I was recently intereviewed by Michael Sjostedt from the Quitter to Winner Blog about how to use LinkedIn effectively. Take a look at the his interview blog post and check out the comments from Michael Yoder too (great additions).

Covered topics include:

• Why should you use LinkedIn?
• What are the top things you should do when you join?
• What are some of things you should do and not do to generate sales on LinkedIn?
• How can you use LinkedIn to promote your company?
• and more!

Click here to view the blog post.

Using the right social media tools will help you engage with more potential clients in less time.

Spending less time on social media means you have more time to spend on your business.

Using social media as a marketing tool and managing your time effectively is key to ensuring that your online marketing strategy succeeds long term.

So, what tools can help you manage your social media marketing time more effectively?

NetVibes - a web based RSS reader or news aggregator that makes it simple to keep up on the latest blog posts, news and articles from your favorite websites without requiring you to go to each website to see what is new. A popular alternative to Netvibes is Google Reader.

Hootsuite - a web based (also available as a desktop client) tool that allows you to read and post to your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other social media accounts. Hootsuite allows you to stay up to speed on what is going on with your connections, easily search for key topics and post or schedule posts to your favorite social media platforms. A popular alternative to Hootsuite is Tweetdeck.

Bit.ly - the standard in url shortening. Bit.ly sidebar, a simple tool you can load to your bookmarks toolbar in your browser, makes it simple to shorten the urls that you share with your readers. Bit.ly also offers users the ability to track the links they share and determine how many people have clicked on your links. There are a number of popular alternatives to Bit.ly including Hootsuite's ow.ly and Google's goo.gl url shortening tools.

Stock Photo Exchange - one of the most extensive free photo sites online. There are a number of paid alternatives such as iStock Photo that may work a bit better, although none of the FREE alternatives are as easy or as extensive as Stock Photo Exchange.

Google Alerts - a web based tool that allows you to monitor various search terms, such as your business name, and track when and where you are mentioned online. Knowing where you are mentioned is crucial in being able to address your customers and prospects. A popular alternative to Google Alerts is Yahoo Alerts.

For more information about how to effectively engage with your target market make sure to check out these articles.

To "Follow" people on Twitter?

The best places to find FREE pictures to use for your blog posts.

5 Reasons Your Business Needs to be On Facebook.

These are my top tools for social media success.  Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite social media marketing tools are.

Your success online has everything to do with the quality and remarkability of the content you have on your website and on your social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube. Here are 5 simple tips to help you create compelling content.

1 - Keep it simple
2 - Make it relevant to your reader
3 - Give your content a different spin - keep it original
4 - Take a stand - set parameters for what you will and will not do or say
5 - Get your employees involved

If you create remarkable content for your website and social media profiles you WILL get exposure and more opportunity to engage with your customers and prospects.  More engagement leads to more profits and that is good for everyone.

My newphew can do it for me and I'll save money.

The infamous words of many a small business owner and a few brides. Do you know someone who trusted their nephew and lived to regret it?

• 10 years ago they trusted their nephew to design the business cards and brochure for their business.  Nephew was good at using computers.  Nephew said he knew what to do and would work for pizza.

• 5 years ago they trusted their nephew to design the website for their business.  Nephew was good at using computers, no one complained about the brochure or the business cards - not counting your significant other. Nephew would work for pizza.

• Today they trust their nephew to design and manage their social media marketing.  Nephew knows more about Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube. Nephew still works for pizza.

Unfortunately trusting your nephew to manage one of the key aspects of your organizations growth is, at a minimum, short sighted.

Who do you know who is "trusting" their nephew to grow their business? Your website and social media marketing are some of the most important marketing investments you will make this year. Invest wisely, choose a professional organization such as MMJ Technology to assist you in expanding your business.

And lest I forget - if you are a bride, remember that your nephew (or uncle for that matter) probably is not a great choice as your photographer either. Would you trust something that important to this guy?

Leave a comment and tell us a "nephew horror story."

As a new month begins it is time to look at last months Google Analytic ratings.  At MMJ Technology we have the privilege of doing this for our own site and for many of our client's sites too.  One account snagged our attention today.  The end result was 89.95% more visits to their website! Now for the rest of the story . . .

Beginning the first week of last month (March) we helped this account kick off a new social media marketing campaign involving:

• a new blog
• an updated Facebook Fan page
• increased their interaction with their potential customers via Facebook and Twitter

I won't bore you with the details of the plan. OK, I'd like to bore you and brag a bit; I can't.  We need permission from the client to divulge their results and they are a bit timid about tooting there own horn.  No worries though - I can show you the proof of the increase and I'll make myself available to talk to you about the details. Here is a screen shot (blacked out at the client's request).  Click on the picture for a larger version.

We can do the same thing for your organization. Would you like 89% more visitors by the end of April?  Contact me and I'll tell you how we did it and how we can help you do the same thing.

Call me at 616-457-0300 or send me an email. What could it hurt?  Just think . . . MORE TRAFFIC in 31 days!!

Sometimes you just do not know what to write about.  Blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, it seems that you need to write more than the average reporter just to keep in touch with your social media network.  We all run out of ideas and experience writers block on occassion. Here are five sure fire solutions to get those wheels turning and the thoughts rolling out.

1 - StumbleUpon
Enter your interests and spend a few minutes each day discovering new sites.  You will be amazed at the thoughts that start coursing through your mind as you stumble your way around the web.

2 - Google Alerts
What are you interested in? Set up an alert in Google Alerts and wait for Google to deliver the updates to your email or RSS reader.

TIP: If you are searching for a phrase such as MMJ TECHNOLOGY LLC make sure to enter the phrase, as you want it to appear in your results, in quotation marks: "MMJ Technology LLC"

3 - Netvibes
You can use any RSS reader you like, although I prefer Netvibes personally. As you find blogs that are written about topics you like, subscribe to their RSS feeds. Take a few minutes daily to look at the updates that automatically come into your reader.

4 - Tweetdeck
Whether you are a twitter pro or newbie - Tweetdeck is an amazing tool that runs on your desktop and allows you to see the tweets from those you are following along with topics your are interested in.  Tweetdeck also provides a connection to Facebook and Linkedin that makes it absoletly painless for you to keep up on your social networks updates.

5 - BIZIT Blog's Recommended Reading
You will find links to some of the best articles on the web on the BIZIT Blog. We read more so you do not have to read things that are a waste of your time.  Our Recommended Reading list is updated each work day; make it a part of your daily start.

Take a few moments in the morning.  Instead of reading the paper, read your RSS updates in Netvibes, browse your Google Alerts and Stumble for a few minutes to find some new websites. DO NOT miss your coffee - that will not help your writers block, at least not with topics you should write about! Spend a few minutes each day and never run out of things to write about.

Good blogging!

"My target market is anyone who wants my product or service."

You've probably heard that . . . maybe even thought it yourself. After all, we want to reach anyone who wants to buy from us, right?  We do want to reach the people that want to buy from us.  The question we need to ask ourselves with social media, as with any other form of marketing, is "who are we trying to reach?"

Studies show that over 70% of the people go online to research a product, service or company before making a purchase decision. That means that you have the opportunity, through the effective use of social media, to positively influence the majority of your potential customers.

Did you know that the fastest growing segment on the Facebook are users between 38 and 50?  Is this a market you would like to reach?

You need to understand your target market so you can "aim" your marketing efforts directly at them.  Obviously, you are going to use different tools and styles to reach "young marrieds" as opposed to "baby boomers."

Follow these four steps to help you reach your market more effectively:

1. Determine who is most likely to be positively influenced by your social media campaign.
2. Find out where that group spends most of their time online.
3. Establish a presence where your market "hangs out" online.
4. Track the response to your online marketing efforts.

Meet your customers where they are.

Create content that they will be interested in.

Provide them value on your website, Facebook fan page, blog, Linkedin page and Twitter page.

Most importantly; start today.

Where are you meeting your customers?

Are you wondering if you should even allow comments on your blog?  Someone posted a complaint online about your organization - maybe you should simply ignore them, right?

Being involved with social media (Facebook, blogging, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, etc.) is more than just you "telling" things to your readers, it is about engaging them in a conversation.  Engaging with them in public, where their comments, accolades and occasional anger along with your responses are there for anyone to see.  That is scary.

We no longer have the option of keeping our angry customers out of our marketing plans.  Whether you want to hear from them online or not, they are already posting their comments - both good and bad - for the world to see.  Your organization needs to use social media to engage with your customers, fans and especially those who are not happy with you.

How do I engage with negative customers?  Try these four steps:

1. Acknowledge.
   
2. Respond professionally.
3. Engage in conversation.
   
4. Use your interaction as an example to others demonstrating how your organization deals with issues.

Remember, the true character of an organization does not show itself when everything is going along smoothly.  The true character of your organization shine brightest when you demonstrate how you respond to a crisis. Sometimes issues are resolved quickly; others might require a longer term solution.  In either case, your organizations character and brand is reflected in your response.

One important reminder - remember that EVERYTHING you write online.  Before you engage with a negative customer make sure you also read A Second Set of Eyes - 3 Tips to Ensure You Never Regret What You Write.

Do you have an experience to share?

"I did not write that."

The business manager in question was adamant that he had not actually misspelled numerous words in his most recent blog post.

"I run spell check every time" he added defensively.

Sounds like a simple enough mistake - right? It happens far too often, and sometimes the consequences of writing your own content and not having a "second set of eyes" check your writing are far more serious.

Whether you have been blogging for years or you are just pondering how to begin, you need to establish a practice of having someone proof read your blog posts before they go public.  Every word you write, whether it is on your blog, a post on your Facebook page, a tweet or on your website, presents the reader with an image of who you are and what your organization represents.

Here are three tips to ensure that you never regret what you write.  Before you post to that blog, send that update to Facebook or add an article to your website:

1. Spell check. It seems simple, yet we've all forgotten to do it.  Bad spelling is one of the quickest ways to turn off your readers.  Running spell check will save you many regrets.
   
   
2. Write and then re-read. How many times have you simply written something, even an email, and sent it off only to wish you had taken a moment to read what you wrote BEFORE you pressed send?  Email is one thing - the internet is even worse. 
   
   Reminder - everything you post lives on forever; even if you revise content, the original form often lives on in some search index. 
   
   Take a moment and read what you have written.  You expect others to read what you are writing; you can take a few minutes to ensure that you are "saying" what you intended.
   
   
3. Have a proof reader - a "second set of eyes." You have written your post, update or document, you have run spell check and you have read what you have written. One more step - get a second set of eyes. Have your proof reader check for readability, do they understand what you are trying to communicate, spelling and punctuation.  Your proof reader does not need to be a journalism major or professional editor; they simply need to do that double check your work.
   
   

All of these steps will improve the quality of your writing and, more importantly, your message.

What is your favorite practice to ensure you write quality content?

You have made the decision to get involved in social media.  Maybe you have even take some initial steps.  Before you go any further, ask yourself "What is my primary objective in getting my organization involved in social media?"

Some possible answers:

• I want to increase my brand recognition
• I want to get more traffic to my website
• I want people to know about my business or organization
• I want to be part of the online conversation that is already going on
• I want to communicate better with my customers

There are many possible answers.  The important thing at this step is to take the time to ask yourself, "what you want to get from your involvement in social media."  If you do not know what you want to achieve, chances are you are never going to be successful in this arena.

What is your objective going to be?