Whether you are just getting started with an online business or you have been around for a while and looking for a new way to network, have a look at what Twitter. Part chat program and part tiny blog, you will find that the Twitter interface is one that can change the way you interact with your current customers and potential customers worldwide.

It’s Short, Sweet & To the Point
Have you ever heard the phrase, less is more? You’ll find that one of the best things about Twitter is that it keeps all messages very short and sweet. You’ll have to give your customers and clients the gist of what is going on in short tweets (messages similar to instant messages) that allow their interest to be piqued in such a way as to make them investigate further. You won’t bother them with long-winded messages that make them yawn and move on. Instead, you will be able to catch their attention quickly and make them want to know more.

Immediacy
Much like a blog or an RSS feed, you can get access to the people that use Twitter regularly. In some ways, this is like making sure that you can reach them no matter where they are, and you will find that this is very important when you want to make marketing one of your biggest priorities. You are making sure that they have all of the latest updates to what you are doing and what’s going on by simply sending a tweet their way.

Everyone’s Doing It
In many ways, Twitter is a social program more than it is a marketing one, and you’ll find that using Twitter can help you feel a great deal closer to your client base and other’s in your online community. If you are looking to make sure that they see you as a person rather than as simply a company or service, you’ll find that Twitter encourages them to think of you as someone they can get to know. This can be very important when it comes to establishing a customer base and customer loyalty.

You Get to Hear a Lot
Remember that it goes both ways; you can put information out on Twitter and you can also learn a lot too. By following other’s Twitter accounts, especially if it looks like they have a lot to offer, you can keep in the know about various products, services, and other happenings online. This can be a great way to keep an eye on what is going on in order to keep yourself in the know of your industry.

Make Them Laugh
You can also use Twitter to tease people a little bit, in a fun way, of course! When you use Twitter, you have to keep your messages short, and in many ways, a little mysterious. Pique their interest, joke around, and you’ll find that you gain a lot more followers and hopefully website traffic and customers as a result.

Be warned, just as with any other social networking site, Twitter can quickly become addicting if you let it. Don’t go overboard and get so involved in all the tweeting that it takes away from your intended purpose. Used wisely Twitter can be a great and powerful marketing tool to help create online business success.

How are you using Twitter with your current marketing plan?  Let me know by leaving a comment!

Want to connect with me on Twitter ? You can follow me at http://www.twitter.com/TammyMunson

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Okay, you’ve been a blogger for a few weeks or maybe even a few months.  You’re writing posts, but now you’re ready to take it all the next level. You understand that it’s all about creating a conversation with your blog community. You would like to see more comments, site traffic, and even some recognition. You want to be like one of the cool kids right?

But how do you go from being a little whole in the wall to be a place where the cool kids hang out? Well here a few things to try to take your blog to the next level.

 Who are you writing for?

 Does your blog have a niche? Does it focus on one particular concept? Ask yourself what your readers are going to “get” from your posts? How is it going to be useful to them? You want to make sure that your posts are useful, full of good information that they will be able to apply easily.

 Creating the conversation

 Give your readers a call to action and ask them questions. Remember it’s all about creating a conversation with your readers. Make sure to respond to comments on your blog, as much as you can.

 Put a picture of YOU on your blog, and make it known who you are. Be transparent in who are and give full disclosure. Your readers are going to want to connect with the person/brand, not just your blog.

Give them other ways to reach you besides the normal, like a Twitter/Facebook account. Here’s even a thought… a phone number.

Making it pretty

Make your blog posts easy to read. Insert white space by breaking up your text. You can also use bold titles inside your blog posts to separate sections.

Have a long section? Use the blockquote feature to make them stand out for the rest.

Insert images from your personal connection or perhaps grab some stock images for Stock Photo or istockphoto.com

Comment, comment, comment

Just as you want comments on yours, so do other bloggers. So, get out and comment on other people’s blogs.

You can also create a post on your blog commenting on something on another’s blog and track back to posts on other blogs, especially some of the popular blogs within your niche! What will that do?  Help your blog get noticed by others.

Post on a regular basis (at least once per week)

Post something useful at least once per week. You want to remember to keep the posts useful to your readers but its ok to write off-topic or even personal posts too.

Lead from the front

Prominently display your RSS feed up at the top of your blog so people will see it easily. It maybe helpful to even include a subscribe graphic.

Also be sure to ask your readers for advice, ideas, suggestion, and feedback. You want to make your blog useful for them so ask them what they want! You might be surprised to find out the results. 

You can also add the email-subscription option available thru Feedburner for those that aren’t quite sure about RSS feeds. You can also use this option in replace of a regular autoresponder type application if you’re so inclined.

Want feedback or suggestions for your blog? Well just ask away my friends. You can always email me at tammy AT newmediava DOT com or on any of the various social networks like Twitter, Facebook, etc. 

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TubeMogul is a free service that provides a single point for deploying uploads to the top video sharing sites, and powerful analytics on who, what, and how videos are being viewed.

I just recently reviewed this site and all it offers. I think its awesome! Definitely a Thumbs UP!

The best overall feature about it is that Tube Mogul helps me with time management !

It allowed me to upload a client’s video in a variety of places rather than waste time going to each and every site that we wanted to include in their video deployment plan. Their stats and analysis tools are pretty amazing as well.

Go check out TubeMogul and let me know what you think!

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Blogging started as a way for individuals to publish a personal log or journal on the web and quickly expanded into a valuable tool for business owners. Blogs are a gold mine for those that are doing business online and the beautiful thing is you do not have to be a guru or hire a webmaster to get it done. They go up easily, are simple to maintain, can drive traffic to your other websites, and search engines love them. In fact, the whole concept is so simple that many people do not utilize them, thinking something this trouble-free could not possibly carry huge benefits.

Some of the benefits to establishing a well thought out blog are:
• Allows interaction and involvement between the business owner and the client/customer
• An quick and easy way to stay in front of your customer
• Give customers and prospects daily access to you
• Opens up many perspectives therefore gives the feeling of community not just a one sided opinion.

Because they are easy to add content to, you can have fresh material constantly. There is only one problem. You actually have to put the content on there or you defeat the purpose of having a blog.

There are many ways you can utilize the power of a blog and propel your business forward. One way is to be mindful of the information you place on it. When you upload articles that will enrich, educate or help others, people will begin to spread the word to their friends and associates and the traffic will begin to stream naturally. Used correctly it can be a powerful marketing tool.) A quality blog will help to position you as an expert. You can set up campaigns on a blog, use it as a social platform, or to build relationships. The possibilities are mind-boggling, so get yourself Blogging for dollars today.

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