Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts

Friday, June 10, 2011

Social Media and Why You Need an Expert to Do It.



Flickr, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Myspace, Friendster, Linked In ...... what are they all? You can go crazy hearing about them all!!!!! Even more daunting - 'Blogging!' What are they all? Even if you do know them, for years, you've been told they're for personal use, not for business use. Now, suddenly, you're hearing that you have to use them for business. So, you know you need them for your business, but you're not sure what to do with them! You've started with Facebook, you've got a profile, and you've got some friends on there, so what do you do now?


In a nutshell, these are online social and business networks. Even this sort of terminology can leave you confused. But it needn't. Let's break it down. Online is simple, it's on the internet. Social. Well you know what that means - friends. In this case, let's take it a little further. Most social networks use the term 'friend' a little loosely. I have 397 Facebook friends. To be honest, I think 'acquaintance', or 'associate' would be more accurate, but 'Facebook Associate' doesn't sound quite the same as 'Facebook friend'. Business is business ... and a network is a large interconnected group of people who move in your business or social circle.


So there you have it, broken down in a nutshell. And why would YOU want to be a part of this? Statistics show that as of early 2011, there are more than 5 millon active Facebook users. That's Facebook alone, just one of the social networks available. Given the concept of the six degrees of separation (wherein it is thought that everyone is on average approximately six steps away from everyone in the world), how can you NOT be involved in something where, by the simple act of posting or commenting to inform your group of friends about an idea, there is the chance that within six steps or less, all 5 million Facebook users, and wider, the world, will be aware of what you're doing?


So now you're thinking right, so I can do this, and I can get great access to a huge market, simply by being online. Here's where the crux of the matter comes in. Social networking is time consuming, as it needs to be kept up with on a day to day basis to be effective. It also requires a certain skill. You need to be able to write literately, and have a bit of imagination, and be able to impart knowledge about your business. And the problem with all of this of course is the fact that whilst you're doing this, you're not doing your core business.


And that, everybody, is why you need Typewrite Transcription and Typing Services CC to handle your social media function for you.

Friday, July 02, 2010

Marketing Via Social Networking - Twitter and Facebook

To me it's become very clear that using social networks to market your services is a vital part of marketing in today's world. Two of the most effective social networks to use for this purpose are of course Twitter and Facebook.

This article aims to discuss how to get started on these two networks and how best to use them to market the services you offer.

Let's look at Twitter first.

1. If you do not have a Twitter account, go to http://www.twitter.com/ and create one. I'm TypewriteSA on there, and you can follow me to see how I use my Twitter account to market my business.

2. Choose a username that describes what your business is about. TypewriteSA is my username and it describes the service I provide and where I am located.

3. Twitter allows you to write a short bio on your profile to describe what you are doing. Choose words carefully to tell people what you are about. These words are very important as they can guide potential followers who will look for people providing services similar to what they provide or services that they need.

4. Now you're ready to start tweeting! Twitter is a microblogging system that allows you to write short updates to distribute to your followers. So if your Twitter account is to be mainly about business, ensure that all of your tweets relate directly to what you are doing or pass on some useful information like a useful blog post you have written or new service you are providing. Potential followers will look for this. Tweet on a regular but not too regular basis and ensure that your tweets remain informative to your followers.

5. Look for some followers - in business it's best to follow people who provide a similar service or who you feel could be informative to you or may need your services. I follow transcriptionists, VAs, proofreaders, publishers, and industry leaders in other fields.

6. Promote your account. You can put a Twitter followers button on your blog, on your website, and insert something into your email signature to tell people to follow you on Twitter.

Let's now take a glance at Facebook.



1. Most people already have a personal Facebook account. If you don't, go to http://www.facebook.com/ and create one for yourself.

2. Then, go to my fan page, Typewrite Transcription. Like this page by clicking the Like button on the top of the page.

3. Then scroll down and look at the bottom left of the page. You will find a link that says "create a page like this". Click this link.

4. This takes you to a walk through section whereby you will find instructions to create your own page. Be careful to choose the right category and pick a descriptive name for your fan page. Typewrite Transcription is an abbreviation of my business' name and describes exactly what I do.
5. Fill out the information section carefully. You want to be able to give as much information about your business as possible, but not bore people. It's as well to have at least two administrators of your page, for the simple reason that if something happens to your account, the page will still exist because it's tied to another moderator. But choose carefully who you want to make a moderator of your page as they will have the same rights as you on the page.

6. Publish your page, and you're ready to start finding Facebook likers!! One of the fastest ways of doing this is to suggest to your friends that they become Likers of your page, and ask them to suggest it to their friends. But an often overlooked method of finding Likers is to publish a "Facebook Like Box" on your website or blog.

Once you have accounts set up at both, look in your Facebook account to see how to link the two so that when you update your Facebook fan page status, your Twitter account automatically generates a tweet.
These are just the basics, but I hope they go some way towards clearing up the minefield that can be social networking.