Making Sense of Internet Marketing

By Hector Cisneros

Have you ever entered a conversation about marketing and became instantly perplexed by the terminology being bantered around? Did you get confused trying to follow the how, what, when, and where in the marketing plan? At the end of the conversation, did it seem like an epic tale spoken in Greek? If this is where you are with regards to internet marketing then this article is for you. This article is part of a series that is designed to cover basic terminology and actionable elements, as well as give specific steps for developing your own marketing plan.

Seven Valuable Benefits Social Networks Provide and Social Media Marketers Covet

Today I was asked the most important question encompassing the subject of Social networks and social media marketing. The question I was asked is; What is the value of social media marketing, that is what are the benefits of social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Although these social networks are diverse in nature, they have common values both to subscribers and business people alike. That’s right, even though these networks operate in very different ways, their users often have very different motivations, different backgrounds and personal needs. They all provide these seven values to all that use them. Read on and find out why social networks and social media marketing is changing the face of the internet from what we know to what it will become.

Five Powerful Techniques That Attract Twitter Followers

Image via WikipediaYou hear it all the time. To be successful in today’s economic climate, you have to be efficient with your marketing. This often means using the Internet and social media as a big part of your marketing plans. I like using Twitter too quickly reach lot’s of people in a very short period of time. I also like the viral nature of twitter where people re-tweet other post giving your message a life of its own so to speak. In this article, we will explore five powerful yet simple techniques that will attract twitter members to follow your address. Follow these rules and reap the benefits of successful twitter marketing.

Powerful technique #1, Tweet Often But Relevant

A golden rule of social media is that people look for useful, relevant and entertaining information. Your posts have to fit into these three categories. Even if your selling something, your post has to be perceived as either useful, relevant or entertaining or you’re your gone. Break this rule at your own peril.

Frequency is also very valuable because it keeps you top of mind. Combining frequency with a steady stream of useful, relevant and interesting tweets, will quickly build a following, just because of all the activity.

Powerful technique #2, Check and Double Check Your Posts

Image via WikipediaAlways be cognizant of what you write. Once something is posted, it can’t be undone. You can get away with a lot of short hand on twitter but netiquette rules still holds true. Remember that being nice begets nice. Being courteous begets courtesy back. If you post often and useful information you’re following will grow. On the other hand, if you post commercials, controversial links, curse a lot and act in a contemptuous way, expect the same in return.




Powerful technique #3, Leverage your tweets
Image via WikipediaAny time you post a tweet, also post that tweet to other social media venues. Link (or post) your tweets and re-tweets to Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Buzz and any other social site that is linkable. This allows you to leverage your communications and cross-pollinate several social media mediums at once.

There is one draw back to this technique. Make sure that your tweets are relevant to your audience. Send the wrong or irrelevant information to all of your social media sites at once can cause you to be un-friended and un-followed just as quickly, especially if you are posting your commercials’. Social media participants look for useful, relevant and entertaining information. Break this rule too often and it will cost you. Remember that once something is posted, it live and can’t be easily changed.

Powerful technique #4, Make Your Content Searchable
Another way to get more leverage is to use hash marks. This will allow others to easily find your tweets. Tagging information in your tweets with the # sign, (i.e. hash mark sign) makes that word searchable and increases the number of people who will likely see your tweet. For example if you want the word ecology tagged, you would write it like this, #ecology. Using hash mark tags is a powerful way to reach people out side of your current following. Us them with every tweet and watch new followers flock to your address.

Powerful technique #5, Use Thank You Tweet to Increase Re-tweets
Image by bertboerland via FlickrSpeaking of re-tweets, here is another simple yet powerful technique that produces big results. If someone re-tweets your post send them a thank you tweet. If you're using, “Tiny- URL” or “Bit-ly”, you can easily track who is re-tweeting your posts. However, the important part is this; it’s thanking them for re-tweeting that gets you more coverage. The more you thanks people for re-tweeting your post the greater the likelihood they will do it more. This is a great example of how common courtesy, (i.e. thanking people) goes a long way in gaining respect, trust, creates leverage and produces a greater following on twitter.

There you have it, five powerful techniques that will attract and keep twitter follower without you having to go out and buy some fancy programs or pay a consultant to build your network. Use these techniques often and religiously and you too will soon be seen as a tweet mister worth following.

That’s my opining, what’s yours?

Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur/businessman with over 25-year experience. He is a 18-year veteran of BNI, and was BNI Director for six years. He is a firm believer in the BNI philosophy of "Giver Gain". Currently, he manages three businesses, writes and coach's business people in the art of Word of Mouth, Social Media and internet marketing. He has several intl. published articles covering word of mouth, social media marketing and how to improve your 60-second presentations. His new book "60 Seconds to Success" is aimed at helping business people make great first impressions and make more money through referral and word of mouth marketing campaigns. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Internet Marketing and Word of Mouth Marketing visit http://www.60secondstosuccess.com or the Networkers Apprentice Workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector, write him at hecisneros@gmail.com

Six Simple Yet Powerful Rules That Help You Build Your Twitter Flock.

Image via WikipediaAs a professional advertiser for an online marketing company, I am often asked, how can they can get more people to follow them on Twitter. When asked this question, I usually answer it with this question of my own. "Who are you looking for as follower", (i.e.…. who do you want to follow you)? The answer to this question will always get you started you in the right direction. This question can act just like a compass does when you’re looking for one of the cardinal direction points. However, knowing the right direction is only half the battle. You also need to know the rules of the road. Here are a half-dozen simple, yet powerful rules that keep you on track and make sure you don’t stray from the direction you want to travel. Let me explain...

Simply Powerful Rule #1
So here is a simple yet powerful rule to start with; always follow those who lead your field of interest. If, for example, you’re looking for followers who love scientific novels, or those who are environmentally conscience then you go look for the leaders of those fields. More than likely the leaders in any field of endeavor with have lots of follower. In fact, this rule leads to my second rule.

Simply Powerful Rule #2
Now let’s look at simple rule number two; always follow the followers of those who lead the field. Simply put, “following other like mind subscribers so they will in turn follow you”.

Image via CrunchBase

Understand that some will follow you and some will not. In general, many will follow you as a courtesy if you follow them. This is especially true if they are not famous or have few followers. I usually follow anyone who following me unless I dislike what they are saying, selling or doing. However, if they do not follow me back, I have to make a choice whether I want to continue following them. If I like what they are posting, I will probably continue to follow them. However, if they look like they are only trying to sell something or are just looking for followers I un-follow them within a few days.

Remember Twitter set limits on how many you can follow in a session and how long you can be online. These limits are there to try and keep people from gaming the twitter system and to try and keep the spammer from using the system.

Simply Powerful Rule #3
Image via WikipediaThis leads me to my third simple yet powerful rule; Stay within a 1.5 to 1 ratio of following to followers. You will always need some room to add people you want to follow. In turn, this will also give you room to follow people back who just decided to follow you because of your tweets and not because you just followed them. If your always bumping up against the 2000 follower limit, you will have a lot of trouble growing you’re following.

Simply Powerful Rule #4
My next cardinal guideline is simple and powerful rule number four; “always thanks people for following you”. You will be surprised how powerful being courteous can be. A simple thank you for following goes a long way. In fact, it’s even better if you show your gratitude by providing a token gift like a free white paper, coupon or cool link, as a little bonus. So this simple rule is just that; give your followers a reason to follow you by offering them a gift. This gift does not have to cost you anything and gifts can go a long way towards initially getting people to follow you when your connection is new.

Simply Powerful Rule #5
Image by juque via FlickrSimple rule number five is related to number four because it also has to do with giving thanks. When sending a thank you tweets, always include links to connect with your followers via other means. For example, add your face book, website or blog URL to your tweets. When you combine your other contact URL’s with the gifts I mention early, you have a powerful means of connecting with your new, found follower.

Simply Powerful Rule #6
The last simply powerful rule I will mention in this article is; to be sweet, re-tweet. Another way to give a gif
t to your followers is to Re-tweet something they’ve tweeted. Re-tweeting their articles and links shows them that you feel what they are saying is important, cool and worth sharing. It also increases the chance they will continue to follow you. Indeed, Re-tweeting can be sweet, for you and your business.

Image via CrunchBaseThere you have it a half-dozen simple yet powerful rules you can use to grow your twitter following with out spending a dime on fancy programs that try to game the system. Following these simple yet powerful rules will quickly add to your rank of followers. My next article will provide another set of cardinal rules to help you grow my flock. Until then, that’s my opining, what’s yours?

Hector Cisneros has been an entrepreneur for 30 year, a veteran of BNI for 18 years, and was a BNI director for over 6 years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several Businesses in Northeast Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of internet advertising, Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. He also partners with a new company called Successful Campaigns LLC. This company provides training and support for non profits organizations helping them with their marketing efforts, growth, retention and sustainability.

That’s my opinion, I want to hear yours.

Hector Cisneros is a writer, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop http://networkersapprentice.com or my book website at http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com

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Three Common Mistakes Business People Make When Using Social Media

Feel lost about using social media as a marketing tool. Are you afraid of violating net etiquette. Are you worried that these mistakes can ruin your reputation or brand? Do you want to avoid the most common mistakes business make when using social media? If so, read on and learn about how to avoid three of the most common mistakes.

Common Mistake #1 Posting commercials on the pages.

The most common mistake I see is business owners posting commercials on their face book pages. This is also a common problem in other social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. This ranks high on my mistake list because it violates one of my cardinal rules of social media marketing. The rule I'm referring to is "give people what they want". I don't know anyone who signed up for Face Book, Twitter or LinkedIn to be bombarded by your infomercials.

Social media is about being social not selling. The best way to sell on social site is not to sell. Social media is best used it to build your credibility, understand your customers and to connect with them. Do a good job for your customers. Get them to follow, friend, or connect with you and have them promote your business, product or service for you. This is usually done by asking them to provide you with written recommends or testimonials. When you say something about your business, product or service it a commercial and most people are jaded by all the hype they're exposed to each day. When a friend, customer or follower says something good about your business, product, or service, it's viewed as true. Don't hesitate to ask for endorsements. Make sure your don't ask publicly on your social media pages. Write your customers and follower directly. If they feel you have done a good job they will respond in kind.

The best place to post a commercial about your business is in the detail section of your profile. Many social media site also offer the option of setting up separate business pages. Put your infomercials on these pages instead of posting them to your wall.

Common Mistake #2 Posting too often.

Another big mistake I see is when a business post too often to their site. This is usually easy to spot. You will see two, three even four of their post before seeing one of their followers posts. Make sure your posts are spread out. If you do all your social media posting at a specific time of the day, use an aggregators program to schedule your post to show up at different times.

Two of the top aggregators programs are Hoot Suite and Tweet Deck. These programs will allow you to spread out your posting by scheduling them at different times. I usually keep at least an hour between my scheduled post, just encase traffic is light that day. Remember the last thing you want to see on your wall is all of your post. Leave room for your followers and they will like your site even more.

Common Mistake #3 Posting inappropriate material.

The last item I will mention in this article is posting the wrong kinds of material. I know what your thinking. Who died and made me the content czar. I may not be the content czar but I am a prudent businessman. I am smart enough to always be respectful of my customers feelings and ideas. I am willing to post links to controversial articles in areas that I am passionate about, but I do set very specific limits on what I feel is appropriate. I make sure anything I post is on worse than PG. I avoid sexually oriented material. I also avoid any material that uses vulgar or racially explicated language. If kids can view my pages and post without being offended, I am happy.

Along these lines, I also monitor the followers and friends who are posting to my pages. If their posts violate my sense of what is appropriate I hide their post. In some cases, if they consistently post items that violate my sensibility I un-friend them. If they are on Twitter, posting in a negative way or being vulgar, I un-follow them. If your site is showing content that you or your customers feel is inappropriate, make sure it's gone, otherwise you are giving tacit approval to those posts and you will lose customers.

That's it, we've covered three of the top mistakes that businesses make when using social media as a marketing tool. As a summary, remember this. It's important to avoid posting commercials to your sites. Social media is not about selling. It's about fun, friendships, entertainment, connecting and useful information. Instead, take care of your customers and encourage them to be your raving fans by posting recommendations and testimonials on your pages. Post all commercial information to a dedicated business page or in your profile detail. Next, avoid posting too often. Your post should only show up interspersed between your followers posts. Use scheduling software to spread out your posts so they give your followers space. And lastly, avoid posting inappropriate material. Links to controversial articles can be OK, but stay away for sexually suggestive, negative, racially oriented or post using vulgar language. This goes for your followers as well. If they are stepping out of bounds, you need to either hide their post or un-friend/follow them.

That's my opinion, I welcome yours.

Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur/businessman with over 25 years experience, is a 17-year veteran of BNI, and was BNI Director for 6 years. Currently he manages 3 businesses, writes and coach's business people in the art of Word of Mouth and internet marketing. He has several intl. published articles covering word of mouth marketing, social media marketing and how to improve your 60-second presentations. His new book "60 Seconds to Success" is aimed at helping business people make great first impressions and make more money through referral and word of mouth marketing. To learn more about Social Media, Internet Marketing d Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector write him at hecisneros@gmail.com

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Six Cardinal Rules for Success in Social Media Marketing

Image via CrunchBaseYou've heard everyone talking about how powerful social media is for marketing your business. How if you're not using it to market your business you're is stuck in the 80's. So you go out and create a Face Book page, open a LinkedIn account, start tweeting on twitter, build a Blog and start looking at You Tube. Now what do you do?

You're told by a friend to post snippets about your businesses and create a blog post about things you know, (although you're not sure what a blog is). You start to share information on various sites in the evening and before you know it. Bam, you're spending dozens of hours a week and getting nothing to show for your efforts. You say to yourself, what a pain in the neck social media marketing is!

If you want to avoid the pain of spending too much time posting to social media sites and not getting anything in return, then read on. I will show you a half-dozen cardinal rules you need to abide by to keep your credibility. I will show you how to avoid the most common pit falls beginners make, and I'll help you get the most from the time you spend marketing to your social media sites.

Social Media is not Advertising

Image via WikipediaFirst, remember that social media posts are not advertisements in the typical sense. You need to post what I call the cardinal 4 wanted items! People are looking for useful information. They want interesting facts. Participants want to be entertained and they want to connect with others! Posting information about your product/service should be a rarity. To be successful on social media, you have to give participants what they are looking for. If you want to do conventional advertising on social media sites, use their pay-per-click/view services. Their ads run about $1 to $3 per click through, other wise posts only the cardinal 4 items.

Create and stick to a schedule

Image via WikipediaSecond, set aside a scheduled time to post your information and stick to it. It's all too easy to sit down, start posting your information and before you know it, it's three AM! I schedule my post twice a week and spend an hour each time. During the week, I gather useful information and links from my daily life. These include; email communications, my current events, new and old photos I find, online article I read, RSS feeds I use, internet headlines I like and just surfing the net. I suggest you do the same. Use these as part of posting the cardinal 4 items I spoke of earlier.

Be patient and stick to your growth plan

Third, don't create false expectations for your results. Before your network can produce meaningful traffic, you need it to grow to a reasonable size. Having a total following of a couple of hundred Face Book Fans, contacts on LinkedIn and followers on Twitter is cool but it not a big enough network to produce powerful results. Your social media influences (i.e. power to make things happen), is directly related to the number of members in your network. Social media has a viral quality to it. In this sense, it is a type of word of mouth marketing. Word of mouth depends on your credibility and the size of your network.

Save time by using aggregator software

Forth, you must leverage technology to save time. If you are not using aggregator software for your post, start using one today. Aggregator programs allow you to post to several social media site simultaneously. They also let you schedule post at future dates. These programs can save you lots of time and energy. I personally like Tweet Deck and Hoot suite. Search for them on the web and you will find they are free to use.

How big is big enough

Image via Wikipedia

Fifth, if you are going to build a social network, you must have a goal. It's my experience that real power becomes readily apparent at about 1000 unique followers. I'm not saying that anything smaller is useless. However, real movement, powerful results start with your ability to influence 1000 plus people.

If you concentrate your efforts on building your social network by providing your followers with what they are looking for (i.e. the cardinal 4 items), your network will grow at a slow but steady pace. If you want it to grow faster, provide them with what feeds their needs more often. Post to your network every day if you have time. The more often and regular you post, the better. The only other way to make it grow faster is to either spend more time on growing it or pay someone else to spend more time growing it.

What does this cost

Sixth, you have to set financial limits. I know what you're saying. You're already spending too much time (and money), posting to social media sites. If you still find this to be too time consuming, hire a service to do your posts. They can be had for as little as $100 a week. It can also run you $2000 a month if you're wanting to grow big and fast all at the same time.

If you have, an organized method that you developed, you can hire a college student to enter your post for a lot less. As a marketing expert I can generate anywhere from about eight to twenty new followers per day. You can do the same by following my advice.

Image via WikipediaBy following these six rules you will get a lot more out of your social media marketing efforts. Remember to post the cardinal 4 items regularly. Create and stick to a schedule, even if you don't finish, stop posting when your hour is up. Set goals and limits for time and money your spending. Use aggregator tools to be more efficient and above all be patient. You know the saying. Rome was not built in a day, well that also goes for building your word of mouth social network. That will take some time also. Stick to your plan and before you know it, you will be ready to start harvesting rewards from your social media marketing campaign. That's my opinion, I welcome yours!

Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur/businessman with over 25 years experience, is a 17-year veteran of BNI, and was BNI Director for 6 years. Currently he manages 3 businesses, writes and coach's business people in the art of Word of Mouth and internet marketing. He has several intl. published articles covering word of mouth marketing, social media marketing and how to improve your 60-second presentations. His new book "60 Seconds to Success" is aimed at helping business people make great first impressions and make more money through referral and word of mouth marketing. To learn more about Social Media, Internet Marketing d Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop on a regular basis at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector write him at hecisneros@gmail.com