Marketing and Sales Info

Internal links

If you own a website, marketing is a matter of SEO, and getting some traffic to your site. One of the things you can do to get people to your site, and to get higher rankings on search engines is to build your internal and external and inbound links. Most people are so worries about the links coming into their site, that they forget about the ones they have total control over, the ones on their own pages. The following is a look at how to build internal links.

]]> First, consider your internal link structure. SEO and high rankings for competitive terms will play a significant role in your internal link building. You want to select a specific set of keywords to build your site content and internal links around. This will give your site high rankings on the top of SERPs.

The first thing you want to do when it comes to internet links is to make the keywords on them absolute. Any extra of secondary keywords should be discarded, as they may not be relevant, and could hurt your rankings. Properly naming your pages, and using the right keywords is crucial to your internal link success as it pertains to SEO. So, you want to make sure your page names are formatted like so:
http://www.yourwebsite.com/pagename.html. That results in the pages helping one another in the SERPs, and if someone copies your content, you will get a back link.

The next thing you want to do is be careful to limit your outbound links to about ten. Your page will be more focused, and add link power to the transmission of the page's own keywords. If you do this, when you start building external links, they will be more productive, and you will find yourself getting higher rankings.

Next, make sure your anchor text is optimized. You do this by ensuring your main keywords and keyword phrases show up in the title and on the page. It is great to do this, and if done properly you can really nail some of the best keywords. However, be cautious not to optimize the same page for more than 3 keywords. The best way to do this is to keep the content to less than 750 words total, and if it exceeds that, create a second page where you optimize a different set of keywords, or variations of the keywords optimized on the first page.

If you have content links inside your page content, keep them high on page, as they carry more influence with search engines. So, keep the contextual links above the fold if possible. When you use contextual links, be sure to link the main keywords for the page you want to optimize. So, if you want to optimize page 2, use the keywords for page two in the contextual links on page 1. This will make the internal back link a better quality, giving you higher rankings.

When creating internal links, keep programming code off the page, put it in its own file and hyperlink it to the page. This helps the search engines find what it needs without a bunch of excess stuff to sort through.

How to develop trust and build authority

A great way to marketing your business online is through a blog, but blogging can also be problematic because there are a lot of jerks out there who take advantage of readers. So how does a blogger develop trust and build authority? What can they do to be seen as authentic? In other words, what can a blogger do to have people trust them so that they can successfully use their blog as a marketing tool? Here is a look at a few of the steps you can take to build trust and authority with your readership:

]]> 1. Be consistent. Persistence, hard work, and consistency are all key to building trust. If you are out there to scam someone, you probably won't last long. If you are in for the long haul, working hard to consistently write something worth reading, you will generally outlast all of the crap bloggers in your genre, and as a result, people will realize you are worth looking at. Of course, it is important to note that it is not just about lasting a long time, but about
Producing quality consistently. People should be able to trust that they can always go to your blog and find something of value, and put up regularly. In addition, you have to be consistent about topics or themes. So, be consistent with quality, quantity, and theme.

2. Interact. People are going to trust you more if they feel like they have some sort of personal contact with you, and you are not just a nameless face sitting behind a computer screen. So, do things that will give people the proper impression of you. For example, leave a comment on a blog post so that they know you are paying attention to their reactions to your postings. It also shows you are willing to interact, and are engaged. Another option is to have a conversation over email. If the person is really struggling with you, or are being vocal about their distrust of you, it might take a phone call, Skype visit, or maybe a face to face interaction to help alleviate their fears. This is a great tool for fixing false perceptions.

3. Give them something to relate to. It is important that the person feels like you are someone they can relate to. They will want to "get to know" someone that they feel a common bond with. That getting to know part is a big deal, it means readership. It means your marketing is working. It means sales, advertising, and other revenue producing results. So, show people you are normal. You might know more about something than they do, but you still have problems, passions, experiences, challenges, and more. If they see you are normal, they will trust you more readily.
Of course there are many other things you can do to build trust and authority, but the biggest is to just be trustworthy, consistent, and willing to interact and get down to real life with people.

How much does fresh content matter in SEO

Anyone with a website knows that search engine optimization is a critical part of marketing. So, how much does fresh content matter in SEO? Having frequently updated content is one of the core principles of SEO success. However, unless you integrate other key principles of search engine optimization, fresh content will not matter.

]]> It is a good idea to have fresh content, as many search engines, including Google, feed on it, and will usually give a higher ranking to a site that has updated and fresh content. However, standing alone, it does little, or nothing to get you rankings.

Some of the other things you need to be doing to get SEO on track include the following, as well as many other things:

1. Create quality content. It doesn't matter what else you do, if your content is crappy, your SEO will be crappy. The reason is that traffic drives more traffic, but if people don't like what they see, they won't be coming back for more. If the site is poorly made, and the content is irrelevant, or not useful, they are not going to keep coming back. However, on the flip side, if they find that they always get value, and that they are sure to find consistency in when there is content, what the content gives them, etc. they will visit your site.

2. Build internal and external links. Linking is a huge part of SEO success. The first thing you have to do is optimize your internal links, making sure the right keywords are optimized, and that you are providing the right link text for back links. You want to make sure that you spend time on this, as it is completely within your control. Next are the external links. You get these by doing things like getting on local listings and directories. You do this by asking people to link to you. You do this by providing a "link to this page" box on every page you have on your site. Of course to do this, it overlaps with the first thing, and you have to have quality content that people want to link to. Take the time and effort to build your links externally and internally.

3. Optimize keywords. The next thing you want to do is optimize your keywords. You want to choose the keywords that are most relevant. You want to ensure that each page is optimized for specific keywords (usually no more than 3 per page), and that those keywords are in the title, and in the text.

If you do the above things in conjunction with providing fresh content, you will soar to the top of SERPs and find that Google, Yahoo! Bing, and other search engines love you, and rank you. High rankings is the kind of marketing tactic you need to achieve to be successful.

Getting higher rankings

When planning the marketing strategies for a website, one of the most important focuses should be rankings. In other words, how can you get higher rankings? The following are a few of the best tips for improving your rankings, and optimizing your website:

]]> 1. Build links by linking to your own posts. You don't want to do too much of this, but links can really help you get rankings, and you are in control of your internal links. So, what you want to do is write posts that provide great opportunities to link to other posts. For example, you might have a post about dog grooming, and another about dog safety. They can go hand in hand. So, link the dog grooming post to the post about dog safety. When you build these links, and link to your own posts, you want to make sure that you link to the key posts on your blog, and provide places for readers to find further information.

2. Get external links. It is hard to get external links, but the are weighted heavily and are key in SEO. SO, you have to put in the work, and make it easy for other people to link to your site or blog, and to want to link to you. First, make your content high quality so people will be comfortable linking to you. Second, get listed on local directories etc. by taking the time to fill out the stuff to make it happen. Third, take the time to syndicate your content. Create RSS feeds, and the like. Make sure you provide a "link to my page" box on every page so that people can link to you, and when they do it is properly set up with the right key words optimized. This is all important, but remember that getting links is generally something that happens if you write good content.

3. High quality content. This is not a high tech way of increasing SEO, but it is a tactic that tends to work. Generally, if you provide good content, you get links naturally. If you provide good content, you get lots of traffic. If you provide good content, your readers will send other readers to your site. Your feedburner will show an increase in use, and Google will notice. The idea is that if you write something worth reading, eventually a lot of people will read it. This is very good for you. This means higher rankings.

4. Fresh content. Google and other search engines feed on fresh content. While alone this is not going to get you rankings, add it to plugins, external links, keyword optimization, and all of the other things that help with SEO, and you are going to find yourself up there with the search engines.

5. Key words. You want to optimize the right keywords, and you want to make sure that you don't over do it. So, put them in naturally, get them in the titles, and in your tags.

Blog SEO tips

Optimizing your blog for search engines can be tricky, but lucky for those of you looking to use a blog for marketing, search engines love blogs. Of course, if you use your blog incorrectly, you won't get as much of the search engine love. Here are a few tips for blog seo:

]]> 1. Provide quality content. More than key words, or optimal length, or anything else that people tell you, the number one thing that is going to give you an edge when it comes to getting rankings if having good quality content. Good quality content that actually helps people is going to result in people recommending your blog, sending others to it, visiting it over and over, all of which help your rankings. When someone likes what they read, the pass on links to your post, syndicate it, and the like. So, if you want to use a blog for marketing, provide high quality posts EVERY TIME.
2. Use keywords. When you write a blog post, ask yourself what people will type into Google or other search engines when they are looking for content about this subject. If you were searching on this topic, what would you type in? Then use those words throughout your post, and suddenly, you are a post that is going to be considered in that search. A lot of SEO boils down to common sense when you really think about it, but using the optimal keywords, if overlooked, will leave even a great post low on the rankings.
3. Be careful with your titles. When posting, your titles are key, you want to make sure that you post in the title tag, as that is a big indicator to Google and other search engines what your blog is about. So, set your blog up so that it puts the title of your posts in the title tags section on the back end of your blog. Choose the first and last word carefully, as it will be a key component of how helpful your title is when it comes to searches. Use strong key words in these positions.
4. Know what you want from your blog. There are different ways to set titles, and other things up to accomplish your marketing goals. For example, if you want to brand your blog and products, services, etc. you will want to invlude your blog name in the title tags of single posts. However, if you want to have your key words be strong, and those titles be really helpful with rankings, your blog name could dilute your key words, and give the post less weight on the listing.
5. Use keywords all through the post. Your blog will only be ranked for the keywords you came up with if you use them all over your blog. Obviously don't overload it, but make sure that you use the words in the content, in the heading and subheading, and in any alt tags used on pictures.

Blog marketing is not always easy

Using a blog as a marketing tool does not guarantee perfect results, and it can be overwhelming at times. However, just because it is not always easy, doesn't mean it is a waste of time. Just because you may not see immediate results, does not mean you should avoid it. Most people find that their biggest blogging blunders come from taking the easy road instead of the one that pays off big. To use a blog for marketing, you may have to use some elbow grease. Here are a few suggestions for blog marketing, easy or not:

]]> Create a plan. A blog sounds like a great idea, and could be a lot of fun, but what happens with the well of ideas dries up? If you do not have consistent content you will lose subscribers, and your blog becomes worthless as a marketing tool. So, your first step to successful blog marketing is having a plan. A plan should include three parts: A theme, a time frame, and a list of content ideas.

A good blog centers around one theme: photography, gardening, cooking, small business, six sigma, etc. If you stray from it, you won't have the subscribers you want because they won't be able to count on your for content that applies to them.

The second aspect, a time frame, means how often will you post. Knowing how many posts a year you will put up helps with the third aspect, content ideas, but it also gives your subscribers a reliable source to come to for information, which means more subscribers, which turns into more customers.

The third aspect, a list of content ideas is crucial to a successful blog. If you intend to post every week for the year, you need 52 ideas for post topics. So, make sure you always have 3-6 months worth of ideas available so that you never run out of things to say, or lose value. This is easy to do, and takes less than five minutes a day. Just keep a running list going that you can add to, and take time each day to make certain you do add to it.

Create a backup plan. While it is great to have a set of ideas ready for your blog, and a time frame, as well as a theme, remember that even good plans can evolve and become great. Leave yourself open to evolution. If you find that you are getting a great response to your posts, and people want more information, consider posting more often. If you find that your theme is too broad, and you are losing people's interest because you are just not getting specific enough into the things they want information on, narrow your theme some. The opposite may be true. Basically, pay attention to how your blog marketing is going, and be ready to adjust if need be.

Bing local for SEO

While search engine optimization is internet wide, it is important to hit your local listings first, and expand from there. If you have a business that is locally based, not run just off the internet, getting on those local listings is key to your marketing strategy.

]]> The following is a look at how to use Bing local as part of your marketing strategy:

1. Take a few minutes to set up your local listing on Bing. This is really important, and it is easy and it's free. Some people avoid this because they do not want to get the phone calls and junk mail from solicitors, but you have to realize that with the bad comes some real opportunity for good, and the biggest part of that is being accessible to potential clients. To set up the listing, you want to go to the Bing Local Listing Center, and create your local listing.

2. Make sure you have all of the things necessary to create a Bing local listing. One of the things you need to do is create a Windows ID. When you do this you set up contact information, phone information, email addresses, business hours, and the like. When filling this information out, you have the chance to add a lot of information so people can get a real sense of who your business is, what they offer, and what you can do for them. To do this, you fill out things like taglines, brands, affiliations, services, products, and the like. The more information you provide, the better it will be.

3. Maximize the number of categories you place your business in. One of the cool things that Bing offers is the opportunity to put your business in up to six categories based on the associated keywords. If you want to take advantage of your Bing local as a marketing tool, especially SEO, then use as many of those categories as you can. Bing will refine the search criteria so that the right people find you, but only if you choose as many categories as you can. So, even if it might be a little obscure, give yourself more exposure.

4. Last, review your listing, and make sure the push pin locator for your address and map is correct. If it is, then you can submit it.

The local listing places may not be as effective as a world wide web presence that is strong, but the fact is, everyone who searches for a product or service tends to look locally as well as a wider search, so having local listings that you are part of can only help. So, take advantage of Bing local for your SEO, and set up accounts with other local listing companies including Yelp, Yahoo! Local, etc.

Be a unique blogger

A blog is a very useful tool for marketing. It is the perfect way to give your marketing campaign a voice, and a face. It is also a great way to get loyal, long term, customers, and keep them in the loop. The following is a look at how to be a unique blogger so that you catch interest, and keep it.

]]> 1. Don't let the overwhelming amount of blogs keep you from doing it. Many people think that a blog is a pointless endeavor because there are thousands of blogs out there on every subject imaginable, and they are all full of information, have tons of subscribers, etc. It is hard to break into the blogosphere, and get noticed, but it is worth it to try. The key is to do what it takes to stand out.
2. Realize that there is not one set thing or rule that sets blogs apart. Too many people want to know what the secret is to a unique blog. If there was one things that sets blogs apart, it would not be unique. However, being unique is what sets them apart. So, if you want to get noticed in the blogosphere, you have to provide something of value, and do it in a way that is somewhat unique. There is a large crowd of blogs out there, so don't just blend in and be part of the crowd, be unique. Help your blog stand out.
3. Once you have an idea of how you want your blog to be unique, it is time to implement the standard rules of making any blog a success. Those are as follows:
a. Look professional. If you want to have a successful blog, it needs to look like a successful blog. Sell people the idea, give them a picture of something that they will love, and they will love it. This means having your own domain name, so you don't look like you need a freebie blog host, but can afford your own domain. In addition to investing in your own domain, make sure that you invest in some great graphics. Your blog design can be inviting and give people confidence in you, or it can look like it was thrown together and make you look less than professional. The more professional it looks, the more legitimate your business looks, the more subscribers you will have. Don't short cut it.

b. Be consistent. You have to provide consistent content in both theme and quantity. Your subscribers should count on new information at specific times each week, month, or whatever the case may be. They also need to know that the information will be consistent. A unique blog does not have to be a disorderly one, it should be one that is full of information, each time you post it should be about the same basic theme.

c. Avoid controversial subjects. There are 3 no-nos for blogging unless one of them is the main theme of your blog. They are sex, politics, and religion. People feel strongly about this, and you aren't likely to change anyone's opinion on these subjects, rather alienate them, and lose them as subscribers. Not a good marketing ploy.

Back links

One of your best tools for marketing your website or blog is getting back links. Back links are a great way to generate search engine traffic. If you have good content, and your other parts of SEO are on track, it is time to put your focus to your back links. The following are a few ways to generate extra links in order to get better rankings:

]]> 1. Analyze your competition links: One of the best places to look for links is to look where your competition is getting their links. Now ask yourself if there is any opportunity to get some of the same links. Often people who link to your competitor, are just as willing to link to you. For example, maybe your competitor gets a link from leaving a comment on a forum, discussion board, or blog. You can ask the blog manager if you can leave one as well. Usually they will let you leave a comment with your own link. This is a fast way to get some back links without too much trouble.
2. Link with other blogs. A great way to get links from other blogs you own is to ask to do a guest blog post, and let them do one for you. This is going to be really great if you have a relevant topic, or an overlapping topic. They might be willing to link to your blog just because they are a fan, or they like you. One of the ways to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities is to simply send out an email to your mailing list asking them to link to your blog. You can offer some incentive like a coupon or a discount for doing so.
3. Internal links are important. This is not a back link, but it can optimize your back links. For this, what you want to do is put in internal links linking your posts, and directing people throughout your site.
4. Pitch links to other blogs. One great thing you can do is create relationships with other bloggers in your niche, and ask them to link to the pages that you are trying to optimize. Usually if you are in the same niche they will scratch your back if you will scratch theirs. It works out well, and if you provide quality content, they won't mind linking to you.
5. Share links in social media. It is true that there are no-follow tags on some links in sites like Twitter and Facebook, but they can get you exposure, that leads to more traffic, which can lead to other back links. So, it is a good idea to push your posts on these social media sites, as it certainly can't hurt, and while search engines do not rate them as highly, they will notice if your links are being passed through a whole network of people.

5 Blogging Mistakes

A blog can be a powerful marketing tool, but not if you use it the wrong way. The following are the four mistakes people make when they want to use their blog as a marketing tool. If you avoid these mistakes, you avoid a lot of the problems that make your blog a worthless tool for marketing.

]]> 1. Changing topics. If you want to have subscribers, and maintain them, as well as get more and more, you can't waffle back and forth between subjects. A blog is a huge marketing tool, but only if the people who read it are getting the information they want. They don't want to look at your blog and see tips on whatever one day, and a diatribe about your feelings the next. They have to feel confident that every time they look at your blog they will be getting something useful from it. Do not post opinions, do not post about what you are doing, do not post about religion, politics, or sex unless that is what your blog is about. This is so important to having a blog work.

2. Not getting your own domain name. If you want a blog to work, it needs to be your blog. Having your own domain name is huge for a successful blog. It is something that is going to add some legitimacy for your blog. It also means that you are marketing yourself not wordpress or blogspot, or some other blogging company. If you have a blog hosted by another company, and it is working for you, switch it to your own domain as soon as possible. The initial outlay is not that expensive, and it is totally worth the exposure and the credibility it gives.

3. Not investing in graphic design. It is important to realize that the more professional your blog looks, the more serious people will take it. If it looks like something you threw together in your free time, people won't take it as professional advice, and thus, its usefulness as a marketing tool will be diminished. It is true that graphic design can be expensive, and there is no real way to see how many subscribers you get as a result, or how many you lose by not having it, but common sense, and marketing sense should tell you that more people will take you seriously if you look legitimate.

4. Using a poor email subscription. The email subscription program you use will make a big difference in how happy subscribers are. For example, if you post weekly or several times weekly, and it sends out an email for every post, that might seem a little bit over the top for your subscribers and they might unsubscribe just to not get as much email. Look for an email subscriber that allows you to brand those emails, and that doesn't send notification unless you indicate that you want it to. Aweber is a good program, and it is a bit expensive, but will be worth it.

5. Be consistent. A blog only works as a marketing tool if you post consistently. That does not mean daily, but people should know they can expect new information regularly.

Why establishing relationships is vital to marketing

Have you ever heard the saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know"? This saying can be applied to a number of situations, such as getting a job, or being features in an article, etc. However, one area that it can be applied is with your marketing efforts. Most small businesses find that their initial marketing efforts are most successful when they get referrals through friends. Often your best clients are the ones that come from existing relationships.

]]> The following are 3 reasons establishing relationships is vital to marketing:

1. More exposure. The more people you know, the more relationships you develop, the more exposure your business gets. Why do you think things like Twitter and Facebook are taking the marketing world by storm? They allow you to create relationships, and share your business, new things, ideas, information, etc. with everyone you have created those relationships with, which provides you with more exposure to your business. The more people you know, the more opportunity you have to get your name out there. Everyone you know, knows people you don't. This means that they may talk to those people about your business. If you provide a service, for example, and someone you know, knows that, and then someone they know needs that service, they can pass your name along. Many small business build their client base that way. Someone they know tells someone else about them, and they grow as a result.

2. Opportunities you may not know about otherwise. When you build relationships, you gain the marketing advantage of having opportunities you may not have known about otherwise. You may hear about an event, or an opportunity through a friend, or you may be able to put on together with a friend, etc. Relationships open doors that other things may not. For example, because you know someone, you might be able to pitch a project that you otherwise would not be given any thought on. Through relationships, you are often given opportunities for marketing your products you would not have otherwise.

3. Credibility by association. Sometimes, the best benefit of forming relationships is that you get credibility by association. If someone sees that you know someone, or that you have done work with so and so, they may be more willing to work with you. This is one of the reasons people advertise who their big clients are. It gives them a credibility they might not have otherwise. In addition, if you use these relationships for affiliate marketing, you could gain many other marketing benefits.

The fact is, relationship are key to business success. Who you know does matter. So, do not neglect that aspect of marketing, as you never know how much business you will get from people you know. It is worth taking the time to develop and maintain relationships.

When marketing choose win-win affiliates

When you market, one of your options is using affiliates. This is a relationship where they market your products on their site, etc. in exchange, you pay them for any business they send your way. The idea of this is a great one. However, it is important that you choose your partners wisely. A partner that is a drain, or costs more than they are worth can set you back far more than they might help you, so it is critical that you choose the businesses that will do you the most good. Here are a few things to consider when choosing marketing partners:

]]> 1. When selecting marketing partners, look for symbiotic relationships:

Symbiotic relationships mean that both people benefit. If you choose an affiliate and they get credibility, or something from you, but you get very little in return, you are not going to be very happy. If the situation is reversed, and you get a lot out of it, but they don't, chances are they won't want to be your marketing partner. So, be careful. Be selective when choosing affiliates that you will be benefiting and they will be. This often produces the best results.

2. Make sure the benefits are equitable:

Obviously you want both parties to benefit, but try and make sure that both benefit equally. If you do, then it will mean that you succeed together or fail together. This kind of marketing relationship is very powerful motivation. If their butt is on the line as much as your is, they are going to make real efforts to market your product. When their success is tied to yours, then you have a higher chance of seeing real results from affiliate marketing.

3. Find someone excited about what you have to offer:

When looking for marketing partners, your best choice is someone who is excited about what you have to offer. If they are naturally exuberant about your product, then marketing it will come naturally as well. It is easy to talk about and share something you are excited about, and people believe what you have to say when they see that you are sincere and love the product or service. It is difficult not to want to jump on the wagon when everyone on it looks to be enjoying is so much.

Marketing is a tricky part of your business. If you do it successfully, you will see huge results. If you don't, it does not matter how great your product or service is, it will be hard to get your business off the ground. So, find affiliates that can aid you in your efforts, but don't just settle for anyone, choose the right affiliates that stand to gain as much as you do by joining efforts. Choose win win affiliates so that you can rest assured that your marketing efforts won't be in vain.

Using video for marketing

Videos can be a powerful marketing tool when used the right way, and when designed to market your products or service. People love multi-media, and will stop to watch a video if it is worth watching. Because of this, you can use the internet, and sites like YouTube to successfully market your products and services. The following are three things that you need to keep in mind when using video for marketing:

]]> 1. Provide value.
A video is only going to be watched if it provides some kind of value to the viewers. If they find value in it, they will share it, and others will watch it as well. There are several ways to provide value through video. One way is by humor. People like to laugh, so if you can make a humorous video, it will get watched and shared. Another way is providing someone with information they are seeking. For example, if you sell knives, you might create a video that teaches people how to cook something, or provides them with a recipe and step by step guide to making it, with just a little pitch about your knives at the end. The point is, there has to be a reason for people to press play and watch the video, so if you want to be successful using videos to market, make sure that your videos add value and quality for their life. The video itself does not have to be professionally made if it gives people something they are looking for they won't care.

2. Post in multiple places.
The web provides a host of places where you can post videos, and if you want your videos to be used for successful marketing, you need to take advantage of all of those places. You may want to begin by placing videos on YouTube, a popular place for video, but then expand to placing them on your blog, on Facebook, link to videos on Twitter, place them directly on your website, etc. Videos are great for search engines, as they love multi-media. So, just be sure that you post your videos all over the web so that they get more exposure.

3. Keep them fun and informative.
It doesn't matter how great or needed the information in your video is, if it is boring, people won't want to watch it. So, keep your videos upbeat and fun. In addition, make sure they are informative. People want to be able to learn things, and they are going to appreciate a video that is both entertaining and informative at the same time. These are the videos they are likely to repost, to share, to recommend others watch, etc. The better your video, the better the chance of it being successfully used for marketing.

These are just a few of the key components of using video for marketing.

Using Twitter for marketing

Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool, or a complete waste of time. If you want to be able to use Twitter to market, you have to learn the way to do it properly.
1. Do not do too much self-promoting. No one is going to follow you, or pay attention to what you tweet if you are constantly self-promoting. You have to earn that right. You should only promote one time for every fifty valuable tweets. People get sick of hearing you tweet their own horn, so make sure you earn that right by providing value first, and promotion second.

]]> 2. Provide value and quality. If you want to use Twitter as a powerful marketing tool, you need to provide value for your followers. The content you provide should be helpful, informative, and interesting. In other words, you have to make sure you are worth following. So, provide tips, give advice, add humor, or something fun and controversial for readers to look at. If you do not add value to your followers' lives, they will stop following you.

3. Follow others so they will follow you. One of the ways to successfully market on Twitter is to get a lot of followers, and one of the best ways to do this is by following other people. Generally if you follow someone, they will return the favor, and follow you as well. While followers are not the only thing that matters, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a large number of followers.

4. Keep your tweets short enough they can be retweeted. Twitter limits you to 140 characters for your posts, which is already short, but the fact is, if you want to be retweeted, you need to go even shorter. Why? Because when someone retweets you, your username has to go in front of your post. This means that unless they edit your post, which most people will not take the time to do, they can't retweet it. So, if you want greater exposure, make it easy for people to retweet you.

5. Don't get personal. The fact is, no one wants to know what you had for breakfast, or how your outfit looks, or what your big plans for the weekend are, and if you engage in sharing personal info on Twitter, you lose your ability to market. No one is going to take you seriously, or wade through the personal junk to find tweets of value. This means that your efforts are wasted. So, if you need to, create a personal Twitter to put all of those silly little tidbits on, and another for your business so that you do not have a mix of business and personal information.

If you can follow these five tips, you will find that Twitter is an inexpensive way to market your products, and get your name out there.

Using Facebook for marketing

Facebook can be a powerful marketing tool if used properly. Here are a few tips for how to use Facebook as a marketing tool:
1. Don't get personal. When you are using Facebook as a marketing tool, you have to avoid the personal stuff. It is okay for your Facebook profile to have personal crap, but on your Facebook page, do not put down what you had for lunch that day, or what you plan to do over the weekend. No one cares, and it will turn people off to your Facebook pages, meaning they will un-fan you.

]]> 2. Make multiple pages. The Facebook profile has a limit of 5000 friends, but a page has no limit to the number of fans you can have. In addition, you can only have one profile, but you can have as many pages as you want. This means you should create a Facebook page for your business, and then separate pages for every product line of your business. This will greatly improve your visibility, and help you to push people to the pages that are of interest to them.

3. Be consistent. If you want to use Facebook as a marketing tool, you need to stay in the newsfeeds of the people who fan you. The best way to do that is to keep creating content so that you keep showing up. However, in addition, do your best to create quality content. If people comment on your content, or "like" it, it will not just be on the news feed, but the top news feed. This means that when someone logs on to Facebook, they will see your content on their home page, keeping your company in the forefront of their mind.

4. Offer exclusive coupons and discounts to people who Facebook fan you. If you want to build your Facebook following, give people incentive to join. For example, you may offer them a printable coupon for a percentage off, or give them insight into new products or services, or let them buy before anyone else can, etc. The point is, make it exciting. If they do not get value from you somehow, there is no real reason for them to click the button to "like" you.

5. Use multi-media. People like to see videos, pictures, links to things outside of Facebook, news articles, and more. If you want your Facebook marketing to be successful, do more than just write little blurbs on your page wall, instead, upload video and photos, and keep things interesting for the people who follow you.

Facebook can be a great marketing tool for all of the above reasons, and it is free. It does not cost you anything to create a Facebook page, other than the time to maintain it. So, give it a try, you may find it gives you better results than you expected.