Are you trying to make a name for yourself in the online world? Do you know the best way to go about it? Do you know the importance of branding yourself, and getting your name out there everywhere you can? These are just some of the things you should be thinking about when you get started building an online presence. Whether you want to be known for your services, or for your products, becoming an online celebrity is a must for creating a successful business.

Many small business owners do not know where the best places to go to build their presence online. While there are the popular places such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, there are also tried and true ways to get the most from your time spent. No one has hours to waste just chatting, joining groups and trying to get to know people. If you learn the tricks and tips that can get you working in the right direction, you will begin to see the power of networking.

You will never know where or how far your networking can take you. There are specific steps you can take to achieve your goals much faster if you only learn the secrets.

If you want to learn from the best, you need to follow the leaders in your field. Search them out, listen to what they have to say, follow the steps they give, and create the success that they promise you can have if you work hard and follow their lead. Beware of so called leaders online today that are all talk and can’t truly back up what they say. They may want to mislead you by sugar coating things and paraphrasing other things to make themselves sound more important than they are. You don’t have the time to waste on these types of people.   You’ll know a true leader by their accomplishments and the quality of the information they share.

One such leader who has proven her worth in many ways, is Joanne Quinn-Smith, aka TechnoGranny. Joanne has four internet radio talk shows, and created a new media platform long before Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn were popular. She has been awarded the National Small Business Association (SBA) Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts in the new media. This marketing maven is searched out high and low for her remarkable speaking and teaching abilities.

Now for a limited time, you can grab a copy of her teleseminar “Becoming an Online Celebrity” and learn how to make your personality shine through the crowd, building a platform where people will soon be seeking you out for your skills and talents.

Grab your copy now for just $17!

“Becoming an Online Celebrity”

If you liked “Learn the Secrets to Branding Yourself Online! ” please share it with your online friends by clicking the links below.

Go Fish!

I’m learning about backlinks and how absolutely critical they are to your site ranking high in the search engines.  I even hired a specialist to help me with link building.

But it’s really just like fishing.  You look for the best pond, lake or ocean (blog, article or fan page) and you toss out your line (comment on existing posts, or offer to guest blog) and then wait for the fish to bite!  By commenting or guest blogging, you are leaving behind your url or link back to your website, blog, or even your Twitter or Facebook Page.  It’s up to you where you want to drive traffic, but I suggest you drive them back to where they can see what products and services you have to offer them.  (afterall, that’s ultimately what we want, right?)

Of course, I could do the link building myself, (and I do quite a bit) but in my opinion it’s all about leveraging your time and they are the expert, so why not let them do it in less time, while I focus on the things I do best. 

So I’d like to give you an opportunity to create a backlink to your site right now!  Just go to the bottom of this post and make a comment.  Be sure to put in your name, email and complete url (include the http://)  in the boxes below.  Your email will not be visible to anyone, but a link back to your site will definitely be there.  Then search for other blogs and do the same thing.  If you are using WordPress a great plugin is CommentLuv.  This plugin travels around with you and if the blog you comment on has this plugin installed (which I do) it will automatically pick up the title of your last blog post and place it at the bottom of your comment.  Sweet!

So go ahead, give it a try!

And here are some other backlink posts you might find helpful.

Related articles by Zemanta

• 7 Ways to Gain Quality One Way Backlink for your blog (shoutmeloud.com)
• Backlinks Strategies for Getting High Google PageRank (shoutmeloud.com)
• Article Marketing: A Way To Create URL Backlinks (ronmedlin.com)
• What is Autoblogging? (brighthub.com)

If you liked, “Do You Have Any Backlinks?” please share it with your friends by clicking on the buttons below.

When starting any endeavor, all of us begin as “newbies.” It’s a fact of life and there really isn’t anything you can do about it, except learn from other people’s mistakes and plan your moves carefully. Podcasting exploded in recent years, perhaps due to the availability of inexpensive equipment and faster Internet speeds, and for a while it seemed everyone was doing it. But with the rise in quantity, quality went the opposite direction – the Net flooded with mediocre or poor quality podcasts. Now, many of these podcasts have dropped off the face of the earth, due to lack of audience perhaps. We looked around the world wide web and compared good and bad podcasts, and compiled a list for how to make a podcast without the newbie mistakes.  Enjoy!

1)     Reading from a script – it’s good to have a script, especially if you’re doing a prerecorded, fictional show. However, a good podcast should be more like talk radio – unscripted and free flowing. Of course, you shouldn’t go the other direction and completely do a show on the flow – an outline is what you need at the very least, to establish the direction of the show.

2)     Too long / too short – the exact time really depends on the type of show you have or the purpose of your podcast. If you plan to have a panel discussion or interviews etc, then an hour show is a good length. If your show is about tips, reviews, daily news, then 20 to 30 minutes should be enough.  Here’s a quick tip: most people listen to their ipods on the way to work. According to Gallup’s 2007 Work and Education survey, the average person’s commute is about 46 minutes. If you want to capture this audience, then you’ll want your podcast to fit in this timeline.

3)     No follow-up or tie-ins – your podcast should be a component of your web marketing campaign, rather than being a stand-alone being. You should tie it in with your website, have some sort of call to action at the end and provide your audience key information through an episode guide or notes. For example, if you were to discuss a certain website, it would be frustrating for your listeners to have to scramble for a paper and pen while you read the URL of the website.

4)     Irregular Episodes – let’s face it, it’s unlikely you’re being paid to podcast, so you may tell yourself some days that you’re too tired, lazy or busy to record on episode. Guess what? That doesn’t really work for your audience who may be anticipating a new episode on a regular basis. Having infrequent episodes can turn people off, plus they will stop visiting your site regularly to download your episode or participate in your post episode discussion.

5)     Quality – as mentioned earlier, good equipment is now fairly inexpensive. You don’t have to invest in the latest microphone or sound mixer, but if podcasting is something you’ll be doing often, you want good quality hardware which will last you a while. The quality of the audio is also something you’ll have to consider – no one wants to listen to static-filled audio – it’ll just give them a headache and turn them off from your show. There are also many good quality recording software which are available for free or cheap, so shop around before you hit that record button! (I have a freebie link on my Facebook Fan Page on the Free for you Tab)

So you don’t have to podcast from scratch! Learn from the mistakes of others and you’ll start producing some good podcast shows which will attract audiences.

If you enjoyed, “Make a Podcast without the Newbie Mistakes” please share it with your friends through the links below.

Previously, we talked about the basics of video marketing, including some of the fundamental considerations when starting any project. That said, it’s time to move on to the next level!

Whether your video is simple and clean or has taken on Spielberg-like proportions (hopefully intentionally) your video can still benefit from some tweaks here and there. You may not have thought about it, but making a few small changes can make a world of difference!

1. Come up with a great title – not only can a great title attract eyeballs, but using keywords where your customers are likely to find you will help your rankings on search engines (especially considering YouTube is owned by Google!) Here is a link to SEO Blogger, a free keyword research tool that works with WordPress and Firefox.




2. Place your website address on the video – you can have it discreetly running at the bottom or have it flash (with a link) at the end of the video, but absolutely begin your description of the video with your complete url (including the http://)  – whichever way you do it, it will help your audience connect and interact with you.




3. Brand, brand and brand – don’t forget to place your logo and company name prominently (but tastefully) throughout your videos.




4. Answer questions – if you don’t know where to begin, think of the most frequently asked question your customers or other professionals ask you and try to build your script and your video around answering this question. (Check out one of my videos that I just answered a simple question and it went completely viral!  Here’s the link Terri’s Simple Question Answered on Video)




5. Describe a case study – another great way to show off what your business can do is through a case study, which showcases how you were able to help a client solve a problem through your service and/or product.




6. Pay attention to the details – is your music pleasing or annoying? Do your graphics induce seizures in small children? You want your video to appeal to the widest range of potential customers, so take that into consideration before you decide to use bright pink letters and heavy metal background music in your video.




7. Have a summary or transcript available as well – sometimes, people really do want to know more about your product, but for some reason they can’t play your video. Having a text summary or transcript will aid those who can’t watch your video.




8. Tag your videos – much like using proper titles, great tags and keywords will help your audience find your video.




9. Make it available in different formats – it’s hard to tell what type of software people have on their PCs, and many just can’t be bothered to download new software just to play one video, so make sure you have your video in different formats (.mov, .avi. fla) as well as sizes (high quality for broadband and lower quality for those who may not have fast connections or using their mobile phones.)




10. Measure results – you’ll want to know how successful your video is, to figure out what your ROI is, and if video marketing is right for you. Statistics like the number of views, play counts, subscribers are easy enough to track on even the most basic video sites, though there are more sophisticated tools available on the market that will give you a wealth of information on your viewers.

What are some of your tips for rocking your video marketing?

If you liked “Top 10 Tips to Rock your Online Video Marketing”
please share it with your friends by clicking the links below.

As a savvy small business owner and entrepreneur, you’ve got to use every low-cost marketing weapon in your arsenal.  And the most effective and dynamic, new marketing tool is Online Video.  As you know, online video is exploding in popularity, and companies large and small are using it to promote their businesses with amazing results.

Since the beginning of YouTube, marketing with video has become the best way to connect with customers and drive sales.  In fact, studies show that video is 600% more effective than text alone in delivering your message.  600%!

If you haven’t had the time or resources or know-how to jump on this trend, now you’re in luck.  Finally, you can harness the power of video for yourself with the help of my friend and colleague, Lou Bortone – The Online Video Guy!

Lou was my special guest in the Social Media “T” Room on Thursday, May 6th .  He share some incredible secret weapons about the “One-Two Punch” that will rock your brand!  Some of the things he shared were:

• A few simple tips and tricks for looking fabulous on camera
• 7 exciting (and easy) ways to generate new revenue with video
• How Twitter and Facebook can be your marketing secret weapon
• And MUCH more!!

If you missed the call – No Worries!   We recorded it and it’s available for purchase.

The One-Two Punch That Rocks Your Brand with Lou Bortone.

Also, Lou made a very generous offer during the call and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I shared it with you!  You can get his Online Video Rock Star program, regularly priced at $197 for only $147 through this link – Online Video Rock Star.  It’s an amazing package that will have you producing top-notch videos in no time! Get yours now!

Are you facing social media challenges.  What are your biggest social media challenges?

My biggest challenge as a social media consultant for small business is keeping current with all the new stuff!  I typically find new platforms through great sites like the Social Media Examiner, Mashable and others, then I test them out before I offer them to my clients and online community as new social media resources.

The time spent “testing” is sometimes lengthy, but usually always well worth it for great new resources.  I want to provide good quality information to my online community and be a resource for them to find the platforms and systems that they need to enhance and grow their online business.

So what are your social media challenges?  At our Social Media T Room, free online training center, we provide experts to help with your needs.  So let us know how we can overcome your obstacles, post your challenges in the comment section below.

P.S. Oh, and one I’m testing right now is called Dyyno Broadcaster. You can share your personal videos, broadcast an event, or Dyyno enables WebEx users to instantly share video during their online meetings.  So far – I think this system is great, and you know how big video is in online marketing.  I’m still in the testing phase, but if you want to check it out, the link is above.  And it’s not an affiliate link.

If you enjoyed “Biggest Social Media Challenges” please share it with your friends by clicking one of the links below, or “reblogging” it on your blog, by click the “Reblog” icon to the right.

When I was growing up to “tag” was a game that you play outside with your friends and the object was “not” to be tagged.  Now in our ever-popular online social media world, tagging means something entirely different.

To “Tag” a friend on Facebook means to either mention them in a post and attached a link to their personal profile by adding the “@” symbol and typing their name.  Or another very popular way to tag is to upload a picture of your friends and then click on the photo and “tag” their name to the photo.

I found this really cute but very relevant video about when to tag and when not to tag your friends on Facebook.

Facebook Etiquette Part 1: Facebook Tagging Etiquette from Nick O’Neill on Vimeo.

Related articles by Zemanta

• 5 Cool Ways To Tag Your Friends In Facebook (makeuseof.com)

Did you find this post helpful?  Why not share it with your friend by clicking the links below.

If you have been online for any length of time you’ve been exposed to a blog in one way or another. In fact you’re probably using one yourself and understand the importance of a small business utilizing a blog for several reasons such as increasing traffic, building a relationship with your readers, etc.

Not all people are as fortunate as those of us that know the importance of blogging. Speaking on a local level if you’ve ever had a conversation with a small business owner who has a brick and mortar business you have probably come to the conclusion that some of them don’t even know what a blog is!

That’s where a anyone who loves WordPress, has a creative side and doesn’t mind working mostly behind the scenes can utilize their services by becoming a blog consultant. Then you can start evangelizing to small business owners in your local community not only the importance of blogging but the truth – blogging is smart for business.

So exactly what is a blog consultant?

It’s someone passionate about blogging. They love blogging in general but more importantly they understand the importance of blogging for small business owners and want to share that understanding with small business owners especially on the local level.

So if you’re that person mentioned above and are passionate about blogging and want to share that passion with others then be sure to check out Become A Blog Consultant. If you’re not that’s ok too, this course was created for anyone who has a passion for blogging and wants to share it with local small business owners.

Be sure to visit our site where you can watch a quick two minute video and see a real life client example and sign up for a 16 minute audio that will help you decide if this is for you. Become A Blog Consultant

Don’t you love simple and easy stuff?  Well, here are my 5 Simple Steps for getting started with LinkedIn.

As you know, LinkedIn is the professional networking site where you connect with like-minded business professionals or prospects that you would like to do business with.  LinkedIn is not as “social” as Facebook and Twitter or even YouTube, it’s truly about building a strong professional relationship with others that you would like to do business with whether you are the buyer or the seller.

To get started with LinkedIn is quite easy:

Step 1 - Establish your account at linkedin.com.  Enter your email address and a secure password. (Be sure to jot it down so you don’t forget, or you can use Roboform.com to assist with remembering passwords)

Step 2 - import your current contacts, those that you are already connected to and/or doing business with, into LinkedIn through the Add Connections Tab located under Contacts.  This is an easy way to build your connections in LinkedIn without having to search for them.

Step 3 – Build your Profile to 100%. LinkedIn walks you through the process of building a strong profile, shows the progress you are making and what remains to be completed.  Work toward 100%.

Step 4 – In order to reach that 100% completeness of your profile, you need to be recommended by former clients, colleagues or co-workers.  Don’t be afraid to ASK for these recommendations.  All they can say is NO.  Or better yet, recommend others and maybe they will return the favor by recommending you.

Step 5 - Search and Join “niche” groups and get into the conversation.  What better way to position yourself as an expert than to respond timely and accurately with answers to questions.  Those who are not connected to you will quickly want to be connected because you are the expert or “Go-To” person for this topic.  And you can answer as many questions as you have the answers for.  So Become an Online Celebrity by responding to questions on LinkedIn.

Just those 5 Steps will get you started and racing out of the gate on LinkedIn to quickly build your connections and potential clients.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How LinkedIn will fire up your career (via money.cnn.com) (smbar.posterous.com)

If you enjoyed “5 Simple Steps to Getting LinkedIn” please share it with your friends by clicking the links below or posting a comment.

Guest post by Aaron Miller

Internet marketing is too huge a concept. It includes SEO, social media, e-mail marketing, pay per click and mobile web. This 2010, it is time to rethink your internet marketing strategies and rebuild your internet marketing solutions.

First of all, email marketing is an integral part of internet marketing. It is not going to vanish in social media, and in fact, email marketing will keep on playing a fundamental role internet marketing for the years to come. For this year, take email marketing to the next level by asking your email subscribers not only to read the contents of your email, but to get social with it by sharing this email through Facebook, Twitter, Digg and other social networking or bookmarking sites. You can also conduct a poll on Twitter or your Facebook account and boost followers, friends, fans and readers to subscribe to your email newsletter.

Pay per click internet marketing has developed over the years. Because of the convenience brought on by pay per click marketing, a lot of companies have turn sluggish. The best thing to do would be to maximize conversion rates by testing out different versions of your pay per click ads and testing out the right landing pages. Most companies usually set their pay per click ads and then leave it and forget it for a long time, letting it generate for itself. They are usually busy with other internet marketing activities that they forget to test and refine the campaigns. Pay per click marketing drives must always be set in order to reach your set goals in terms of conversion rates. How can you improve your PPC internet marketing? You can test multiple ad versions that highlight various benefits or your products and services. If you are targeting a competitive search term with many competitors, launch two different campaigns simultaneously as these will offer distinct fulfillment.

Another form of internet marketing is search engine optimization (SEO). With search engine optimization you tune up your site such that it will become search engine friendly. Your aim here is to have your site listed on top-10 in the organic results of the search engines when users search for a particular keyword which matches to the product or service you are offering. SEO is also a continuous process. You have to watch your results and keep improving your site’s contents regularly if you want to get better results.

The above techniques are just some of the strategies you can embark on to improve your internet marketing schemes for 2010.

Learn more how good Online Marketing Strategies also called Internet Marketing can boost your business sale for life!