1. Customer Conversion Optimization
2. Number of Inbound Links
3. Search Engine Optimization

The first step is to visit Twitter.com and click on “Get Started – Join”

Enter your real name (unless anonymity is required). We feel personal branding has a huge internet marketing benefit.

Create a Twitter User Account

Enter your eMail address. We suggest you create a special eMail account for Twitter messages so you can isolate the increased eMail traffic.

Complete the rest of the form and click “Create My Account”.

Your first option will be to invite your friends to follow you on Twitter. We suggest you skip this step.

The next option is to following some people. We suggest you skip this step too. We will use The Twitter Yellow Pages to follow a select group of people based on the industry they self-identify with.

This is a good time to mention the goal for your Twitter account. Build more web traffic AND more links on Google. While you could use Twitter as a communication tool, we feel the time commitment for this strategy out weights the ROI.

Once your account is created, the first step is to update your profile. This is the information screen people see when they visit your Twitter account. It includes your account name, real name, web address, location, and 160 character description.

Your profile description will be the content evaluated for most Twitter searches. While your tweets are also index by the search engines, your profile is an important information section for starting to identify you with your business industry.

The picture tab is where you upload your avatar. We suggest you use a photo of yourself. A head shot helps build a personal connection with people.

The Design tab is where you can manage your Twitter background. You can use one of the default patterns or create your own picture. We suggest you create a pic that measure 1400 pixels by 1200 pixels so that you background completly fills most all computer monitors.

The two most important Twitter tasks is managing your following/followers and broadcasting messages.

Twitter does not like SPAM anymore than you. To try and control SPAMMERS, Twitter puts limits on the number of people you can follow.

The main idea behind building a large following is first following people who in-turn follow you back. Over time you will find in your “Followers” screen that people are following you and you are not yet following them in return. You can tell that you are NOT following a follower because the option to follow is shown under the Twitter account name. See image below. To follow the person back, click on follow.

The question of limiting who you follow to protect your reputation is a personal decision you will need to make. While we suggest you follow anyone who follows you, your personal or business needs may dictate otherwise. As you will alter see, Twitter is a numbers game and your account will receive preferential treatment as your follower count increases.

Since you will, more often than not, first follow someone, you will need to (eventually) unfollow those who don’t follow you in return.

Why? Because Twitter limits the number of people you can follow until you have enough followers. For example, you can not follow more than 2,000 people until at least 2,000 people follow you back. After 2,000 followers, you are only allow to follow a few hundred people more than are following you. The message is your will need to spend time daily managing your followings.

When you click on the following tab, you will see the people you are following. To make room for more people to follow, you need to unfollow those who don’t follow you back. How often you do this clean-up is up to you, but we reccomend you do this task daily. If you have the ability to “Direct message” a follwoer, then that follower has opted to follow you back.

I have been playing with twitter for the last couple of months and LOVE the interface.  It is fast, easy and works great on my cell phone.  If you have an opportunity, please follow me.

You can also follow my twitter business account.  Watching both accounts will give you a live example of the neuaunces between personal and business microblogging.  Follow BizBlogger

Thanks,

Ed Bejarana

The idea behind social networking is word-of-mouth marketing.  Groups of people align themselves by interests, identities, and professions and through these alignments build relationships.

Why use social networking?

One is the loneliest number, as the song says.  People network socially to meet new people.  Finding points of commonality can be difficult in a disconnected world; but in the online world, interests, identities, and professions are variables in a massive database.  Sorting these variables can connect the searcher with a social network larger than any face-to-face net-worker could ever imagine.

How does social networking work?

Pick a starting site and create an account.  I suggest Facebook because there are over 140 million users.  Might as well invest your time in a popular place.

The key to successful social networking is having a large network of “friends”.  Social networks require plenty of recipients in order to be effective.  While the idea of friends on Facebook is based around having a real relationship; asking a total stranger to be a friend is required.

Start by updating your profile with enough information to group you with other people.  Your favorite book, movie or TV show; a former employer, school or cause; groups, games or hobbies all can become points of connection with new people.  Ask people to be friends.  Most strangers will blindly accept your friend request, especially if they too are looking for new personal and business relationships.

Always be mindful of peoples’ time, otherwise people will leave your circle of friends.  Don’t try to make direct sales presentations; build your network and be social.  Go slow and be methodical.  Start with adding eight or ten friends a day.  If Facebook tells you to slow down, wait a few days before adding more friends.  Search for people in your target demographic and send “friend” invites.  The worst they can say is no.  Every new friend gives you access to other people who can become friends.

Join groups that interest you.  Become a fan of a political issues or someone famous.  Comment on pictures of friends.  It is easy to comment on old high school buddies’ photos, the real trick is adding friend-building comments on photos of total strangers.

Short, person-to-person commentary is the essence of microblogging.  Made famous on Twitter, microblogging also works on Facebook.  The idea is to keep your network of friends apprised of your daily activities.  When you write a blog article, post a brief description with a link to the blog.  When you make a change to your company website, send a blurb to your Facebook friends with a link.  See a repeating pattern?

The natural tenancy is to make direct sales pitches: “Buy this…”, “Do business with me because…”  Don’t do it.  Abusing your Facebook network with unwanted advertisements will turn people away.  Become a conversationalist, be interested in others, be playful, and supportive of the activities your friends share.

The number of inbound links is almost as important as quality page content.  Sharing your daily activities with links to your website or blog site will have a link multiplying effect.  The ultimate goal of your social networking activity is to increase inbound links to your company websites, which in turn will improve your over-all search engine visibility.  While your social networking activities will rarely show a direct ROI, the long term benefits will more than pay for your investment of time.

If inbound links are the ultimate goal, then quality content is paramount.  I suggest you use a blog site as an intermediate step between your social networking site and your company website.  Write your blog articles as single topic focused, personality based presentations.  Be conversational, but don’t answer all questions.  Leave the door open for the next article to answer more questions.

Ed Bejarana

BusinessBlogging.net