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8 Ways to Use Social Share Buttons on Your Blog. Are you looking to maximize your social media exposure on your blog? Then be sure to watch this edition of Social Media Examiner TV with your host Mari Smith. In this episode, Mari gives you some useful tips on how to increase your blog traffic with social media share buttons. Social media share buttons are a great way to get your readers to share your content on their own social media profiles without leaving your website. Mari reviews the different social share buttons available today and gives her recommendations on how to use them on your blog or website.

Share your feedback, see the show notes and discover how you can be part of a future show below! Here are the social share buttons Mari reviews on this video: Share Buttons for Twitter TweetMeme: This is a WordPress plugin which allows you to set how you want the tweets to be prepopulated for your readers. Twitter Share Button: This is Twitter’s own button and another option to use to get your readers to tweet your content. 26 Tips to Enhance Your Experience on LinkedIn. With more than 85 million users and “a new member being added every second,” LinkedIn is often regarded as the premier social networking site for business professionals. Companies also see LinkedIn as a valuable place to promote their products and services.

Let’s explore LinkedIn together and see if you can identify new ways to enhance your user experience by considering the topics discussed below. As I’ve done in the companion pieces to this post, 26 Twitter Tips and 26 Facebook Tips, I’ll introduce LinkedIn Tips from A-Z. These tips will reference both personal and company perspectives.

But before we get started, let’s go over a couple of LinkedIn basics—who’s on LinkedIn, creating your LinkedIn profile and developing your list of LinkedIn connections. Develop a network of relevant connections. Who’s on LinkedIn? To put it simply, everyone; full- and part-time employees, contractors, freelancers and key decision-makers from any given industry or company can be found on LinkedIn. #5: Events. Facebook 101 Business Guide. Not using Facebook for business yet? Wondering where to start? Already on Facebook, but not sure if you’ve done everything right? Well look no further. Bookmark this article. It will be your comprehensive guide to using Facebook.

By the way, you’re not alone. This post is designed to help you understand what Facebook can do for your business and lead you through a step-by-step process for getting started on building a compelling presence and optimizing your Facebook marketing. STEP 1: Review Your Profile Most likely, you already have a personal profile. Next, choose your approach for using your personal profile. My recommendation is to use your profile for a mix of both personal connecting and professional networking.

I’ll cover Friend Lists and privacy settings in a moment. Go to the Edit Profile section of your profile to edit each of these areas: You can get to the Edit Profile area by first clicking the Info tab, then the edit pencil in the top-right corner. Hide Your Year of Birth. How to Make Twitter More Useful for Your Business | Social Media. If you’ve been using Twitter, you’ve likely checked out an app or two to make your Twitter experience more robust, or even just a bit easier. TweetDeck, Twitpic and Tweetie are all examples of Twitter apps. What if I told you there was a magical place that could easily be your one-stop shop for all your Twitter needs?

Yes, this place really does exist. It’s called OneForty.com, the Twitter equivalent of the Apple App Store. Twitter Still Rocks for Businesses Before I jump in to tell you about all the benefits of OneForty, I want to point out that in recent months two reports have surfaced that show Twitter being the #1 choice of all social sites for professionals. In a recent Burson-Marsteller study, 65 of the largest 100 international companies have active accounts on Twitter (the second being 54 on Facebook).

The Ultimate Resource If you find yourself gravitating toward Twitter as a business tool, OneForty is a site you don’t want to miss. The “Tweet This!” What’s Hot Essentials Toolkits. How to Engage With Social Media (a Chris Garrett Interview) | So. In this video I interview Chris Garrett, co-author of the book ProBlogger. Here Chris provides great advice to helps businesses achieve value with social media. Chris shares the best way to approach Twitter and how to avoid the biggest mistakes people make.

He also highlights the importance of attraction, retention and conversion for your business blog. Be sure to read the other takeaways listed below. Here are other things to pick up in this video: On Twitter: Do not go into all guns blazingListen, get to know people thereResearch to find out if people are interested in what you want to talk aboutTweet as you’d like to be tweeted toEngage people and have conversationsDon’t simply shout out broadcasts On engagement: Reply to what peopleBeing interested is more interestingListen and show you are aware of what others sayAsk questions so people can do the same backUse contests on your blog to engage people On the biggest mistakes people make blogging: On attraction.

16 Tips for Successful Online Video Marketing | Social Media Exa. There’s no doubt that online video marketing is on the rise. Numerous studies and statistics prove that video works. In fact, Forrester Research found that videos were 50 times more likely to receive an organic first page ranking than traditional text pages. That’s a pretty impressive stat! Online video marketing is attractive to many businesses today for numerous reasons. Making videos and posting them online is fairly inexpensive. Plus, online videos stay online forever. In addition, social media sites and video go hand in hand and most sites encourage video posting and sharing. If you’re new to video, or have been thinking about flipping on your camera for the first time, here are some tips and strategies to get you going.

Six Quick Tips to Optimize Your Videos Once you record your video, follow these tips to make sure it reaches your core audience and gets the views it deserves. #1: Make your title count Just like a headline to a blog post, video titles can pull powerful traffic. The Biggest Social Media Mistakes (a Jay Baer Interview) | Socia. Four Ways to Find Out if Your Customers Are Active With Social M. For many companies, the conversation has shifted from “why” or “should” we do social media, to “where” and “how” social media should be done. A major component of answering those questions effectively is understanding in which social outposts your customers are concentrated, because there really is no benefit in beating your customers to the punch. Companies should follow, not lead, their customers across the social web. At conferences, I’m often asked something along these lines: “My boss thinks none of our customers are on Facebook, but I think they are.

What do I do?” Here are 4 ways to find out where your customers are in social media: #1: Hire a Spy Update: Since the publication of this article Flowtown no longer offers these services. Flowtown and Rapleaf are two of the leaders in the emerging field of social anthropology. Flowtown is perfect for small- and medium-sized businesses (see my review here) . #2: Ask #3: Email Behavior #4: Gmail Stalking Are you a social media detective? Social Media Launch Saves Cisco $100,000+ As early as 2008, networking giant Cisco was well along in its social media evolution. Back then you could find the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Yet something was missing – the hard business case for social media. Like most companies, Cisco knew it was benefiting from social media, but it couldn’t prove it. The launch of a new router using only social media would provide the proof Cisco’s marketers were seeking. The results surprised even the social media enthusiasts. “It was classified as one of the top five launches in company history,” said LaSandra Brill, senior manager, global social media. Cisco Social Media Stats: Website: www.cisco.comBlogs: 22 external, 475,000 views/quarterTwitter: 108 Cisco feeds with 2 million followersFacebook: 79 groups with 100,000 fansYouTube: 300+ channels, 2,000+ videos, 4 million viewsSecond Life: 150,000 visitors, 50+ eventsFlickr: 300+ photos, 400,000 views Social Media Launch Highlights: Router Launch: Promotion Through Play Tips Listen first. 5 Easy Steps to Creating Reusable Social Content | Social Media. Sure, social media takes a lot of time.

Merging Facebook, Twitter and all the other social media options can be challenging. But what if you could cut that time down significantly by cross-leveraging content? Too many companies are reinventing the content wheel for every social outpost they maintain. A better approach is to create a content ecosystem that allows you to repurpose and cascade your best information. Instead of a series of self-contained initiatives, build yourself a content ladder. Here are 5 steps to get there: #1: Understand Taxonomy If you want a new pair of glasses, the Yellow Pages is a frustrating neighborhood. Taxonomy is incredibly important in social media because it’s the most direct link between the worlds of social and search marketing.

When creating and promoting social content, include relevant keywords and search phrases wherever possible. Find keywords and search phrases to include in these three places: Twitter Lists #2: Seek Content Inspiration. Is RockMelt the Social Web Browser of the Future? Could your web browser replace the need to visit Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on a regular basis?

To find out the answer, keep reading… over the past 15 years. From Internet Explorer to the upstart Mozilla stealing their thunder and most recently Google rearing its head with an ultra-fast browser, Chrome, the field of play is starting to get crowded. Obviously, that means —and with a social twist. Enter RockMelt . The RockMelt browser window. RockMelt is a different breed of browser altogether. While IE , Firefox and Chrome are all talking about how fast they are ; . RockMelt is one of the first browsers to fully . Elijah’s Video Review : Caution: Watch for a surprise at the end! RockMelt has . Real-Time RSS OK, I’ll admit it. RockMelt does that. RockMelt lets you , and they immediately send you a visual signal when there’s new content for you to digest. People-Centric Sharing Sharing with your entire community is a great thing, but I’ve found that sharing an article to .

Dual Search Boxes Really? Facebook Integration is the Future (a Jesse Stay Interview) | So. How to Build Your Facebook Fan Base by Creating Experiences. It’s obvious that Facebook pages are quickly becoming an essential part of most businesses’ marketing strategies. But how can you find ways to differentiate yourself from the competition? In this article, I’ll take a look at how brands are standing apart from the crowd on Facebook. And how you can employ some low-cost techniques to grow your fans. Oreo knows a thing or two about standing out. Spotlighting fans is one way Oreo creates a fun experience on their Facebook page. Old Spice was able to grab the attention of Facebook users with their “Old Spice Guy” videos. The Old Spice videos were made almost as quickly as fans posted their questions for Old Spice Guy on social sites like Facebook and Twitter. But what about the small- to mid-sized companies?

Here’s the great news: You still have a chance! The way to stand out from the masses is to create “Facebook Experiences.” For example, on the Social Media Examiner Facebook page, we created “Expert Fridays.” Do you want to add value? How to Use Blog Commenting as a Networking Superweapon. When it comes to driving awareness through social media channels, most marketers think about using tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube videos to reach key audiences.

But very few think of leaving a comment on a blog as a strategy to driving awareness—and potentially, down the road, garnering leads. Wait, how can leaving a comment on a blog drive awareness (or leads) for your brand? You might be surprised at how effective this strategy can be, given the right circumstances. B2B organizations, for example, are often positioned well to capitalize on this approach based on their need to establish themselves as thought leaders on various topics. But, before we get to the “how,” let’s talk a bit more about the “why.” Why Comments as a Strategy Think about the leading business blogs. More importantly, if you’re interested in the kind of people who are disposed to read HBR (and let’s face it, many companies are), it can be the right traffic for your organization or clients. What about you? How to Develop a Social Media Content Strategy.

Do you have a social media strategy? Does it involve content? Should it? The other day I drove past a local convenience store that makes most of its profit from beer, Slush Puppies and beef jerky (not that there’s anything wrong with that). A big sign out front asked passers-by to Like them on Facebook. “It’s official,” I thought. Unfortunately, few businesses actually have a strategy for their Facebook page, or for the rest of their social media activity. If your social media engagement is reactive rather than proactive, it’s time to step back, take a deep breath and develop a content strategy that will engage your community. A content strategy doesn’t end with good signage. What Is a Content Strategy? Last year while doing some research into what certification organizations were doing in social media, I interviewed Susan Cato, Senior Director of Web and New Media Strategies at CompTIA, who said, “You can’t have a social media strategy without a content strategy.”

Measuring the Results. Event Marketing With Social Media. Whether you’re planning a real-world event (like a conference, tweetup or political gathering) or a virtual event (like a webinar or teleclass), social media can be an inexpensive, cost-effective way to build buzz, fill seats, and turn a one-off gathering into a recurring event. The trick is to know which social media tools to use and when to use them. This article contains 12 useful social media tips designed to help your events shine. Before Your Event The first step is to make people aware of your event, to mark it on their calendar, and to register. . #1: Market Your Event Through Twitter There are many ways in which you can use Twitter to raise awareness.

To encourage people to tweet out your hashtag and spread the word, sweeten the deal with a free pass, door prize or other giveaway for one lucky hashtag-er. If your event is large enough, give it its own Twitter account such as @Blogworld or @socialmediaFTW, which serves as a customer service “hotline” and adds credibility to the event. 24 Impressive Blog Plugins You Should Consider. One of the great things about blogging is how easy it is to set up a blog on any of the multitude of blogging platforms. While there are many options for building your blog, one of the most popular platforms is WordPress.org. However, what you get when you set up a WordPress blog can be pretty basic depending on the theme you choose. To make your new blog sing and work for you, it’s a good idea to install some key plugins. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com Plugins extend and expand the functionality of your WordPress blog. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of plugins you can add to your site to optimize it, customize it, add some bling, make it easy for your readers to navigate and so much more.

Which Plugins Should You Use? When it comes to plugins, how do you choose which to add to your blog? To come up with this list, I asked my Facebook fans for suggestions. How to Install Plugins For the sake of brevity, I picked a finite number to feature. The Impressive Plugins #1: Audio player: How Social Media Saved Lake Arrowhead When City Ad Budgets Ran D. 3 Steps to Ethical Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examine. Study Shows Time Pays With Social Media Marketing | Social Media. How to Use Twitter Events to Grow Your Network | Social Media Ex. 5 Easy Steps to a Winning Social Media Plan | Social Media Exami. Prospect for Business Using LinkedIn and Twitter Together. How Facebook Friday Expert Sessions Increase Fan Engagement. 3 Simple Ways to Rapidly Create Custom Facebook Landing Tabs. 6 Ways to Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines. How LinkedIn Apps Can Promote Your Business.