Thursday, April 28, 2011
Yemen's Opposition Warns That Violence Could Derail Transition
Yemen's Opposition Warns That Violence Could Derail Transition
VOA News April 28, 2011
Photo: Reuters
Army soldiers block a demonstration demanding the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in southern city of Taiz, April 28, 2011
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At Least 13 Dead in Yemen as Thousands Continue Protest
Scattered Yemen Protests Continue Despite Transition Accord
Yemen's Opposition Agrees to Gulf Transition Plan
Yemen's government and an opposition coalition are moving forward with plans to sign an agreement that calls for the president to hand over power, although opposition leaders warn that continued violence against protesters could derail the plan.
The opposition alliance released a statement Thursday saying that it may be unable to sign the agreement if, in its words, President Ali Abdullah Saleh uses the accord to kill civilians.
On Wednesday, at least 13 people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters at anti-government rallies demanding Saleh's immediate departure from office.
Some in the opposition say they oppose the agreement because it gives the president a month-long window to resign and because Saleh and his family would be granted immunity for prosecution.
VOA's Davin Hutchins speaks with journalists Nasser Arrabyee and Erik Stier who have been following developments on the GCC agreement to the political cirisis in Yemen:
Yemen's main opposition coalition, however, remains behind the plan.
Amnesty International is expressing concern about granting immunity to Saleh.
An official with the rights group, Middle East and North Africa director Malcolm Smart, said Saleh should not be allowed to "evade accountability for the long catalogue of human rights crimes committed under his rule."
However, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has welcomed the deal. She said the plan represents Yemen's "best chance" for addressing its economic, social and security challenges.
The agreement was brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council. It calls for Saleh to hand over power to a deputy and resign within 30 days of signing the initiative. It would establish a unity government that would include opposition members.
Gulf council officials say the agreement may be finalized during a Sunday meeting in Saudi Arabia.
VOA News April 28, 2011
Photo: Reuters
Army soldiers block a demonstration demanding the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in southern city of Taiz, April 28, 2011
Share This
Yahoo! Buzz
Related Articles
At Least 13 Dead in Yemen as Thousands Continue Protest
Scattered Yemen Protests Continue Despite Transition Accord
Yemen's Opposition Agrees to Gulf Transition Plan
Yemen's government and an opposition coalition are moving forward with plans to sign an agreement that calls for the president to hand over power, although opposition leaders warn that continued violence against protesters could derail the plan.
The opposition alliance released a statement Thursday saying that it may be unable to sign the agreement if, in its words, President Ali Abdullah Saleh uses the accord to kill civilians.
On Wednesday, at least 13 people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters at anti-government rallies demanding Saleh's immediate departure from office.
Some in the opposition say they oppose the agreement because it gives the president a month-long window to resign and because Saleh and his family would be granted immunity for prosecution.
VOA's Davin Hutchins speaks with journalists Nasser Arrabyee and Erik Stier who have been following developments on the GCC agreement to the political cirisis in Yemen:
Yemen's main opposition coalition, however, remains behind the plan.
Amnesty International is expressing concern about granting immunity to Saleh.
An official with the rights group, Middle East and North Africa director Malcolm Smart, said Saleh should not be allowed to "evade accountability for the long catalogue of human rights crimes committed under his rule."
However, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has welcomed the deal. She said the plan represents Yemen's "best chance" for addressing its economic, social and security challenges.
The agreement was brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council. It calls for Saleh to hand over power to a deputy and resign within 30 days of signing the initiative. It would establish a unity government that would include opposition members.
Gulf council officials say the agreement may be finalized during a Sunday meeting in Saudi Arabia.
M y F a c e b o o k F o r m u l a for free advertising
M y F a c e b o o k F o r m u l a
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Disclaimer
Reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information presented in this book is accurate. However, the reader should understand that the information provided does not constitute legal, medical or professional advice of any kind.
No Liability: this product is supplied “as is” and without warranties. All warranties, express or implied, are hereby disclaimed.
Use of this product constitutes acceptance of the “No Liability” policy. If you do not agree with this policy, you are not permitted to use or distribute this product.
Neither the author, the publisher nor the distributor of this material shall be liable for any losses or damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential loss or damage) directly or indirectly arising from the use of this product.
M y F a c e b o o k F o r m u l a
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Table of Contents
The Nuts and Bolts ................................................................................. 4
My Facebook Marketing Plan ................................................................. 7
Creating a Page ..................................................................................... 12
Promoting Your Page ............................................................................ 14
The Power of Facebook Groups ............................................................ 17
Facebook Events ................................................................................... 19
Direct Advertising on Facebook ........................................................... 21
Advertising ROI – Test, Measure, Optimize ......................................... 25
Conclusion ............................................................................................ 26
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The Nuts and Bolts
The internet and social media sites especially have led to the line between our social and professional lives blurring ever more with each passing day. Social media sites give people the opportunity to connect with old friends, make new ones and expand their professional network with only a few clicks, from the comfort of their own home.
Social media sites have redefined the concept of globalization, which was the „in‟ word two decades ago for large corporations. Unfortunately for the latter, the current globalization concept has allowed businesses of all sizes to tap the benefits of being present in a wide number of markets. This is because the internet has become a business channel that is practically free and companies are no longer required to make massive investments in building an offline, local presence in whichever market they choose to expand into. In fact, why expand into a single geographical market, when one can access the world with a few clicks of the mouse?
Of course, this doesn‟t mean that it‟s easy to compete against the giants, but, after all, why take on a giant when you can still build a profitable and sustainable business that will change your life and that of future generations of your family without competing directly with the giants.
The one advantage you have, as a small business owner, over a large corporation is relationships. Yes, you heard right! You are more likely to spend time building relationships with your customers than any large corporation as they are mostly focused on their bottom line and ROI, overlooking strategies and tactics that may not convert into tangible results immediately. However, even the „big boys‟ are beginning to
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understand the value of social media sites and building relationships with their customers, which is why you need to jump on this train of opportunity before it passes you by.
What you need to understand is that the change that has and is taking place is not in the core concepts of marketing, which are more applicable than ever, but in consumer behavior. You see, social media sites have given consumers a voice of their own and they are less likely to fall for advertising campaigns that cost millions to put together. Instead of rushing out to buy a brand new, shiny product, most consumers‟ first stop is their favorite social media website to research the product in question.
For companies who simply „don‟t get‟ the social media space, this can be a killer. However, for those savvy entrepreneurs who understand the new consumer, this is a resource that can be leveraged to create an incredibly successful business.
Why You Need to Be Present
Facebook currently has over 400 million users, making it larger than many of the world‟s nations and it is growing every day. Additionally, this social media platform‟s demographics are so diverse that it makes an ideal marketing vehicle. In fact, more than 50 percent of U.S. users are 26 years old and above, meaning that your marketing efforts will meet with even greater success as these are usually the people who make direct purchase decisions.
Likewise, many businesses are also wising-up to the necessity of integrating social media into their traditional marketing strategies, which
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includes Facebook. Ergo, whether you are in the B2B or B2C sector, you will still find Facebook highly effective.
However, you do need to remember that it is only a marketing tool as the principles have remained the same. In other words, identify your target market, understand their needs and wants, build a relationship with them and only then attempt to sell to them.
The key to successful social media marketing is to understand your audience and to build a relationship with them. Consumers aren‟t interested in doing business with faceless companies that hide behind a logo. Especially when they have so many other choices. So, let‟s get into the nitty gritty of marketing on Facebook and creating a brand that will have consumers running to you.
Assumptions
This work assumes that you know how to open a Facebook account and have a vague understanding of how to navigate the site. We will be covering how to build a Facebook page for your business but will be looking at this issue from a marketing point of view rather than the technical side of matters since the basics of Facebook usage is outside of the scope of this ebook. However, a quick Google search will help you with any problems you may encounter.
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My Facebook Marketing Plan
As with any business endeavor you need a plan and especially for your marketing strategy since you have so many options open to you that you would be hard pressed to keep track of everything without a plan to make sure you are heading in the right direction.
The Target Market
As already mentioned, the Facebook demographic is extremely diverse and you have the added advantage of being able to use people‟s profiles to further narrow your target market down. For example, if you want to target women aged 24 – 35 who live in the Midwest and love to crochet, Facebook makes it extremely easy to do. The advantage? You can be certain you aren‟t wasting resources, whether money or time, on reaching a wide audience of which only a small percentage is actually your target market, as was often the case with traditional marketing channels.
Remember that the key to building a successful business is to have an excellent understanding of your target market. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to build a relationship with them.
Consumer behavior, in simple terms, is driven mainly by two desires, the first is to avoid pain and the second is to gain pleasure. However, pain avoidance carries much more weight. Therefore, the more you know of your audience and what pains them, the more you will be able to meet their needs by providing a solution to their pain. In fact, if you do your market research properly, you will be able to create a product
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that sells itself. This is where the power of knowing your target market truly lies.
What better way to build a relationship with your target market than through a social media platform that allows for so much interaction, like Facebook?
There are a few tools you can use to locate your target market. One of these is the Facebook Insight tool which provides information on the people visiting your page, including information such as their age and sex.
Establishing Your Marketing Goals
Facebook is an essential marketing tool that you need to integrate into your overall marketing strategy for the simple reason that you can glean a lot of information from your market. From product creation to feedback on your service, Facebook can be the ultimate market research tool, and you can achieve all this without paying a penny.
In essence, the core goal of any marketing campaign is to increase sales. However, there are other aspects to increasing your sales which, initially, may not appear to be directly linked to increasing your profitability. But they are, and can boost your sales more effectively than even a Super Bowl advertising campaign.
These are building a brand, forming a community of prospects who are raving fans, providing customer service and receiving feedback on your business. These four aspects are vital to building a sustainable business model that will generate an income for you for many years.
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The Power of Branding
A brand is basically the image of your business. It‟s what sets you apart from your competition in the mind of your target market. Thus, the key to branding is finding your USP (unique sales position/proposition), which you can actually do with the help of existing customers. Simply conduct a survey and ask why people are buying your product or using your service and not the competition‟s.
If you do not yet have a product and are just starting your business, then you should analyze your competition and identify what their USP is. This will give you some idea of what you can do to add extra value and find your USP. Remember never to use price as a USP as this can backfire.
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Driving Sales with Facebook
Facebook is an ideal tool to drive sales as it offers an excellent medium to inform your audience about special offers, product launches, discounts and more. You can easily provide a link so people can access your website or you can even build a store right there inside Facebook.
Facebook is also a highly cost-efficient advertising medium as you can run highly targeted campaigns that have a high ROI as it has been proven that social media audiences have a higher conversion rate than organic traffic.
Additionally, you can also use Facebook Events to drive sales and increase brand awareness.
Building Your Community
Building a community is vital to your online business success, especially if you want that success to be long-lasting. Facebook Groups gives you that option but remember that your group can‟t be build around your product or no one will be interested. You need to focus on building a group centered around a cause or interest that ties in with your goals yet has social importance to draw people to join.
Customer Service and Feedback
Providing excellent customer service and listening to feedback from your customers is vital to the success of any product or business. The more feedback you receive, the more you can improve and meet the needs of your prospects. You can receive feedback directly through a
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Facebook group or by running a manual search on the platform to find any mentions of your brand.
The more responsive you are to your market‟s needs, the more they will appreciate your brand and the more they will advertise for you through referrals and recommendations. There is nothing more valuable in a social media setting than having your Facebook fans recommending your business as this is the place people come to research before they make their purchase decision.
Creating a Message
This is the moment when you need to forget all you learned in your power-selling and advertising courses about hard selling. This simply does not work in a social media setting. You need to be honest and open with your market and above all you need to provide value first and ask later. In other words, don‟t try to push sales messages down the throat of your Facebook followers because you may soon find yourself alone.
Facebook is primarily a social platform, which you need to remember when implementing your marketing strategy. This means that you need to engage your audience rather than merely trying to push offers at them all the time. The more value you provide, the more your audience will trust you and the higher your profits will climb.
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Creating a Page
A Facebook Page is essentially the same as a Facebook profile except that it is business centric. This is where members can become your fans and stay up-to-date with everything that your business is doing. They can also write on your Wall, learn about any special promotions you are running, upload photos and talk to other members. It is where you can provide your fans with updates and engage your audience.
The advantage to having a Facebook Page for your business is that you are not limited to the number of fans your business can have, unlike Facebook profiles which are limited to 5,000 friends. Additionally, Facebook Pages can be easily found with a search engine as they are visible to the public by default. You can also add a variety of applications to further engage your audience.
Tips for Effective Page Design
While we won‟t be going into the technicalities of creating a Facebook Page, we will look at some critical tips that you should keep in mind when designing it.
Customers come first. You need to make sure that you are designing your page with your customers in mind, which means that every component of your page should offer them value.
Don’t overdo it. While you may be tempted to add every application under the sun to make a cutting edge Facebook page, a little restraint is in order. Remember that you want your brand to stand out and applications should only add to the experience, not take the spotlight off your business.
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Staying on topic and updating. You need to make sure that whatever you post on your Facebook Page is relevant to your business. So, if you are promoting an internet marketing product, you shouldn‟t be posting about your love for sushi. Likewise, if you continuously update the content on your Page, you are giving fans a reason to come back. So, make sure that you are always posting fresh content.
Brand yourself as an authority with personality. First of all, your Facebook Page advertises your business to the world, so you need to be seen as an authority in your industry. Therefore, make sure that your content showcases your expertise. At the same time, Facebook is a social media site which means you need to let your personality come through a little. While having a little fun is great, make sure that you still act professionally, though.
Feedback is critical to your success. The biggest mistake you can make is to overlook the feedback you receive through your Facebook Page. In fact, you should be encouraging it by posting surveys, polls and through discussions. It is highly valuable because it can be used to improve your business and it‟s all for free.
However, the most critical aspect of an effective Facebook Page, as with any other presence you may have on the web is posting relevant and interesting content. The more you update with interesting content, the more reasons people will have to visit your page, become fans and then return. Your job doesn‟t end once you have built a following. It only begins.
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Promoting Your Page
People will not become instant fans of your brand, even if it‟s a product they adore and use regularly, if you don‟t offer them a reason to. In other words, you need to engage people and offer them an incentive to become your fans.
Some of the most common tactics include contests that require users to sign up to take part with prizes ranging from products to gift certificates, or offering discount coupons to those who join. The advantage to these methods is that once a customer agrees to input their Facebook information, a link to the contest will then be published on their wall as well, which leads to the contest becoming viral.
If you cannot afford to offer discounts or giveaways, another option is to simply ask your customers to become your Facebook fans. You can do this by advertising your social media pages on all your outgoing emails, existing websites and other advertising mediums you may already be using. You might be surprised how effective this approach is.
Remember that having a large following on Facebook is not simply about increasing sales but about increasing brand awareness as well. The more people are talking about your brand, the more sales you will eventually make because word of mouth advertising is one of the most powerful sales tools in the world.
Another interesting strategy is to use social media sites in a loyalty program. For example, you could offer customers two points for every purchase they make from you and another point if they become a fan and post about their purchase on their Facebook account. Once they reach a
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certain number of points you can offer them a freebie of some sort. The traffic and sales you generate will more than offset the costs of running the campaign and you will have the added advantage of having built a loyal following as well.
Tips to Help You Find and Connect to Your Target Market
The first step to building your fan-base on Facebook is to invite your friends and existing clients to join up. Even if your friends aren‟t what you may consider prospects, you never know who in their networks might be interested. Some other techniques you can use include:
Leveraging thought leaders in your industry. By becoming a fan of thought leaders with large fan bases in your industry you can begin to engage with prospects on their pages. If you provide value through good content, you will find that people will want to find out more about you and your brand.
Use other social media platforms and sites. Do you have a following on Twitter? Then invite them to join you on Facebook for a more interactive experience. Additionally, you can also pull content from sites like Youtube and Flickr which will keep your page fresh with new content while also promoting your page on these other sites.
Leverage your email list. If you have an email list, offer your subscribers an incentive to become a fan of your Facebook page. Remember that your main goal is the viral effect Facebook provides and even though these customers are already on your list, you never know how many more new leads they will generate through their own Facebook networks.
Offer interesting content on a regular basis. You need to make sure you keep your page updated with interesting content on a regular basis.
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You want fans to visit your page and engage with your brand on a regular basis and the only way to do that is to provide fresh, interesting content.
Interact with your fans. Don‟t simply post content and then forget to visit your page. You need to interact with your fans as much as possible which includes answering comments and even sending new fans a welcome message can do wonders to turn them into lifelong, loyal customers. This is because you are showing them that there is a human behind the brand and that you care. You would be surprised how much people want to help someone who is interested in them.
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The Power of Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups can be started up by anyone, on any topic of interest to them and they serve as a gathering place for members to discuss the topic and share thoughts and opinions. Conversely, Facebook Pages can only be created by the official representative of the business, artist or public personality. Facebook Pages allow for more interaction though due to the addition of applications, while Facebook Groups can‟t have applications.
You have a choice of either joining an existing Facebook Group on a topic that is relevant to your business so you can promote your brand or create your own group. If you decide to join an existing group, remember that it is still a social media platform and so bombarding members with commercial messages will only serve to alienate them. Additionally, if you try to advertise yourself too much, you may end up being reported as a spammer and have your profile or page shut down by Facebook. They have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to spammers so you need to be extremely careful.
What you should focus on, though, is building yourself up as an authority and someone people want to follow. You can achieve this by posting relevant content that they will find interesting. Likewise, don‟t post only content that is on your blog in an attempt to drive traffic because people will still think you are spamming.
Remember to mix it up by posting content from your own blog or website along with other interesting content from the web. Finding content to post isn‟t as difficult as it may seem as there are plenty of
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content aggregators on the web, such as AllTop.com or Technorati, which aggregate the most popular content on the net.
You can start your own group, but you should first be sure you have a thorough understanding of how groups work which you can only do by joining other groups and watching how people interact and participate. You manage your group just like you would your Facebook page by posting fresh content to make sure that people are joining all the time. The more people you have joining your group, the more others will come and join as well because this acts like a form of third-party validation.
You may be asking yourself what the point of creating a group is if you have to do the same things as you would on your Facebook Page. You need to understand, though, that your group shouldn‟t be based on your brand, it should only support it. This means that you need to create a group based on a topic that is of social interest but is also relevant to your brand. So, for example, if you sell wedding gowns, you could start up a group for brides trying to lose weight before the big day. While it isn‟t a direct promotion of your brand, it is a topic that will garner a lot of interest and will increase brand awareness while drawing in your target market.
However, just as with your Facebook Page, you need to post interesting content and even sometimes controversial ideas to spark discussions, while also engaging your members as much as possible. So, if someone comments, then comment back. The more you engage members, the more people will trust you and the more activity your group will have. A highly active group on an interesting topic will always draw new members in.
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Facebook Events
Facebook Events are an excellent way to increase brand awareness by bringing together people virtually or in person. You can use Facebook Events to promote a product launch or to market an existing product by offering attendees a bonus in the form of a discount coupon.
The value of hosting a Facebook Event lies in the fact that you can invite all your fans with a single click of the button. Additionally, if you can host a live event your credibility increases a thousand-fold because online interaction still cannot replace meeting someone in person. However, if you feel your product is not suited for a live event, you can still host an online event.
Many marketers feel that online events aren‟t worth the hassle because the return in sales is pretty low for the work required to maintain interest in the event and then keep the event going. However, if you look at the issue from the perspective of building relationships with your prospects, then events can be invaluable. After all, while your ultimate goal is to drive sales, building relationships with your customers should also be high on your priority list because this, along with providing high value, is what will turn simple prospects into customers who are raving fans.
The latter will generate a much better ROI over the long term since you don‟t have to expend as many resources on finding new customers. In fact, a study showed that repeat customers cost a business 6 times less than acquiring new customers and they also spend 33% more.
Another interesting aspect is that sites such as Meetup.com, which is basically a social site for groups focused on varied interests, have an
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application that allow Meetup groups to promote their events on Facebook. This can be an invaluable source of new prospects because there will be plenty of people on Meetup who might not have a Facebook presence.
The best way to learn about hosting events is to attend a few yourself and see how others are doing it. You can find events by running a search in the Applications – Events tab.
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Direct Advertising on Facebook
Facebook offers an advertising system similar to Google‟s Adwords platform. You can easily select who your target audience is, set a daily budget and also measure your results. You also have the option of choosing to pay based on the number of times your ad appears or to pay for clicks.
However, unlike Google, Facebook ads are more interactive allowing people to do everything from becoming a fan of a Page, watching a video or respond to an event all from within the ad unit without having to navigate to another page. This is extremely powerful because, if your goal is to increase the number of fans for your Page, it is much easier to get people to agree if they don‟t have to leave the page they are currently on.
You have a choice of three types of advertisements, namely the regular PPC text ad, a graphic display ad which also includes an image or their unique interactive ads which are known as engagement ads. You will have to order the latter through an advertising sales rep as they aren‟t available in the automatic system, though.
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Good Advertising Practices on Facebook
Just as with any advertising campaign, make sure that users receive what the ad promises them once they click through. Additionally, make sure to keep it a social and interesting experience because that is why they are on Facebook, after all.
Facebook gives you the option to link to another Facebook page, profile, group or event in your ad or to an external website. You don‟t have to prove that you are the owner of the website, which means that you can use affiliate links in your ads. This can be a powerful way of testing conversion rates of various products you are considering promoting as well as the effectiveness of landing pages.
However, it is considered good practice to link to an internal Facebook page as users are on Facebook for the social experience. For this reason, you should also consider crafting your message in a familiar and conversational tone because you want to maintain the social aspect of the experience. Remember that this helps to crumble the defenses of your prospects as they are so used to being bombarded with ads, they essentially ignore them. However, if you focus on the social aspect and building a relationship you will be able to slowly break down those automatic defenses and your prospects will be much more open to your commercial messages.
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The Power of Facebook Ads
The biggest benefit of Facebook ads is the degree to which you can narrow your target market. Facebook allows you to build a campaign that targets users by location, age, relationship status, interests and even language as the platform is available in over 40 languages. You can essentially reach your exact audience and build a very powerful list of highly qualified and targeted leads with a few ads. This is much more cost-effective than using traditional PPC since you know that the people you are targeting will be interested in what you have to say.
Common Ad Mistakes
Just as there are good advertising practices, so too there are mistakes that you need to avoid. Facebook has very strict guidelines when it comes to ads because they want to maintain a high quality standard, so make sure to avoid making the following mistakes so your ads can pass the review process and you can have your campaign up and running in no more than 24 hours.
Bad grammar, spelling, punctuation and slang. This is your business you are promoting after all so what will your inability to write a short ad show your prospects? While you want to maintain the social aspect of the site that doesn‟t mean you should be unprofessional.
Bait and switch is a common practice that leads to disaster. Don‟t tell your prospects one thing to trick them into visiting your page or website and then offer them something completely different. Not only will your ads never pass the review but if they do slip through you will create a bad name for yourself. While it may work in the short term, it isn‟t a strategy that you can use to build a long term, sustainable business.
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Inappropriate images. Again, everything you post will brand your business so make sure that the images in your ad maintain the professionalism you would expect from a business you would like to work with.
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Advertising ROI – Test, Measure, Optimize
Direct Facebook advertising should be treated like any PPC advertising campaign, meaning that you need to test different variations of your ad before you spend the majority of your advertising money on an approach that may not be effective. Facebook offers a wide range of tools that allow you to easily set up different campaigns, set individual budgets for each and also track their effectiveness.
The reports the Facebook Ad system offers are quite comprehensive and offer dates on everything from how many times your advertisement has been shown, to number of clicks and the average cost per click. This information is vital to testing and optimizing your ads for a higher return on investment.
Additionally, you need to test the effectiveness of your Facebook Page as well, which you can do through Facebook Insights. The latter offers information such as the degree to which fans interact with your page, how loyal your fans are, which is measured according to the number of fans who have unsubscribed over a certain period and other valuable demographics on your fans. All this information can be used to test and tweak different approaches to improve the performance of your Facebook page.
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Conclusion
Facebook is a very powerful marketing tool if used properly. The most important aspect to remember is that it is a social platform first and needs to be treated as such. In other words, don‟t expect people to respond to commercial messages but rather build a relationship with them first. Then, they will generate sales for you without you even having to ask.
As long as you focus on the needs of your prospects and customers and provide them with value, your sales will increase exponentially and your brand will spread like wildfire. Such is the power of of My Facebook Formula.
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Disclaimer
Reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information presented in this book is accurate. However, the reader should understand that the information provided does not constitute legal, medical or professional advice of any kind.
No Liability: this product is supplied “as is” and without warranties. All warranties, express or implied, are hereby disclaimed.
Use of this product constitutes acceptance of the “No Liability” policy. If you do not agree with this policy, you are not permitted to use or distribute this product.
Neither the author, the publisher nor the distributor of this material shall be liable for any losses or damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential loss or damage) directly or indirectly arising from the use of this product.
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Table of Contents
The Nuts and Bolts ................................................................................. 4
My Facebook Marketing Plan ................................................................. 7
Creating a Page ..................................................................................... 12
Promoting Your Page ............................................................................ 14
The Power of Facebook Groups ............................................................ 17
Facebook Events ................................................................................... 19
Direct Advertising on Facebook ........................................................... 21
Advertising ROI – Test, Measure, Optimize ......................................... 25
Conclusion ............................................................................................ 26
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The Nuts and Bolts
The internet and social media sites especially have led to the line between our social and professional lives blurring ever more with each passing day. Social media sites give people the opportunity to connect with old friends, make new ones and expand their professional network with only a few clicks, from the comfort of their own home.
Social media sites have redefined the concept of globalization, which was the „in‟ word two decades ago for large corporations. Unfortunately for the latter, the current globalization concept has allowed businesses of all sizes to tap the benefits of being present in a wide number of markets. This is because the internet has become a business channel that is practically free and companies are no longer required to make massive investments in building an offline, local presence in whichever market they choose to expand into. In fact, why expand into a single geographical market, when one can access the world with a few clicks of the mouse?
Of course, this doesn‟t mean that it‟s easy to compete against the giants, but, after all, why take on a giant when you can still build a profitable and sustainable business that will change your life and that of future generations of your family without competing directly with the giants.
The one advantage you have, as a small business owner, over a large corporation is relationships. Yes, you heard right! You are more likely to spend time building relationships with your customers than any large corporation as they are mostly focused on their bottom line and ROI, overlooking strategies and tactics that may not convert into tangible results immediately. However, even the „big boys‟ are beginning to
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understand the value of social media sites and building relationships with their customers, which is why you need to jump on this train of opportunity before it passes you by.
What you need to understand is that the change that has and is taking place is not in the core concepts of marketing, which are more applicable than ever, but in consumer behavior. You see, social media sites have given consumers a voice of their own and they are less likely to fall for advertising campaigns that cost millions to put together. Instead of rushing out to buy a brand new, shiny product, most consumers‟ first stop is their favorite social media website to research the product in question.
For companies who simply „don‟t get‟ the social media space, this can be a killer. However, for those savvy entrepreneurs who understand the new consumer, this is a resource that can be leveraged to create an incredibly successful business.
Why You Need to Be Present
Facebook currently has over 400 million users, making it larger than many of the world‟s nations and it is growing every day. Additionally, this social media platform‟s demographics are so diverse that it makes an ideal marketing vehicle. In fact, more than 50 percent of U.S. users are 26 years old and above, meaning that your marketing efforts will meet with even greater success as these are usually the people who make direct purchase decisions.
Likewise, many businesses are also wising-up to the necessity of integrating social media into their traditional marketing strategies, which
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includes Facebook. Ergo, whether you are in the B2B or B2C sector, you will still find Facebook highly effective.
However, you do need to remember that it is only a marketing tool as the principles have remained the same. In other words, identify your target market, understand their needs and wants, build a relationship with them and only then attempt to sell to them.
The key to successful social media marketing is to understand your audience and to build a relationship with them. Consumers aren‟t interested in doing business with faceless companies that hide behind a logo. Especially when they have so many other choices. So, let‟s get into the nitty gritty of marketing on Facebook and creating a brand that will have consumers running to you.
Assumptions
This work assumes that you know how to open a Facebook account and have a vague understanding of how to navigate the site. We will be covering how to build a Facebook page for your business but will be looking at this issue from a marketing point of view rather than the technical side of matters since the basics of Facebook usage is outside of the scope of this ebook. However, a quick Google search will help you with any problems you may encounter.
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My Facebook Marketing Plan
As with any business endeavor you need a plan and especially for your marketing strategy since you have so many options open to you that you would be hard pressed to keep track of everything without a plan to make sure you are heading in the right direction.
The Target Market
As already mentioned, the Facebook demographic is extremely diverse and you have the added advantage of being able to use people‟s profiles to further narrow your target market down. For example, if you want to target women aged 24 – 35 who live in the Midwest and love to crochet, Facebook makes it extremely easy to do. The advantage? You can be certain you aren‟t wasting resources, whether money or time, on reaching a wide audience of which only a small percentage is actually your target market, as was often the case with traditional marketing channels.
Remember that the key to building a successful business is to have an excellent understanding of your target market. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to build a relationship with them.
Consumer behavior, in simple terms, is driven mainly by two desires, the first is to avoid pain and the second is to gain pleasure. However, pain avoidance carries much more weight. Therefore, the more you know of your audience and what pains them, the more you will be able to meet their needs by providing a solution to their pain. In fact, if you do your market research properly, you will be able to create a product
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that sells itself. This is where the power of knowing your target market truly lies.
What better way to build a relationship with your target market than through a social media platform that allows for so much interaction, like Facebook?
There are a few tools you can use to locate your target market. One of these is the Facebook Insight tool which provides information on the people visiting your page, including information such as their age and sex.
Establishing Your Marketing Goals
Facebook is an essential marketing tool that you need to integrate into your overall marketing strategy for the simple reason that you can glean a lot of information from your market. From product creation to feedback on your service, Facebook can be the ultimate market research tool, and you can achieve all this without paying a penny.
In essence, the core goal of any marketing campaign is to increase sales. However, there are other aspects to increasing your sales which, initially, may not appear to be directly linked to increasing your profitability. But they are, and can boost your sales more effectively than even a Super Bowl advertising campaign.
These are building a brand, forming a community of prospects who are raving fans, providing customer service and receiving feedback on your business. These four aspects are vital to building a sustainable business model that will generate an income for you for many years.
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The Power of Branding
A brand is basically the image of your business. It‟s what sets you apart from your competition in the mind of your target market. Thus, the key to branding is finding your USP (unique sales position/proposition), which you can actually do with the help of existing customers. Simply conduct a survey and ask why people are buying your product or using your service and not the competition‟s.
If you do not yet have a product and are just starting your business, then you should analyze your competition and identify what their USP is. This will give you some idea of what you can do to add extra value and find your USP. Remember never to use price as a USP as this can backfire.
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Driving Sales with Facebook
Facebook is an ideal tool to drive sales as it offers an excellent medium to inform your audience about special offers, product launches, discounts and more. You can easily provide a link so people can access your website or you can even build a store right there inside Facebook.
Facebook is also a highly cost-efficient advertising medium as you can run highly targeted campaigns that have a high ROI as it has been proven that social media audiences have a higher conversion rate than organic traffic.
Additionally, you can also use Facebook Events to drive sales and increase brand awareness.
Building Your Community
Building a community is vital to your online business success, especially if you want that success to be long-lasting. Facebook Groups gives you that option but remember that your group can‟t be build around your product or no one will be interested. You need to focus on building a group centered around a cause or interest that ties in with your goals yet has social importance to draw people to join.
Customer Service and Feedback
Providing excellent customer service and listening to feedback from your customers is vital to the success of any product or business. The more feedback you receive, the more you can improve and meet the needs of your prospects. You can receive feedback directly through a
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Facebook group or by running a manual search on the platform to find any mentions of your brand.
The more responsive you are to your market‟s needs, the more they will appreciate your brand and the more they will advertise for you through referrals and recommendations. There is nothing more valuable in a social media setting than having your Facebook fans recommending your business as this is the place people come to research before they make their purchase decision.
Creating a Message
This is the moment when you need to forget all you learned in your power-selling and advertising courses about hard selling. This simply does not work in a social media setting. You need to be honest and open with your market and above all you need to provide value first and ask later. In other words, don‟t try to push sales messages down the throat of your Facebook followers because you may soon find yourself alone.
Facebook is primarily a social platform, which you need to remember when implementing your marketing strategy. This means that you need to engage your audience rather than merely trying to push offers at them all the time. The more value you provide, the more your audience will trust you and the higher your profits will climb.
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Creating a Page
A Facebook Page is essentially the same as a Facebook profile except that it is business centric. This is where members can become your fans and stay up-to-date with everything that your business is doing. They can also write on your Wall, learn about any special promotions you are running, upload photos and talk to other members. It is where you can provide your fans with updates and engage your audience.
The advantage to having a Facebook Page for your business is that you are not limited to the number of fans your business can have, unlike Facebook profiles which are limited to 5,000 friends. Additionally, Facebook Pages can be easily found with a search engine as they are visible to the public by default. You can also add a variety of applications to further engage your audience.
Tips for Effective Page Design
While we won‟t be going into the technicalities of creating a Facebook Page, we will look at some critical tips that you should keep in mind when designing it.
Customers come first. You need to make sure that you are designing your page with your customers in mind, which means that every component of your page should offer them value.
Don’t overdo it. While you may be tempted to add every application under the sun to make a cutting edge Facebook page, a little restraint is in order. Remember that you want your brand to stand out and applications should only add to the experience, not take the spotlight off your business.
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Staying on topic and updating. You need to make sure that whatever you post on your Facebook Page is relevant to your business. So, if you are promoting an internet marketing product, you shouldn‟t be posting about your love for sushi. Likewise, if you continuously update the content on your Page, you are giving fans a reason to come back. So, make sure that you are always posting fresh content.
Brand yourself as an authority with personality. First of all, your Facebook Page advertises your business to the world, so you need to be seen as an authority in your industry. Therefore, make sure that your content showcases your expertise. At the same time, Facebook is a social media site which means you need to let your personality come through a little. While having a little fun is great, make sure that you still act professionally, though.
Feedback is critical to your success. The biggest mistake you can make is to overlook the feedback you receive through your Facebook Page. In fact, you should be encouraging it by posting surveys, polls and through discussions. It is highly valuable because it can be used to improve your business and it‟s all for free.
However, the most critical aspect of an effective Facebook Page, as with any other presence you may have on the web is posting relevant and interesting content. The more you update with interesting content, the more reasons people will have to visit your page, become fans and then return. Your job doesn‟t end once you have built a following. It only begins.
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Promoting Your Page
People will not become instant fans of your brand, even if it‟s a product they adore and use regularly, if you don‟t offer them a reason to. In other words, you need to engage people and offer them an incentive to become your fans.
Some of the most common tactics include contests that require users to sign up to take part with prizes ranging from products to gift certificates, or offering discount coupons to those who join. The advantage to these methods is that once a customer agrees to input their Facebook information, a link to the contest will then be published on their wall as well, which leads to the contest becoming viral.
If you cannot afford to offer discounts or giveaways, another option is to simply ask your customers to become your Facebook fans. You can do this by advertising your social media pages on all your outgoing emails, existing websites and other advertising mediums you may already be using. You might be surprised how effective this approach is.
Remember that having a large following on Facebook is not simply about increasing sales but about increasing brand awareness as well. The more people are talking about your brand, the more sales you will eventually make because word of mouth advertising is one of the most powerful sales tools in the world.
Another interesting strategy is to use social media sites in a loyalty program. For example, you could offer customers two points for every purchase they make from you and another point if they become a fan and post about their purchase on their Facebook account. Once they reach a
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certain number of points you can offer them a freebie of some sort. The traffic and sales you generate will more than offset the costs of running the campaign and you will have the added advantage of having built a loyal following as well.
Tips to Help You Find and Connect to Your Target Market
The first step to building your fan-base on Facebook is to invite your friends and existing clients to join up. Even if your friends aren‟t what you may consider prospects, you never know who in their networks might be interested. Some other techniques you can use include:
Leveraging thought leaders in your industry. By becoming a fan of thought leaders with large fan bases in your industry you can begin to engage with prospects on their pages. If you provide value through good content, you will find that people will want to find out more about you and your brand.
Use other social media platforms and sites. Do you have a following on Twitter? Then invite them to join you on Facebook for a more interactive experience. Additionally, you can also pull content from sites like Youtube and Flickr which will keep your page fresh with new content while also promoting your page on these other sites.
Leverage your email list. If you have an email list, offer your subscribers an incentive to become a fan of your Facebook page. Remember that your main goal is the viral effect Facebook provides and even though these customers are already on your list, you never know how many more new leads they will generate through their own Facebook networks.
Offer interesting content on a regular basis. You need to make sure you keep your page updated with interesting content on a regular basis.
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You want fans to visit your page and engage with your brand on a regular basis and the only way to do that is to provide fresh, interesting content.
Interact with your fans. Don‟t simply post content and then forget to visit your page. You need to interact with your fans as much as possible which includes answering comments and even sending new fans a welcome message can do wonders to turn them into lifelong, loyal customers. This is because you are showing them that there is a human behind the brand and that you care. You would be surprised how much people want to help someone who is interested in them.
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The Power of Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups can be started up by anyone, on any topic of interest to them and they serve as a gathering place for members to discuss the topic and share thoughts and opinions. Conversely, Facebook Pages can only be created by the official representative of the business, artist or public personality. Facebook Pages allow for more interaction though due to the addition of applications, while Facebook Groups can‟t have applications.
You have a choice of either joining an existing Facebook Group on a topic that is relevant to your business so you can promote your brand or create your own group. If you decide to join an existing group, remember that it is still a social media platform and so bombarding members with commercial messages will only serve to alienate them. Additionally, if you try to advertise yourself too much, you may end up being reported as a spammer and have your profile or page shut down by Facebook. They have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to spammers so you need to be extremely careful.
What you should focus on, though, is building yourself up as an authority and someone people want to follow. You can achieve this by posting relevant content that they will find interesting. Likewise, don‟t post only content that is on your blog in an attempt to drive traffic because people will still think you are spamming.
Remember to mix it up by posting content from your own blog or website along with other interesting content from the web. Finding content to post isn‟t as difficult as it may seem as there are plenty of
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content aggregators on the web, such as AllTop.com or Technorati, which aggregate the most popular content on the net.
You can start your own group, but you should first be sure you have a thorough understanding of how groups work which you can only do by joining other groups and watching how people interact and participate. You manage your group just like you would your Facebook page by posting fresh content to make sure that people are joining all the time. The more people you have joining your group, the more others will come and join as well because this acts like a form of third-party validation.
You may be asking yourself what the point of creating a group is if you have to do the same things as you would on your Facebook Page. You need to understand, though, that your group shouldn‟t be based on your brand, it should only support it. This means that you need to create a group based on a topic that is of social interest but is also relevant to your brand. So, for example, if you sell wedding gowns, you could start up a group for brides trying to lose weight before the big day. While it isn‟t a direct promotion of your brand, it is a topic that will garner a lot of interest and will increase brand awareness while drawing in your target market.
However, just as with your Facebook Page, you need to post interesting content and even sometimes controversial ideas to spark discussions, while also engaging your members as much as possible. So, if someone comments, then comment back. The more you engage members, the more people will trust you and the more activity your group will have. A highly active group on an interesting topic will always draw new members in.
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Facebook Events
Facebook Events are an excellent way to increase brand awareness by bringing together people virtually or in person. You can use Facebook Events to promote a product launch or to market an existing product by offering attendees a bonus in the form of a discount coupon.
The value of hosting a Facebook Event lies in the fact that you can invite all your fans with a single click of the button. Additionally, if you can host a live event your credibility increases a thousand-fold because online interaction still cannot replace meeting someone in person. However, if you feel your product is not suited for a live event, you can still host an online event.
Many marketers feel that online events aren‟t worth the hassle because the return in sales is pretty low for the work required to maintain interest in the event and then keep the event going. However, if you look at the issue from the perspective of building relationships with your prospects, then events can be invaluable. After all, while your ultimate goal is to drive sales, building relationships with your customers should also be high on your priority list because this, along with providing high value, is what will turn simple prospects into customers who are raving fans.
The latter will generate a much better ROI over the long term since you don‟t have to expend as many resources on finding new customers. In fact, a study showed that repeat customers cost a business 6 times less than acquiring new customers and they also spend 33% more.
Another interesting aspect is that sites such as Meetup.com, which is basically a social site for groups focused on varied interests, have an
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application that allow Meetup groups to promote their events on Facebook. This can be an invaluable source of new prospects because there will be plenty of people on Meetup who might not have a Facebook presence.
The best way to learn about hosting events is to attend a few yourself and see how others are doing it. You can find events by running a search in the Applications – Events tab.
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Direct Advertising on Facebook
Facebook offers an advertising system similar to Google‟s Adwords platform. You can easily select who your target audience is, set a daily budget and also measure your results. You also have the option of choosing to pay based on the number of times your ad appears or to pay for clicks.
However, unlike Google, Facebook ads are more interactive allowing people to do everything from becoming a fan of a Page, watching a video or respond to an event all from within the ad unit without having to navigate to another page. This is extremely powerful because, if your goal is to increase the number of fans for your Page, it is much easier to get people to agree if they don‟t have to leave the page they are currently on.
You have a choice of three types of advertisements, namely the regular PPC text ad, a graphic display ad which also includes an image or their unique interactive ads which are known as engagement ads. You will have to order the latter through an advertising sales rep as they aren‟t available in the automatic system, though.
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Good Advertising Practices on Facebook
Just as with any advertising campaign, make sure that users receive what the ad promises them once they click through. Additionally, make sure to keep it a social and interesting experience because that is why they are on Facebook, after all.
Facebook gives you the option to link to another Facebook page, profile, group or event in your ad or to an external website. You don‟t have to prove that you are the owner of the website, which means that you can use affiliate links in your ads. This can be a powerful way of testing conversion rates of various products you are considering promoting as well as the effectiveness of landing pages.
However, it is considered good practice to link to an internal Facebook page as users are on Facebook for the social experience. For this reason, you should also consider crafting your message in a familiar and conversational tone because you want to maintain the social aspect of the experience. Remember that this helps to crumble the defenses of your prospects as they are so used to being bombarded with ads, they essentially ignore them. However, if you focus on the social aspect and building a relationship you will be able to slowly break down those automatic defenses and your prospects will be much more open to your commercial messages.
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The Power of Facebook Ads
The biggest benefit of Facebook ads is the degree to which you can narrow your target market. Facebook allows you to build a campaign that targets users by location, age, relationship status, interests and even language as the platform is available in over 40 languages. You can essentially reach your exact audience and build a very powerful list of highly qualified and targeted leads with a few ads. This is much more cost-effective than using traditional PPC since you know that the people you are targeting will be interested in what you have to say.
Common Ad Mistakes
Just as there are good advertising practices, so too there are mistakes that you need to avoid. Facebook has very strict guidelines when it comes to ads because they want to maintain a high quality standard, so make sure to avoid making the following mistakes so your ads can pass the review process and you can have your campaign up and running in no more than 24 hours.
Bad grammar, spelling, punctuation and slang. This is your business you are promoting after all so what will your inability to write a short ad show your prospects? While you want to maintain the social aspect of the site that doesn‟t mean you should be unprofessional.
Bait and switch is a common practice that leads to disaster. Don‟t tell your prospects one thing to trick them into visiting your page or website and then offer them something completely different. Not only will your ads never pass the review but if they do slip through you will create a bad name for yourself. While it may work in the short term, it isn‟t a strategy that you can use to build a long term, sustainable business.
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Inappropriate images. Again, everything you post will brand your business so make sure that the images in your ad maintain the professionalism you would expect from a business you would like to work with.
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Advertising ROI – Test, Measure, Optimize
Direct Facebook advertising should be treated like any PPC advertising campaign, meaning that you need to test different variations of your ad before you spend the majority of your advertising money on an approach that may not be effective. Facebook offers a wide range of tools that allow you to easily set up different campaigns, set individual budgets for each and also track their effectiveness.
The reports the Facebook Ad system offers are quite comprehensive and offer dates on everything from how many times your advertisement has been shown, to number of clicks and the average cost per click. This information is vital to testing and optimizing your ads for a higher return on investment.
Additionally, you need to test the effectiveness of your Facebook Page as well, which you can do through Facebook Insights. The latter offers information such as the degree to which fans interact with your page, how loyal your fans are, which is measured according to the number of fans who have unsubscribed over a certain period and other valuable demographics on your fans. All this information can be used to test and tweak different approaches to improve the performance of your Facebook page.
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Conclusion
Facebook is a very powerful marketing tool if used properly. The most important aspect to remember is that it is a social platform first and needs to be treated as such. In other words, don‟t expect people to respond to commercial messages but rather build a relationship with them first. Then, they will generate sales for you without you even having to ask.
As long as you focus on the needs of your prospects and customers and provide them with value, your sales will increase exponentially and your brand will spread like wildfire. Such is the power of of My Facebook Formula.
The YouTube Revolution
The YouTube Revolution
Terms and Conditions
The information contained in this guide is for information purposes only, and may not apply to your situation. The author, publisher, distributor and provider provide no warranty about the content or accuracy of content enclosed. Information enclosed is subjective. Keep this in mind when reviewing this guide.
Neither the Publisher nor Author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages resulting from use of this guide. All links are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose. 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................4
When Did It All Begin?...........................................................................................7
How To Become A Part Of The Legacy.............................................................8
Part I – The History of YouTube...........................................................................10
Who Uses YouTube?..............................................................................................11
Moving Forward......................................................................................................11
Part II – Using YouTube..........................................................................................13
Registration..............................................................................................................13
Confirmation............................................................................................................15
Getting Your Video Featured.............................................................................15
Using TestTube........................................................................................................15
Making Your First Video.......................................................................................16
Part III – Optimizing Your Videos.......................................................................18
Making Vidoes With Your Camcorder.............................................................20
Time To Upload.......................................................................................................21
Part IV - How to Drive Traffic to Your Site by Posting Videos on YouTube………………………………………………………………….………….…23
Frequently Asked Questions..................................................................................27
Conclusions...................................................................................................................31
3
Introduction
YouTube – You What?
Have you heard about YouTube.com? Maybe you are scratching your head, wondering, “What is it”?
Is it, a catchy name for a catchy service?
Is it a marketing tool?
Is it a website for novice filmmakers?
The answer is yes, yes, yes and then some. You see, YouTube is many things to many people, depending on how they use it and their purposes for its use. You can define the website’s purpose traditionally as:
“YouTube.com is one of the many Web 2.0 sites popping up on the Web. It is a “video sharing” website.”
However, YouTube.com, like many Web 2.0, sites is much more than a site allowing individuals to share video clips. It is a place for public commentary, a place where people can review the latest and greatest info products, a place where people can network and share common interests, goals, and opportunities.
The best part? YouTube.com is not too complicated to use, driving away hordes of novice users. In fact, the opposite is true. YouTube.com is easy to master. This website allows just about anyone to sign up for an account, upload, share video clips, and view other people’s video clips. Sounds neat, huh?
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Just like many popular sites, registered members can rate videos, or find out how many times other people link to a video clip for their viewing pleasure. YouTube.com provides and publishes this information for your convenience, for its loyal fans. Have you heard about Netflix? The idea is the same. Netflix is an online video “store” if you will, like Blockbuster. Registered members can log in and rent videos sent directly to their home. They can also rate and review the videos they see. That way, the public has a better feel for what videos are worth watching (and whether there are some videos they shouldn’t bother with).
The site can also tailor its recommendations to you depending on how many videos you rate. The big DIFFERENCE between a site like this however, a static site, and YouTube.com, is using YouTube, and you can watch video clips right from your home computer. There is no renting, no late fees and no charges to become a member.
Will you watch a full video? No. You will watch a video clip. In the ten minutes of time a user has to make a video clip however, you can be sure they will input as much valuable and telling information as they possibly can. So, a visit to YouTube.com is well worth it.
Is YouTube.com popular? Yes, and not just among the young. In fact, the young and old alike are enjoying their newfound “celebrity” status by posting their own video clips to the Web. And, speaking of celebrities… YouTube is popular among web fans, your average Jane or Joe, and celebrities getting in on the action. Just like MySpace.com attracts many public figures interested in connecting with their fan base and audience, so too does YouTube appeal to the same crowd for similar reasons.
Alanis Morissette (a well-known singer, just in case you don’t know) just did a spoof of Fergie’s (another young hip-hop singer) “My Humps” video. It’s pretty
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funny, if you have a good sense of humor. “You love my lady lumps?” What isn’t funny about that? Even if you never heard the original song, you will get a good chuckle out of it. It is also a great example of a good video, and you can use it for a model when trying to create your own video clips for YouTube (we’ll get to that later).
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=My+humps+alanis+
There is no cost just to listen, and you will learn a great deal.
Of course you can just type it (my humps) into Google and find about another dozen sites promoting the video. While YouTube.com is fun, it can also be an extremely useful tool for promoting your business, your website, and for networking and connecting with people around the globe. So why write a guide on YouTube? I’ll tell you why…
Here’s the point.
YouTube isn’t just for fun, though we have focused so far on some of the funnier and entertaining features offered by the popular site. But, just as YouTube.com is fun, you can just as easily use it to promote your website, advertise your business or simply publicize what it is you have to offer. For that reason, people are jumping hand over heals to get their hands on it. Large corporations including CBS, NBC, Sony BMG and others, people that once opposed the site, are clamoring to get in on the action. The reason?
Millions of consumers are logging in every day to catch a glimpse of what YouTube has to offer…
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YouTube may become the most popular Web 2.0 site on the Net. The sooner you get in, the faster you will start realizing the benefits YouTube has to offer.
Want to see just how useful YouTube.com can be to the ordinary politician, small business owner or marketer? Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=obama
Consider YouTube.com a platform, one you can use to connect with users in a meaningful, directed and intimate way. YouTube.com offers something for just about anyone.
What does YouTube offer? Among the material posted on YouTube include many TV clips, multiple music videos, and much amateur content, content from bloggers, and content from Internet Marketers interested in getting in on the action. Celebrities, news organizations, and even musicians are now allowing users to upload short video clips of their works to this incredibly fast-growing website.
When Did It All Begin?
Here are the facts about YouTube.com as a business and rapidly growing enterprise. Started in February of 2005, the site gained massive media attention and popularity, in part because it was something fresh and new. It also brought with it some controversy, as many of the more popular and successful websites do. Time Magazine suggested it was the most popular invention during 2006. Of course, it is not to say YouTube is not without its share of controversy. Quite the opposite is true. We’ll learn more about the ups and downs YouTube has experienced in the next section.
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What is important for you to know now is YouTube is a powerhouse, a weapon anyone can use to gain free publicity. It even captured the attention of industry giant Google Inc.
Google Inc. bought the company for just over $1.5 billion dollars in late 2006.
Infusing the company and website with even more capital and resources, there is almost no limit to what YouTube can do in the future, and where it will take its customers.
Be aware, we’ll use the terms YouTube and YouTube.com interchangeably throughout this guide. This is not because we can’t decide which is better, it just helps make the reading a tad more interesting. OK, now that you know “what” it is, I’m sure you want to know how you can jump on the bandwagon and become part of the next generation legacy YouTube has to offer, right? Here’s how…
How To Become A Part Of The Legacy
Everyone wants to be part of a legacy. If you bought this guide you are considering what exactly YouTube has to offer you. You can use it as a source of entertainment. If you are an entrepreneur, business owner or marketer, chances are you want to know how to use YouTube to connect with your target audience. The good news is you can easily to this. In fact, joining YouTube is easy, just as easy as it is to sign with other popular site.
Now, to get “in” on the action, you will need to register. If you just want to find out what all the fuss is about, you can tour the site and check out popular video clips free of chard. That’s right… you can watch videos free on YouTube, you don’t need to register.
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But…
If you want to upload videos, promo your site, brand your name or get the attention of others, you will have to register. Don’t worry, registration is easy. We’ll talk more about that later too.
Now that you have a better idea of what YouTube is about conceptually, let’s learn a little bit more about the history of this incredible site. In the next section we’ll provide you a small history of YouTube, so you have a better sense of where it came from and where it may go. Hold onto your hats…
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Part I – The History of YouTube
Technology affords us new and interesting abilities every day. YouTube.com is just one example of how technology is helping us in our endeavors.
By now you probably have a high-level of interest in finding out more about YouTube. Before we talk more about getting in on YouTube and making it work for you, let’s review YouTube’s brief history, as it is.
YouTube was “born” from the creative minds of former PayPal employees. YouTube first became active on February 15, 2005i. As you can see, despite its enormous success the site is still in its infancy.
The start-up found funding in the form of venture capital from Sequioa Capital, raising $3.5 million dollars for the site.ii The venture capital firm later invested another $8million dollars into the company, helping spur its popularity during the last year and a half. This just shows you how attractive YouTube’s business model was and how many people instantly recognized the promise this site had to offer.
Today many refer to YouTube.com as the, “fastest growing website on the
w
e of the fastest growing
Over 100 million visitors watch clips each day. By some reports, over 60,000people upload videos within a single day. YouTube did face many copyright infringeme
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Who Uses YouTube? Everyone. Even your local politician. Yes, it’s true, political candidates and fans alike now use YouTube as an informal medium for advertising. Ba
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Many political commentators are joining in, realizing millions may hear their vand message, and even internationally candidates
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YouTube restricts individuals from sending material with known copyrights. Therefore, NBC was among the first to ask YouTube to remove clips of maincluding material from the 2006 Olympics, obviously uploaded to the site. YouTube imposed several extra cautionary measures, including limiting video clips to a brief 10-minute
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Think about it… word of mouth is one of the best ways to promote anything. Interestingly enough, NBC eventu
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Many others are likely to follow suit. YouTube you see, is an exceptional outlet for promoting just about anyone. A short 10-minute clip is more likely to garner increasing inter
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Many major media moguls now provide content willingly to You
th
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Now that you understand more about where YouTube originated and how people are using it, it’s time to learn how you can use YouTube for your personal or business needs.
In the next section, we will provide details about setting up your own account and video clips on YouTube. We arranged this section much like a Q&Q session so you can find the information you need as simply as possible.
Here we go!
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Part II – Using YouTube
This section will provide you with quick start information about using YouTube to your advantage. From registration to uploading videos and more, you will find all the answers to your most pressing questions right here in this simple and easy-to-use section.
Registration
You are welcome to view video clips freely at YouTube.com. But, if you want to become an active member of the community, you will first have to join. You can do this easily. If you use the Web even minimally, registering with YouTube.com will prove a snap.
First, you will have to log onto the main YouTube.com sign up page.
Visit: http://www.youtube.com/signup
Here you will see a screen as follows:
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Registration is simple, just enter your user name, set up a password, provide your e-mail address, and provide some personal details needed by the site. These include your phone number, the country you live in, your gender, date of birth and a confirmation number provided by YouTube.
Worried about your privacy? Don’t. YouTube.com provides an extensive privacy policy you can access by the bottom navigation bar, or just visit:
http://www.youtube.com/t/privacy
YouTube values their customers’ privacy. While they may not share your personal information intrinsically, you should know that any content you upload to the site will be available to the public at large. YouTube may use information such as your name and e-mail address if you choose to engage in activities offered by the site (like uploading your video clips).
YouTube often sends cookies out to users computers, so visitors returning to the site can log in easier. You can always delete cookies on your computer, this has never been an issue for most people.
The company will not send you marketing material or other advertisements without your consent, though they might send your e-mail address for administrative purposes, but does not share your personal information with “third-party” companies. This means usually most of your information is protected.
Remember, here are the benefits of registering:
You get to watch millions of videos presented by people throughout the world.
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You can set up your section so you can share home videos with family members and friends that may live faraway.
You can connect with people around the world that share common interests, likes and dislikes.
You can have fun.
You can upload and promote your videos to a global audience, a huge benefit for any entrepreneur, marketer or small business owner.
Confirmation
Note, when you register YouTube will send you a confirmation note to confirm your e-mail address is legitimate and that you own it. Do not forget to confirm your email address or you will not be able to use the full functionality of the site.
Getting Your Video Featured
Now that you are registered, its time to start making movies. One of the first questions people have is about getting their videos featured. Everyone wants their turn in the spotlight. The real key to getting your videos featured is nothing more than creativity and good luck.
Visitors on YouTube ranks the videos they like. So, like any review system, if people like what it is you have to show, they will rate your videos better, and your videos are more likely to be featured. YouTube.com provides a featured section for popular videos.
Using TestTube
Some people are generous enough to want to offer feedback and improve any site they use, including YouTube. If this sounds like you, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/testtube
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Here officials of the site try their newest features and ask users to provide them with feedback so they can make their products and services more appealing. You will get the opportunity to “test-drive” new features or programs before YouTube launches them.
Make Your Video “Watch Worthy”
Apart from making a great video, there are many ways you can express yourself and get noticed on YouTube. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t let registered members upload personal avatars of themselves, small pictures of their liking.
You can however, create a brand simply by using your video cam. You can provide an intro clip, a short bio of yourself if you like. Otherwise, use your full creativity to help brand your name, your products or your services. You can even brand your message if you place enough time and energy in creating your videos!
Making Your First Video
Since YouTube is a relatively new concept, there are still many people that are not certain “how” to go about making a great video. First, you will need the proper supplies. You can make a video using something as simple as a digital camera, your cell phone (provided it is one that takes video pictures) or a traditional camcorder.
What you do is simply record a short, 10-minute clip of your video. Then, download the video to your computer just as you would any digital pictures you would take. YouTube then allows you to upload your videos. If you want to shine, you can edit your videos before uploading them. There are many software programs readily available that allow you to edit videos relatively easy, even if you are a beginner. Some examples include Windows Moviemaker.
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Sbbyour videos’ potential so they captivate your audience.
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Part III – Optimizing Your Videos
Optimizing your videos is essential if you want to stand out in the crowd. You don’t have to have fancy technology to make a great video. Use the tips below to learn how anyone can create compelling and interesting videos for their YouTube audience.
Remember, YouTube provides even novices the ability to create videos and upload them as simply as possible.
Features of a Good Video
YouTube.com only gives you ten minutes to make a good impression. So, you want to make the best impression you possibly can, right?
How do you do that? There are many features “good” vs. “bad” videos have. Consider the last time you watched a movie preview? Was it intriguing? Did it get you asking questions? Did you want to see more?
When you create your online videos for YouTube, you should be thinking along these lines. Pretend you are creating a movie preview.
Here is what you want to do:
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Get your message out.
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Make a point.
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Entice visitors to come back for more.
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Keep it short and sweet.
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Graphically improve your video
R
emember, ten minutes is not much time. You want to record a
s
ordinary. Some of the most popular videos on YouTube are popuif for not other reason than the creator did something uniquedifferent and interesting. Think you can’t come up w
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Here is a simp
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10 idea you have for making a great video. Next to each idea, write down what makes th
y
scratch it off your list. Narrow your list to your
Now, try to define how you will present the
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funny? Will you record atop the highest mountain? Will you include a popular sound track? Whatever you decide, ma
h
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Even if you are trying to brand and promote your sites, you must careful to make sure you do so in an interesting and creative way. No one w
way to get your message out.
ing Videos With Your Camcorder ave a digital or analog camcorder, then you probably already knoIt is easier to post videos to You
If you use an analog video recorder, like the kind that use
record videos, you will probably have to use a converter box to create a digital copy of your video, which you can then upload to YouTube.
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is, but remember, if you take even a small amount of time graphically strengthening your video you are likely to attract a larger audience. So, here’s what you do.
First, make sure you have access to some video editing software. You can acquire this inexpensively on the Web. One of the mortools people use is Windows MovieMaker.
a
pplication. Once you do this you can edit your video all you want. Try saving multiple versions of it and testing it with users to see which they like best.
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Now it’s time to make your video stand out. Add special effecinteresting color schemes or fade in. Try adding titles or even chapters toyour video. Put some music in the background. All of these small additiowill encou
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f you are not sure what makes a good video, go to YouTube.com and check outheir “featured videos” section. Find out what makes these videos stand out. Is the content outrageous? Does the author use multiple special effects? Are subtitles or category titles included? Take some notes about what you
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personal video. Time To Upload Now that you took some time to play with your video, it is time to upload it to YouTube. Make sure you save any changes you made to your video before you upload it. You als
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easier uploads: .MOV, .A
most people find easy to use. YouTube also recommends you use a video wi320x40 resolution and one with an MP3 sound track.iv You should be able to upload your video any way you like. If you use a digital camcorder, you can upload your video from the device to the website. YouTubeven provides the alternative for users to send their videos to the site by e-mail.
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tags so people can easily find it. The best way to create tags for your video is tcome up with some catchy keywords people are likely to search for when lookingfor videos like yours.
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You will also have to specify one or more categories under which YouTube.com lists your video. Remember, the goal here is helping other users find your video quickly and easily. With millions of videos uploaded each day, you have to take time to ensure you lab
fr
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P
P
W
is no different. And that’s just one part of YouTubing. It is also one of the most fun ways of promoting your website. There is
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YouTubing is not going to sell your product. What it can do, however, is get people interested in your services. How? Let’s take a look.
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If you are new to YouTube, this should be your first step. It’s a fascinating world out there. Plunge right in and look around a bit. Look at the
h
videos, personal
videos. If you find something in your niche, make a note of it. When you make your own video, you’ll need to come up with something different from your competitors. Create a video That’s what yo
d
you won’t get it r
p
easier in your mind than in practice. Over a period of time, you’ll get better at it. Which brings me to another point; just one video won’t win it for you. Once you’ve uploaded your first video, start working on the second video and then the third. Yes it’s not easy but it’s much easier than some of the other marketing techniques. This will also give you an opportunity to experiment with a variety of
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techniques. Some may flop miserably while some may enjoy wide popularity and may turn into a rewarding viral distribution. Spare a thought for the viewers YouTube is free but viewership has to be ea
n
mind. And a site like YouTube has
o
minutes in length. So even though YouTube allows you a maximum of 10 minutes, keep it under 5 minutes. Before you upload your video, ensure that the file format is accepted. YouTube accepts .WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .MPG formats.
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I’ll say this a hundred times over – YouTube is n
N
they start fl
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way is to come up with something entertaining that the viewer would want to sit through. When you have six interesting videos on something, the viewer will surely want to know you. That’s when your marketing begins. Add your website URL You’ve made a great video and you’re getting a lot of comm
c
that all-important URL wi
o
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Market through others Whoever said you need your own videos to attract traffic? If you d
s
payment for displaying yo
to
sweating too much. Put up a video on your social networking profile This may not seem re
b
A few examples are Digg, De.li.cious, Orkut, and R
p
Participate If you want others to visit your profile on YouTube,
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Offer genuin
Spread the word If you have uploaded your own video, get your friend
v
few good commen
v
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Tag your video
N
y
lo
W
YouTube profile and thus to your website. You’ll find more as you go along. As you see other users, you’ll pick up a few interesting tactics. The bottomline – be innovative, be observant and be
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Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you have the basics down, it is up to you to make extraordinary videos. Here are several frequently asked questions newbie’s have when starting with YouTube.
If you do not find the answer you need, check out YouTube.com’s help section, where you will find a comprehensive listing of hundreds of questions users have about the service.
Q. Can I comment on other people’s videos?
A. Yes, you can. Much like blogging, you are able to place comments about a video. The more often people rate and comment about a video, the more likely it is to achieve higher ranking on the site. Keep in mind however, once you make a comment on another video, it is permanent. Only the creator of that video can delete it. You can however, delete unwanted comments from your own video clips. You should in fact, keep an eye on the kinds of comments people make to your video so you do not have Spam comments posted to your clip.
Q. My comments are not showing up, and sometimes I can’t comment at all. Do you know why?
A. The chances are high either (1) you did not confirm your e-mail address, so you are not showing up as a registered member, or (2) you haven’t given it some time. There is a slight delay in the time you post comments to the time you can see them on the website. If you find you are having other technical difficulties, sometimes it helps to simply clear the cache on your Internet browser. Typically, to do this you will want to delete any temporarily files, your search history and any cookies stored on your computer. Next, be sure to log out, and then log back in again.
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Most of the time you can do this by using the Tools menu Options tab. Other times you can click the Start button, then go to your computer control panel and find the Internet Options bar, which will allow you to delete the files you select.
Q. I want to save a video clip to my computer. How do I do that?
A. You can’t actually download and save any videos to your computer, except for your own videos. YouTube created a structure that allows all clips to run on the site, but on the site alone. Sometimes you can save a video in your “save videos” list on YouTube, and watch them when you log back in later. You can also bookmark videos much like you would your favorite sites, so you can come back to them later.
Q. What are playlists and how do I use them?
A. Playlists are lists of your favorite videos. When you bookmark videos you add them to your playlist. Typically, creating a playlist is as simple as clicking on the “save to Favorites” button. This link is just below the video you watch. You can classify your favorites into separate playlists by using the dropdown menu. All you have to do is create a title and the properties for each playlist you create.
You can even share your playlists for others. When you go to your playlists page, located at:
http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists
You simply select the playlist you want others to see, then click the bar that says share this list. It’s that easy. You will need to add the e-mail addresses of people you want to share your list with. When you click send, the people you appointed will receive a message telling them they can log on and view your playlist.
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Q. Why are Playlists of use?
A. Playlists can serve many purposes. If you want to get a marketing message out to many people, you can create a series of videos that talks about your products, services or one you are promoting. You can then send a link of your Playlist out to your opt-in list. You can also use Playlists to send out family videos to members living out-of-state. Simply compile a few clips of your favorite family videos, add them to your list, and then send them to distant family.
If you have a series of products you sell, or a book series you want to promote, you can provide audio clips about that series on a specific playlist. You can then create other playlists to market and show off other products you want to promo. Remember, the list of possibilities is endless when you use YouTube.com as a promotional tool.
Q. What if I do not want other people to see my video?
A. YouTube allows registered members to keep their videos private, meaning only people you invite will be able to view your video clip. Simply visit the following link:
http://youtube.com/my_vidoes
You will want to go to the “Edit” section, and select the private button. You will then need to choose the contacts you want to allow viewing rights to.
Q. Is it hard to watch videos on YouTube?
A. Watching a video is simple, anyone can do it. All you have to do is visit the site. Remember, anyone can watch video clips without registering. Click the
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video and you are in business. If you want to save videos to your favorites list, you will need to register, but remember, registration is free!
Q. I want to use my cell phone to upload a video. How do I do that?
A. Many newer phones allow you to record short video clips. Before uploading to YouTube, you will have to set up your account so it can receive videos from mobile devices. To do this, simply log into your account. Then, follow the account settings choice and click on the link to “Mobile Upload Profiles.” Here you can enter information about the mobile unit you plan to upload from. Then you create a file for your cell phone. YouTube.com will provide you with a specific e-mail address you can use to send your videos to. Make sure you send your video direct to the e-mail address provided by YouTube.
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Conclusions
As you can see, YouTube is making life incredibly fascinating. Using YouTube for entertainment, as a promotional tool or to learn more about a subject you are passionate about is easier than ever.
You do not have to be a technical wizard to figure out how to use YouTube to your advantage. In fact, YouTube provides detailed instructions for all the features, including the advanced features it offers on its site.
Before you seriously consider using YouTube as part of a self-promotional campaign, log onto the site, create a profile and try uploading a few test videos. This will allow you some time to get used to the sites features and figure out exactly what you need to do to get your videos up and running. Don’t forget to check in often with the featured videos section, so you get a better idea of what others are doing.
Have fun!
i Alexa.com. Amazon.com (2006-07). Info for YouTube.com
ii Woolley, Scott. Raw and Random. Forbes.com, Forbes, 3-13-2006
iii YouTube serves up 100 million videos a day online, USA Today, Gannett Co. Inc, 7-16-2006.; Nielsen Media Research 2006-07.
iv YouTube “how to” provided by YouTube.com
Terms and Conditions
The information contained in this guide is for information purposes only, and may not apply to your situation. The author, publisher, distributor and provider provide no warranty about the content or accuracy of content enclosed. Information enclosed is subjective. Keep this in mind when reviewing this guide.
Neither the Publisher nor Author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages resulting from use of this guide. All links are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose. 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................4
When Did It All Begin?...........................................................................................7
How To Become A Part Of The Legacy.............................................................8
Part I – The History of YouTube...........................................................................10
Who Uses YouTube?..............................................................................................11
Moving Forward......................................................................................................11
Part II – Using YouTube..........................................................................................13
Registration..............................................................................................................13
Confirmation............................................................................................................15
Getting Your Video Featured.............................................................................15
Using TestTube........................................................................................................15
Making Your First Video.......................................................................................16
Part III – Optimizing Your Videos.......................................................................18
Making Vidoes With Your Camcorder.............................................................20
Time To Upload.......................................................................................................21
Part IV - How to Drive Traffic to Your Site by Posting Videos on YouTube………………………………………………………………….………….…23
Frequently Asked Questions..................................................................................27
Conclusions...................................................................................................................31
3
Introduction
YouTube – You What?
Have you heard about YouTube.com? Maybe you are scratching your head, wondering, “What is it”?
Is it, a catchy name for a catchy service?
Is it a marketing tool?
Is it a website for novice filmmakers?
The answer is yes, yes, yes and then some. You see, YouTube is many things to many people, depending on how they use it and their purposes for its use. You can define the website’s purpose traditionally as:
“YouTube.com is one of the many Web 2.0 sites popping up on the Web. It is a “video sharing” website.”
However, YouTube.com, like many Web 2.0, sites is much more than a site allowing individuals to share video clips. It is a place for public commentary, a place where people can review the latest and greatest info products, a place where people can network and share common interests, goals, and opportunities.
The best part? YouTube.com is not too complicated to use, driving away hordes of novice users. In fact, the opposite is true. YouTube.com is easy to master. This website allows just about anyone to sign up for an account, upload, share video clips, and view other people’s video clips. Sounds neat, huh?
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Just like many popular sites, registered members can rate videos, or find out how many times other people link to a video clip for their viewing pleasure. YouTube.com provides and publishes this information for your convenience, for its loyal fans. Have you heard about Netflix? The idea is the same. Netflix is an online video “store” if you will, like Blockbuster. Registered members can log in and rent videos sent directly to their home. They can also rate and review the videos they see. That way, the public has a better feel for what videos are worth watching (and whether there are some videos they shouldn’t bother with).
The site can also tailor its recommendations to you depending on how many videos you rate. The big DIFFERENCE between a site like this however, a static site, and YouTube.com, is using YouTube, and you can watch video clips right from your home computer. There is no renting, no late fees and no charges to become a member.
Will you watch a full video? No. You will watch a video clip. In the ten minutes of time a user has to make a video clip however, you can be sure they will input as much valuable and telling information as they possibly can. So, a visit to YouTube.com is well worth it.
Is YouTube.com popular? Yes, and not just among the young. In fact, the young and old alike are enjoying their newfound “celebrity” status by posting their own video clips to the Web. And, speaking of celebrities… YouTube is popular among web fans, your average Jane or Joe, and celebrities getting in on the action. Just like MySpace.com attracts many public figures interested in connecting with their fan base and audience, so too does YouTube appeal to the same crowd for similar reasons.
Alanis Morissette (a well-known singer, just in case you don’t know) just did a spoof of Fergie’s (another young hip-hop singer) “My Humps” video. It’s pretty
5
funny, if you have a good sense of humor. “You love my lady lumps?” What isn’t funny about that? Even if you never heard the original song, you will get a good chuckle out of it. It is also a great example of a good video, and you can use it for a model when trying to create your own video clips for YouTube (we’ll get to that later).
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=My+humps+alanis+
There is no cost just to listen, and you will learn a great deal.
Of course you can just type it (my humps) into Google and find about another dozen sites promoting the video. While YouTube.com is fun, it can also be an extremely useful tool for promoting your business, your website, and for networking and connecting with people around the globe. So why write a guide on YouTube? I’ll tell you why…
Here’s the point.
YouTube isn’t just for fun, though we have focused so far on some of the funnier and entertaining features offered by the popular site. But, just as YouTube.com is fun, you can just as easily use it to promote your website, advertise your business or simply publicize what it is you have to offer. For that reason, people are jumping hand over heals to get their hands on it. Large corporations including CBS, NBC, Sony BMG and others, people that once opposed the site, are clamoring to get in on the action. The reason?
Millions of consumers are logging in every day to catch a glimpse of what YouTube has to offer…
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YouTube may become the most popular Web 2.0 site on the Net. The sooner you get in, the faster you will start realizing the benefits YouTube has to offer.
Want to see just how useful YouTube.com can be to the ordinary politician, small business owner or marketer? Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=obama
Consider YouTube.com a platform, one you can use to connect with users in a meaningful, directed and intimate way. YouTube.com offers something for just about anyone.
What does YouTube offer? Among the material posted on YouTube include many TV clips, multiple music videos, and much amateur content, content from bloggers, and content from Internet Marketers interested in getting in on the action. Celebrities, news organizations, and even musicians are now allowing users to upload short video clips of their works to this incredibly fast-growing website.
When Did It All Begin?
Here are the facts about YouTube.com as a business and rapidly growing enterprise. Started in February of 2005, the site gained massive media attention and popularity, in part because it was something fresh and new. It also brought with it some controversy, as many of the more popular and successful websites do. Time Magazine suggested it was the most popular invention during 2006. Of course, it is not to say YouTube is not without its share of controversy. Quite the opposite is true. We’ll learn more about the ups and downs YouTube has experienced in the next section.
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What is important for you to know now is YouTube is a powerhouse, a weapon anyone can use to gain free publicity. It even captured the attention of industry giant Google Inc.
Google Inc. bought the company for just over $1.5 billion dollars in late 2006.
Infusing the company and website with even more capital and resources, there is almost no limit to what YouTube can do in the future, and where it will take its customers.
Be aware, we’ll use the terms YouTube and YouTube.com interchangeably throughout this guide. This is not because we can’t decide which is better, it just helps make the reading a tad more interesting. OK, now that you know “what” it is, I’m sure you want to know how you can jump on the bandwagon and become part of the next generation legacy YouTube has to offer, right? Here’s how…
How To Become A Part Of The Legacy
Everyone wants to be part of a legacy. If you bought this guide you are considering what exactly YouTube has to offer you. You can use it as a source of entertainment. If you are an entrepreneur, business owner or marketer, chances are you want to know how to use YouTube to connect with your target audience. The good news is you can easily to this. In fact, joining YouTube is easy, just as easy as it is to sign with other popular site.
Now, to get “in” on the action, you will need to register. If you just want to find out what all the fuss is about, you can tour the site and check out popular video clips free of chard. That’s right… you can watch videos free on YouTube, you don’t need to register.
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But…
If you want to upload videos, promo your site, brand your name or get the attention of others, you will have to register. Don’t worry, registration is easy. We’ll talk more about that later too.
Now that you have a better idea of what YouTube is about conceptually, let’s learn a little bit more about the history of this incredible site. In the next section we’ll provide you a small history of YouTube, so you have a better sense of where it came from and where it may go. Hold onto your hats…
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Part I – The History of YouTube
Technology affords us new and interesting abilities every day. YouTube.com is just one example of how technology is helping us in our endeavors.
By now you probably have a high-level of interest in finding out more about YouTube. Before we talk more about getting in on YouTube and making it work for you, let’s review YouTube’s brief history, as it is.
YouTube was “born” from the creative minds of former PayPal employees. YouTube first became active on February 15, 2005i. As you can see, despite its enormous success the site is still in its infancy.
The start-up found funding in the form of venture capital from Sequioa Capital, raising $3.5 million dollars for the site.ii The venture capital firm later invested another $8million dollars into the company, helping spur its popularity during the last year and a half. This just shows you how attractive YouTube’s business model was and how many people instantly recognized the promise this site had to offer.
Today many refer to YouTube.com as the, “fastest growing website on the
w
e of the fastest growing
Over 100 million visitors watch clips each day. By some reports, over 60,000people upload videos within a single day. YouTube did face many copyright infringeme
G
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Who Uses YouTube? Everyone. Even your local politician. Yes, it’s true, political candidates and fans alike now use YouTube as an informal medium for advertising. Ba
o
Many political commentators are joining in, realizing millions may hear their vand message, and even internationally candidates
p
YouTube restricts individuals from sending material with known copyrights. Therefore, NBC was among the first to ask YouTube to remove clips of maincluding material from the 2006 Olympics, obviously uploaded to the site. YouTube imposed several extra cautionary measures, including limiting video clips to a brief 10-minute
to
Think about it… word of mouth is one of the best ways to promote anything. Interestingly enough, NBC eventu
to
Many others are likely to follow suit. YouTube you see, is an exceptional outlet for promoting just about anyone. A short 10-minute clip is more likely to garner increasing inter
a
Many major media moguls now provide content willingly to You
th
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Now that you understand more about where YouTube originated and how people are using it, it’s time to learn how you can use YouTube for your personal or business needs.
In the next section, we will provide details about setting up your own account and video clips on YouTube. We arranged this section much like a Q&Q session so you can find the information you need as simply as possible.
Here we go!
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Part II – Using YouTube
This section will provide you with quick start information about using YouTube to your advantage. From registration to uploading videos and more, you will find all the answers to your most pressing questions right here in this simple and easy-to-use section.
Registration
You are welcome to view video clips freely at YouTube.com. But, if you want to become an active member of the community, you will first have to join. You can do this easily. If you use the Web even minimally, registering with YouTube.com will prove a snap.
First, you will have to log onto the main YouTube.com sign up page.
Visit: http://www.youtube.com/signup
Here you will see a screen as follows:
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Registration is simple, just enter your user name, set up a password, provide your e-mail address, and provide some personal details needed by the site. These include your phone number, the country you live in, your gender, date of birth and a confirmation number provided by YouTube.
Worried about your privacy? Don’t. YouTube.com provides an extensive privacy policy you can access by the bottom navigation bar, or just visit:
http://www.youtube.com/t/privacy
YouTube values their customers’ privacy. While they may not share your personal information intrinsically, you should know that any content you upload to the site will be available to the public at large. YouTube may use information such as your name and e-mail address if you choose to engage in activities offered by the site (like uploading your video clips).
YouTube often sends cookies out to users computers, so visitors returning to the site can log in easier. You can always delete cookies on your computer, this has never been an issue for most people.
The company will not send you marketing material or other advertisements without your consent, though they might send your e-mail address for administrative purposes, but does not share your personal information with “third-party” companies. This means usually most of your information is protected.
Remember, here are the benefits of registering:
You get to watch millions of videos presented by people throughout the world.
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You can set up your section so you can share home videos with family members and friends that may live faraway.
You can connect with people around the world that share common interests, likes and dislikes.
You can have fun.
You can upload and promote your videos to a global audience, a huge benefit for any entrepreneur, marketer or small business owner.
Confirmation
Note, when you register YouTube will send you a confirmation note to confirm your e-mail address is legitimate and that you own it. Do not forget to confirm your email address or you will not be able to use the full functionality of the site.
Getting Your Video Featured
Now that you are registered, its time to start making movies. One of the first questions people have is about getting their videos featured. Everyone wants their turn in the spotlight. The real key to getting your videos featured is nothing more than creativity and good luck.
Visitors on YouTube ranks the videos they like. So, like any review system, if people like what it is you have to show, they will rate your videos better, and your videos are more likely to be featured. YouTube.com provides a featured section for popular videos.
Using TestTube
Some people are generous enough to want to offer feedback and improve any site they use, including YouTube. If this sounds like you, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/testtube
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Here officials of the site try their newest features and ask users to provide them with feedback so they can make their products and services more appealing. You will get the opportunity to “test-drive” new features or programs before YouTube launches them.
Make Your Video “Watch Worthy”
Apart from making a great video, there are many ways you can express yourself and get noticed on YouTube. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t let registered members upload personal avatars of themselves, small pictures of their liking.
You can however, create a brand simply by using your video cam. You can provide an intro clip, a short bio of yourself if you like. Otherwise, use your full creativity to help brand your name, your products or your services. You can even brand your message if you place enough time and energy in creating your videos!
Making Your First Video
Since YouTube is a relatively new concept, there are still many people that are not certain “how” to go about making a great video. First, you will need the proper supplies. You can make a video using something as simple as a digital camera, your cell phone (provided it is one that takes video pictures) or a traditional camcorder.
What you do is simply record a short, 10-minute clip of your video. Then, download the video to your computer just as you would any digital pictures you would take. YouTube then allows you to upload your videos. If you want to shine, you can edit your videos before uploading them. There are many software programs readily available that allow you to edit videos relatively easy, even if you are a beginner. Some examples include Windows Moviemaker.
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Sbbyour videos’ potential so they captivate your audience.
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Part III – Optimizing Your Videos
Optimizing your videos is essential if you want to stand out in the crowd. You don’t have to have fancy technology to make a great video. Use the tips below to learn how anyone can create compelling and interesting videos for their YouTube audience.
Remember, YouTube provides even novices the ability to create videos and upload them as simply as possible.
Features of a Good Video
YouTube.com only gives you ten minutes to make a good impression. So, you want to make the best impression you possibly can, right?
How do you do that? There are many features “good” vs. “bad” videos have. Consider the last time you watched a movie preview? Was it intriguing? Did it get you asking questions? Did you want to see more?
When you create your online videos for YouTube, you should be thinking along these lines. Pretend you are creating a movie preview.
Here is what you want to do:
-
Get your message out.
-
Make a point.
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Entice visitors to come back for more.
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-
Keep it short and sweet.
-
Graphically improve your video
R
emember, ten minutes is not much time. You want to record a
s
ordinary. Some of the most popular videos on YouTube are popuif for not other reason than the creator did something uniquedifferent and interesting. Think you can’t come up w
T
Here is a simp
o
10 idea you have for making a great video. Next to each idea, write down what makes th
y
scratch it off your list. Narrow your list to your
Now, try to define how you will present the
to
funny? Will you record atop the highest mountain? Will you include a popular sound track? Whatever you decide, ma
h
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Even if you are trying to brand and promote your sites, you must careful to make sure you do so in an interesting and creative way. No one w
way to get your message out.
ing Videos With Your Camcorder ave a digital or analog camcorder, then you probably already knoIt is easier to post videos to You
If you use an analog video recorder, like the kind that use
record videos, you will probably have to use a converter box to create a digital copy of your video, which you can then upload to YouTube.
O
is, but remember, if you take even a small amount of time graphically strengthening your video you are likely to attract a larger audience. So, here’s what you do.
First, make sure you have access to some video editing software. You can acquire this inexpensively on the Web. One of the mortools people use is Windows MovieMaker.
a
pplication. Once you do this you can edit your video all you want. Try saving multiple versions of it and testing it with users to see which they like best.
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Now it’s time to make your video stand out. Add special effecinteresting color schemes or fade in. Try adding titles or even chapters toyour video. Put some music in the background. All of these small additiowill encou
I
f you are not sure what makes a good video, go to YouTube.com and check outheir “featured videos” section. Find out what makes these videos stand out. Is the content outrageous? Does the author use multiple special effects? Are subtitles or category titles included? Take some notes about what you
w
personal video. Time To Upload Now that you took some time to play with your video, it is time to upload it to YouTube. Make sure you save any changes you made to your video before you upload it. You als
Y
easier uploads: .MOV, .A
most people find easy to use. YouTube also recommends you use a video wi320x40 resolution and one with an MP3 sound track.iv You should be able to upload your video any way you like. If you use a digital camcorder, you can upload your video from the device to the website. YouTubeven provides the alternative for users to send their videos to the site by e-mail.
O
tags so people can easily find it. The best way to create tags for your video is tcome up with some catchy keywords people are likely to search for when lookingfor videos like yours.
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You will also have to specify one or more categories under which YouTube.com lists your video. Remember, the goal here is helping other users find your video quickly and easily. With millions of videos uploaded each day, you have to take time to ensure you lab
fr
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P
P
W
is no different. And that’s just one part of YouTubing. It is also one of the most fun ways of promoting your website. There is
c
YouTubing is not going to sell your product. What it can do, however, is get people interested in your services. How? Let’s take a look.
B
If you are new to YouTube, this should be your first step. It’s a fascinating world out there. Plunge right in and look around a bit. Look at the
h
videos, personal
videos. If you find something in your niche, make a note of it. When you make your own video, you’ll need to come up with something different from your competitors. Create a video That’s what yo
d
you won’t get it r
p
easier in your mind than in practice. Over a period of time, you’ll get better at it. Which brings me to another point; just one video won’t win it for you. Once you’ve uploaded your first video, start working on the second video and then the third. Yes it’s not easy but it’s much easier than some of the other marketing techniques. This will also give you an opportunity to experiment with a variety of
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techniques. Some may flop miserably while some may enjoy wide popularity and may turn into a rewarding viral distribution. Spare a thought for the viewers YouTube is free but viewership has to be ea
n
mind. And a site like YouTube has
o
minutes in length. So even though YouTube allows you a maximum of 10 minutes, keep it under 5 minutes. Before you upload your video, ensure that the file format is accepted. YouTube accepts .WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .MPG formats.
E
I’ll say this a hundred times over – YouTube is n
N
they start fl
b
way is to come up with something entertaining that the viewer would want to sit through. When you have six interesting videos on something, the viewer will surely want to know you. That’s when your marketing begins. Add your website URL You’ve made a great video and you’re getting a lot of comm
c
that all-important URL wi
o
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Market through others Whoever said you need your own videos to attract traffic? If you d
s
payment for displaying yo
to
sweating too much. Put up a video on your social networking profile This may not seem re
b
A few examples are Digg, De.li.cious, Orkut, and R
p
Participate If you want others to visit your profile on YouTube,
B
Offer genuin
Spread the word If you have uploaded your own video, get your friend
v
few good commen
v
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Tag your video
N
y
lo
W
YouTube profile and thus to your website. You’ll find more as you go along. As you see other users, you’ll pick up a few interesting tactics. The bottomline – be innovative, be observant and be
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Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you have the basics down, it is up to you to make extraordinary videos. Here are several frequently asked questions newbie’s have when starting with YouTube.
If you do not find the answer you need, check out YouTube.com’s help section, where you will find a comprehensive listing of hundreds of questions users have about the service.
Q. Can I comment on other people’s videos?
A. Yes, you can. Much like blogging, you are able to place comments about a video. The more often people rate and comment about a video, the more likely it is to achieve higher ranking on the site. Keep in mind however, once you make a comment on another video, it is permanent. Only the creator of that video can delete it. You can however, delete unwanted comments from your own video clips. You should in fact, keep an eye on the kinds of comments people make to your video so you do not have Spam comments posted to your clip.
Q. My comments are not showing up, and sometimes I can’t comment at all. Do you know why?
A. The chances are high either (1) you did not confirm your e-mail address, so you are not showing up as a registered member, or (2) you haven’t given it some time. There is a slight delay in the time you post comments to the time you can see them on the website. If you find you are having other technical difficulties, sometimes it helps to simply clear the cache on your Internet browser. Typically, to do this you will want to delete any temporarily files, your search history and any cookies stored on your computer. Next, be sure to log out, and then log back in again.
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Most of the time you can do this by using the Tools menu Options tab. Other times you can click the Start button, then go to your computer control panel and find the Internet Options bar, which will allow you to delete the files you select.
Q. I want to save a video clip to my computer. How do I do that?
A. You can’t actually download and save any videos to your computer, except for your own videos. YouTube created a structure that allows all clips to run on the site, but on the site alone. Sometimes you can save a video in your “save videos” list on YouTube, and watch them when you log back in later. You can also bookmark videos much like you would your favorite sites, so you can come back to them later.
Q. What are playlists and how do I use them?
A. Playlists are lists of your favorite videos. When you bookmark videos you add them to your playlist. Typically, creating a playlist is as simple as clicking on the “save to Favorites” button. This link is just below the video you watch. You can classify your favorites into separate playlists by using the dropdown menu. All you have to do is create a title and the properties for each playlist you create.
You can even share your playlists for others. When you go to your playlists page, located at:
http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists
You simply select the playlist you want others to see, then click the bar that says share this list. It’s that easy. You will need to add the e-mail addresses of people you want to share your list with. When you click send, the people you appointed will receive a message telling them they can log on and view your playlist.
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Q. Why are Playlists of use?
A. Playlists can serve many purposes. If you want to get a marketing message out to many people, you can create a series of videos that talks about your products, services or one you are promoting. You can then send a link of your Playlist out to your opt-in list. You can also use Playlists to send out family videos to members living out-of-state. Simply compile a few clips of your favorite family videos, add them to your list, and then send them to distant family.
If you have a series of products you sell, or a book series you want to promote, you can provide audio clips about that series on a specific playlist. You can then create other playlists to market and show off other products you want to promo. Remember, the list of possibilities is endless when you use YouTube.com as a promotional tool.
Q. What if I do not want other people to see my video?
A. YouTube allows registered members to keep their videos private, meaning only people you invite will be able to view your video clip. Simply visit the following link:
http://youtube.com/my_vidoes
You will want to go to the “Edit” section, and select the private button. You will then need to choose the contacts you want to allow viewing rights to.
Q. Is it hard to watch videos on YouTube?
A. Watching a video is simple, anyone can do it. All you have to do is visit the site. Remember, anyone can watch video clips without registering. Click the
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video and you are in business. If you want to save videos to your favorites list, you will need to register, but remember, registration is free!
Q. I want to use my cell phone to upload a video. How do I do that?
A. Many newer phones allow you to record short video clips. Before uploading to YouTube, you will have to set up your account so it can receive videos from mobile devices. To do this, simply log into your account. Then, follow the account settings choice and click on the link to “Mobile Upload Profiles.” Here you can enter information about the mobile unit you plan to upload from. Then you create a file for your cell phone. YouTube.com will provide you with a specific e-mail address you can use to send your videos to. Make sure you send your video direct to the e-mail address provided by YouTube.
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Conclusions
As you can see, YouTube is making life incredibly fascinating. Using YouTube for entertainment, as a promotional tool or to learn more about a subject you are passionate about is easier than ever.
You do not have to be a technical wizard to figure out how to use YouTube to your advantage. In fact, YouTube provides detailed instructions for all the features, including the advanced features it offers on its site.
Before you seriously consider using YouTube as part of a self-promotional campaign, log onto the site, create a profile and try uploading a few test videos. This will allow you some time to get used to the sites features and figure out exactly what you need to do to get your videos up and running. Don’t forget to check in often with the featured videos section, so you get a better idea of what others are doing.
Have fun!
i Alexa.com. Amazon.com (2006-07). Info for YouTube.com
ii Woolley, Scott. Raw and Random. Forbes.com, Forbes, 3-13-2006
iii YouTube serves up 100 million videos a day online, USA Today, Gannett Co. Inc, 7-16-2006.; Nielsen Media Research 2006-07.
iv YouTube “how to” provided by YouTube.com
Twitter Boom Tips And Techniques For Online Marketers
Twitter Boom
Tips And Techniques For Online Marketers
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Is Twitter?................................................................3
Why Twitter Is An Effective Marketing Tool................................6
How Can You Use Twitter?....................................................6
Getting Started..................................................................11
Signing Up With Twitter..................................................11
Customizing Your Profile.................................................12
Twitter Language / Symbols.............................................13
How To Get Followers...........................................................14
Twitter Etiquette................................................................17
Providing Value on Twitter......................................................19
Writing Eye-Catching, Interesting Tweets....................................21
Twitter Plugins / Widgets.......................................................23
Twitter Tools …....................................................................24
Twitter Services...................................................................25
More Ways To Make Money Using Twitter......................................26
Random Tips & Secrets..........................................................28
Conclusion.........................................................................30
2
What Is Twitter?
Twitter is a social network and micro-blogging platform that allows you to
send 140-character “tweets”. With these tweets, you can let your friends
know what you're up to, share links and cool resources, communicate with
your customers, drive traffic to your website, and much more.
According to the Twitter website, Twitter allows you to answer the question,
“What are you doing?”
Twitter allows you to communicate without the hassle of writing out long blog
3
posts or emails. The format of the Tweet allows you to get away with a link
and a few words that can be sent on the go from your cell phone.
And this tweet can potentially reach thousands of customers or business
prospects, driving them to your website or blog, and drawing attention to your
products.
In turn, you will receive notices whenever someone you are following Tweets
something. You can receive instant notification in your browser, cell phone,
email, and even on IM clients like AIM or MSN Messenger. Basically, it's more or
less impossible NOT to keep touch with your Twitter friends & followers, even
if you're out and on the go.
Twitter's extremely simple interface and ease of use is probably one of the
reasons why it has caught on like crazy.
Twitter was launched in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, and in 2008/2009 it practically
exploded in popularity.
All kinds of celebrities use Twitter on a regular basis to communicate with
their fans and followers, from musicians and actresses, to professional
athletes and even political figures! Twitter allows us to sneak a peak at what
our favorite celebrities are up to. Politicians like Obama use it as a campaign
tool
Even large corporations and television networks use Twitter, such as CNN,
Amazon, Dell, and ESPN.
s also been recognized as serving a role in journalism. When US
Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River, the first photograph was
taken by a Twitter user and sent to Twitpic – long before the media arrived.
Twitter users on the ground tweeted about the 2008 Mumbai attacks,
compiling lists of the dead and injured and offering important information like
emergency room numbers.
Twitter has also been heavily used to organize and rally political dissent and
keep a stream of communication open between protesters when governments
have tried to suppress them, as in the 2009 Iranian presidential elections.
Okay, so none of that stuff really has to do with internet marketing, but the
purpose is to show you that Twitter is indeed an incredibly powerful tool
capable of reaching out to thousands or millions of people!
Marketers not utilizing Twitter to its fullest benefit are definitely missing out
and I'm about to show you why!
5
Why Twitter Is An Effective Marketing Tool
Many marketers fail to see what the big deal is regarding Twitter. They read
Tweets about what someone ate for breakfast or what color shirt they're
wearing. They might sign up only to stare at a bare, lonely screen with zero
followers.
Initially, it might be difficult to see the potential. But once you get started,
Twitter has a tendency to “snowball” into a HUGE deal for marketers – one
that is absolutely essential for the growth of their business and their exposure
on the internet.
How Can You Use Twitter?
Here are just a few of the ways Twitter can help to benefit your online
business:
Establishing repertoire with your customers / reader s .
Twitter allows for a bit more personal, less formal, more fun mode of
communication. It allows them to catch a glimpse of you just as a regular
person sending SMS texts from Wal-Mart, rather than as a serious, detached
blogger or business owner.
Why is this useful? It allows people to connect and relate to you on a personal
level – it makes you look just like a “regular Joe”, especially if you include
6
random/fun tweets among the more serious, business-driven tweets.
Keeping your customers / readers update d .
With a blog, you might only update once or twice per week. With Twitter, you
might send a handful of tweets per day, keeping your followers “in the loop”
and reminding them of your existence.
Of course, it's not recommended to send a million tweets per day. This will
only serve to annoy people and they will likely unfollow you.
Building a loyal, steady customer-base:
“BUILD A LIST!” As a marketer, I'm sure you've heard this refrain many times
over. Building a list is one of the most vital steps you can take in the
advancement of your online business. Twitter is pretty much the same as
building a list – although it might be even more effective in the long run.
When it comes to an email list, a large portion of your subscribers won't even
glance at the emails you send. Their eyes will glaze over and they may even
send it to the trash. With Twitter, your followers will see all of your Tweets.
They'll digest its information in about half a second and if you include a link,
they probably won't get offended.
Chances are, if you included an eye-catching description, they'll probably click
it! Additionally, it won't SEEM like you are marketing to them, because you're
just another Twitter user tweeting about random stuff!
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Building up excitement for a product launch:
Just like with an email list, Twitter can be used to build up excitement about
an upcoming product launch. It can start with occasional Tweets about your
“new project”, and by keeping your followers up to date and offering freebies
and cool stuff that they'll appreciate, you'll build trust and anticipation. When
your product launches, a well-timed Tweet may likely be just as effective as a
blast to your email list.
Driving traffic to your website:
Wouldn't it be great if you could instantly notify hundreds or thousands of
people every time you update your blog? Twitter makes this possible. It
essentially acts as an RSS feed. By building a sizable list of followers, you
pretty much have access to an instant source of traffic to your website or
blog.
People who would otherwise not be aware of updates and new content will be
notified, giving them a chance to check it out. If your blog is high-quality,
people will keep an eye out for more of your Tweets.
Building relationships with business contacts.
Twitter makes it easy to keep in touch with business partners and contacts.
Traditional instant messaging is on its way out, and you'll find that most savvy
internet marketers use Twitter as their primary social networking tool. So take
8
advantage of this fact! Hook up with your contacts so you can work on building
a closer relationship.
Crowd-sourcing:
Crowd-sourcing is a unique form of outsourcing. It works by calling on your
friends, fans, followers, email subscribers, etc. to contribute ideas and
solutions. Basically, it is a form of “group intelligence”.
By listening to the crowd, marketers and business owners can figure out the
exact thoughts, needs, and wants of their customer base. In this way,
innovative new ideas and strategies are born that are guaranteed to fall in line
with the desires of the consumer.
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By directly asking your followers what type of new software they'd like to see
developed, or what their biggest setbacks are, or what they liked/disliked
most about your last ebook, you can gain an incredibly amount of insight
about your business!
Twitter provides a perfect platform for crowd-sourcing.
Going viral:
Social networking sites give us a great opportunity to 'go viral'. This means
that you Tweet about something that really catches people's attention. Your
followers are impressed, so they re-Tweet it.
In turn, each of their followers re-Tweet it, and so on and so on, and soon your
little Tweet spreads like wildfire, snowballing into a huge storm of clicks and
traffic.
Of course, TRYING to make something go viral probably won't work. It tends to
just happen on its own. Tweeting “Hey guys buy my new ebook click here” will
never go viral, obviously. But if you find something really interesting, littleknown,
valuable, funny, etc., you might have a chance.
Very often, Tweets go viral without anyone really expecting or planning on it.
This is just one of the many amazing benefits of social networking.
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Getting Started
Fortunately for you, Twitter is probably one of the most user-friendly websites
out there. It is practically impossible to get lost or confused when creating an
account or setting up your profile. Nevertheless, I've provided a simple
walkthrough for you.
Signing Up With Twitter
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On the Twitter main page, simply click the green “Sign Up Now” button. You'll
have to enter your first and last name and your preferred username. This
could be your own name, your blog's name, your product's name, etc.
Whatever “brand” you want to build, use that as your username.
First you'll be able to browse through the Twitter accounts of various
celebrities, politicians, businesses, corporations, etc. Follow the ones you're
interested in.
Next you can search your inbox for your contacts that are already on Twitter.
Finally, the last step will be to search the names of others who you would like
to follow.
Don't go overboard when it comes to following or you'll soon find that your
Twitter page is far too “noisy” – you might miss the good Tweets among all the
noise and clutter. Only follow people if you have a legitimate reason for doing
so-- don't follow a bunch of strangers.
That's it! Yeah, it pretty much doesn't get any easier than that.
Creating Your Profile
If you wish to stand out on Twitter, it's recommended that you customize your
profile. Upload a picture to use as your avatar – if your brand is you, upload a
nice, friendly photograph of yourself. Otherwise you could make it your
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business logo, etc.
It is also possible to change the background of your Twitter profile. Go to the
“Design” tab under “Settings” and you can either select one of Twitter's
default backgrounds or upload one of your own. If you want to truly stand out,
I recommend uploading one of your own. Just make sure the picture isn't too
busy or your Twitter profile will look very unprofessional and give people a
headache.
Twitter Language / Symbols
As with most modern inventions, there is a certain “language” you'll have to
learn when it comes to using Twitter. When I first signed up, I was incredibly
confused about what all of this stuff means. But I quickly got the hang of it
and so will you!
• Retweet (RT): This means that the Tweet was originally posted by
someone else and you are reposting it because you want to spread the
word, you think it's funny, etc.
• Hash tag (#): Typing # followed by a keyword will categorize your Tweet
so that others can easily find it by performing a search. Once you start
using Twitter, you'll realize that MANY people use the hash tag in their
Tweets – this can indicate a meme or trend that is quickly being spread
through the Twit-o-sphere.
• @ symbol: Placing the @ symbol directly before a username shows that
you are directly addressing that person (but the Tweet is still public).
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Clicking the arrow button when you hover over a user's tweet will let you
do this automatically.
• Direct Message (DM): Typing d followed by a username will allow you to
send them a Direct Message rather than having your Tweet appear
publicly.
• Overheard (OH): OH at the beginning of the Tweet means that you
overheard something funny/interesting that is not your own original
idea.
• Nudge: Typing Nudge followed by a username will send the user a
reminder to update and start tweeting again.
• FAV: Typing FAV followed by a username will favorite that user's last
Tweet.
• GET: GET followed by a username will retrieve the user's last few
updates.
How To Get Followers
Okay, so you've registered an account and set up your profile. You now
understand the basics of Twitter symbols/language. And you're most likely
following a few people.
Of course, Twitter is useless as a marketing tool if you don't have followers, so
this should be your main objective.
14
First of all, go to Facebook, Myspace, and any other social networking sites
you use. Post a link to your new Twitter account in your status update, urging
people to follow you.
In your email, put the Twitter link in your signature, and do the same for
forums (the Warrior Forum will put your link in a Twitter symbol under your
username and avatar).
If you already have an email list, send out a blast talking about your new
Twitter account and encouraging them to follow you. If you have a blog, write
a post about it. If you use Wordpress, you'll also want to install a plugin that
will easily allow your visitors to follow you. I'll cover that in more depth later
on.
Basically, make your Twitter account visible wherever you have an internet
presence.
Another way to gain followers is by simply following others. When you follow
someone, they are notified by email. Very often, they'll be curious about you,
check out your profile, and likely follow you back.
However, you have to be strategic. Don't expect results by following
celebrities or extremely popular users, as they probably won't even notice
you. Don't follow random strangers – why on earth would they be interested in
you or what you're selling anyway?
One awesome function of Twitter is the ability to search what people are
15
talking about. If you have a blog about gardening, you can search the keyword
“gardening” and it will pull up everyone Tweeting about gardening.
You can even search for phrases such as, “need help gardening” or “plants
keep dying”, etc. This way, you can find people in your niche who are
suffering from a problem that you can (hopefully) resolve.
Keep in mind that you can only follow around 2000 people each day. It sounds
like a lot, but if you use the Twitter search engine you might reach that limit
sooner than you think.
There are various programs and online services that allow you to follow and
unfollow people automatically, rather than going through the process manually
(which can be an extremely tiring, boring process). I'll be covering those later.
16
Twitter Etiquette
You should learn to treat Twitter seriously, just as you do all of your other
business ventures. Learning proper Twitter etiquette is an important aspect of
this.
• Don't tweet constantly! This should be obvious, but it's remarkable how
many people tweet dozens, even hundreds of times in a single day. Be
strategic with your tweets. There is no “magic number” – just use your
17
intuition and you should be fine.
• Stay consistent. Tweet every day, or at least every other day. Tweeting
once a week or once a month will not accomplish anything – it kind of
defeats the purpose of being on Twitter altogether. People will forget
who you are and why they decided to follow you in the first place.
• Only tweet about things that matter. The occasional “Wow these french
fries are tasty” is fine – it shows your followers that you're human and
that there's more to you than selling and marketing. But do NOT go
overboard.
Usually the people who tweet dozens or hundreds of times a day are
tweeting about trivial subjects that no one cares about. If you feel the
need to tweet about your shoelaces or the zit on your cheek, register a
second, personal Twitter account to share this kind of stuff with friends/
family only – NOT your customers or business prospects.
• If you want to use Twitter like an instant messaging client, make sure
that you are sending Direct Messages rather than publishing your tweets
publicly. Chatting with someone over Twitter will clog up your followers'
feeds and can be very, very annoying. Users may unfollow you as a
result. So use common sense and download MSN or something if you want
to chat in real time.
• No hard selling. Constantly tweeting “New blog post”, “New ebook buy it
18
now!”, “Great software, check it out”, etc. etc. will not yield great
results. Your followers will start viewing your tweets as SPAM. You will
not gain a good reputation, you will not build trust, and you will not sell
anything. Sorry. Twitter is meant for the SOFT sell – so you'll have to
work on that.
Providing Value On Twitter
19
So now that I've told you what NOT to do when it comes to Twitter... you might
be wondering, “what should I tweet about?”
Just as with your blog, website, and forum posts, your main goal should be to
provide value. If you can manage to do that, you're golden!
Here are easy ways to provide value that don't take much effort at all:
• Retweet an interesting update from someone that you're following.
• Offer links to free and interesting stuff, like articles, pictures, and
videos (not all your own stuff).
• Comment on current events / news.
• Post funny/profound/inspiring quotes.
• Tweet about interesting things that happened in your day or upcoming
events that you're excited about. (actual things that your followers will
be interested in, not the new episode of American Idol airing tonight....
unless your niche is American Idol of course!)
• Find something on Digg, Stumbleupon, etc. that really catches your
attention. Write a blog post about it first, and then link to your blog post
in your tweet. This way, instead of linking directly to the source, you're
20
linking to your own blog. If it's something really neat it may go viral,
causing a potential hurricane of traffic.
After you have been on Twitter for a while, look at your tweet history. Are you
selling too hard? Not selling enough? Are you providing value with your tweets
or just rambling on about random stuff every day? Would YOU follow yourself?
Analyze your tweets carefully and modify your strategy accordingly. Just as
with a PPC campaign, monitor, track, and make changes as needed.
Writing Eye-Catching, Interesting Tweets
Twitter won't do you much good if no one bothers to click your links. Writing
eye-catching, interesting tweets involves the same general concept as writing
strong e-mail headlines. You must pique their interest and make them curious
to see what you have to offer.
• Ask a provocative question. “Will's Obama's new tax reforms bring your
small business to its knees?”
• Write a headline that sounds like news. “New Twitter software
revolutionizes social networking!”
• Blunt, direct statements. “Free CPA Short Report – No Optin Required”
• Lists. “Ten Reasons Why You Need To Trash Your Iphone”
21
• How-to tweets. “How to get 1000 visitors to your blog – overnight!”
As you can see, it's not really rocket science. Just be creative. Instead of
tweeting, “New SEO Ebook released today! Get it now!”, think of all the
different ways you could say roughly the same thing in a more interesting
fashion.
• “Revolutionary New SEO System Kicks Google's Ass!”
• “How much would you pay to kick Google's ass?”
• “What if I told you that everything you know about Google – IS WRONG?”
• “Tired of crap? Get the system that ACTUALLY WORKS.”
• “10 Reasons Why Your Website Isn't Ranking – And How To Fix It”
You get the idea.
If you're using bit.ly to shorten your URLs, you can actually track your links.
This way, you can find out which headline is bringing in the most clicks, and
replicate it again and again.
Of course, as I mentioned before, these “eye-catching” headline tweets
should only be tossed in here and there. Keep the majority of your tweets free
22
of advertising altogether, or people will quickly become fed up with your
blatant, desperate marketing attempts.
Twitter Plugins
Most popular blogs are integrated in some way with the author's Twitter
account. Establishing links between all of your online platforms is crucial to
building your online presence. Your blog readers can become your followers,
and vice versa.
There are several different plugins / widgets to choose from.
• Tweetmeme Butt on : Allows your blog posts to be retweeted with the
click of a button.
• TweetThis Button : Allows users to share your blog posts on Twitter.
• The Twitter Updater : Automatically publishes updates to your Twitter
account when new posts or changes are made to your blog.
• Twitter Tools : Integrates your blog and Twitter account, allowing you to
easily put tweets on your blog and blog links in your tweets, all from the
Wordpress control panel.
23
• Twitt-twoo : Tweet directly from the sidebar of your blog (pretty cool!)
• Twitter Feed : Automatically post your blog updates on your Twitter
account.
• Wicket Twitter Widget : Display your tweets on the sidebar of your blog.
• TweetSuite : Integrates Twitter and Wordpress, automatically tweets
about new posts, gives you Retweet and Tweet This buttons, etc.
• TwitterCounter : Places a counter on your blog stating (bragging about)
the number of followers you have.
• NewsTweet : Input keywords or keyword phrases and this plugin will pull
“news feeds” in your niche from Twitter to add to your sidebar.
Twitter Tools
• TweetDeck : Twitter desktop client that allows you to tweet remotely,
keep track your followers, direct messages, replies, etc. It supports
multiple Twitter accounts and is an awesome tool to have. You can keep
track of Twitter without having to constantly visit the Twitter website.
• Twitpic : Share your pictures and photographs on Twitter.
• Twitbin : Firefox plugin that allows you to monitor your Twitter
24
conversations from a sidebar in your browser. A great way to multi-task
and keep an eye on your Twitter account while you're busy doing other
things.
• GroupTwee t : Lets you send a tweet to only a select group of people.
Twitter Services
• Twilert : Sign up for email alerts whenever someone tweets about a
particular keyword or mentions your name/product.
• Qwitter : Sign up for email alerts when someone stops following you.
• TweetLater/Social Oomph : Automates the tweeting process. Input as
many tweets as you want and schedule them to be released at certain
times.
• TweetTake: Backup your Twitter account and followers. Twitter is not
immune to black-outs and hackers. In July 2008, hundreds of Twitter
users lost scores of followers literally overnight. It's better to be safe
than sorry.
25
More Ways To Make Money With Twitter
Besides using your own Twitter account to promote your blog, products,
services, etc., are there any other ways you can drive traffic and make money
using Twitter?
The answer is a resounding YES!
Many people don't realize that paid advertising is available on Twitter. You can
sign up to be either a publisher or an advertiser. Generally, publishers are paid
to publish sponsored tweets, and the more followers they have, the higher the
payout. Advertisers can use PPC (Revtwt and Twivert) or simply pay for a set
number of sponsored tweets.
There are several advertising networks on Twitter, the most popular being:
• Revtwt
• Twivert
• BeTweeted
• Be A Magpie
• Sponsored Tweets
• TweetROI
• Adcause
• Tweetbucks
• Adjix
26
• Twittad
If you have a bit of money to spend, you might find great results advertising
on Twitter. Or if you have an account with a fair bit of followers, signing up as
a publisher might be a way to make some extra cash.
If you wish to advertise using PPC, the rules are more or less the same as
Google Adwords or any other PPC program. You must use your own discretion.
Certain strategies must be employed – you must constantly be tracking and
modifying your campaigns to ensure positive ROI.
I'm not going to teach you how to make money using PPC advertising, as this is
not what this ebook is about. But the option is available if that is a route that
you think you would like to take.
27
Twitter Tips and Secrets
Here is a random compilation of Twitter tips & secrets that you can use to
maximize your earning potential with Twitter in your marketing efforts!
• If you have tons of followers, chances are good that not all of them will
read every tweet that you send. If you got a good reaction or a good bit
of traffic from one of your tweets, try posting it again at another time.
Preface it with something like, “Did you miss this?” or “Last week
retweet”.
• On the right sidebar of your Twitter page, you'll see a link to your RSS
feed. Take this feed and submit it to RSS directories, just as you would
do with a blog! This will increase exposure to your tweets.
• If you have lots of friends on Facebook, there is an application you can
use to integrate your Twitter feed into your Facebook feed. This can lead
to more followers and larger exposure overall. An application called
Twittersync will actually post each tweet as a status update on your
Facebook page. Unfortunately, it turns your links into text, so that kind
of sucks.
• Interact with your followers and take an active interest in them by
replying to their tweets and retweeting. Schmooze with them – offer
compliments, joke around, etc. Remember that Twitter is a community.
28
• If your goal is marketing, be direct with your Bio. Tell them exactly who
you are. “I'm a 27-year-old marketer and blogger living in LA!” Don't post
random song lyrics or an inside joke. Leave that to your personal
Myspace page.
• Remember that everything you do on Twitter represents your brand.
Tweeting “OMG I got so drunk last night I barfed up nachos on my friend's
shoes” probably isn't the best image to portray, unless your demographic
happens to be male college students or something like that.
• Don't get addicted to Twitter. Checking it every five minutes will start to
interfere with the rest of your life and your business. Keep a schedule
and force yourself to check it no more than every two hours or so. If you
intend to publish a tweet, it's easy to start reading up on everyone else's
tweets, and before you know it, half an hour has passed and you can't
remember what you were going to tweet about in the first place.
29
Conclusion
So we have reached the end. What have we learned today?
• Twitter is fun
• Twitter is easy
• Twitter can drive insane amounts of traffic to your site/blog
• Twitter can help to build your brand
• Twitter can help to find new business contacts and JV partners
• Twitter can connect you to millions of people around the world in realtime
• Twitter is THE FUTURE!
Quite a rap sheet, isn't it? I hope you have gained enough knowledge and
power from this ebook to go out and take advantage of the Twitter Boom! If
you don't, your business will surely be left sitting in the dust.
30
Tips And Techniques For Online Marketers
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Is Twitter?................................................................3
Why Twitter Is An Effective Marketing Tool................................6
How Can You Use Twitter?....................................................6
Getting Started..................................................................11
Signing Up With Twitter..................................................11
Customizing Your Profile.................................................12
Twitter Language / Symbols.............................................13
How To Get Followers...........................................................14
Twitter Etiquette................................................................17
Providing Value on Twitter......................................................19
Writing Eye-Catching, Interesting Tweets....................................21
Twitter Plugins / Widgets.......................................................23
Twitter Tools …....................................................................24
Twitter Services...................................................................25
More Ways To Make Money Using Twitter......................................26
Random Tips & Secrets..........................................................28
Conclusion.........................................................................30
2
What Is Twitter?
Twitter is a social network and micro-blogging platform that allows you to
send 140-character “tweets”. With these tweets, you can let your friends
know what you're up to, share links and cool resources, communicate with
your customers, drive traffic to your website, and much more.
According to the Twitter website, Twitter allows you to answer the question,
“What are you doing?”
Twitter allows you to communicate without the hassle of writing out long blog
3
posts or emails. The format of the Tweet allows you to get away with a link
and a few words that can be sent on the go from your cell phone.
And this tweet can potentially reach thousands of customers or business
prospects, driving them to your website or blog, and drawing attention to your
products.
In turn, you will receive notices whenever someone you are following Tweets
something. You can receive instant notification in your browser, cell phone,
email, and even on IM clients like AIM or MSN Messenger. Basically, it's more or
less impossible NOT to keep touch with your Twitter friends & followers, even
if you're out and on the go.
Twitter's extremely simple interface and ease of use is probably one of the
reasons why it has caught on like crazy.
Twitter was launched in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, and in 2008/2009 it practically
exploded in popularity.
All kinds of celebrities use Twitter on a regular basis to communicate with
their fans and followers, from musicians and actresses, to professional
athletes and even political figures! Twitter allows us to sneak a peak at what
our favorite celebrities are up to. Politicians like Obama use it as a campaign
tool
Even large corporations and television networks use Twitter, such as CNN,
Amazon, Dell, and ESPN.
s also been recognized as serving a role in journalism. When US
Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River, the first photograph was
taken by a Twitter user and sent to Twitpic – long before the media arrived.
Twitter users on the ground tweeted about the 2008 Mumbai attacks,
compiling lists of the dead and injured and offering important information like
emergency room numbers.
Twitter has also been heavily used to organize and rally political dissent and
keep a stream of communication open between protesters when governments
have tried to suppress them, as in the 2009 Iranian presidential elections.
Okay, so none of that stuff really has to do with internet marketing, but the
purpose is to show you that Twitter is indeed an incredibly powerful tool
capable of reaching out to thousands or millions of people!
Marketers not utilizing Twitter to its fullest benefit are definitely missing out
and I'm about to show you why!
5
Why Twitter Is An Effective Marketing Tool
Many marketers fail to see what the big deal is regarding Twitter. They read
Tweets about what someone ate for breakfast or what color shirt they're
wearing. They might sign up only to stare at a bare, lonely screen with zero
followers.
Initially, it might be difficult to see the potential. But once you get started,
Twitter has a tendency to “snowball” into a HUGE deal for marketers – one
that is absolutely essential for the growth of their business and their exposure
on the internet.
How Can You Use Twitter?
Here are just a few of the ways Twitter can help to benefit your online
business:
Establishing repertoire with your customers / reader s .
Twitter allows for a bit more personal, less formal, more fun mode of
communication. It allows them to catch a glimpse of you just as a regular
person sending SMS texts from Wal-Mart, rather than as a serious, detached
blogger or business owner.
Why is this useful? It allows people to connect and relate to you on a personal
level – it makes you look just like a “regular Joe”, especially if you include
6
random/fun tweets among the more serious, business-driven tweets.
Keeping your customers / readers update d .
With a blog, you might only update once or twice per week. With Twitter, you
might send a handful of tweets per day, keeping your followers “in the loop”
and reminding them of your existence.
Of course, it's not recommended to send a million tweets per day. This will
only serve to annoy people and they will likely unfollow you.
Building a loyal, steady customer-base:
“BUILD A LIST!” As a marketer, I'm sure you've heard this refrain many times
over. Building a list is one of the most vital steps you can take in the
advancement of your online business. Twitter is pretty much the same as
building a list – although it might be even more effective in the long run.
When it comes to an email list, a large portion of your subscribers won't even
glance at the emails you send. Their eyes will glaze over and they may even
send it to the trash. With Twitter, your followers will see all of your Tweets.
They'll digest its information in about half a second and if you include a link,
they probably won't get offended.
Chances are, if you included an eye-catching description, they'll probably click
it! Additionally, it won't SEEM like you are marketing to them, because you're
just another Twitter user tweeting about random stuff!
7
Building up excitement for a product launch:
Just like with an email list, Twitter can be used to build up excitement about
an upcoming product launch. It can start with occasional Tweets about your
“new project”, and by keeping your followers up to date and offering freebies
and cool stuff that they'll appreciate, you'll build trust and anticipation. When
your product launches, a well-timed Tweet may likely be just as effective as a
blast to your email list.
Driving traffic to your website:
Wouldn't it be great if you could instantly notify hundreds or thousands of
people every time you update your blog? Twitter makes this possible. It
essentially acts as an RSS feed. By building a sizable list of followers, you
pretty much have access to an instant source of traffic to your website or
blog.
People who would otherwise not be aware of updates and new content will be
notified, giving them a chance to check it out. If your blog is high-quality,
people will keep an eye out for more of your Tweets.
Building relationships with business contacts.
Twitter makes it easy to keep in touch with business partners and contacts.
Traditional instant messaging is on its way out, and you'll find that most savvy
internet marketers use Twitter as their primary social networking tool. So take
8
advantage of this fact! Hook up with your contacts so you can work on building
a closer relationship.
Crowd-sourcing:
Crowd-sourcing is a unique form of outsourcing. It works by calling on your
friends, fans, followers, email subscribers, etc. to contribute ideas and
solutions. Basically, it is a form of “group intelligence”.
By listening to the crowd, marketers and business owners can figure out the
exact thoughts, needs, and wants of their customer base. In this way,
innovative new ideas and strategies are born that are guaranteed to fall in line
with the desires of the consumer.
9
By directly asking your followers what type of new software they'd like to see
developed, or what their biggest setbacks are, or what they liked/disliked
most about your last ebook, you can gain an incredibly amount of insight
about your business!
Twitter provides a perfect platform for crowd-sourcing.
Going viral:
Social networking sites give us a great opportunity to 'go viral'. This means
that you Tweet about something that really catches people's attention. Your
followers are impressed, so they re-Tweet it.
In turn, each of their followers re-Tweet it, and so on and so on, and soon your
little Tweet spreads like wildfire, snowballing into a huge storm of clicks and
traffic.
Of course, TRYING to make something go viral probably won't work. It tends to
just happen on its own. Tweeting “Hey guys buy my new ebook click here” will
never go viral, obviously. But if you find something really interesting, littleknown,
valuable, funny, etc., you might have a chance.
Very often, Tweets go viral without anyone really expecting or planning on it.
This is just one of the many amazing benefits of social networking.
10
Getting Started
Fortunately for you, Twitter is probably one of the most user-friendly websites
out there. It is practically impossible to get lost or confused when creating an
account or setting up your profile. Nevertheless, I've provided a simple
walkthrough for you.
Signing Up With Twitter
11
On the Twitter main page, simply click the green “Sign Up Now” button. You'll
have to enter your first and last name and your preferred username. This
could be your own name, your blog's name, your product's name, etc.
Whatever “brand” you want to build, use that as your username.
First you'll be able to browse through the Twitter accounts of various
celebrities, politicians, businesses, corporations, etc. Follow the ones you're
interested in.
Next you can search your inbox for your contacts that are already on Twitter.
Finally, the last step will be to search the names of others who you would like
to follow.
Don't go overboard when it comes to following or you'll soon find that your
Twitter page is far too “noisy” – you might miss the good Tweets among all the
noise and clutter. Only follow people if you have a legitimate reason for doing
so-- don't follow a bunch of strangers.
That's it! Yeah, it pretty much doesn't get any easier than that.
Creating Your Profile
If you wish to stand out on Twitter, it's recommended that you customize your
profile. Upload a picture to use as your avatar – if your brand is you, upload a
nice, friendly photograph of yourself. Otherwise you could make it your
12
business logo, etc.
It is also possible to change the background of your Twitter profile. Go to the
“Design” tab under “Settings” and you can either select one of Twitter's
default backgrounds or upload one of your own. If you want to truly stand out,
I recommend uploading one of your own. Just make sure the picture isn't too
busy or your Twitter profile will look very unprofessional and give people a
headache.
Twitter Language / Symbols
As with most modern inventions, there is a certain “language” you'll have to
learn when it comes to using Twitter. When I first signed up, I was incredibly
confused about what all of this stuff means. But I quickly got the hang of it
and so will you!
• Retweet (RT): This means that the Tweet was originally posted by
someone else and you are reposting it because you want to spread the
word, you think it's funny, etc.
• Hash tag (#): Typing # followed by a keyword will categorize your Tweet
so that others can easily find it by performing a search. Once you start
using Twitter, you'll realize that MANY people use the hash tag in their
Tweets – this can indicate a meme or trend that is quickly being spread
through the Twit-o-sphere.
• @ symbol: Placing the @ symbol directly before a username shows that
you are directly addressing that person (but the Tweet is still public).
13
Clicking the arrow button when you hover over a user's tweet will let you
do this automatically.
• Direct Message (DM): Typing d followed by a username will allow you to
send them a Direct Message rather than having your Tweet appear
publicly.
• Overheard (OH): OH at the beginning of the Tweet means that you
overheard something funny/interesting that is not your own original
idea.
• Nudge: Typing Nudge followed by a username will send the user a
reminder to update and start tweeting again.
• FAV: Typing FAV followed by a username will favorite that user's last
Tweet.
• GET: GET followed by a username will retrieve the user's last few
updates.
How To Get Followers
Okay, so you've registered an account and set up your profile. You now
understand the basics of Twitter symbols/language. And you're most likely
following a few people.
Of course, Twitter is useless as a marketing tool if you don't have followers, so
this should be your main objective.
14
First of all, go to Facebook, Myspace, and any other social networking sites
you use. Post a link to your new Twitter account in your status update, urging
people to follow you.
In your email, put the Twitter link in your signature, and do the same for
forums (the Warrior Forum will put your link in a Twitter symbol under your
username and avatar).
If you already have an email list, send out a blast talking about your new
Twitter account and encouraging them to follow you. If you have a blog, write
a post about it. If you use Wordpress, you'll also want to install a plugin that
will easily allow your visitors to follow you. I'll cover that in more depth later
on.
Basically, make your Twitter account visible wherever you have an internet
presence.
Another way to gain followers is by simply following others. When you follow
someone, they are notified by email. Very often, they'll be curious about you,
check out your profile, and likely follow you back.
However, you have to be strategic. Don't expect results by following
celebrities or extremely popular users, as they probably won't even notice
you. Don't follow random strangers – why on earth would they be interested in
you or what you're selling anyway?
One awesome function of Twitter is the ability to search what people are
15
talking about. If you have a blog about gardening, you can search the keyword
“gardening” and it will pull up everyone Tweeting about gardening.
You can even search for phrases such as, “need help gardening” or “plants
keep dying”, etc. This way, you can find people in your niche who are
suffering from a problem that you can (hopefully) resolve.
Keep in mind that you can only follow around 2000 people each day. It sounds
like a lot, but if you use the Twitter search engine you might reach that limit
sooner than you think.
There are various programs and online services that allow you to follow and
unfollow people automatically, rather than going through the process manually
(which can be an extremely tiring, boring process). I'll be covering those later.
16
Twitter Etiquette
You should learn to treat Twitter seriously, just as you do all of your other
business ventures. Learning proper Twitter etiquette is an important aspect of
this.
• Don't tweet constantly! This should be obvious, but it's remarkable how
many people tweet dozens, even hundreds of times in a single day. Be
strategic with your tweets. There is no “magic number” – just use your
17
intuition and you should be fine.
• Stay consistent. Tweet every day, or at least every other day. Tweeting
once a week or once a month will not accomplish anything – it kind of
defeats the purpose of being on Twitter altogether. People will forget
who you are and why they decided to follow you in the first place.
• Only tweet about things that matter. The occasional “Wow these french
fries are tasty” is fine – it shows your followers that you're human and
that there's more to you than selling and marketing. But do NOT go
overboard.
Usually the people who tweet dozens or hundreds of times a day are
tweeting about trivial subjects that no one cares about. If you feel the
need to tweet about your shoelaces or the zit on your cheek, register a
second, personal Twitter account to share this kind of stuff with friends/
family only – NOT your customers or business prospects.
• If you want to use Twitter like an instant messaging client, make sure
that you are sending Direct Messages rather than publishing your tweets
publicly. Chatting with someone over Twitter will clog up your followers'
feeds and can be very, very annoying. Users may unfollow you as a
result. So use common sense and download MSN or something if you want
to chat in real time.
• No hard selling. Constantly tweeting “New blog post”, “New ebook buy it
18
now!”, “Great software, check it out”, etc. etc. will not yield great
results. Your followers will start viewing your tweets as SPAM. You will
not gain a good reputation, you will not build trust, and you will not sell
anything. Sorry. Twitter is meant for the SOFT sell – so you'll have to
work on that.
Providing Value On Twitter
19
So now that I've told you what NOT to do when it comes to Twitter... you might
be wondering, “what should I tweet about?”
Just as with your blog, website, and forum posts, your main goal should be to
provide value. If you can manage to do that, you're golden!
Here are easy ways to provide value that don't take much effort at all:
• Retweet an interesting update from someone that you're following.
• Offer links to free and interesting stuff, like articles, pictures, and
videos (not all your own stuff).
• Comment on current events / news.
• Post funny/profound/inspiring quotes.
• Tweet about interesting things that happened in your day or upcoming
events that you're excited about. (actual things that your followers will
be interested in, not the new episode of American Idol airing tonight....
unless your niche is American Idol of course!)
• Find something on Digg, Stumbleupon, etc. that really catches your
attention. Write a blog post about it first, and then link to your blog post
in your tweet. This way, instead of linking directly to the source, you're
20
linking to your own blog. If it's something really neat it may go viral,
causing a potential hurricane of traffic.
After you have been on Twitter for a while, look at your tweet history. Are you
selling too hard? Not selling enough? Are you providing value with your tweets
or just rambling on about random stuff every day? Would YOU follow yourself?
Analyze your tweets carefully and modify your strategy accordingly. Just as
with a PPC campaign, monitor, track, and make changes as needed.
Writing Eye-Catching, Interesting Tweets
Twitter won't do you much good if no one bothers to click your links. Writing
eye-catching, interesting tweets involves the same general concept as writing
strong e-mail headlines. You must pique their interest and make them curious
to see what you have to offer.
• Ask a provocative question. “Will's Obama's new tax reforms bring your
small business to its knees?”
• Write a headline that sounds like news. “New Twitter software
revolutionizes social networking!”
• Blunt, direct statements. “Free CPA Short Report – No Optin Required”
• Lists. “Ten Reasons Why You Need To Trash Your Iphone”
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• How-to tweets. “How to get 1000 visitors to your blog – overnight!”
As you can see, it's not really rocket science. Just be creative. Instead of
tweeting, “New SEO Ebook released today! Get it now!”, think of all the
different ways you could say roughly the same thing in a more interesting
fashion.
• “Revolutionary New SEO System Kicks Google's Ass!”
• “How much would you pay to kick Google's ass?”
• “What if I told you that everything you know about Google – IS WRONG?”
• “Tired of crap? Get the system that ACTUALLY WORKS.”
• “10 Reasons Why Your Website Isn't Ranking – And How To Fix It”
You get the idea.
If you're using bit.ly to shorten your URLs, you can actually track your links.
This way, you can find out which headline is bringing in the most clicks, and
replicate it again and again.
Of course, as I mentioned before, these “eye-catching” headline tweets
should only be tossed in here and there. Keep the majority of your tweets free
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of advertising altogether, or people will quickly become fed up with your
blatant, desperate marketing attempts.
Twitter Plugins
Most popular blogs are integrated in some way with the author's Twitter
account. Establishing links between all of your online platforms is crucial to
building your online presence. Your blog readers can become your followers,
and vice versa.
There are several different plugins / widgets to choose from.
• Tweetmeme Butt on : Allows your blog posts to be retweeted with the
click of a button.
• TweetThis Button : Allows users to share your blog posts on Twitter.
• The Twitter Updater : Automatically publishes updates to your Twitter
account when new posts or changes are made to your blog.
• Twitter Tools : Integrates your blog and Twitter account, allowing you to
easily put tweets on your blog and blog links in your tweets, all from the
Wordpress control panel.
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• Twitt-twoo : Tweet directly from the sidebar of your blog (pretty cool!)
• Twitter Feed : Automatically post your blog updates on your Twitter
account.
• Wicket Twitter Widget : Display your tweets on the sidebar of your blog.
• TweetSuite : Integrates Twitter and Wordpress, automatically tweets
about new posts, gives you Retweet and Tweet This buttons, etc.
• TwitterCounter : Places a counter on your blog stating (bragging about)
the number of followers you have.
• NewsTweet : Input keywords or keyword phrases and this plugin will pull
“news feeds” in your niche from Twitter to add to your sidebar.
Twitter Tools
• TweetDeck : Twitter desktop client that allows you to tweet remotely,
keep track your followers, direct messages, replies, etc. It supports
multiple Twitter accounts and is an awesome tool to have. You can keep
track of Twitter without having to constantly visit the Twitter website.
• Twitpic : Share your pictures and photographs on Twitter.
• Twitbin : Firefox plugin that allows you to monitor your Twitter
24
conversations from a sidebar in your browser. A great way to multi-task
and keep an eye on your Twitter account while you're busy doing other
things.
• GroupTwee t : Lets you send a tweet to only a select group of people.
Twitter Services
• Twilert : Sign up for email alerts whenever someone tweets about a
particular keyword or mentions your name/product.
• Qwitter : Sign up for email alerts when someone stops following you.
• TweetLater/Social Oomph : Automates the tweeting process. Input as
many tweets as you want and schedule them to be released at certain
times.
• TweetTake: Backup your Twitter account and followers. Twitter is not
immune to black-outs and hackers. In July 2008, hundreds of Twitter
users lost scores of followers literally overnight. It's better to be safe
than sorry.
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More Ways To Make Money With Twitter
Besides using your own Twitter account to promote your blog, products,
services, etc., are there any other ways you can drive traffic and make money
using Twitter?
The answer is a resounding YES!
Many people don't realize that paid advertising is available on Twitter. You can
sign up to be either a publisher or an advertiser. Generally, publishers are paid
to publish sponsored tweets, and the more followers they have, the higher the
payout. Advertisers can use PPC (Revtwt and Twivert) or simply pay for a set
number of sponsored tweets.
There are several advertising networks on Twitter, the most popular being:
• Revtwt
• Twivert
• BeTweeted
• Be A Magpie
• Sponsored Tweets
• TweetROI
• Adcause
• Tweetbucks
• Adjix
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• Twittad
If you have a bit of money to spend, you might find great results advertising
on Twitter. Or if you have an account with a fair bit of followers, signing up as
a publisher might be a way to make some extra cash.
If you wish to advertise using PPC, the rules are more or less the same as
Google Adwords or any other PPC program. You must use your own discretion.
Certain strategies must be employed – you must constantly be tracking and
modifying your campaigns to ensure positive ROI.
I'm not going to teach you how to make money using PPC advertising, as this is
not what this ebook is about. But the option is available if that is a route that
you think you would like to take.
27
Twitter Tips and Secrets
Here is a random compilation of Twitter tips & secrets that you can use to
maximize your earning potential with Twitter in your marketing efforts!
• If you have tons of followers, chances are good that not all of them will
read every tweet that you send. If you got a good reaction or a good bit
of traffic from one of your tweets, try posting it again at another time.
Preface it with something like, “Did you miss this?” or “Last week
retweet”.
• On the right sidebar of your Twitter page, you'll see a link to your RSS
feed. Take this feed and submit it to RSS directories, just as you would
do with a blog! This will increase exposure to your tweets.
• If you have lots of friends on Facebook, there is an application you can
use to integrate your Twitter feed into your Facebook feed. This can lead
to more followers and larger exposure overall. An application called
Twittersync will actually post each tweet as a status update on your
Facebook page. Unfortunately, it turns your links into text, so that kind
of sucks.
• Interact with your followers and take an active interest in them by
replying to their tweets and retweeting. Schmooze with them – offer
compliments, joke around, etc. Remember that Twitter is a community.
28
• If your goal is marketing, be direct with your Bio. Tell them exactly who
you are. “I'm a 27-year-old marketer and blogger living in LA!” Don't post
random song lyrics or an inside joke. Leave that to your personal
Myspace page.
• Remember that everything you do on Twitter represents your brand.
Tweeting “OMG I got so drunk last night I barfed up nachos on my friend's
shoes” probably isn't the best image to portray, unless your demographic
happens to be male college students or something like that.
• Don't get addicted to Twitter. Checking it every five minutes will start to
interfere with the rest of your life and your business. Keep a schedule
and force yourself to check it no more than every two hours or so. If you
intend to publish a tweet, it's easy to start reading up on everyone else's
tweets, and before you know it, half an hour has passed and you can't
remember what you were going to tweet about in the first place.
29
Conclusion
So we have reached the end. What have we learned today?
• Twitter is fun
• Twitter is easy
• Twitter can drive insane amounts of traffic to your site/blog
• Twitter can help to build your brand
• Twitter can help to find new business contacts and JV partners
• Twitter can connect you to millions of people around the world in realtime
• Twitter is THE FUTURE!
Quite a rap sheet, isn't it? I hope you have gained enough knowledge and
power from this ebook to go out and take advantage of the Twitter Boom! If
you don't, your business will surely be left sitting in the dust.
30
increase traffic with your blog,convert your blog in cash machine
Blogging For Beginners
Contents
Set Up a WordPress ss Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Set Up a Blogger Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Naming Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
To Blog or Not to Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Top Mistakes of Bloggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Linking Your Blog and SMM Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Blog Set-Up – Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Blogging for Beginners – Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Monetizing Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Blogging for a Target Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Blogging – Choosing a Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Blogging – Length of Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Blogging – How Often do I Post? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multi-Purpose Blog Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Blog Style and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Blogging Non-Original Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Blogging Absences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using Video on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Use of Images on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Addressing Competitors on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A Flaming on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Keep SPAM Off Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Guest Bloggers on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Affiliate Programs and Blogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2
Set Up a WordPress Blog
Here’s how you set up your WordPress Blog on your URL (domain). The first thing you need to
do is to make sure you have a hosting account created. Your hosting account must include:
· PHP 4.3 (or higher)
· MySQL 4.0 (or higher)
· Mod_rewrite Apache module
You do not need to worry about what these features are, it is just important that you make sure
you have them. Try to get hosting at the same place you set up your domain.
In your hosting account you will find a control panel. In your control panel find the Databases
option and create a new database. You will be asked to give the database a name and create a
username and password. Keep this information in a safe place. This is your MySQL database
that will store all of your blog postings.
Installing WordPress
Once you have the hosting set up and the database created it is time to install WordPress.
Some hosting companies have a quick install option. If they do not all you have to do is
download the latest software at: http://wordpress.org/latest.zip (for Windows or Mac).
Unzip the files on your computer. They will be unzipped in a folder called “Wordpress”.
Within the unzipped files you will find a file called wp-config-sample.php open it the file (it will
open in any document editor). You will find instructions in this document. Change the text as
needed in your editor (you will be adding the name of your database, username and password.
Save the file and rename it “wp-config.php”.
Move each folder and file within the “wordpress” unzipped folder you created (do not copy the
folder itself) onto your website host company’s server (your hosting company will give you
directions, it is very easy).
If your blog is the entire site put it in the root directory. Otherwise you will want to create a
subdirectory for the blog. You may want to create one like: http://www.mydomain.com/blog or
blog.mydomain.com.
After the WordPress files are on the server go into your web browser and type
www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php (or if you did it on a subdirectory you type
www.yourdomain.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php.
The software will then guide you through the last few steps to installing your blog on your
server. WordPress makes it quick and easy to install a blog. Take your time and go step-bystep
and you should have no problem installing and starting your blog.
3
Set Up a Blogger Blog
Setting up a blog on Blogger is quite easy. The first thing you want to do is to set up a Google
account for the blog. You can do this by going to Blogger.com and then following the link in the
resources section.
It takes about 2 or 3 minutes to set up a Google account. If you already have a Google account
you can use it if you wish.
After you have set up your Google account you should go back to Blogger.com and sign-in
using your Google account username and password. Your username is typically the e-mail
address you used when creating the account.
You can set up your account so it remembers your username and password. Only do this if you
are on a non-shared computer.
Look for the “Create a blog” option on the dashboard of Blogger. The dashboard is the page
you go to every time you log onto your Blogger account. You can manage several blogs from
the same dashboard if they were all created with the same Google account.
You will be asked to name your blog. You want to create an easy to remember, easy to find
name that makes it clear what your blog is about. Try not to have a blog name that is too long.
It will be the first part of the web address of your blog. For example if you name your blog “Teds
Tidbits” your URL will be: http://tedstidbits@blogspot.com.
The next thing you need to do is to choose your template. Blogger has a number of templates
to choose from. You do not have to agonize over which template to use because you can
change the template at any time.
Write your first official blog post using the template Blogger provided. Feel free to add a picture,
etc. Once you submit that first blog posting you will be able to view your new blog, edit the
posting, etc.
At this point you can personalize your blog so it stands out. Many different aspects of the blog
can be changed, moved around, etc. Click on the “Layout” option and start to make your blog
stand out from the other blogs out there. You can undo virtually anything that you do so do not
be shy to experiment with different layouts for your blog.
Once you finish your layout you are done. Happy blogging!
Naming Your Blog
Shakespeare asked if a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The importance of
choosing the right name for your blog should not be overlooked. Remember there are two
4
different names for your blog. First, there is the name you choose for the actual blog. Second,
there is the URL you reserve to host your blog.
Naming the Blog
People can sometimes try to be overly cute or a bit too creative when they name their blog.
Though it is a way to show your creativity you run the risk of no one knowing what your blog is
actually about.
A blog’s name should immediately convey the central purpose of your blog. This will be helpful
in gaining followers who often look on blog directories or search for blogs by category online. If
someone is looking for a blog about luxury handbags they will want to see a blog with a name
that includes any of the following:
· Bags
· Clutches
· Handbags
· Hobos
· Purses
· Satchels, etc
Though you may want to be more creative and use a term like arm candy, not all of your
potential readers will be able to identify the focus of your blog based on the name.
Try to be straight forward with your blog’s name and use your creativity with the design of the
blog and the actual content on it.
Blog URL
If possible you want your blog’s URL to be the same as the name of your blog but this is not
always possible or even desirable. If you want to be creative with the name of your blog then try
to be straight forward with your URL. For example, if you choose the name Eye Candy Blog for
the name of your blog, as mentioned above, you may want a URL that has handbag or purse in
the name.
Typically people see both the blog’s name and URL when looking in a blog directory. Though
ideally you are straight-forward with the name you give your blog and the URL it will be placed
on, you can choose to be a little more creative with the name of your blog as long as your URL
contains the keywords in it.
Take time to think about the best name for your blog. Try to choose a name that will strike a
chord with your target market. Often less is more and simple is the best way to go.
5
To Blog or Not to Blog
To blog or not to blog that is the question website owners should ask. Many people rush to
create a blog with little purpose in mind, and others assume blogging is a waste of time and
never try.
The truth is that some businesses would benefit from a blog while some would not.
Blogging – Do You Have Something to Say?
The first question you should ask yourself is whether or not you have something to say that will
either inform or entertain your target market. You need to feel confident that you can sustain a
blog.
If you have “some” information but not enough to sustain a blog you may consider writing and
distributing articles rather than writing a blog.
If you think you have enough to say then you are past the first step in the decision making
process.
Blogging – Identifying the Target Market
It is important to identify your target market. Who do you want reading your blog and for what
purpose? This will help you start to determine whether or not this target market is likely to find
and read your blog. You do not want to waste resources in writing a blog no one reads.
Determining the goal of your blog is vital. Is your goal to create a revenue stream through
affiliate marketing? Is the goal to introduce consumers to products and services on your
website? Is your goal to enhance your search engine rankings?
Once you know your goal or goals you can start to determine how likely it is for you to reach
them. For example, will you be able to find affiliate advertisers who would appeal to your target
market? Do you have enough information to post regularly about your products and services
without being repetitive?
You need to know who your target market is and what your goal is.
Blogging – How Often?
You need to blog regularly. Depending on your goals you may have to put blog postings up
daily or perhaps only weekly. You need to stay on top of your blog. If your blog readers see a
lull in your postings they will lose interest.
A good rule of thumb is to post at least 4 times per week. Anything less than that would be
ineffective for most purposes.
Ask yourself these questions and be honest and realistic with the answers and you will
determine whether it is time to blog or not to blog.
6
Top Mistakes of Bloggers
Knowing the most common mistakes made by bloggers can help you avoid making them. In the
end you have complete control over your blog. You can choose to do or not to do anything you
want. Knowing the repercussions of certain actions or inactions can help you make better
decisions.
Blogger Mistake #1 – Ignoring Comments
Ignoring the comments posted on your blog is a big mistake. Some bloggers never read the
comments posted on their blog. This is bad for two reasons. First, you will gain no insight
about your followers. Your followers are essential if you want to have a popular blog or a blog
that you earn money from.
Think of your blog as a conversation not as a monologue. Never ignore your readers. If you
ignore them they will eventually ignore you.
Additionally, the comments section is where most SPAM will appear. Even if you install SPAM
blockers there will be a certain amount of SPAM that is able to make its way through. SPAM
can hurt your blog’s reputation and even cause problems on Google and the other search
engines.
Blogger Mistake #2 – Infrequent Posting
Infrequent or irregular posting on your blog can lead to you losing followers. Even if you do not
think anyone is reading your blog you want to set a schedule for blog postings and stick to it. It
is important to have consistency on a blog, especially if it is a corporate blog or a blog intending
to create revenue.
Depending on the focus of your blog you will need to determine the minimum frequency you can
post on it. Some blogs can do quite fine with 3 or 4 blog posts per week while other blogs need
10 or more postings per day.
Your followers will start to expect to see postings regularly so do not disappoint them.
Blogger Mistake #3 – Taking Things Personally
Do not fall into the trap of taking criticism personally. You can expect to see your share of
negative posts, perhaps even flaming (flaming is when someone viciously attacks another
person online). Do not retaliate with a personal attack of your own. Simply delete the offending
comment and move on.
These are the three biggest mistakes bloggers make. The key to succeeding with your blog is
to review popular blogs and see what they do well. Try to focus on the positive aspects of
blogging while keeping an eye out for common mistakes.
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Linking Your Blog and SMM Accounts
Your blog and your social media marketing (SMM) accounts should be linked together. You
want to create a network of resources that bring together your various marketing efforts. Linking
your blog to your social media accounts is essential.
Blog Postings on Facebook and Twitter
You can set up your social media accounts including Facebook and Twitter so that they
automatically show a link to your blog postings. This automated technique makes it easy to
update your Facebook pages and Twitter account with your new blog postings.
One of the goals of all social media marketing plans is to keep content updated and fresh. If
you update your blog frequently you will be automatically updating your Facebook and Twitter
account as well.
Make sure the titles of your blog posting are eye-catching and you can drive traffic from the
social media sites onto your blog. A short, catchy title will capture the attention of someone you
are friends with on Facebook or who is following you on Twitter.
Add Social Media Links to Blog
People who find your blog may not know that you also have social media accounts and pages.
Make sure that your blog prominently displays an invitation for them to become a fan on
Facebook and a follower on Twitter.
As a blogger you want to give people a ample opportunity to learn more from you and about
you. Linking your social media accounts to your blog creates these opportunities.
Web 2.0 is all about users participating on websites and networks. A blogger needs to think
about inviting participation on their blog and beyond their blog in order to create an overall user
experience that builds loyalty.
Off Blog Feeds
When you set up your blog you will have the option to arrange a blog feed that other people can
pick up and add to their site. Basically your blog postings will be displayed on any site that adds
the feed to it.
A blog feed can open up new traffic sources and revenue streams with no additional effort on
your part. You should also add your blog feeds to directories and other resources that people
search in order to add fresh content to their site.
Remember, fresh content is a key to success online. Your blog can become a source for
content for other websites which means your blog and their website wins. Link your blog to your
social media accounts and blog feed resources for maximum impact.
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Blog Set-Up – Plug-Ins
When you are setting up your blog you will have the option to add plug-ins. There are many
add-ons or plug-ins to choose from. Some of them can be quite useful and some of them can
be quite useless.
Since WordPress is the most popular blog choice we will focus our examination on plug-ins with
WordPress blogs.
Blog Plug-In: Akismet
SPAM is a serious issue on the web including on blogs. Akismet is a plug-in option for
WordPress blogs that helps eliminate SPAM before it can appear on your blog. This free plug-in
is essential and is considered by many bloggers to be their most important weapon against
SPAM.
One of the first plug-ins you should add to your blog is Akismet. Make sure it is up to date and
properly installed on your blog.
Blog Plug-In: Add to Any
Social media marketing has transformed the Internet. The vast majority of bloggers also have
social media accounts. Bloggers are typically quite actively engaged in social media sites and
social bookmarking. Add to Any is a plug-in for social media marketing.
Adding this plug-in to your blog makes it easy to add blog postings to your social media sites as
well as to bookmark your postings.
Blog Plug-In: All in one SEO Pack
The all-in-one SEO pack for WordPress blogs is an important plug-in. This SEO pack
incorporates the essential SEO elements needed to help your blog appear in search results for
relevant keyword terms.
Many search engine optimization experts add the SEO Pack to every blog they manage.
Blog Plug-In: Backup Wordpress
WordPress offers a backup plug-in that automatically backs up your database for security
purposes. This feature is an important safety feature that will protect you if your blog loses data
or that data gets corrupted. Hackers often target blogs so having the right security in place is
important.
Blog Plug-In: Super Cache
The Super Cache plug-in helps your blog postings get indexed quickly in the search engines.
Indexation is important because it helps people find your website. This plug-in is often
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considered part of the list of SEO plug-ins but it is not part of the All in One SEO Pack described
above.
When setting up your blog, make sure you install the five essential plug-ins outlined in this
article. There may be other plug-ins that interest you as well but these are the five most
important WordPress plug-ins.
Blogging for Beginners – Comments
Comments by readers of your blog can be moderated by you in a number of ways. Your
decision on how you will monitor comments will have a large impact on your overall blog. It is
important that you keep in mind the pros and cons of your decision.
First and foremost, blogs that invite comments from readers are generally more popular than
blogs that do not. Web 2.0 is all about participation on the web and people like to feel part of a
blog community rather than just a reader of a one-sided blog.
For some businesses it may make sense to disallow comments, however, for the majority of
businesses and personal blogs you should consider allowing comments from your readers.
Unrestricted Commentary
One option you can have on your blog is unrestricted commentary. This allows anyone to post
comments on your blog with no moderation. Though this is the most open form of blogging it is
also the most dangerous. You will undoubtedly find inappropriate comments and SPAM on your
blog which can lead to problems with the search engines.
For the most part it is not a good idea to allow unrestricted commentary.
Registered User Commentary
One small but effective way to restrict the commentary on your site is to require the person
interested in commenting to register for your blog with a valid e-mail address. This will prevent
most spammers who want to post quickly and move on. It will also help prevent people from
posting ridiculous comments on your blog. Some SPAM and ridiculous commentary will still get
through.
Once someone is registered you can monitor their postings on your blog and ban them or block
them if you find them posting inappropriate comments.
Approved Comments Only
Most bloggers choose the option of allowing only approved comments to appear on their blog.
Basically you set up the blog so you are notified anytime someone posts a comment to one of
your postings. The comment will not appear until you have reviewed it and actively approved it.
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Requiring comment approval is a good way to both allow comments and protect the integrity of
your blog at the same time. Most people familiar with blogging expect to have their comments
reviewed before being visible.
Allow commentary on your blog in order to keep your readers active on your blog but choose
the level of protection that works the best for your needs.
Monetizing Your Blog
Some people blog for the pure pleasure of blogging about something they are passionate about.
Some people blog with the goal of making money. There are a number of ways you can
monetize your blog. You can choose one or more of them depending on which is the most
appropriate for you blog’s topic and your blog’s followers.
Making Money with Affiliate Arrangements
Depending on the topics of your blog you may be able to make money through affiliate
relationships. If your blog is on a topic that relates directly to products you can almost assuredly
make money by placing affiliates’ ads on your site.
For example, if you have a blog about accessories you can sign-up for affiliate programs from
retailers of accessories. You can place affiliate ads on your blog as well as add affiliate links in
your actual blog postings.
The affiliate relationships may even drive some of your content. If you can earn money by
mentioning a new product or service on your blog and provide a link (with the affiliate tracking
code) to a retailer offering the product you can earn a percentage of the sale.
You can also contact retailers directly and request that they offer your readers a coupon code.
The coupon code would give your readers a discount and earn you a commission for every sale.
This way both you and your readers benefit from the affiliate arrangement.
PPC Ads on Your Blog
You can add Google, Yahoo and Bing ads to your blog as well. You will earn some money
every time someone clicks on the link from your blog. If you are going to do this it is important
that you use ad filters so you can make sure that the ads that appear on your blog are
appropriate for your target market.
You do not want ads for the sake of having ads. You want ads which are relevant to your target
market. The more relevant the ads are the more likely the ads will be clicked on by your
readers.
A high-traffic blog can make considerable money through PPC ads though perhaps not as much
as if done through the right affiliate relationships.
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The bottom line is you can monetize your site with affiliate relationships and PPC ads. If you
are taking the time to write compelling content you should reap the rewards of your effort. Go
ahead and monetize your blog in one or both ways.
Blogging for a Target Market
Blogging is an effective way to earn an income while writing about something you are
passionate about. It is sometimes too easy to let your blog run astray so make sure you always
have your target market in mind.
The most effective blogs stay true to their main focus and primary target market. Your ability to
keep your blog’s focus on your target market will be result in greater loyalty from your readers
as well as greater opportunities to earn money on or through your blog.
You should try to get as specific as you can when determining who your target market is. For
example, the criteria you may consider when determining your target market may include:
· Age
· Children or no children
· Ethnic background
· Gender
· Geographic area
· Income bracket
· Marital status
· Religious background
· Sexual orientation, etc.
These are just some of the characteristics you can consider when identifying your target market.
Identify Interests of Target Market
Once you have identified your target market and described them you need to start to determine
what interests them and what does not. You can use social media sites like Facebook to gain
some insight into your target market.
Remember, your target market will have diverse interests so you want to try to identify trends
and similarities. Try to stay as close to your blog’s primary purpose as possible. Identifying their
interests will enable you to make appropriate references in your blog rather than add entirely
new subjects that have little relevance to your primary subject.
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Invite Feedback from Target Market
You can invite feedback about your blog from your target market on your blog or on social
media sites. Input from your target market is a great way to make sure you are on point and will
help you make sure your blog is serving your target market well.
Blogs should be viewed as conversations not monologues. Your readers will feel more loyalty if
they can contribute to your blog and start dialogues with you and other followers of your blog.
Do not get in the habit of thinking you are the only one that should offer commentary on your
blog or you will have very few followers.
Identify your target market, focus on their needs and welcome them as part of your blog and you
can be well on your way to successful blogging.
Blogging – Choosing a Theme
One of the most exciting things for new bloggers to do is to set up their blog. They look forward
to coming up with a catchy name and a snappy looking design. The enthusiasm is great but
make sure it does not lead you astray.
When you choose your theme you want to make sure the theme has the functionality you want
before you focus on the aesthetics.
Choosing a Blog Theme with Functionality
It is important that you choose a theme that has all the features you want. Perhaps the most
important is to make sure your theme allows you to place advertisements on your blog if that is
one of your goals.
If your blog is part of an affiliate marketing program or some other type of program that will allow
you to monetize the blog you have to make sure the theme you choose is appropriate for that
goal.
Some themes allow ads to be more prominently placed than other themes. Location of the ads
is one of the keys on a blog. In fact you should view your blog as real estate and determine its
most valuable places and use them for maximum impact.
If you plan to have a “tag cloud” on your blog, make sure the theme supports it well. The bottom
line is you must make sure the theme you choose can handle the various things you want to
accomplish.
Choosing a Blog Theme – Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
A clean, easy to read and easy to navigate blog is a successful blog. There are many themes
available that are high on design and low on effectiveness. People visiting blogs are not looking
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for tons of bells and whistles (unless of course the blog is about bells and whistles). They want
a clean blog that is easy to navigate.
Check the themes you are considering carefully and make sure you think it is easy to find all the
different navigation options. Make sure the colors are not too harsh or your readers will not be
able to stay on your blog long. Do not have too many moving components on your blog or it will
be unappealing to blog readers.
You want to choose a theme that is comfortable for your readers. The goal is to keep them on
your blog so take the time to compare different themes and ask for help if needed.
Blogging – Length of Posts
Bloggers often wonder how long a blog posting should be. Oddly most bloggers err on the side
of posting overly long posts rather than posts that they may think are too short. The reality is
you are better off with frequent shorter posts rather than longer posts less frequently.
Keep it Short and Simple
Blog postings should be relatively short (typically under 400 words). Topics that require longer
postings can be and should be split over several postings rather than being in one longer blog
post.
Many bloggers find that postings under 200 words are the most effective. Most online users
skim content. Blog postings or web pages with too much content can overwhelm the reader and
cause them to become uncomfortable or lose interest in your blog.
As a general rule you should keep your sentences short. Try to have one thought per sentence.
Also try to keep your paragraphs to four sentences or less. Long paragraphs can turn off
readers. You want to keep your readers on your blog as long as possible.
Make sure you write succinctly. The ability to quickly convey a point will keep your readers
happy and on your blog.
How Many Posts Per Day
If you are adding short blog posts of under 150 words you will probably want to add at least 2 or
3 per day. If your blog postings are 300 or 400 words in length you can add just one or two per
day.
When it comes to the frequency of postings, the more often you post the better. Again, you do
not want to add posts for the sake of adding posts. Each post on your blog should meet the
criteria you established for your blog. Make sure it adds value for your blog before you publish
it.
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If your blog postings are primarily videos or images with very little text you will want to make
sure you have several postings per day. You may appear lazy to your readers if you only put
one or two very short postings on your blog each day.
Not all the posts need to be from you. You can invite contributors to post on your blog. Having
others write for your blog is a good way to alleviate some of the stress associated with
maintaining a blog.
Keep these things in mind when you are considering the length and frequency of your blog
postings.
Blogging – How Often do I Post?
Many bloggers, especially new bloggers wonder how often they should post on their blog. Do
they post at a furious pace until their fingers bleed? Do they post only when the spirit moves
them? The answer is somewhere in between.
Bloggers need to have a general idea of how often they plan to post. Consistency is more
important than volume when it comes to posting. If you start off with great passion and post 5 or
10 postings every day for a month then suddenly lose steam your followers will recognize this
and wonder if you are losing interest in your own blog. If you lose interest so will they.
How Often to Post – Gain Momentum
You are always better off gaining momentum rather than losing steam. Start off your blog by
adding postings at a pace you know you can keep up with. On days that you are feeling
particularly prolific you should create extra posts and save them in your admin panel without
actually publishing them.
You can build a stockpile of posts that can be used on days you have nothing to say or are
unable to sit down and focus on your blog at all. This is a good way to make sure that you are
prepared for any unplanned writing absences.
How many posts you start off with per day will depend on your blog’s focus. If you are a
corporate blog you can likely start with one very good post per day. If you have an
entertainment blog you probably want at least four or five short postings per day.
What is my Starting off Point?
The best way to determine your starting off point is to look at the competition. See how often
they post and how long their postings are. You do not have to duplicate their effort but you do
not want to be too far below it.
You must also consider quality. Quality should not suffer for the sake of quantity. If you find
that some of your posts are not good enough for your blog because you were focused on
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getting out extra posts you should consider scaling back a bit and sustain a volume that is
comfortable for you.
The bottom line is you need to keep your blog updated and current with content but you do not
want to become a slave to it. Try to find a realistic pace that can grow over time.
Multi-Purpose Blog Content
Writing for your blog can be a part-time or full-time job. Whether you are paying a professional
blog writer or writing the content yourself you want to make sure you get the most out of the
resources you have devoted to your blog.
Multi-purposing your blog content is a good way to maximize the value of your efforts. You may
not think about blog content as something that can be multi-purposed but it certainly can and
likely should be.
Adding Content to Your Blog
The first thing you want to do is add the newly written content to your blog. Google, Yahoo and
the other search engines typically give the most value to the first place content is added. You
want the most value to be your blog so make sure you post your content there first.
Once you have added the content to your blog you want to wait to confirm it has been indexed
by Google, Yahoo and Bing. You do this by doing a search for the title of your blog and seeing
if your blog comes up in the search results.
If your blog posting has been indexed you can distribute the posting in other ways including on
article distribution websites, social bookmarking sites, social media sites and your own e-mail
marketing database.
Content Distribution
Before you begin distributing the content you may want to consider making some simple
changes to the content so it is not identical to the content on your blog. You should also
consider getting your newly added content licensed with Creative Commons in order to protect
yourself from duplicate content issues.
The most important places to distribute your blog content is on social media sites like Facebook,
social bookmarking sites like Stumble Upon and article distribution sites like Ezine Articles.
Consider Derivative Works
Using derivative works can eliminate any concerns of having content identical to content that will
appear on other web pages. If you distribute derivative versions of your content you eliminate
any duplicate content concerns.
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Derivative works are similar but not identical to the original content created for your blog. You
can change the introductory paragraph, concluding paragraph and some words in each
sentence and distribute it without any concern about duplicate content.
Go ahead and multipurpose your blog content. If you do it properly you can make sure you are
getting maximum value out of your blog resources.
Blog Style and Tone
The style and tone you use on your blog is important. Not every blog will have or should have
the same style and tone. Both the tone and style of your blog is determined by your topic and
your target market.
For the most part blogs should be conversational in tone. You want people to feel comfortable
on your blog and not feel that they are being lectured to or “spoken” down to. The more
conversational in tone your blog is the more comfortable your followers will feel.
Of course, this does not mean that every blog should be casual in nature. Do not confuse
conversational with casual. Though it is perfectly acceptable for some blogs to be casual in
tone, not all blogs should be.
Take for example blogs by professionals such as doctors and lawyers. Though the style of the
blog should be conversational in tone, the style should not be too casual. Consumers expect a
professional to remain professional without being didactic.
Slang, Expletives and Humor
The use of slang is often considered casual. Though this is appropriate for some blogs it is
typically not acceptable for corporate blogs. You want to be conversational without crossing the
line and becoming overly casual. Avoid the use of slang on professional blogs.
Expletives are never appropriate for corporate or professional blogs. You should avoid them at
all costs. In fact you should avoid using any inflammatory language on your blog including
racial slurs, slurs about gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, disability or religion.
Humor is certainly something you can use on a blog including professional and corporate blogs.
Humor can be appropriate but again do not use humor based on gender, race, sexual
orientation, religion, disability, etc.
Put the Conversation in Conversational
Your blog should invite commentary from your readers. Invite them into the conversation and
you will get many more loyal followers. You may have heard of the expression Web 2.0. This
basically refers to user-created content and experiences. As a blogger you are engaging in a
Web 2.0 environment if you invite input from your readers.
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It is important to let your readers know the rules for commenting on your blog. You can
specifically forbid flaming (attacking other readers); abusive language; expletives, etc. It is
perfectly acceptable for you to expect your readers’ comments to fit the style and tone you set
up for your blog.
Blogging Non-Original Content
Bloggers sometimes fear posting or re-posting content from other sources on their blog. A
successful blogger will not want to solely post information from other sources on their blog
without any original postings. However, it is perfectly acceptable for you to put these types of
postings on a blog from time to time.
If you are going to re-post content that appears elsewhere online you want to make sure you
give proper credit to the original source. You should also introduce the posting with your own
words or give some other commentary on the posting.
Every blogger will need to decide on their own when they need to provide a source and when
they do not. Typically, if you are going to copy content directly from another source (without
paraphrasing) you should give proper reference.
Your followers will appreciate the fact that you are alerting them to content that they may find
interesting and it will avoid someone reading a story on your blog that they read previously and
wonder why you did not credit the original source.
Videos & Images
Videos and images can be added to your blog even if you are not the creator of the image or
video. If you obtain the content from sources like YouTube and Flickr you can safely add the
videos or images to your blog. If you think the original poster of the content is in violation of any
copyright laws then you should avoid adding the content to your site.
You can contact video sources directly and ask them for permission to post a video clip on your
blog.
Some bloggers rather beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission. That is a judgment
call a blogger will need to make directly. For the most part if you posted a video or image that
you should not have posted you will be requested to remove it and you should immediately
remove it.
Bottom Line about Non-Original Content
The bottom line is that you can add non-original content to your blog when appropriate. Make
sure you give proper citations and are not in violation of any copyright laws. If the content is
created by and posted by the creator on a site like YouTube or Flickr you should have no
problem adding it to your blog.
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Be careful but do not be afraid to add non-original content to your blog when you deem
appropriate.
Blogging Absences
Experienced bloggers know and novice bloggers quickly learn that the fastest way to lose
followers is to stop posting on your blog. Even a short absence that is unannounced can make
your followers lose faith and move on. Make sure you handle your blogging absences properly
so you do not lose all the momentum you have built up.
Planned Absences
Planned absences are easy to handle. You can announce on your blog when the absence will
happen and you can even announce why. This will prepare your followers for the anticipated
silence. You may want to consider recruiting a guest blogger if your absence will be for more
than a few days.
Depending on the topic of your blog you can also consider pre-posting your blog entries. You
can pre-date blog entries that will not appear on your blog until the date specified. Doing this
will make it appear as if you are behind your computer screen blogging away when perhaps you
are laying on the beach drinking a daiquiri.
Unplanned Absences
By their nature, unplanned absences will require you to think on the fly. You can set up your
blog to allow you to blog via email. This will let you post to your blog no matter where you are.
Even if you just want to post a quick message letting people know that you will be offline for a bit
it is better than complete silence.
Canned Postings
If appropriate for your blog, you can have some pre-written, generic postings that you keep in
your admin panel but do not post. You can then use those postings when you are out of town
unexpectedly or unable to blog for any other reason.
It is a good idea to teach someone else your admin panel and let them know about any canned
postings you have available. This is especially important for blogs that have a loyal following
who may become concerned if they do not hear from you.
Typically you want to update your blog followers and social media followers anytime you will be
silent for a period of time or have someone else update them in case you are unable to do it
directly.
Silence on a blog can be costly. Make sure you plan in advance for potential or planned
absences from blogging. Your pre-planning can help you sustain your followers and keep your
momentum going in the right direction.
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Using Video on Your Blog
Using video on your blog is a good way to keep it interesting. You can both inform and entertain
your blog followers by incorporating video onto your blog. It is important to keep some basic
rules in mind in order to make it effective.
Video Hosting
Some blogs allow you to post video directly on your blog by first uploading the file to the blog’s
server. The file will then be embedded in your posting so your readers can click on the video
and watch it.
You can also host videos on YouTube. This is a very common practice and is perfectly
acceptable. Basically you want to create a YouTube account that will be used for all the videos
you want to use on your blog.
The major blogs have an easy process for adding a YouTube video to a blog posting. Typically
all you need to do is copy and paste the URL of the video into the blog posting editor. Some
specifically have an icon you can use to add a YouTube video to a posting with just a couple of
clicks of your mouse.
Video – What is Appropriate?
Your goal is not to add video for the sake of adding video. You want to make sure the videos
you choose make sense for your blog. They should appeal to your target market and be
relevant based on the content you typically put on your blog.
It is perfectly acceptable to add YouTube videos created by and posted by other people. You
can credit the source though there is typically no specific need to.
If you are going to add other people’s videos to your site you want to watch them carefully and
make sure there is nothing inappropriate in the video. Watch it several times to make sure.
You do not want to be embarrassed by having video on your site that has something
inappropriate in it.
Video – How Many is Too Many?
There is really no definitive number of videos that can be considered too many. It will depend
on your blog and the videos you are adding. Short video clips tend to be better than longer
clips.
A good rule of thumb is to only add one or two videos per posting. More than that can become
confusing or cumbersome.
Go ahead and experiment with video on your blog and see how your followers react.
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The Use of Images on Your Blog
The use of images on a blog is a good way to add more interest and impact to your postings.
The right image can highlight a point or make a point all on its own. A picture is certainly worth
a thousand words. It is perfectly appropriate to add one or more pictures to any and every blog
posting.
When Images are a Must
There are some times that images are a must to add to your blog. If you are blogging about a
particular person, place or thing an image is a must. For example, if you are talking about a
new car model on the market you should have one or more images of the model with the
posting.
You do not want to leave your followers disappointed that they are unable to see what you are
talking about.
How to Get Images
You can find images online. You need to check and make sure you can use the images on your
blog without there being a copyright infringement. Give the sources of the image or images
when you post them as well.
A Google image search or a Flickr image search should help you find images for just about
anything you are blogging about. You can also use drawings, cartoons and other images to
highlight a point.
Size and Placement
If you are adding images to your blog you want to make sure they are sufficient size to convey
what you are intending to convey. Typically a blog posting will contain a thumbnail or smaller
size of the image that appears embedded in the posting. When someone clicks on the image it
should increase to its fullest size to show greater detail.
Images can be put in various places within a blog posting. For the most impact you want to
consider putting the image in the top right corner of the blog posting. Centered on the bottom of
your posting is another good option for an image.
The Bottom Line About Images
The bottom line is you should try to use images to convey a point or emphasize a point on your
blog. Images make a blog more appealing while adding greater impact. Make sure the images
you use are appropriate for your readers and that you have permission to post them on your
blog. Follow these guidelines and add some images to your blog.
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Addressing Competitors on Your Blog
Blogs, especially corporate blogs, will have competitors (either a competing blog or a competing
business). How you handle or address competitors on your blog will speak volumes about you
as a person and as a business.
For the most part, always take the high road and never get caught up in a public and nasty feud
with another blog or business.
Addressing the Competition in General
You should rarely mention a competitor by name. Though it is acceptable to name them when
comparing aspects of a product or service make sure you keep a professional tone. Consumers
are turned off when they see another company’s products being disparaged.
If you think your product or service is better, than focus your postings on the highlights of your
products or services. Do not focus on pointing out problems with your competition.
Sometimes your best option is to mention competitors in a generic way. For example, “other
products on the market”, or “similar types of products” are better terms for blogging purposes
because they enable you to differentiate your products without specifically naming the
competition.
Your readers may not even have known that a certain competitor existed so do not be quick to
give them some free press on your blog.
Addressing Negative Postings from Competition
Addressing negative postings from your competition is a somewhat sticky subject. On one hand
you want to address the posting, on the other hand your readers may not know the posting was
even made. Addressing a posting may alert your readers to its existence for the first time.
How you handle negative postings will depend on the comments that were made by the
competitor. Some comments can be ignored while other comments will need to be addressed.
Your first course of action may be to contact the competitor and request they remove any
defamatory comments on their blog. You may be surprised at how many will honor the request,
especially if it is made in a professional manor. If the comments at question appear on their
blog but were not written directly by them they may be more than willing to remove the offending
comments.
If the competitor refuses to remove a negative posting you can respond on your blog by
addressing the accusations without indicating where they were made. This way you are able to
respond without giving any unnecessary power to their blog posting.
Keep these things in mind when addressing the competition on your blog.
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A Flaming on Your Blog
Flaming is something that every blogger will see from time to time. Basically flaming is when
someone viciously attacks you or someone else that posts something on your blog. Typically a
flaming is very personal and quite vicious.
It is important that you handle flaming in fact you probably want to have a written policy about
inappropriate behavior on your blog including flaming.
How to Handle a Flaming on Your Blog
First and foremost you want to make sure you address any flaming or other personal attacks
that appear on your blog. This is especially true if someone is attacking another reader of your
blog. Your failure to handle these types of postings will make it appear as if you condone them.
You want your readers to know that you value them and will make sure they are not attacked for
participating on your blog.
The first thing you should do is delete the flaming post. Once it is deleted you should contact
the person who was flamed and apologize for the behavior or the person who flamed them and
let them know the offensive posting was removed.
After contacting the person who was flamed you need to contact the person who posted the
inflammatory posting. You should let them know the offensive posting was removed and that
you do not tolerate that type of behavior on your blog.
If their post was extremely offensive you can immediately ban them from your blog. The
alternative is to warn them that if they post anything in the future that violates your blog policies
they will be banned.
How to Handle You Being Flamed
If the personal attacks are directed at you, it is important to take action. Just as you would
protect any member of your blog you need to protect yourself as well. Though you should
always invite feedback and commentary, including negative commentary, you should not accept
flaming.
Remove any inappropriate comments and provide a warning to the person who posted it. You
can even invite them to post an edited version of their comments if appropriate. Most will
probably not take you up on the offer but some may.
If you protect yourself and your readers from flaming you will be promoting a healthy
environment where topics can be discussed and heated debates can ensue without rising to the
level of inappropriate flaming on your blog.
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Keep SPAM Off Your Blog
If you are starting a blog you may be surprised to learn that you can expect SPAM and quite a
bit of it. Blogs are notorious magnets for spammers looking to post links to their websites,
especially gambling sites, adult sites and prescription drug sites.
Primarily SPAM will be posted in the comments of your blog postings rather than as a new blog
posting. Unless you have set up your blog to notify you any time someone makes a comment
you may not even know they are there.
Why SPAM Should be Deleted
SPAM hurts the overall impact of your blog and can lead some of your followers to stop reading
your blog completely. For the most part the nature of SPAM postings are not what most blog
readers want to see and it is important you remove it fast.
Links off of your blog to porn, gambling and other such sites can also hurt your ranking in
Google unless you catch the links and remove them.
Protect Yourself Against SPAM
Most blog sites (including Blogger and WordPress) give you the ability to set up your blog so
you are notified anytime a comment is posted. In fact, you can set up your account so a
comment does not appear unless you approve the content. This is the most effective way to
keep SPAM off your blog.
The major blog sites also offer SPAM guard plug-ins. Basically these plug-ins identify the most
common SPAM postings and delete them before they are able to be posted on your site. They
also enable you to blackball users, websites, IP addresses, etc to further combat SPAM.
You should consider one or more of these SPAM protection options if you are going to have a
successful, SPAM-free blog. Remember not every link to another website is SPAM. However,
you should look at all comments and outgoing links to determine if they are the type of
comments and links you want your followers to see.
SPAM protection will be something you want to stay on top of and it is worth the effort.
Spammers can be both creative and persistent in their attempts to post links to the websites
they are promoting. Take affirmative steps to block the SPAM and keep a close eye on your
blog and they will eventually move on to another blog to try to SPAM.
Guest Bloggers on Your Blog
If you are just starting out writing a blog you are probably not thinking about adding guest
bloggers. Though it is not something you have to think about from day one it is something you
should think about early on.
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Guest bloggers can alleviate some of the burden of having to post on your blog frequently.
Guest bloggers can also help keep your blog going during a planned or unplanned absence.
Choosing a Guest Blogger
A guest blogger is someone that can write content for your blog that is relevant to your subject
and interesting to your readers. Though they do not have to write in exactly the same style and
tone as you do, you generally want them to write in a similar tone.
If you know the blogger you want to ask to be a guest blogger on your site then the screening
process is simple. Other options include asking writers for a sample blog posting so you can
evaluate their style or choosing a guest blogger from someone who contributes to your blog
presently.
The reliability of your guest blogger is crucial.
Introducing Your Guest Blogger
A guest blogger should be introduced to your readers. The introduction should include a brief
bio of the guest blogger as well as information about when they will be posting and if necessary
why they will be posting (e.g. if you have a planned absence from your blog).
You can add a guest blogger for comic relief as well. In that case your introduction should be
humorous and let your readers know they are in for some fun. It is perfectly fine for your guest
blogger or guest bloggers to be posting when you are posting as well.
There are many highly successful blogs that have multiple blog writers. It is not necessary for
your blog to be in one voice only. You can have writers with different viewpoints or areas of
expertise. You can also have different writers for different topics on your site.
The thing to keep in mind is that though you may control your blog and all of its content, it does
not mean that you have to be the sole content creator. Guest bloggers or regular contributors
can help your blog stay fresh, interesting and frequently updated.
Even if your blog has not yet been started now is a good time to start thinking about additional
writers for your blog.
Affiliate Programs and Blogs
Affiliate programs may prove to be your best friend. The right affiliate programs can transform a
blog into a cash machine. Affiliate networking should be considered by all bloggers. Try to
devote proper resources to joining and maintaining effective affiliate relationships.
Joining Affiliate Programs
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Before you rush to join affiliate programs for advertisers you want to first sit down and identify
who your blog’s target market is. Be as specific as you can. Once you know who your target
market is you want to identify what is important to your market.
Join affiliate programs of advertisers that have products or services that will interest your
readers. Your goal is to choose advertisers that will likely result in a conversion (sale). Many
bloggers lose focus. Do not try to pick ads that make their blog seem important. Pick ads that
will generate revenue.
Join only the affiliate programs of advertisers that will genuinely interest your readers.
Integrating Affiliate Links into Blog
Create blog postings about products or services you feel strongly about. Write a well written
blog posting that includes one or more links to affiliate websites that offer those products or
services.
It is important that the link you add to the blog posting include any tracking code needed so you
get credit for the sale through the affiliate network.
Images can include hyperlinks to retailers or suppliers of the product or service you are writing
about. In addition you can invite readers to “read more” with a link to the page on a website that
is relevant to your target market.
You do not want to go overboard with promoting products or services with every blog posting or
your readers may think you are not being genuine. Your integrity is important to maintain while
blogging.
Integrating Affiliate Ads on Your Blog
Affiliate ads can be integrated on your blog. Typically the affiliate ads appear on the sides of the
blog as well as the bottom of the blog. Keep in mind that the higher an ad appears on the page
the more effective it will be.
Typically adding affiliate ads to your blog is part of a pay-per-click arrangement where you are
paid every time someone from your site clicks on their ad and goes to their site and completes a
purchase.
A blogger looking to make money should integrate affiliate links into their postings and affiliate
ads onto their blog.
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Contents
Set Up a WordPress ss Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Set Up a Blogger Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Naming Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
To Blog or Not to Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Top Mistakes of Bloggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Linking Your Blog and SMM Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Blog Set-Up – Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Blogging for Beginners – Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Monetizing Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Blogging for a Target Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Blogging – Choosing a Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Blogging – Length of Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Blogging – How Often do I Post? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multi-Purpose Blog Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Blog Style and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Blogging Non-Original Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Blogging Absences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using Video on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Use of Images on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Addressing Competitors on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A Flaming on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Keep SPAM Off Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Guest Bloggers on Your Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Affiliate Programs and Blogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2
Set Up a WordPress Blog
Here’s how you set up your WordPress Blog on your URL (domain). The first thing you need to
do is to make sure you have a hosting account created. Your hosting account must include:
· PHP 4.3 (or higher)
· MySQL 4.0 (or higher)
· Mod_rewrite Apache module
You do not need to worry about what these features are, it is just important that you make sure
you have them. Try to get hosting at the same place you set up your domain.
In your hosting account you will find a control panel. In your control panel find the Databases
option and create a new database. You will be asked to give the database a name and create a
username and password. Keep this information in a safe place. This is your MySQL database
that will store all of your blog postings.
Installing WordPress
Once you have the hosting set up and the database created it is time to install WordPress.
Some hosting companies have a quick install option. If they do not all you have to do is
download the latest software at: http://wordpress.org/latest.zip (for Windows or Mac).
Unzip the files on your computer. They will be unzipped in a folder called “Wordpress”.
Within the unzipped files you will find a file called wp-config-sample.php open it the file (it will
open in any document editor). You will find instructions in this document. Change the text as
needed in your editor (you will be adding the name of your database, username and password.
Save the file and rename it “wp-config.php”.
Move each folder and file within the “wordpress” unzipped folder you created (do not copy the
folder itself) onto your website host company’s server (your hosting company will give you
directions, it is very easy).
If your blog is the entire site put it in the root directory. Otherwise you will want to create a
subdirectory for the blog. You may want to create one like: http://www.mydomain.com/blog or
blog.mydomain.com.
After the WordPress files are on the server go into your web browser and type
www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php (or if you did it on a subdirectory you type
www.yourdomain.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php.
The software will then guide you through the last few steps to installing your blog on your
server. WordPress makes it quick and easy to install a blog. Take your time and go step-bystep
and you should have no problem installing and starting your blog.
3
Set Up a Blogger Blog
Setting up a blog on Blogger is quite easy. The first thing you want to do is to set up a Google
account for the blog. You can do this by going to Blogger.com and then following the link in the
resources section.
It takes about 2 or 3 minutes to set up a Google account. If you already have a Google account
you can use it if you wish.
After you have set up your Google account you should go back to Blogger.com and sign-in
using your Google account username and password. Your username is typically the e-mail
address you used when creating the account.
You can set up your account so it remembers your username and password. Only do this if you
are on a non-shared computer.
Look for the “Create a blog” option on the dashboard of Blogger. The dashboard is the page
you go to every time you log onto your Blogger account. You can manage several blogs from
the same dashboard if they were all created with the same Google account.
You will be asked to name your blog. You want to create an easy to remember, easy to find
name that makes it clear what your blog is about. Try not to have a blog name that is too long.
It will be the first part of the web address of your blog. For example if you name your blog “Teds
Tidbits” your URL will be: http://tedstidbits@blogspot.com.
The next thing you need to do is to choose your template. Blogger has a number of templates
to choose from. You do not have to agonize over which template to use because you can
change the template at any time.
Write your first official blog post using the template Blogger provided. Feel free to add a picture,
etc. Once you submit that first blog posting you will be able to view your new blog, edit the
posting, etc.
At this point you can personalize your blog so it stands out. Many different aspects of the blog
can be changed, moved around, etc. Click on the “Layout” option and start to make your blog
stand out from the other blogs out there. You can undo virtually anything that you do so do not
be shy to experiment with different layouts for your blog.
Once you finish your layout you are done. Happy blogging!
Naming Your Blog
Shakespeare asked if a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The importance of
choosing the right name for your blog should not be overlooked. Remember there are two
4
different names for your blog. First, there is the name you choose for the actual blog. Second,
there is the URL you reserve to host your blog.
Naming the Blog
People can sometimes try to be overly cute or a bit too creative when they name their blog.
Though it is a way to show your creativity you run the risk of no one knowing what your blog is
actually about.
A blog’s name should immediately convey the central purpose of your blog. This will be helpful
in gaining followers who often look on blog directories or search for blogs by category online. If
someone is looking for a blog about luxury handbags they will want to see a blog with a name
that includes any of the following:
· Bags
· Clutches
· Handbags
· Hobos
· Purses
· Satchels, etc
Though you may want to be more creative and use a term like arm candy, not all of your
potential readers will be able to identify the focus of your blog based on the name.
Try to be straight forward with your blog’s name and use your creativity with the design of the
blog and the actual content on it.
Blog URL
If possible you want your blog’s URL to be the same as the name of your blog but this is not
always possible or even desirable. If you want to be creative with the name of your blog then try
to be straight forward with your URL. For example, if you choose the name Eye Candy Blog for
the name of your blog, as mentioned above, you may want a URL that has handbag or purse in
the name.
Typically people see both the blog’s name and URL when looking in a blog directory. Though
ideally you are straight-forward with the name you give your blog and the URL it will be placed
on, you can choose to be a little more creative with the name of your blog as long as your URL
contains the keywords in it.
Take time to think about the best name for your blog. Try to choose a name that will strike a
chord with your target market. Often less is more and simple is the best way to go.
5
To Blog or Not to Blog
To blog or not to blog that is the question website owners should ask. Many people rush to
create a blog with little purpose in mind, and others assume blogging is a waste of time and
never try.
The truth is that some businesses would benefit from a blog while some would not.
Blogging – Do You Have Something to Say?
The first question you should ask yourself is whether or not you have something to say that will
either inform or entertain your target market. You need to feel confident that you can sustain a
blog.
If you have “some” information but not enough to sustain a blog you may consider writing and
distributing articles rather than writing a blog.
If you think you have enough to say then you are past the first step in the decision making
process.
Blogging – Identifying the Target Market
It is important to identify your target market. Who do you want reading your blog and for what
purpose? This will help you start to determine whether or not this target market is likely to find
and read your blog. You do not want to waste resources in writing a blog no one reads.
Determining the goal of your blog is vital. Is your goal to create a revenue stream through
affiliate marketing? Is the goal to introduce consumers to products and services on your
website? Is your goal to enhance your search engine rankings?
Once you know your goal or goals you can start to determine how likely it is for you to reach
them. For example, will you be able to find affiliate advertisers who would appeal to your target
market? Do you have enough information to post regularly about your products and services
without being repetitive?
You need to know who your target market is and what your goal is.
Blogging – How Often?
You need to blog regularly. Depending on your goals you may have to put blog postings up
daily or perhaps only weekly. You need to stay on top of your blog. If your blog readers see a
lull in your postings they will lose interest.
A good rule of thumb is to post at least 4 times per week. Anything less than that would be
ineffective for most purposes.
Ask yourself these questions and be honest and realistic with the answers and you will
determine whether it is time to blog or not to blog.
6
Top Mistakes of Bloggers
Knowing the most common mistakes made by bloggers can help you avoid making them. In the
end you have complete control over your blog. You can choose to do or not to do anything you
want. Knowing the repercussions of certain actions or inactions can help you make better
decisions.
Blogger Mistake #1 – Ignoring Comments
Ignoring the comments posted on your blog is a big mistake. Some bloggers never read the
comments posted on their blog. This is bad for two reasons. First, you will gain no insight
about your followers. Your followers are essential if you want to have a popular blog or a blog
that you earn money from.
Think of your blog as a conversation not as a monologue. Never ignore your readers. If you
ignore them they will eventually ignore you.
Additionally, the comments section is where most SPAM will appear. Even if you install SPAM
blockers there will be a certain amount of SPAM that is able to make its way through. SPAM
can hurt your blog’s reputation and even cause problems on Google and the other search
engines.
Blogger Mistake #2 – Infrequent Posting
Infrequent or irregular posting on your blog can lead to you losing followers. Even if you do not
think anyone is reading your blog you want to set a schedule for blog postings and stick to it. It
is important to have consistency on a blog, especially if it is a corporate blog or a blog intending
to create revenue.
Depending on the focus of your blog you will need to determine the minimum frequency you can
post on it. Some blogs can do quite fine with 3 or 4 blog posts per week while other blogs need
10 or more postings per day.
Your followers will start to expect to see postings regularly so do not disappoint them.
Blogger Mistake #3 – Taking Things Personally
Do not fall into the trap of taking criticism personally. You can expect to see your share of
negative posts, perhaps even flaming (flaming is when someone viciously attacks another
person online). Do not retaliate with a personal attack of your own. Simply delete the offending
comment and move on.
These are the three biggest mistakes bloggers make. The key to succeeding with your blog is
to review popular blogs and see what they do well. Try to focus on the positive aspects of
blogging while keeping an eye out for common mistakes.
7
Linking Your Blog and SMM Accounts
Your blog and your social media marketing (SMM) accounts should be linked together. You
want to create a network of resources that bring together your various marketing efforts. Linking
your blog to your social media accounts is essential.
Blog Postings on Facebook and Twitter
You can set up your social media accounts including Facebook and Twitter so that they
automatically show a link to your blog postings. This automated technique makes it easy to
update your Facebook pages and Twitter account with your new blog postings.
One of the goals of all social media marketing plans is to keep content updated and fresh. If
you update your blog frequently you will be automatically updating your Facebook and Twitter
account as well.
Make sure the titles of your blog posting are eye-catching and you can drive traffic from the
social media sites onto your blog. A short, catchy title will capture the attention of someone you
are friends with on Facebook or who is following you on Twitter.
Add Social Media Links to Blog
People who find your blog may not know that you also have social media accounts and pages.
Make sure that your blog prominently displays an invitation for them to become a fan on
Facebook and a follower on Twitter.
As a blogger you want to give people a ample opportunity to learn more from you and about
you. Linking your social media accounts to your blog creates these opportunities.
Web 2.0 is all about users participating on websites and networks. A blogger needs to think
about inviting participation on their blog and beyond their blog in order to create an overall user
experience that builds loyalty.
Off Blog Feeds
When you set up your blog you will have the option to arrange a blog feed that other people can
pick up and add to their site. Basically your blog postings will be displayed on any site that adds
the feed to it.
A blog feed can open up new traffic sources and revenue streams with no additional effort on
your part. You should also add your blog feeds to directories and other resources that people
search in order to add fresh content to their site.
Remember, fresh content is a key to success online. Your blog can become a source for
content for other websites which means your blog and their website wins. Link your blog to your
social media accounts and blog feed resources for maximum impact.
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Blog Set-Up – Plug-Ins
When you are setting up your blog you will have the option to add plug-ins. There are many
add-ons or plug-ins to choose from. Some of them can be quite useful and some of them can
be quite useless.
Since WordPress is the most popular blog choice we will focus our examination on plug-ins with
WordPress blogs.
Blog Plug-In: Akismet
SPAM is a serious issue on the web including on blogs. Akismet is a plug-in option for
WordPress blogs that helps eliminate SPAM before it can appear on your blog. This free plug-in
is essential and is considered by many bloggers to be their most important weapon against
SPAM.
One of the first plug-ins you should add to your blog is Akismet. Make sure it is up to date and
properly installed on your blog.
Blog Plug-In: Add to Any
Social media marketing has transformed the Internet. The vast majority of bloggers also have
social media accounts. Bloggers are typically quite actively engaged in social media sites and
social bookmarking. Add to Any is a plug-in for social media marketing.
Adding this plug-in to your blog makes it easy to add blog postings to your social media sites as
well as to bookmark your postings.
Blog Plug-In: All in one SEO Pack
The all-in-one SEO pack for WordPress blogs is an important plug-in. This SEO pack
incorporates the essential SEO elements needed to help your blog appear in search results for
relevant keyword terms.
Many search engine optimization experts add the SEO Pack to every blog they manage.
Blog Plug-In: Backup Wordpress
WordPress offers a backup plug-in that automatically backs up your database for security
purposes. This feature is an important safety feature that will protect you if your blog loses data
or that data gets corrupted. Hackers often target blogs so having the right security in place is
important.
Blog Plug-In: Super Cache
The Super Cache plug-in helps your blog postings get indexed quickly in the search engines.
Indexation is important because it helps people find your website. This plug-in is often
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considered part of the list of SEO plug-ins but it is not part of the All in One SEO Pack described
above.
When setting up your blog, make sure you install the five essential plug-ins outlined in this
article. There may be other plug-ins that interest you as well but these are the five most
important WordPress plug-ins.
Blogging for Beginners – Comments
Comments by readers of your blog can be moderated by you in a number of ways. Your
decision on how you will monitor comments will have a large impact on your overall blog. It is
important that you keep in mind the pros and cons of your decision.
First and foremost, blogs that invite comments from readers are generally more popular than
blogs that do not. Web 2.0 is all about participation on the web and people like to feel part of a
blog community rather than just a reader of a one-sided blog.
For some businesses it may make sense to disallow comments, however, for the majority of
businesses and personal blogs you should consider allowing comments from your readers.
Unrestricted Commentary
One option you can have on your blog is unrestricted commentary. This allows anyone to post
comments on your blog with no moderation. Though this is the most open form of blogging it is
also the most dangerous. You will undoubtedly find inappropriate comments and SPAM on your
blog which can lead to problems with the search engines.
For the most part it is not a good idea to allow unrestricted commentary.
Registered User Commentary
One small but effective way to restrict the commentary on your site is to require the person
interested in commenting to register for your blog with a valid e-mail address. This will prevent
most spammers who want to post quickly and move on. It will also help prevent people from
posting ridiculous comments on your blog. Some SPAM and ridiculous commentary will still get
through.
Once someone is registered you can monitor their postings on your blog and ban them or block
them if you find them posting inappropriate comments.
Approved Comments Only
Most bloggers choose the option of allowing only approved comments to appear on their blog.
Basically you set up the blog so you are notified anytime someone posts a comment to one of
your postings. The comment will not appear until you have reviewed it and actively approved it.
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Requiring comment approval is a good way to both allow comments and protect the integrity of
your blog at the same time. Most people familiar with blogging expect to have their comments
reviewed before being visible.
Allow commentary on your blog in order to keep your readers active on your blog but choose
the level of protection that works the best for your needs.
Monetizing Your Blog
Some people blog for the pure pleasure of blogging about something they are passionate about.
Some people blog with the goal of making money. There are a number of ways you can
monetize your blog. You can choose one or more of them depending on which is the most
appropriate for you blog’s topic and your blog’s followers.
Making Money with Affiliate Arrangements
Depending on the topics of your blog you may be able to make money through affiliate
relationships. If your blog is on a topic that relates directly to products you can almost assuredly
make money by placing affiliates’ ads on your site.
For example, if you have a blog about accessories you can sign-up for affiliate programs from
retailers of accessories. You can place affiliate ads on your blog as well as add affiliate links in
your actual blog postings.
The affiliate relationships may even drive some of your content. If you can earn money by
mentioning a new product or service on your blog and provide a link (with the affiliate tracking
code) to a retailer offering the product you can earn a percentage of the sale.
You can also contact retailers directly and request that they offer your readers a coupon code.
The coupon code would give your readers a discount and earn you a commission for every sale.
This way both you and your readers benefit from the affiliate arrangement.
PPC Ads on Your Blog
You can add Google, Yahoo and Bing ads to your blog as well. You will earn some money
every time someone clicks on the link from your blog. If you are going to do this it is important
that you use ad filters so you can make sure that the ads that appear on your blog are
appropriate for your target market.
You do not want ads for the sake of having ads. You want ads which are relevant to your target
market. The more relevant the ads are the more likely the ads will be clicked on by your
readers.
A high-traffic blog can make considerable money through PPC ads though perhaps not as much
as if done through the right affiliate relationships.
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The bottom line is you can monetize your site with affiliate relationships and PPC ads. If you
are taking the time to write compelling content you should reap the rewards of your effort. Go
ahead and monetize your blog in one or both ways.
Blogging for a Target Market
Blogging is an effective way to earn an income while writing about something you are
passionate about. It is sometimes too easy to let your blog run astray so make sure you always
have your target market in mind.
The most effective blogs stay true to their main focus and primary target market. Your ability to
keep your blog’s focus on your target market will be result in greater loyalty from your readers
as well as greater opportunities to earn money on or through your blog.
You should try to get as specific as you can when determining who your target market is. For
example, the criteria you may consider when determining your target market may include:
· Age
· Children or no children
· Ethnic background
· Gender
· Geographic area
· Income bracket
· Marital status
· Religious background
· Sexual orientation, etc.
These are just some of the characteristics you can consider when identifying your target market.
Identify Interests of Target Market
Once you have identified your target market and described them you need to start to determine
what interests them and what does not. You can use social media sites like Facebook to gain
some insight into your target market.
Remember, your target market will have diverse interests so you want to try to identify trends
and similarities. Try to stay as close to your blog’s primary purpose as possible. Identifying their
interests will enable you to make appropriate references in your blog rather than add entirely
new subjects that have little relevance to your primary subject.
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Invite Feedback from Target Market
You can invite feedback about your blog from your target market on your blog or on social
media sites. Input from your target market is a great way to make sure you are on point and will
help you make sure your blog is serving your target market well.
Blogs should be viewed as conversations not monologues. Your readers will feel more loyalty if
they can contribute to your blog and start dialogues with you and other followers of your blog.
Do not get in the habit of thinking you are the only one that should offer commentary on your
blog or you will have very few followers.
Identify your target market, focus on their needs and welcome them as part of your blog and you
can be well on your way to successful blogging.
Blogging – Choosing a Theme
One of the most exciting things for new bloggers to do is to set up their blog. They look forward
to coming up with a catchy name and a snappy looking design. The enthusiasm is great but
make sure it does not lead you astray.
When you choose your theme you want to make sure the theme has the functionality you want
before you focus on the aesthetics.
Choosing a Blog Theme with Functionality
It is important that you choose a theme that has all the features you want. Perhaps the most
important is to make sure your theme allows you to place advertisements on your blog if that is
one of your goals.
If your blog is part of an affiliate marketing program or some other type of program that will allow
you to monetize the blog you have to make sure the theme you choose is appropriate for that
goal.
Some themes allow ads to be more prominently placed than other themes. Location of the ads
is one of the keys on a blog. In fact you should view your blog as real estate and determine its
most valuable places and use them for maximum impact.
If you plan to have a “tag cloud” on your blog, make sure the theme supports it well. The bottom
line is you must make sure the theme you choose can handle the various things you want to
accomplish.
Choosing a Blog Theme – Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
A clean, easy to read and easy to navigate blog is a successful blog. There are many themes
available that are high on design and low on effectiveness. People visiting blogs are not looking
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for tons of bells and whistles (unless of course the blog is about bells and whistles). They want
a clean blog that is easy to navigate.
Check the themes you are considering carefully and make sure you think it is easy to find all the
different navigation options. Make sure the colors are not too harsh or your readers will not be
able to stay on your blog long. Do not have too many moving components on your blog or it will
be unappealing to blog readers.
You want to choose a theme that is comfortable for your readers. The goal is to keep them on
your blog so take the time to compare different themes and ask for help if needed.
Blogging – Length of Posts
Bloggers often wonder how long a blog posting should be. Oddly most bloggers err on the side
of posting overly long posts rather than posts that they may think are too short. The reality is
you are better off with frequent shorter posts rather than longer posts less frequently.
Keep it Short and Simple
Blog postings should be relatively short (typically under 400 words). Topics that require longer
postings can be and should be split over several postings rather than being in one longer blog
post.
Many bloggers find that postings under 200 words are the most effective. Most online users
skim content. Blog postings or web pages with too much content can overwhelm the reader and
cause them to become uncomfortable or lose interest in your blog.
As a general rule you should keep your sentences short. Try to have one thought per sentence.
Also try to keep your paragraphs to four sentences or less. Long paragraphs can turn off
readers. You want to keep your readers on your blog as long as possible.
Make sure you write succinctly. The ability to quickly convey a point will keep your readers
happy and on your blog.
How Many Posts Per Day
If you are adding short blog posts of under 150 words you will probably want to add at least 2 or
3 per day. If your blog postings are 300 or 400 words in length you can add just one or two per
day.
When it comes to the frequency of postings, the more often you post the better. Again, you do
not want to add posts for the sake of adding posts. Each post on your blog should meet the
criteria you established for your blog. Make sure it adds value for your blog before you publish
it.
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If your blog postings are primarily videos or images with very little text you will want to make
sure you have several postings per day. You may appear lazy to your readers if you only put
one or two very short postings on your blog each day.
Not all the posts need to be from you. You can invite contributors to post on your blog. Having
others write for your blog is a good way to alleviate some of the stress associated with
maintaining a blog.
Keep these things in mind when you are considering the length and frequency of your blog
postings.
Blogging – How Often do I Post?
Many bloggers, especially new bloggers wonder how often they should post on their blog. Do
they post at a furious pace until their fingers bleed? Do they post only when the spirit moves
them? The answer is somewhere in between.
Bloggers need to have a general idea of how often they plan to post. Consistency is more
important than volume when it comes to posting. If you start off with great passion and post 5 or
10 postings every day for a month then suddenly lose steam your followers will recognize this
and wonder if you are losing interest in your own blog. If you lose interest so will they.
How Often to Post – Gain Momentum
You are always better off gaining momentum rather than losing steam. Start off your blog by
adding postings at a pace you know you can keep up with. On days that you are feeling
particularly prolific you should create extra posts and save them in your admin panel without
actually publishing them.
You can build a stockpile of posts that can be used on days you have nothing to say or are
unable to sit down and focus on your blog at all. This is a good way to make sure that you are
prepared for any unplanned writing absences.
How many posts you start off with per day will depend on your blog’s focus. If you are a
corporate blog you can likely start with one very good post per day. If you have an
entertainment blog you probably want at least four or five short postings per day.
What is my Starting off Point?
The best way to determine your starting off point is to look at the competition. See how often
they post and how long their postings are. You do not have to duplicate their effort but you do
not want to be too far below it.
You must also consider quality. Quality should not suffer for the sake of quantity. If you find
that some of your posts are not good enough for your blog because you were focused on
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getting out extra posts you should consider scaling back a bit and sustain a volume that is
comfortable for you.
The bottom line is you need to keep your blog updated and current with content but you do not
want to become a slave to it. Try to find a realistic pace that can grow over time.
Multi-Purpose Blog Content
Writing for your blog can be a part-time or full-time job. Whether you are paying a professional
blog writer or writing the content yourself you want to make sure you get the most out of the
resources you have devoted to your blog.
Multi-purposing your blog content is a good way to maximize the value of your efforts. You may
not think about blog content as something that can be multi-purposed but it certainly can and
likely should be.
Adding Content to Your Blog
The first thing you want to do is add the newly written content to your blog. Google, Yahoo and
the other search engines typically give the most value to the first place content is added. You
want the most value to be your blog so make sure you post your content there first.
Once you have added the content to your blog you want to wait to confirm it has been indexed
by Google, Yahoo and Bing. You do this by doing a search for the title of your blog and seeing
if your blog comes up in the search results.
If your blog posting has been indexed you can distribute the posting in other ways including on
article distribution websites, social bookmarking sites, social media sites and your own e-mail
marketing database.
Content Distribution
Before you begin distributing the content you may want to consider making some simple
changes to the content so it is not identical to the content on your blog. You should also
consider getting your newly added content licensed with Creative Commons in order to protect
yourself from duplicate content issues.
The most important places to distribute your blog content is on social media sites like Facebook,
social bookmarking sites like Stumble Upon and article distribution sites like Ezine Articles.
Consider Derivative Works
Using derivative works can eliminate any concerns of having content identical to content that will
appear on other web pages. If you distribute derivative versions of your content you eliminate
any duplicate content concerns.
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Derivative works are similar but not identical to the original content created for your blog. You
can change the introductory paragraph, concluding paragraph and some words in each
sentence and distribute it without any concern about duplicate content.
Go ahead and multipurpose your blog content. If you do it properly you can make sure you are
getting maximum value out of your blog resources.
Blog Style and Tone
The style and tone you use on your blog is important. Not every blog will have or should have
the same style and tone. Both the tone and style of your blog is determined by your topic and
your target market.
For the most part blogs should be conversational in tone. You want people to feel comfortable
on your blog and not feel that they are being lectured to or “spoken” down to. The more
conversational in tone your blog is the more comfortable your followers will feel.
Of course, this does not mean that every blog should be casual in nature. Do not confuse
conversational with casual. Though it is perfectly acceptable for some blogs to be casual in
tone, not all blogs should be.
Take for example blogs by professionals such as doctors and lawyers. Though the style of the
blog should be conversational in tone, the style should not be too casual. Consumers expect a
professional to remain professional without being didactic.
Slang, Expletives and Humor
The use of slang is often considered casual. Though this is appropriate for some blogs it is
typically not acceptable for corporate blogs. You want to be conversational without crossing the
line and becoming overly casual. Avoid the use of slang on professional blogs.
Expletives are never appropriate for corporate or professional blogs. You should avoid them at
all costs. In fact you should avoid using any inflammatory language on your blog including
racial slurs, slurs about gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, disability or religion.
Humor is certainly something you can use on a blog including professional and corporate blogs.
Humor can be appropriate but again do not use humor based on gender, race, sexual
orientation, religion, disability, etc.
Put the Conversation in Conversational
Your blog should invite commentary from your readers. Invite them into the conversation and
you will get many more loyal followers. You may have heard of the expression Web 2.0. This
basically refers to user-created content and experiences. As a blogger you are engaging in a
Web 2.0 environment if you invite input from your readers.
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It is important to let your readers know the rules for commenting on your blog. You can
specifically forbid flaming (attacking other readers); abusive language; expletives, etc. It is
perfectly acceptable for you to expect your readers’ comments to fit the style and tone you set
up for your blog.
Blogging Non-Original Content
Bloggers sometimes fear posting or re-posting content from other sources on their blog. A
successful blogger will not want to solely post information from other sources on their blog
without any original postings. However, it is perfectly acceptable for you to put these types of
postings on a blog from time to time.
If you are going to re-post content that appears elsewhere online you want to make sure you
give proper credit to the original source. You should also introduce the posting with your own
words or give some other commentary on the posting.
Every blogger will need to decide on their own when they need to provide a source and when
they do not. Typically, if you are going to copy content directly from another source (without
paraphrasing) you should give proper reference.
Your followers will appreciate the fact that you are alerting them to content that they may find
interesting and it will avoid someone reading a story on your blog that they read previously and
wonder why you did not credit the original source.
Videos & Images
Videos and images can be added to your blog even if you are not the creator of the image or
video. If you obtain the content from sources like YouTube and Flickr you can safely add the
videos or images to your blog. If you think the original poster of the content is in violation of any
copyright laws then you should avoid adding the content to your site.
You can contact video sources directly and ask them for permission to post a video clip on your
blog.
Some bloggers rather beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission. That is a judgment
call a blogger will need to make directly. For the most part if you posted a video or image that
you should not have posted you will be requested to remove it and you should immediately
remove it.
Bottom Line about Non-Original Content
The bottom line is that you can add non-original content to your blog when appropriate. Make
sure you give proper citations and are not in violation of any copyright laws. If the content is
created by and posted by the creator on a site like YouTube or Flickr you should have no
problem adding it to your blog.
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Be careful but do not be afraid to add non-original content to your blog when you deem
appropriate.
Blogging Absences
Experienced bloggers know and novice bloggers quickly learn that the fastest way to lose
followers is to stop posting on your blog. Even a short absence that is unannounced can make
your followers lose faith and move on. Make sure you handle your blogging absences properly
so you do not lose all the momentum you have built up.
Planned Absences
Planned absences are easy to handle. You can announce on your blog when the absence will
happen and you can even announce why. This will prepare your followers for the anticipated
silence. You may want to consider recruiting a guest blogger if your absence will be for more
than a few days.
Depending on the topic of your blog you can also consider pre-posting your blog entries. You
can pre-date blog entries that will not appear on your blog until the date specified. Doing this
will make it appear as if you are behind your computer screen blogging away when perhaps you
are laying on the beach drinking a daiquiri.
Unplanned Absences
By their nature, unplanned absences will require you to think on the fly. You can set up your
blog to allow you to blog via email. This will let you post to your blog no matter where you are.
Even if you just want to post a quick message letting people know that you will be offline for a bit
it is better than complete silence.
Canned Postings
If appropriate for your blog, you can have some pre-written, generic postings that you keep in
your admin panel but do not post. You can then use those postings when you are out of town
unexpectedly or unable to blog for any other reason.
It is a good idea to teach someone else your admin panel and let them know about any canned
postings you have available. This is especially important for blogs that have a loyal following
who may become concerned if they do not hear from you.
Typically you want to update your blog followers and social media followers anytime you will be
silent for a period of time or have someone else update them in case you are unable to do it
directly.
Silence on a blog can be costly. Make sure you plan in advance for potential or planned
absences from blogging. Your pre-planning can help you sustain your followers and keep your
momentum going in the right direction.
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Using Video on Your Blog
Using video on your blog is a good way to keep it interesting. You can both inform and entertain
your blog followers by incorporating video onto your blog. It is important to keep some basic
rules in mind in order to make it effective.
Video Hosting
Some blogs allow you to post video directly on your blog by first uploading the file to the blog’s
server. The file will then be embedded in your posting so your readers can click on the video
and watch it.
You can also host videos on YouTube. This is a very common practice and is perfectly
acceptable. Basically you want to create a YouTube account that will be used for all the videos
you want to use on your blog.
The major blogs have an easy process for adding a YouTube video to a blog posting. Typically
all you need to do is copy and paste the URL of the video into the blog posting editor. Some
specifically have an icon you can use to add a YouTube video to a posting with just a couple of
clicks of your mouse.
Video – What is Appropriate?
Your goal is not to add video for the sake of adding video. You want to make sure the videos
you choose make sense for your blog. They should appeal to your target market and be
relevant based on the content you typically put on your blog.
It is perfectly acceptable to add YouTube videos created by and posted by other people. You
can credit the source though there is typically no specific need to.
If you are going to add other people’s videos to your site you want to watch them carefully and
make sure there is nothing inappropriate in the video. Watch it several times to make sure.
You do not want to be embarrassed by having video on your site that has something
inappropriate in it.
Video – How Many is Too Many?
There is really no definitive number of videos that can be considered too many. It will depend
on your blog and the videos you are adding. Short video clips tend to be better than longer
clips.
A good rule of thumb is to only add one or two videos per posting. More than that can become
confusing or cumbersome.
Go ahead and experiment with video on your blog and see how your followers react.
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The Use of Images on Your Blog
The use of images on a blog is a good way to add more interest and impact to your postings.
The right image can highlight a point or make a point all on its own. A picture is certainly worth
a thousand words. It is perfectly appropriate to add one or more pictures to any and every blog
posting.
When Images are a Must
There are some times that images are a must to add to your blog. If you are blogging about a
particular person, place or thing an image is a must. For example, if you are talking about a
new car model on the market you should have one or more images of the model with the
posting.
You do not want to leave your followers disappointed that they are unable to see what you are
talking about.
How to Get Images
You can find images online. You need to check and make sure you can use the images on your
blog without there being a copyright infringement. Give the sources of the image or images
when you post them as well.
A Google image search or a Flickr image search should help you find images for just about
anything you are blogging about. You can also use drawings, cartoons and other images to
highlight a point.
Size and Placement
If you are adding images to your blog you want to make sure they are sufficient size to convey
what you are intending to convey. Typically a blog posting will contain a thumbnail or smaller
size of the image that appears embedded in the posting. When someone clicks on the image it
should increase to its fullest size to show greater detail.
Images can be put in various places within a blog posting. For the most impact you want to
consider putting the image in the top right corner of the blog posting. Centered on the bottom of
your posting is another good option for an image.
The Bottom Line About Images
The bottom line is you should try to use images to convey a point or emphasize a point on your
blog. Images make a blog more appealing while adding greater impact. Make sure the images
you use are appropriate for your readers and that you have permission to post them on your
blog. Follow these guidelines and add some images to your blog.
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Addressing Competitors on Your Blog
Blogs, especially corporate blogs, will have competitors (either a competing blog or a competing
business). How you handle or address competitors on your blog will speak volumes about you
as a person and as a business.
For the most part, always take the high road and never get caught up in a public and nasty feud
with another blog or business.
Addressing the Competition in General
You should rarely mention a competitor by name. Though it is acceptable to name them when
comparing aspects of a product or service make sure you keep a professional tone. Consumers
are turned off when they see another company’s products being disparaged.
If you think your product or service is better, than focus your postings on the highlights of your
products or services. Do not focus on pointing out problems with your competition.
Sometimes your best option is to mention competitors in a generic way. For example, “other
products on the market”, or “similar types of products” are better terms for blogging purposes
because they enable you to differentiate your products without specifically naming the
competition.
Your readers may not even have known that a certain competitor existed so do not be quick to
give them some free press on your blog.
Addressing Negative Postings from Competition
Addressing negative postings from your competition is a somewhat sticky subject. On one hand
you want to address the posting, on the other hand your readers may not know the posting was
even made. Addressing a posting may alert your readers to its existence for the first time.
How you handle negative postings will depend on the comments that were made by the
competitor. Some comments can be ignored while other comments will need to be addressed.
Your first course of action may be to contact the competitor and request they remove any
defamatory comments on their blog. You may be surprised at how many will honor the request,
especially if it is made in a professional manor. If the comments at question appear on their
blog but were not written directly by them they may be more than willing to remove the offending
comments.
If the competitor refuses to remove a negative posting you can respond on your blog by
addressing the accusations without indicating where they were made. This way you are able to
respond without giving any unnecessary power to their blog posting.
Keep these things in mind when addressing the competition on your blog.
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A Flaming on Your Blog
Flaming is something that every blogger will see from time to time. Basically flaming is when
someone viciously attacks you or someone else that posts something on your blog. Typically a
flaming is very personal and quite vicious.
It is important that you handle flaming in fact you probably want to have a written policy about
inappropriate behavior on your blog including flaming.
How to Handle a Flaming on Your Blog
First and foremost you want to make sure you address any flaming or other personal attacks
that appear on your blog. This is especially true if someone is attacking another reader of your
blog. Your failure to handle these types of postings will make it appear as if you condone them.
You want your readers to know that you value them and will make sure they are not attacked for
participating on your blog.
The first thing you should do is delete the flaming post. Once it is deleted you should contact
the person who was flamed and apologize for the behavior or the person who flamed them and
let them know the offensive posting was removed.
After contacting the person who was flamed you need to contact the person who posted the
inflammatory posting. You should let them know the offensive posting was removed and that
you do not tolerate that type of behavior on your blog.
If their post was extremely offensive you can immediately ban them from your blog. The
alternative is to warn them that if they post anything in the future that violates your blog policies
they will be banned.
How to Handle You Being Flamed
If the personal attacks are directed at you, it is important to take action. Just as you would
protect any member of your blog you need to protect yourself as well. Though you should
always invite feedback and commentary, including negative commentary, you should not accept
flaming.
Remove any inappropriate comments and provide a warning to the person who posted it. You
can even invite them to post an edited version of their comments if appropriate. Most will
probably not take you up on the offer but some may.
If you protect yourself and your readers from flaming you will be promoting a healthy
environment where topics can be discussed and heated debates can ensue without rising to the
level of inappropriate flaming on your blog.
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Keep SPAM Off Your Blog
If you are starting a blog you may be surprised to learn that you can expect SPAM and quite a
bit of it. Blogs are notorious magnets for spammers looking to post links to their websites,
especially gambling sites, adult sites and prescription drug sites.
Primarily SPAM will be posted in the comments of your blog postings rather than as a new blog
posting. Unless you have set up your blog to notify you any time someone makes a comment
you may not even know they are there.
Why SPAM Should be Deleted
SPAM hurts the overall impact of your blog and can lead some of your followers to stop reading
your blog completely. For the most part the nature of SPAM postings are not what most blog
readers want to see and it is important you remove it fast.
Links off of your blog to porn, gambling and other such sites can also hurt your ranking in
Google unless you catch the links and remove them.
Protect Yourself Against SPAM
Most blog sites (including Blogger and WordPress) give you the ability to set up your blog so
you are notified anytime a comment is posted. In fact, you can set up your account so a
comment does not appear unless you approve the content. This is the most effective way to
keep SPAM off your blog.
The major blog sites also offer SPAM guard plug-ins. Basically these plug-ins identify the most
common SPAM postings and delete them before they are able to be posted on your site. They
also enable you to blackball users, websites, IP addresses, etc to further combat SPAM.
You should consider one or more of these SPAM protection options if you are going to have a
successful, SPAM-free blog. Remember not every link to another website is SPAM. However,
you should look at all comments and outgoing links to determine if they are the type of
comments and links you want your followers to see.
SPAM protection will be something you want to stay on top of and it is worth the effort.
Spammers can be both creative and persistent in their attempts to post links to the websites
they are promoting. Take affirmative steps to block the SPAM and keep a close eye on your
blog and they will eventually move on to another blog to try to SPAM.
Guest Bloggers on Your Blog
If you are just starting out writing a blog you are probably not thinking about adding guest
bloggers. Though it is not something you have to think about from day one it is something you
should think about early on.
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Guest bloggers can alleviate some of the burden of having to post on your blog frequently.
Guest bloggers can also help keep your blog going during a planned or unplanned absence.
Choosing a Guest Blogger
A guest blogger is someone that can write content for your blog that is relevant to your subject
and interesting to your readers. Though they do not have to write in exactly the same style and
tone as you do, you generally want them to write in a similar tone.
If you know the blogger you want to ask to be a guest blogger on your site then the screening
process is simple. Other options include asking writers for a sample blog posting so you can
evaluate their style or choosing a guest blogger from someone who contributes to your blog
presently.
The reliability of your guest blogger is crucial.
Introducing Your Guest Blogger
A guest blogger should be introduced to your readers. The introduction should include a brief
bio of the guest blogger as well as information about when they will be posting and if necessary
why they will be posting (e.g. if you have a planned absence from your blog).
You can add a guest blogger for comic relief as well. In that case your introduction should be
humorous and let your readers know they are in for some fun. It is perfectly fine for your guest
blogger or guest bloggers to be posting when you are posting as well.
There are many highly successful blogs that have multiple blog writers. It is not necessary for
your blog to be in one voice only. You can have writers with different viewpoints or areas of
expertise. You can also have different writers for different topics on your site.
The thing to keep in mind is that though you may control your blog and all of its content, it does
not mean that you have to be the sole content creator. Guest bloggers or regular contributors
can help your blog stay fresh, interesting and frequently updated.
Even if your blog has not yet been started now is a good time to start thinking about additional
writers for your blog.
Affiliate Programs and Blogs
Affiliate programs may prove to be your best friend. The right affiliate programs can transform a
blog into a cash machine. Affiliate networking should be considered by all bloggers. Try to
devote proper resources to joining and maintaining effective affiliate relationships.
Joining Affiliate Programs
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Before you rush to join affiliate programs for advertisers you want to first sit down and identify
who your blog’s target market is. Be as specific as you can. Once you know who your target
market is you want to identify what is important to your market.
Join affiliate programs of advertisers that have products or services that will interest your
readers. Your goal is to choose advertisers that will likely result in a conversion (sale). Many
bloggers lose focus. Do not try to pick ads that make their blog seem important. Pick ads that
will generate revenue.
Join only the affiliate programs of advertisers that will genuinely interest your readers.
Integrating Affiliate Links into Blog
Create blog postings about products or services you feel strongly about. Write a well written
blog posting that includes one or more links to affiliate websites that offer those products or
services.
It is important that the link you add to the blog posting include any tracking code needed so you
get credit for the sale through the affiliate network.
Images can include hyperlinks to retailers or suppliers of the product or service you are writing
about. In addition you can invite readers to “read more” with a link to the page on a website that
is relevant to your target market.
You do not want to go overboard with promoting products or services with every blog posting or
your readers may think you are not being genuine. Your integrity is important to maintain while
blogging.
Integrating Affiliate Ads on Your Blog
Affiliate ads can be integrated on your blog. Typically the affiliate ads appear on the sides of the
blog as well as the bottom of the blog. Keep in mind that the higher an ad appears on the page
the more effective it will be.
Typically adding affiliate ads to your blog is part of a pay-per-click arrangement where you are
paid every time someone from your site clicks on their ad and goes to their site and completes a
purchase.
A blogger looking to make money should integrate affiliate links into their postings and affiliate
ads onto their blog.
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