The key to utilize twitter effectively is to make use of it as a conversation with those who decide to connect with you.  Twitter is basically real time interaction and a way for connections or ‘followers’ to talk to a decision maker about those things that concern them.  You may want to use it as a way to discuss your company’s perspective on a recent event.  If you have individuals who are active on Twitter, you can get real time feedback on your thoughts.

For a business, Twitter can be invaluable for giving customers and prospects the perspective that they know who they are doing business with and that they can “talk” to them.  It dispels the notion that businesses are impersonal and do not listen to their customers.  It is important to note that you can (and many businesses do) use Twitter to pass on information about who you are and what you do.  But if that is all that you do, you will miss the main benefits of having an account on Twitter.  In a later lesson, we will discuss advanced strategies for using Twitter to help you to profit from it. However, in our next lesson, we will introduce you to the professional social network, LinkedIn.com.

Call us today so that we can help you to set up your Twitter account and integrate it into your other promotions and begin profiting today.

The post Lesson 24 – Introduction to Twitter appeared first on wLw.

For instance, some of your customers may like to ‘hang around’ on social networks.  You want to make sure that you, at least have a presence there (we will discuss specific strategies later).  Some of your customers like to spend time on their mobile device.  Therefore, you will want to make sure that you have a presence in having a mobile website and mobile app.  Still others do most of their web activity by surfing the internet on their personal computer.  Therefore you will want to make sure that your website presence is inviting.

The fact of the matter is that you will need a strategy for all of the basic areas of online promotion; but even before you develop one, you need to establish a presence in the following areas:

Mobile: Mobile Websites, Mobile Apps
Search Engines: Blogs and Websites
Search Directories: Google Places, Yahoo Maps, etc.
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Publication: Kindle, Traditional Publication
Public Relations: Online News and Press Releases
Online Communities: Niche Forums and Bulletin Board

This is the most basic of internet promotion where you will definitely need to make sure that you have a profile and presence.  Eventually, each one will require its own strategy.  However, when your marketing is working systematically along with the 7 foundational methods, you will find that you will be able to get people to see your website and come to your location.  In our next lesson we will talk about one aspect of promotion that is growing today that you will want to consider using in your marketing efforts.   Call us today and we will make sure that your basic promotions are in place in the online medium.

The post Lesson 8 – Basic Internet Promotion appeared first on wLw.

Most of the socializing that is done, is much like Facebook in that you will be sharing your content with those with whom you connect.  The ethics of Google+ are much the same as Facebook.  In other words, while you can easily connect with others on an individual level, you will want to set up a business page to take full advantage of all of the network’s features.

The first thing that you will want to do is to invite those who are part of your contact database to connect with you on Google Plus.  If you have followed previous lessons, you may have already connected to those in your database that use Facebook.  However, you have probably noticed that there were a number of individuals who chose not to take you up on your offer to connect with your fan page.  In some cases, customers and prospects do not use the Facebook platform and don’t want to join it in order to become part of your page.

As a result, your invitation to them to connect with you on Google Plus will give you another opportunity to reach a new network of people who may like to share information about your product or service.  The potential for new people to share your content on a social level is the factor that gives social media platforms like Google+ such power.

The other factor that is important is the integration that Google has initiated with its ‘Places’ program and Google Plus.  It has significant value for ranking your website and your business directory listing.  This alone, is a major reason for you to participate on the network.  This will be the subject of one of our future lessons where we discuss some advanced strategies.   Nevertheless, in our last lesson on social media, we will discuss the social network Pinterest and how you can benefit from it.

Call us today so that we can help you to take full advantage of being part of the Google+ network and how it can help the ranking of your website and business directory listing.

The post Lesson 26 – Introduction to Google+ appeared first on wLw.

Business’ point of interaction is Facebook’s Fan Page system.  Companies are allowed by Facebook to set up an account on the network where they can post content about their business and brand.  You don’t have to maintain a personal account to set up a fan page.  All that you’ll need to do is to go to the website Facebook.com and create a page for your business.

Once you have gone through the initial stages of creating a page you will then need to utilize your contact database to request that they connect to your page.  In order for them to see the content that you post on your page, they will need to click the “like” button which will connect them with your business.  Unfortunately, the spirit of Facebook’s  policy is that a page owner should not provide incentives to users for “likes”.  However, you can see to it that those already connected to your fan page are rewarded by the content that you provide to them.

Once you have a number of “fans” connected to your page, you will be ready to begin posting content.   The objective will be for you to share something that those connected to your page will find interesting enough to share with their network.  You may ask, “when can I start telling my fans or connections about my products and services?”

Although we will discuss a number of options in a more advanced lesson, the general rule is that you should post at least 3 to 4 items that people would find an interest in for every one promotional post  that you make.  Therefore, if you have already created at least three sharable posts on your fan page, it is appropriate to alert those who have become fans to your sale pricing or promotional offer.

In our next lesson we will review the basics of another social network, Twitter.  Call us today so that we can set up your fan page and so that you can get access to fans in you local area.

The post Lesson 23 – Introduction to Facebook appeared first on wLw.

Because Google Places’ directory listings often show up first before the top ten web pages, it is an important opportunity for every local small business to participate.   In our last lesson we discussed the importance of making sure that you fill your Google Places profile out completely and carefully, so that you get the maximum advantage from your most productive keywords.

One aspect of Google Places that every business owner needs to be aware of is that consumers are encouraged to share their reviews of the businesses that are listed.  That means that if a customer has an exceptionally good experience at your business, they will have the opportunity write a review.  That review will show up in your actual Google Places listing.

However, the opposite is also true.  When customers have a bad experience, they will be empowered to leave a review about your site on the Google Places page.  This scenario is now amplified because Google has now tied their social network to their business directory.  Therefore, the customer who reviews your business will be potentially sharing that review with their personal or professional network.

The nature of reviews online is such that most of the people who respond tend to do so when they have a bad experience.  Those who have the experience that they were expecting or that they feel they paid for are unlikely to respond.  Therefore, you will need to make sure to either have a staff person monitor your Google Places listing, or you will need to make it part of something you do personally if you don’t have a staff.  One bad review on your Google Places listing could be enough to discourage a prospect from trying out your product or service.

When you do get a negative review there is no need to panic.  Google Places gives you the opportunity to answer the person who left the review.  Additionally, Google is taking steps to make sure that the review that is left is authentic by connecting the permission to write a review to their social network.

In our next lesson, we will discuss what you can do when you have negative information that appears in the other business directory listings as well as in the top ten search results.  Call us today if you have already noticed negative listings near your keywords or in your Google Places reviews. We will share the best practices of other companies like yours when they too have received negative reviews.

The post Lesson 19 – Google Places – Online Customer Reviews appeared first on wLw.

To take advantage of the viral nature of Pinterest, you will need to think about the visual nature of your business.  Are your products and services visual in nature?  Or perhaps you may want show pictures of your staff in action.  In some cases, companies that are successful using Pinterest showcase those things that the staff finds interesting.

As is the case with other social networks, Pinterest depends on interaction.  Therefore, you and your staff will need to have a plan on who will participate on behalf of the company and communicate with those with whom you choose to connect.  Of course, you will want to make sure that the person who is doing this on behalf of your company understands the medium and is motivated to participate.

Companies that have been most successful on Pinterest have been those who have encouraged interaction with customers and prospects. In effect, it is the sharing of their content that drives traffic back to their website more than companies sharing their own branded content.

Therefore, if you can find a way to get your customers involved in sharing their images (think contests) with you and allowing you to post them on Pinterest, you can experience a viral effect to this particular social network.  In our next lesson, we will conclude this section on social networking by suggesting some tools on setting up your networks and how to manage your interactions without being overwhelmed.

Call us today so that we can help you to get set up on the Pinterest network and get it working with your other promotions.

The post Lesson 27 – Introduction to Pinterest appeared first on wLw.

Most of the interaction on LinkedIn occurs on the individual level, even though companies are permitted to set their own presence there.  It is important to note that while there may be consumer activity on LinkedIn, it is extremely limited and rare.  Most of connecting between parties occurs on the professional level.

To benefit from LinkedIn, it is prudent for the executives and key staff of the company to establish their own individual accounts.  In that way, the company can extend the maximum level of influence among industry peers as well potential clients.  Once an account has been established, executives can consider messaging those in their contact database to provide connection details.

Apart from working with those with whom you are already connected, a considerable number of the meetings take place through introductions, endorsements and referrals.  LinkedIn’s programming allows for those who know you as a connection on the network to introduce you as a colleague or to recommend you as a contractor or partner.  Alternatively, current connections are permitted to introduce you to individuals in their network through the LinkedIn email system.

The key strategy for LinkedIn users is to make connections with those who have influence in the places where your clients and customers are.  Additionally, LinkedIn is an aid in building a professional network.  It is important to note that ‘cold-calling’ members is frowned upon on LinkedIn.  It is best to make sure then to establish contact through introduction whenever possible.

In future lessons, we will discuss advanced strategies for utilizing LinkedIn; however, in our next course module we will discuss Google+.  Call us today so that we can help you to set up your LinkedIn account and help you to maximize it along with your other social promotions.

The post Lesson 25 – Introduction to LinkedIn appeared first on wLw.

You may have been thinking, “What is Google Places?” when you read that.  Google Places (Places) is Google’s version of the online business directory.  Some say it is the online yellow pages for business (even though the Yellow Pages company has its own directory site).  ‘Places’ is most important when it comes to being visible in the search engines, because Google favors the directory when it is determined that people are searching for local businesses.  In other words, when consumers search for a plumber in Chicago they will see Places a listing of local plumbers before they see anything else.  That means that even the top ten search results are pushed down the page while Google Places listings display on top.

It is beneficial then to make sure that your Google Places profile is filled out completely and carefully in order to maximize your presence on your company’s most lucrative keywords.  You’ll also want to make sure you have integrated your social networking account from Google into the completion of your Places profile.  While this may be an involved process it is a very important one.  It can mean the difference between consumers routinely finding you or your competitors.

In our next lesson we will dig a little deeper into Google Places since it truly is an important component of marketing online.  Call us today so that we can help you maximize Google Places and all of the directory sites for your most lucrative keywords.

The post Lesson 18 – Google Places – Online Local Business Directory appeared first on wLw.