828
• Daily estimate for keyword, “flickr”: #24,227
• Daily estimate for keyword, “webshots”: #5,392

Two social networking sites for blogging communities are BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog:

Unique visitors for BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog

Interesting Stats:

• blogCatalog unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #1,898,783
• MyBlogLog unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #955,648
• Daily estimate for keyword, “blogCatalog”: #53
• Daily estimate for keyword, “mybloglog”: #49

Finally, “at this time”, the hottest social networking site is called, Twitter.

Social networking site, Twitter

Interesting Stats:

• Twitter unique visitors (2/08-2/09): #7,935,441
• Daily estimate for keyword, “twitter”: #8,074

There are many reasons why someone will use social networking. For business it can mean additional exposure to brand and products. As an individual, a social networking web site may offer an online community with other people who share common interest. Either way, the social networking style website has become very popular with men, woman and childrren …the numbers don’t lie.

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Logo Design and Branding

The internet is a lot of things. It is social networking. Online marketing. Websites. Blogs …and more. But did you know that the internet is a great tool for promoting your brand? I’m not just talking about your logo stuck in the top left corner of your website. No. I’m talking about thousands of people seeing your logo every day! Of course to do this you will need a few things, starting with a logo. Next you will need an avatar and logo icon. And finally you will need a favicon. If you are not familiar with an avatar, logo icon or favicon don’t worry, I will show you what they are …just keep reading. As for a logo, I am going to show you why investing in a custom logo is worth every cent. I’m not going to talk about colors, text or symbolism of using blue vs red. For a business person you need to know how and why a professionally designed logo is better than a free logo. So, today I’m going to show you five ways to market your brand online and how a custom logo will increase online branding options in ways a free logo does not. Speaking to the business person, this means more profits. So lets get started.

With the help of a logo the internet can become a conduit for boosting a brand. This is especially true when a logo is incorporated in an avatar, logo icon or favitar. What all this amounts to is more real estate in more places.

To begin taking complete advantage of the internet and online marketing,  your internet branding campaign will require three tools:

1. A LOGO- a logo is the first tool a business needs in order to take advantage of online branding opportunities. With the aid of screen shots I will demonstrate that online marketing can boost your brand to incredible heights. Furthermore, you will see why a logo requires a professional graphic designer whom understands the internet and how a logo design can be applied to an avatar, logo icon and favicon; something a free logo design software does not provide …and this is a huge disadvantage when using free logo software.
2. LOGO ICON and AVATAR – Compared to a logo, the logo icon and avatar are usually smaller. As a professional graphic designer when I design an avatar or icon logo I focus on a small part of the logo that carries over some specific and recognizable element in a usually small area.
3. FAVICON – Simply put a favicon is an avatar for your browser. It is usually very small so it needs to be designed with one recognizable element from your logo.

With this simple explanation of how an avatar, logo icon and favicon are based off a logo, lets go over how they are used in an online marketing campaign, social networking, blog or website.

First, lets start with the website with the logo in the top left corner. This is a common place for a logo since it is one of the first areas the eye will go.

Next, the favicon is displayed in the visitors browser next to the domain name in the address bar. It is also displayed if the website is bookmarked, so when the user opens their favorites, your logo is there too.

Put the website and favicon together and you get some impressive online branding. Imagine your visitor or customer seeing your logo as displayed below!

Using social networking to increase your brand exposure can be done using an avatar. One such method is using Twitter to splash your logo/avatar across the twitter network. Here is a snap shot of my tweetDeck, only imagine your logo being displayed everyday in front of your followers …WOW!

Using Twitter For Online Branding

Perhaps now you are beginning to see the value of having a professional graphic designer create your logo? Specifically, a professional can design with all these elements in mind. This can leave a lasting impression and one that should not be left up to some free logo design software.

If you are still not impressed, let me show you more. Online branding goes beyond Twitter. Another method is one that has been around the internet for years, that’s right …the forum.

A forum is another online branding opportunity to display your logo

Forums also have profile areas where your logo design can be viewed.

Forums also have profile areas to display your avitar or logo

Estetica Design Forum is a great community with discussions around graphic design and website design, but if a forum is not for you, than try to use one of the newer social networking communities. For example, one of the more popular professional social networking groups is called LinkedIn.

Finally, using FeedBurner to syndicate your blog can also be a way to promote your brand by adding your logo to your blog feed.

Branding

I hope you are starting to see the picture and how a professional graphic designer can take your logo and use it to turn the internet into an online branding machine. For a business, a professionally designed logo is more than colors, pictures and text that goes on a website or business card. Furthermore, I only touched on five ways to market your brand online: website, social networking, forums, favicon and you RSS feed (FeedBurner). I did not even touch on a dozen other online branding resources available to boost your brand online; which for all the bottom liners means, increased profits though branding.