Book Trailer–“Promote Your Business Or Cause Using Social Media

Promote your Business or Cause using Social Media is a handbook for beginner's interested in using social media to grow a small business or take any cause to the internet. Learn how to create a blog, start a blog radio show, upload videos to YouTube, Tweet on Twitter and build a fan page on Facebook with social apps and even eCommerce.

Purchase your copy today for just $9.95 through CreateSpace or Amazon.com:
CreateSpace – Order Now Online 
Amazon – Order Now Online

- Learn how to add a shopping cart to your Facebook fan page and sell product right from your fan page.
- Learn how to get your own personal Facebook URL.
- How to get started with WordPress and your own blog.
- Twitter Tips!

About the author:
Dennis has been creating websites and browsing the web since the days of Netscape 1.0 while living in Seattle, Washington. His technology background goes back to the days of the Commodore Vic 20 and 64, Pong and Pac-Man.

He later turned his passion for technology and web design into a love for Internet Marketing, blogging and now Social Media.

He is the owner of IgniteHost website hosting, search engine optimization and social media consulting located in Boise, Idaho and writes the tech blog GigaDroid.com for the popular Android phones.
During his free time he enjoys road trips back to Seattle, exploring Idaho, microbrews, great coffee, sharing his knowledge with friends and Facebook acquaintances.

5 Must Have Social Media Plugins for WordPress Blogs

With the explosion of Social Media many bloggers are discovering the power of sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz and LinkedIn to name a few.  With WordPress plugins you or your readers can share your blog postings with others just with a click of the mouse.  Here are 5 plugins for Social Media that I think are the must haves if you are serious about promoting your business or cause.

WP FB Like
With the exploding popularity of Facebook this is a must have plugin because it post to the king of social media.  WP FB Like is easy to setup and will add the Facebook “Like” Button at the top and bottom of all your post or pages.  When your reader clicks on the button a link to your blog post is added to their Facebook wall.  If their friends click on the link they are sent to your blog and directly to the post.

Sexy Bookmarks
Here is a WordPress plugin that does it all when it comes to sharing out your blog post.  Sexy Bookmarks lets you pick and choice the social media networks you’d like your readers to share to.  Plus you can drag and drop them into the position you’d like them to display on your page.  You can display the social media networks at the top or bottom of your post.  There over 80 social networks to choose from but I would suggest that you keep it under 20 so as not to overwhelm your readers.

WP Google-Buzz
With all the buzz about Google Buzz and Google's jump into the social media arena you’ll want this plugin for sure.  If you prefer to keep a minimalist look to your blog you might want to consider going with just a few buttons.  Facebook, Twitter, Digg and maybe even MySpace depending on the demographics of your readers.  WP Google-Buzz is easy to configure and has several customization choices to fit any bloggers needs.

Disqus Comment System
This plugin replaces the default WordPress commenting system by adding elements that will drive more traffic to your blog.  Both new and repeat traffic can be generated from the use of this popular plugin.  Most major newspapers and news organizations use Disqus on their websites.  Readers can check a like button just like the FB like button and can post their comments to Facebook and Twitter.  Readers can also subscribe by email or RSS and get notified when someone replies to their comment.  What’s not to like about this plugin?

PostRank

PostRank shows off the top post on your blog and is updated automatically as the rankings change.  The look and feel of the widget can be set to match the color of your WordPress theme.  Monitor your PostRank scores and social media analytic metrics right from the WordPress dashboard.  The PostRank plugin is easy to install and setup is a breeze.  Keep in mind that it might take a few hours for the top post to start displaying.

Wibya
The ultimate social media plugin for your WordPress blog is the Wibya Toolbar.  Integrate both your Twitter and Facebook Fan Page feeds into your blog along with a host of other choices.  Show off your YouTube videos or pick what videos you’d like displayed.  Customize the look and feel of the toolbar to match your WordPress theme.

Do you use any of the above plugins with your WordPress blog?  Have something else that’s a favorite?  Please feel free to leave a comment below and add to this list by letting others know your recommendations. 

If you know someone who could benefit from the information above please feel free to share with others.  I appreciate it and hope you’ll return again.  Thanks! 

Being Social with Social Media On The Go or In The Air

The beauty of running your own business is that you are no longer tied down to the desk.  With social media, a mobile hone and a laptop or even a new tablet PC you can promote your business while on the go.  It doesn’t matter where you are at anymore to connect with the world and market your business.

I’m at Brewforia Beer Market right now which is a business in Meridian, ID that sells over 500 different beers.  Brewforia uses social media to connect with their customers by showcasing new product, what’s on tap and new food products.  The relaxing environment and free Wi-Fi makes it possible for someone like myself to enjoy a beer, enjoy a craft bread (pizza) and write a blog post or market my business endeavors.  Where do you enjoy hanging out when promoting your business?

It’s pretty common to find Wi-Fi in every city around the US and Europe.  Plus services such as Clear, Rover and Sprint offer 4G in 50 plus cities across the US.  That means you could be sitting on a park bench and connected to the internet at super fast broadband speeds.  Think about how relaxing that would be enjoying the warm fall sun while conducting business over the internet.  I’ve even been connect to the internet while flying 36,000 ft. above the earth heading to Florida. GoGo Inflight Internet connects you to Wi-Fi while on board your cross country flight.  Pricing starts around $4.95 per flight segment depending distance travelled.  Visit their website for more information on pricing and how the service works.

I’ve given you a few ways you you can promote your business while on the go or even in the air.  Suggestions?  Ideas?  Feel free to comment below and start the discussion.

Promote Your Business or Cause Offline

Besides promoting your business or cause online using social media, you still have to use some traditional offline marketing.  The internet has made it easier to use those traditional ways for marketing and keep the cost down.  In promoting a few of my business endeavors I came across VistaPrint.com. 

I took the advice of a friend and picked up a copy of a local business journal.  From that I was able to gather the names of new businesses and their addresses.  I then created a database using a contact database template I downloaded for free from Microsoft.  I was able to add the information to the database and then use Word to print labels for the postcards I designed.  The postcards were easy to create online and keep the look and feel of my book.  I slapped on the labels and a $.28 cent postcard stamp.  The 100 postcards were free thought VistaPrint (special promotion) and I only paid for shipping plus for a few modifications I had made.

Besides postcards there are many ways to catch the eye of a potential customer.  You could create a t-shirt with your businesses logo and web address and give it away as a prize.  With websites like VistaPrint you can even get your first t-shirt free plus shipping.  There are tons of ways you can promote your business or cause offline and bring those new customers to your online endeavors.

Since I am promoting a book I used Overnight Prints and created a bookmark that I handout to potential customers.  The bookmark is something they can use and is always reminding others on where they can buy my book or join the Facebook fan page.  Make sure you add all important information such as Facebook page, Twitter User Name, blog address or website URL.  Keep your theme the same for all promotional items to make your brand stand out.  Notice how the postcard above has the same look at the bookmark to the left.  Both have the same look as the cover of my book.

 

 

Have fun with your promotion and feel free to post a comment with link to your offline promotional designs.

Find out more about Social Media at: Dennis J Smith – Social Media Author

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

If you haven't discovered the latest trend on the Internet you're missing all the fun. Twitter is the latest phenomenon to sweep the Internet. It's growing at an even faster pace than Facebook at an astounding 1,382 percent from February 2008 to February 2009¹.

Imagine if your business grew at that rate? Twitter works like a mini-blog in which users known as Tweeters post messages that are 140 characters or less. Tweeters can post short messages (a.k.a Tweets) on how they are feeling, what they are doing or repost and suggest another article for others to view.

It is easy to get started by going to www.twitter.com and setting up an account and profile. You can find me at http://www.twitter.com/DJInBoise and click on "Follow". Now you can start following others from your friends, celebrities, politicians and even your mom. In turn others will start following you so you can broadcast yourself or a business to the world! Many companies are using Twitter as a way to market their products and services. Why wouldn't you when you have 7 million² potential customers and growing?

Social Media websites are changing the face of the internet. Twitter, Facebook and MySpace are changing how we communicate and educate. Chances are that your friends and family members are already doing it or soon will be. Take the time today to get on board before you get behind.

Happy Tweeting!

Works Cited

¹ Crum, C. (2009, March 19). Twitter is the Fastest Growing Community. Retrieved March 19, 2009, from http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/03/19/twitter-is-the-fastest-growing-community

² McGiboney, M. (2009, March 18). Twitter's Tweet Smell Of Success. Retrieved March 19, 2009, from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/twitters-tweet-smell-of-success/

 

 

Making Sense Of AdSense, Content and SEO

The Land Of AdSense, Content and SEO
Written By DJ Smith

January 28, 2008

I was reading some of the postings on the Google AdSense forum recently. It's funny how people think they can toss AdSense advertisements on a web page and expect for the money to roll in. People have this notion that the money will come without doing any leg work.

Click Me

Before AdSense will even work, you have to have a site with traffic. Chance are you aren't going to get many clicks on your ads if you only have a few visitors a day. So how do you create traffic? Well there's several ways you can create and build traffic on your site. It really depends on what kind of content you are providing and how well you've optimized your pages. Boring content or content that you rarely update isn't going to bring visitors in droves. Updating your content, optimizing your site and creating content that keeps people coming back. So what is good content?

Content Is King

Writing good content depends on your knowledge of the subject matter. You won't find me writing articles about how to tune-up a car. Write about stuff that you are knowledgeable in so you can enlighten others. Make sure to use good grammar and spell check before you post your article. I've seen so many postings out there with poor grammar and numerous spelling errors. Use your resources! Most blogs have built in spell checking and the same goes for word processing programs such as Microsoft Word. When writing content think about how search engines will view your site. Keyword are relevant to how well your site will rank with the search engines. Don't overdo it when writing content but keep it in mind as you create. By writing good content you gain the respect of your peers and your visitors. This generates repeat traffic, links to your website and a host of other benefits.

Queen SEO

You have your website and you have content written so where are the visitors? Well have you notified the search engines? You don't move without informing the Post Office of your new address do you? The search engines might eventually find you but you really need to let them know about your website. I use a program called Simple SEO which is offered by my web hosting company 1&1.com. Simple SEO lets me submit my websites to all the major search engines and lots of the other players you don't hear about often. You can go to each search engine and request to add your site. In Google just type in "Add My Site" and you'll see a link that will allow you to submit your website. One of the books I've read that you might want to check out is
Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day by Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin. I bought mine through Amazon.com along with a few other books on AdSense, SEO and Internet Marketing. Besides the books there's a lot of great websites and online resources to learn more about AdSense, SEO and writing good content.

Part II - Updated information is coming soon.

More Resources:

Check out these great resources for more information on AdSense, Content, Search Engine Optimization(SEO) and Internet Marketing.

What Google Never Told You About Making Money with AdSense e-book
The web's best-selling e-book helps people make more money with AdSense and pays great commissions!

Learn more...

KillerAffiliateMarketing.com - KAM features e-books from some of the best in the industry. Joel Comm (author of the Adsense Code), Mark Joyner and more.

SpreadViralVideo.com - Showcases the best video on the internet along with videos on Internet Marketing. Sometimes people find it easier to learn from a video rather than read about a topic. Personally I like a mix of both formats depending on my mood.

Learn how to make your on viral videos
Learn the secrets to making viral videos with Charles Trippy's Viral Video Fever!

Thanks for reading!