I like to follow the people who are following me on Twitter. It helps nurture the relationship and makes it easier to have conversations. Unfortunately, a lot of bots were really spoiling everything. I saw someone using TrueTwit to validate followers, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m pretty happy with it so far. It does have some downsides, but it certainly has helped cut down on the bot spam and I feel better about following people back again.
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Mar
12
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Mar 12, 2010
So you’re joining all of the social networks you keep hearing everyone talk about. And now that you’re here, you’re not exactly sure what you should be saying, or to whom. It can be daunting, confusing and time-consuming, to be sure.
Of course, it is possible to use a third-party application, such as Tweetdeck, to integrate all of your online profiles and update them all concurrently, but I would advise against it. There is a danger in taking the easy way out, as there always is. - Rules of Engagement on Social Networks (Identity PR)
Tom has some good analogies that will help you figure out how to conduct yourself differently on various social networks. And different social networks do have different characteristics and rules of engagement. What’s acceptable on one may be frowned upon on another. If you’re not sure what’s ok on a particular network, hanging out and listening to what’s going on will probably give you enough clues – kind of like being a wall flower while you look for the perfect dance partner at a party.
Mar
11
2010
Vanity Searches Should Be an Important Part of Your Routine
Wondering what people are saying about you or your brand? One of the most powerful tools to keep up what people think is to do a vanity search from time to time. A vanity search is a search (usually on Google) for your name, company name or brand name (really should be doing all of them). Ideally you should own the first page of results – meaning you’ve written or posted everything there. But when a results from someone else shows up, it’s an opportunity for you to take action.
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Mar
11
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Mar 11, 2010
Foursquare, a location-based social network, plans to distribute a free analytics tool and dashboard in the coming weeks that will give business owners access to a range of information and statistics about visitors to their establishments. - Foursquare Introduces New Tools for Businesses (NYTimes)
Foursquare’s revenue model is still up in the air. I imagine that these “free” tools for business owners may eventually be part of a paid upgrade – or you’ll be able to get access to more information by paying. Information about who is coming into your establishment regularly would be pretty valuable – and for the consumer this may serve as a replacement for those stupid reward cards.
Mar
10
2010
What questions do you have about social media, business & the web?
Thank you so much for reading our blog and continuing to interact and engage with us. We really appreciate the conversations we’re having here, on Twitter, in person and elsewhere on the web. We hope that you find what we do helpful. In order to continue providing you with what you want, we need your help. Please take a moment and let us know what types of topics you’d like us to discuss.
To jog some ideas:
- What questions do you have about social media, the web & business? What do you need help with?
- What types of how-to’s or explanations would be useful?
- Are there certain types of products or services you’d like us to review? Specific ones?
- If we sat down with you to help your business, what would you ask us?
Please feel free to leave ideas here in the comments, or email me saz at sazbean.com – or catch me on Twitter @sazbean. Let us know if you’re ok with us linking back to you if we post a public answer.
Thank you in advance!
Mar
10
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Mar 10, 2010
One of my favorite sites that I read daily is Business Insider, a site which meshes together technology news with business and finance news, combining all of my favorite topics. On occasion we are fortunate to be included in Business Insider’s site, however more recently there have been a number of instances where we weren’t so grateful. On Friday we became the victim of Business Insider’s dirty SEO tactics. – Business Insider’s Dirty SEO Tactics (Social Times)
There’s not really a question about whether Business Insider’s tricks are dirty. They are. If you’re going to quote someone or borrow part of their content, you owe them the courtesy of linking directly to the article (and not quoting the entire article). Just as I’m sure BI would like others to do with their content. My question is why Google allows this sort of thing – they have to be aware of it. Are they allowing it to happen on large sites that may be big revenue generators for them?
Mar
09
2010
Sazcast Episode 21 – Getting Geeks on Your Side #DETChevySXSW
Getting Geeks on Your Side – Chevy’s South by Southwest Social Media Road Trip. Wondering how to get geeks on your side? How about sending 8 teams on a roadtrip to the nation’s largest interactive conference? Use Twitter tag #DETChevySXSW to follow the Detroit Team. Quick News – UbiSoft, Valve & 8-bit NYC. Web Strategy & Marketing News & Tips.
Mar
09
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Mar 9, 2010
If you’re looking to build a unique personal brand and an online presence that sets you apart from the competition, then you have to take action and create habits that can you accomplish every day to reach your goal. - 15 Personal Branding Tasks You Can Do Everyday (Personal Branding 101)
Many strong corporate brands also have a strong personal brand behind them (Think of Apple – Steve Jobs, Microsoft – Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Facebook – Mark Zuckerberg). Having a strong personal brand means that people know who you are, what you know and what you stand for. Personal branding is key for building a business or a career. Have you tried googling your name recently? What comes up? Does it represent you the way you want?
Mar
08
2010
The Best Use of Social Media? Building Relationships
People don’t buy from companies. They buy from people. Somewhere along the purchasing decision a person is involved: either a friend or colleague that makes a recommendation or a good salesperson or helpful customer service or even a question answered on an online forum or network. Even online people may purchase from a company once without a human interaction, but it’s probably the person-to-person contact somewhere along the line that brings them back. People make a company what it is.
[Read more...]
Mar
08
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Mar 8, 2010
Blogs are the most powerful marketing tool you can use to attract leads and new customers, as well as increase visibility in your marketplace. But what makes one blog successful and another mediocre? The majority of “so-so” blogs lack one or more of four important elements… In this article I will introduce the CODA system and how it can driven traffic and engagement with your readers. - How to Keep Readers Coming Back to Your Blog (Social Media Examiner)
It seems like a lot of people think there’s some magic wand that if you write a blog traffic magically appears – within weeks. The first myth is the amount of time that it takes to gain traction on a blog. While some experienced bloggers in a well defined niche may be able to get something going in 6 months or so, for most blogs it takes at least a year of writing consistently – not necessarily everyday, but on a schedule or so many times a week (not whenever you feel like it – which does work for some more well-known people and companies). Social Media Examiner has some good tips on what else you can do to improve your blog.
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