Social Media Tools

One of the biggest concerns new online marketers have is “bothering” their subscribers with too much email. But we know from research that it’s important that your list hears from you regularly. It’s only through regular contact that they get to know you. And they only buy when they know, like and trust you.

The second biggest concern is both the cost of advertising and the time and technology involved in most of the traditional marketing methods.

That’s why a lot of new online business owners enjoy social media marketing! It’s easy to start, takes virtually no money and it’s comfortable to promote once you understand the basics.

So where do you start?

1. Create an account on Twitter. Just go to twitter.com and sign up. If you can get your name, that’s the place to start. And you may want another account for your major keyword, but that’s optional.

2. Follow your favorite people on Twitter. While you can follow your friends you will be well-served to follow the thought leaders in your major topic area. And watch for other quality “tweeters” like Lisa Suttora and Connie Green. Both provide excellent content and model good Twitter behavior.

3. Sign up for a personal account at Facebook. Befriend those people who interest you – and look for your offline and online friends on Facebook. Many of them already have accounts.

4. Set up a Facebook group for your major topic area. And look for other groups that interest you. You want to make friends on Facebook and you do that by finding people who share your interests.

5. Integrate your Twitter account with your Facebook account. When you do that, each of your tweets will show as new content on Facebook.

6. Integrate your blog with Twitter. This lets you show your most recent tweets on your blog. Plus it lets you notify twitter about new blog posts as they are added, getting more visitors to your blog.

7. Work these sites consistently. Plan to tweet once or twice a day. With just 140 characters allowed per tweet, this doesn’t take long! And you’ll be amazed at how many people start to follow you on Twitter when you provide good information.

Add 5-10 friends per day to your Facebook account. Your list of friends will grow steadily.

Then when you are ready to launch your next product or offer a teleseminar or webinar, you have a ready-made list of friends and followers!

Once you get involved in social media marketing, you’ll find it’s a valuable tactic in your overall business marketing plan.

If you’d like more ideas on this topic, I highly recommend Dr. Jeanette Cates.  She is an Internet strategist who works with online business owners who are ready to create Online Success. Claim your free gift on social media marketing at this link.