by Amy Armitage
Twitter is the latest web-centric communications service to explode onto the scene, and businesses have moved in rapidly. However, a little discretion goes a long way, as the users of "social" sites and services have demonstrated that they will stomach only so much commercialization of what they consider their personal space. As MySpace evolved from an upstart new kid on the block where everyone let everything "hang out" to a part of the Rupert Murdoch media empire, people who'd had enough began looking for other places. This influenced the rise of Facebook. Now that Facebook has begun acting like a "regular old corporation," too, folks are on the search again.
Your company can most definitely benefit from using Twitter. The primary use for it in business is to listen, because, as every top-performing salesman knows, listening is more important than talking most of the time. You want to hear from every customer, vendor, client, industry leader, journalist, activist, colleague and competitor who has anything to say about your product, service or business. Twitter has much in common with old-style networking, like early morning meetings at diners and water-cooler chats, except it's been "virtualized" for 21st century knowledge sharing. With that brief introduction, let's look at 10 great ways to use Twitter to your business's advantage.
1. Listen more, talk less: If you just think of Twitter as another way to "post" your messages and advertisements, you're missing the whole point and your following will probably be nonexistent. Spend more time listening to what others are "tweeting" (posting) about you and you will gather valuable information. When you do post a message, make it something people want to know, not something you want them to know.
2. Find your niche: Twitter's uses are limited only by your imagination, or someone else's if you're fresh out of ideas. Don't think of what you can get, but what you can offer and what you can learn. You may want to share knowledge, you may want to obtain it, or you may just want to assure customers, colleagues and others that you are available to them. You will benefit to the extent that you listen and stay engaged, which means referring back to #1 a lot.
3. Develop a personality (or a few): A number of business bloggers have commented on how well Twitter works to humanize an otherwise impersonal entity like a corporation. A fresh and interesting personality attracts followers, and some successful firms even allow numerous voices to reach out from within the company's offices and cubicles.
4. Eavesdrop: There are several good tools for monitoring what is being said, starting with Twitter's own search field. Search for your term(s) and when the results are displayed, you will also get a list of the current most-popular searches (to the right) so you always know what's hot at the moment. The site monitter.com, as the name implies, was developed specifically for use with Twitter, to allow simultaneous multiple searches.
5. Build your audience: The first thing to do is post a few tweets to get a handle on how it all works, of course, and dedicate some study time to see what your competitors and companies in the same industry are doing. Make use of the "Find People" function on the top of the Twitter page to find people in your own company, your current clients and colleagues, old classmates and friends, etc. Use the "@" reply to connect directly with people, to make sure they see your tweet, and discuss matters of interest to them. When they respond with the @ reply, other folks following them may notice you and choose to follow you, too.
6. Follow the followers: You should find out who else your followers are following, as that can give you fresh insight into the types of people to seek. Use the various search methods (see #4 above) to find subjects that relate to your industry, and pay attention to who's talking about these matters. Don't be a broadcaster, be a conversationalist, and if you do Twitter right, you will build a following daily.
7. Be human: Too many people, from firms both large and small, represent their firms poorly by appearing to be robots on a fixed schedule. They crank out PR verbiage and automated data and don't offer anything for followers to grab hold of. You have to "throw them a line" or you will sail right by everyone.
8. Be polite and respectful: This means that the rules for eating Thanksgiving dinner at the neighbor's house are in effect-no politics, no religion, unless you're a politician or a clergyman, of course. These subjects have no place in a business conversation, so leave them out.
9: Play nice: Don't get emotionally involved or rant about a person, place or product. One marketing blogger called Twitter "a ship we are all traveling on," so it's important to act appropriately-or be forced to "walk the plank."
10: Stay positive: Don't be pessimistic, and don't whine or complain about what's wrong with this or that industry or the world in general. People will follow people they like, who offer something of value, who are upbeat and who stay on an even keel. Of course, some situations require a serious, even solemn approach, but those are the exceptions and should be handled delicately. Anyone can bellyache, gripe, moan and groan. A leader, on the other hand, offers solutions.
Bottom line? Twitter is a tool, and a good one, for keeping conversations going with stakeholders, potential customers, colleagues and even competitors. It takes real-time management because it's a real-time tool, but when it's done right Twitter can be an important addition to your sales, marketing and business communications arsenal.
Source: HostReview
March 26, 2009
How to Make Money Online - 4 Common Ways to Make Money Online
By Rellie Lorenzo
The first method to making money online is self explanatory. You can sell your own product. The common type of products being sold right now are E-books, E-Courses, Video Training, Marketing Service, etc. The important factor in this approach is the need to stand above the crowd. You have to understand that someone else may be trying to sell the same thing you are so you want to brand yourself. If you can come up with an absolutely unique product that the market needs and wants then you should go for it.
The second way to make money online is through advertisements. If you have enough visitors to your website then some advertisers will pay you to place their advertisement on your blog or website. The key to this method is to have great content that keeps your visitors coming and also a growing amount of visitors will benefit your profits. The most common advertiser is Google AdSense. They pay you every time someone clicks on their advertisement. To truly profit you need a lot of visitors and the advertisement should be relevant to the information on your site.
The third way to make money online is online trading. Since this effort is done online, I felt it belonged in this category of making money online. The most important thing about trading stocks is research. Some people say that the stock market is a casino. But if you can legally acquire insider tips and conduct research on hot and growing companies then you can minimize your risks and losses. The stock market is always a great way to profit even during the rough times. Just make sure you do your homework.
The last, but certainly not least, way to make money online is through affiliate programs. An affiliate program is when you sell another person's or companies' product. Some affiliate programs are free for the affiliate to join. The most common free affiliate program is ClickBank. The obstacle with this common program is that the competition with other affiliates is really high since it is free to get into. There are affiliate programs that are low entry. This means that the product or service that you purchase with an affiliate program is considered reasonably low-priced. This may take some patience but once your business starts to grow it will be well worth it, especially in the residual income affiliate programs. If the product is hot and popular your business can take off fast. The other type of affiliate program is the high entry program.
In these systems it usually costs thousands of dollars to get into the program. But once you start marketing and making sales then you will profit in a huge way. But if you don't make any sales then your finances may be in trouble. The low entry programs are safer and help you get your feet wet in the world of internet marketing.
So how much money can you make? That depends on you. How much research you put in, how well do you know your market, how well do you know your product, do you believe in your product, do you have your own big list to market to, etc. These are the methods. Now be yourself and start making money. Growth and development are important factors in this industry. I wish you well in your ventures!
Source: EzineArticles
The first method to making money online is self explanatory. You can sell your own product. The common type of products being sold right now are E-books, E-Courses, Video Training, Marketing Service, etc. The important factor in this approach is the need to stand above the crowd. You have to understand that someone else may be trying to sell the same thing you are so you want to brand yourself. If you can come up with an absolutely unique product that the market needs and wants then you should go for it.
The second way to make money online is through advertisements. If you have enough visitors to your website then some advertisers will pay you to place their advertisement on your blog or website. The key to this method is to have great content that keeps your visitors coming and also a growing amount of visitors will benefit your profits. The most common advertiser is Google AdSense. They pay you every time someone clicks on their advertisement. To truly profit you need a lot of visitors and the advertisement should be relevant to the information on your site.
The third way to make money online is online trading. Since this effort is done online, I felt it belonged in this category of making money online. The most important thing about trading stocks is research. Some people say that the stock market is a casino. But if you can legally acquire insider tips and conduct research on hot and growing companies then you can minimize your risks and losses. The stock market is always a great way to profit even during the rough times. Just make sure you do your homework.
The last, but certainly not least, way to make money online is through affiliate programs. An affiliate program is when you sell another person's or companies' product. Some affiliate programs are free for the affiliate to join. The most common free affiliate program is ClickBank. The obstacle with this common program is that the competition with other affiliates is really high since it is free to get into. There are affiliate programs that are low entry. This means that the product or service that you purchase with an affiliate program is considered reasonably low-priced. This may take some patience but once your business starts to grow it will be well worth it, especially in the residual income affiliate programs. If the product is hot and popular your business can take off fast. The other type of affiliate program is the high entry program.
In these systems it usually costs thousands of dollars to get into the program. But once you start marketing and making sales then you will profit in a huge way. But if you don't make any sales then your finances may be in trouble. The low entry programs are safer and help you get your feet wet in the world of internet marketing.
So how much money can you make? That depends on you. How much research you put in, how well do you know your market, how well do you know your product, do you believe in your product, do you have your own big list to market to, etc. These are the methods. Now be yourself and start making money. Growth and development are important factors in this industry. I wish you well in your ventures!
Source: EzineArticles
March 22, 2009
Seven Steps to Being a Great Entrepreneur
By Melton McClanahan
It occurred to me during my morning readings that although you may want to be a good entrepreneur, being a Great Entrepreneur is really the key to success! Achieving Greatness requires distinct characteristics and solid leadership skills. So here are the seven key characteristics required to be a Great Entrepreneur:
1) Learn from those that have come before you. You want to read books and articles from the likes of Warren Buffet, Colin Powell, Robert Kiyosaki, and Donald Trump. Learn how they came to achieve greatness. Talk to leaders from your organizations that have been in the trenches- they will also be a good resource for you. Hear their success stories. The experiences that you learn will shape your mindset into what I call a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) machine.
2) Turn your earlier life lessons into Successes. Network Marketing is a different business. But the skills you inherited on the job, coaching little league, or being a housewife will help you build your business and prove to be valuable to your success.
3) Always focus on the Future. Plan ahead by setting a 90 day, 1 year, a 5 year, and a 10 year game plan. In the beginning keep the 90 day rolling, always planning out 90 days. Before you know it the 1st year will be in the books. All the successes that you had planned for will be upon you. Stay focused on the game plan. REMEMBER: Those that Plan - PLAN TO SUCCEED and those that don't Plan - PLAN TO FAIL!
4) Rely upon yourself. In this work environment you have to rely on yourself and not others to pick you up when you are down or business is slow. The government isn't going to bail you out like they have for the failing corporate giants.
5) Commit to being a Leader. Lead by example and work on how to get the top and brings those who show heart and desire along with you. Demonstrate how life is at the top when you touch enough lives.
6) Always show your cool side. Never let your down line see you sweat. Be their "Cool Hand Luke"! Even though you are on the phone most of time your voice inflection can give away your position. Stay focused on control.
7) Always Make Time for Family. . This shows true character balance to all involved with your business. Even though with Internet marketing your interaction is minimal, some people will hear your relationship through the phone.
Source: EzineArticles
It occurred to me during my morning readings that although you may want to be a good entrepreneur, being a Great Entrepreneur is really the key to success! Achieving Greatness requires distinct characteristics and solid leadership skills. So here are the seven key characteristics required to be a Great Entrepreneur:
1) Learn from those that have come before you. You want to read books and articles from the likes of Warren Buffet, Colin Powell, Robert Kiyosaki, and Donald Trump. Learn how they came to achieve greatness. Talk to leaders from your organizations that have been in the trenches- they will also be a good resource for you. Hear their success stories. The experiences that you learn will shape your mindset into what I call a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) machine.
2) Turn your earlier life lessons into Successes. Network Marketing is a different business. But the skills you inherited on the job, coaching little league, or being a housewife will help you build your business and prove to be valuable to your success.
3) Always focus on the Future. Plan ahead by setting a 90 day, 1 year, a 5 year, and a 10 year game plan. In the beginning keep the 90 day rolling, always planning out 90 days. Before you know it the 1st year will be in the books. All the successes that you had planned for will be upon you. Stay focused on the game plan. REMEMBER: Those that Plan - PLAN TO SUCCEED and those that don't Plan - PLAN TO FAIL!
4) Rely upon yourself. In this work environment you have to rely on yourself and not others to pick you up when you are down or business is slow. The government isn't going to bail you out like they have for the failing corporate giants.
5) Commit to being a Leader. Lead by example and work on how to get the top and brings those who show heart and desire along with you. Demonstrate how life is at the top when you touch enough lives.
6) Always show your cool side. Never let your down line see you sweat. Be their "Cool Hand Luke"! Even though you are on the phone most of time your voice inflection can give away your position. Stay focused on control.
7) Always Make Time for Family. . This shows true character balance to all involved with your business. Even though with Internet marketing your interaction is minimal, some people will hear your relationship through the phone.
Source: EzineArticles
March 18, 2009
How to Invest in Your Knowledge
With the economy struggling to get by people are trying to figure out just what to invest in. Should you gamble on stocks or bonds? Maybe invest in the government. No matter where you put your money there is always a chance that it could be lost. But there is one thing that can not be taken from you. Your knowledge. That means you should be investing in yourself.
So if you are wondering how to invest in yourself well first you need to learn as much as possible. It doesn't matter where that education comes from. It could be your years of experience you had ad you current job or the time you spent enjoying your hobby. There is always someone out there looking to learn a little something about anything. There is a good chance that your knowledge could be worth a fortune to people wanting to know what you know.
All you need to do now is learn how to invest in getting your information out to the masses. You can simply create a membership website. Find all those people who love what you are doing and let them join up. By having members who are all interested in the same thing your chances for success will only grow. They will be happy to have members who are passionate about their topic and thank you for setting it all up.
See, your knowledge is the one thing, whether the economy goes up or down, that can't be foreclosed on or go into bankruptcy. Plus, as times get tough having a community that shares your hobby to talk to can be a comforting thing. Your members also get to trade their knowledge with each other building up every persons educational pool. You never know what you can learn from others.
So if you have lost a lot in this economy and you are looking for something else to invest in then look inside yourself. Learn how to invest in your knowledge. There will always be a market for information.
Source: EzineArticles
So if you are wondering how to invest in yourself well first you need to learn as much as possible. It doesn't matter where that education comes from. It could be your years of experience you had ad you current job or the time you spent enjoying your hobby. There is always someone out there looking to learn a little something about anything. There is a good chance that your knowledge could be worth a fortune to people wanting to know what you know.
All you need to do now is learn how to invest in getting your information out to the masses. You can simply create a membership website. Find all those people who love what you are doing and let them join up. By having members who are all interested in the same thing your chances for success will only grow. They will be happy to have members who are passionate about their topic and thank you for setting it all up.
See, your knowledge is the one thing, whether the economy goes up or down, that can't be foreclosed on or go into bankruptcy. Plus, as times get tough having a community that shares your hobby to talk to can be a comforting thing. Your members also get to trade their knowledge with each other building up every persons educational pool. You never know what you can learn from others.
So if you have lost a lot in this economy and you are looking for something else to invest in then look inside yourself. Learn how to invest in your knowledge. There will always be a market for information.
Source: EzineArticles
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