Virtually Assist

Squidoo Lens Strategies

Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by sandra in News, Social Media

Squidoo lenses have nothing to do with seafood and calamari.  Squidoo is a powerful social media site that allows users to create “lenses” about themselves, their business and/or their interests. A Squidoo lens is similar to a blog post except, rather than being hosted on an individual’s blog, it is posted on a community site to share with the rest of the world. Would you like to have your blog posts listed on a site where more than a million users are looking for a quick way to find answers to their questions?  Squidoo offers that and more.

Here are 4 strategies to make the most out your Squidoo lenses and get the visibility you desire for your business:

1. Ensure you include a compelling description and table of contents in your lens. It is your description that will draw people in and ensure that they will want to read more.
2. Take full advantage of Squidcasting. Squidcasting is they way you let your readers know that you have published a new lens, update readers about an upcoming event or announce the results of a contest or special promotion. Anyone who has joined your fan club, signed up for your Squidoo RSS or favorited your lens will receive your Squidcast.
3. Cross promote. In order to maximise your efforts you should promote your Squidoo lens on Facebook, Twitter and your blog or website.
4. Make sure you add a Guestbook to your lens.  This will help to increase communication between you and your readers.

In addition to generating traffic and helping to establish yourself as an expert in your niche, Squidoo shares profits with its lens creators. A great way to generate some extra cash while building your business.

Next we will learn about how creating your own social group on Ning can positively impact your business.

Using Digg To Drive More Traffic To Your Site

Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by sandra in News, Social Media

Digg is a social media/social bookmarking site that can help share your content with millions of people worldwide. Whether you post your content yourself or someone “Diggs” it, Digg is like voting for your favorite article or content. The more “votes” it receives, the more popular it becomes and the more traffic and visibility your business and website receives. Posting your content to Digg is one of the most effective ways to establish yourself as an expert and to drive potential buyers to your website.

Here are a few suggestions to get the most benefit from Digg for your business and/or services:

1. When you set up your profile, make sure it as comprehensive and informative as possible. Be sure to include your website and blog links. When someone reads your content and wants to know more about you, they will go to your profile for more information. Be sure you have a photo, a good description and your links.
2. Make friends, give shout-outs and Digg! Digg! Digg! The purpose of Digg is to generate traffic and views for your content. Make friends with people who will have an interest in what you are saying and will reciprocate Diggs. When you give a shout-out, it helps you to get noticed and everyone appreciates them! Digg! Digg! Digg! If you want to be noticed, and you obviously do, Digg other people’s content. When you read something you feel adds value, Digg it!
3. Know what is popular on the site and what Digg members are looking for. When adding content, don’t just add any content. Take the time to find out what is popular and which topics Digg readers are looking for. Equally as important is that you know what Digg users do not like.
4. Use your keywords. Keywords are very important on Digg. When a visitor searches for content on Digg, you want them to be able to find your articles and links. Consider your keywords carefully and use them in your description, content and titles.
5. Encourage your readers, visitors and friends to Digg for you. Make sure you have a “Digg This” button on your website or blog, to allow people to Digg for you.

Digg is a fabulous way to get information about you, your business and your services in front of potentially millions of people who otherwise would not have known about you and what you have to offer. As with all social media sites, you need to dedicate some time to be involved and contribute but when you do, you will find the rewards to be more than worthwhile for your business.

Next you’ll discover how Stumble Upon can benefit your business.

5 Ways to Network via LinkedIn

Posted on 27. Jun, 2010 by sandra in News, Social Media

In our 4th post in the series “Introduction to Social Media Marketing” we will discuss how to network via LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is possibly one of the most effective social media platforms for business to business (B2B) networking. If you want to establish yourself as an industry expert, market to other businesses, network with business leaders and executives, a presence on LinkedIn is a must.  One of LinkedIn’s features that makes it substantially different than other social media sites is that your profile is more like an online resume.  As a result, with LinkedIn you really want to put your professional best into your profile.

Here are some ways that you can use LinkedIn to advance your business and goals:

1. Build a solid and comprehensive profile. Include your education, professional experience as well as any products or materials that you have produced. Your LinkedIn profile is essentially an online resume for you. Add both past and present experience, your full education, honors and awards, a photo and pay special attention to the summary information.
2. Join several groups and become involved. LinkedIn’s groups feature is also a fantastic engine for networking with people in your professional circles.  You can join groups who have similar businesses and services as you, network with college alumni as well as business or trade specific entities. The more networking you do, the more your business gets noticed.
3. Ask and answer questions. One of LinkedIn’s unique features is the Answers service. You can rapidly establish yourself as an industry expert by routinely checking to see if there are any questions being asked in your area of expertise. Providing meaningful and helpful answers is a very effective way to build connections and establish yourself as an expert.
4. Give and ask for recommendations. Another unique feature of LinkedIn is the Recommendations section. Similar to testimonies that you would post on your website, LinkedIn has a section on your profile for recommendations from colleagues and business partners. Be generous and offer recommendations to businesses and individuals you have experience with. Not only will it build good will, it will also generate recommendation for yourself. It is considered appropriate to give and request recommendations.
5. Ask for introductions. Is there a business or a person who you would really like to joint venture with or network with? Ask someone in your circle of connections to introduce you. In general your connections are happy to facilitate an introduction and pleased that you offered.

As with all social media networks, the value of LinkedIn is in building targeted connections and networking. LinkedIn is especially valuable for business to business transactions and networking.  Add value, compliment others and establish yourself as an expert in your field and your social media efforts will enhance your business.

Next we’ll discuss how using Digg can help boost your business.

Facebook Marketing

Posted on 23. Jun, 2010 by sandra in News, Social Media, Virtual Assistant

Here is the third post in the series “Introduction to Social Media Marketing”, covering marketing via Facebook.

Facebook is not only the largest social media site, it is also one of the most visited sites on the internet. With more than 400 million people participating in Facebook, businesses worldwide are creating extensive strategies to engage consumers through social media.

If major brands such as Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson, Six Flags, Target, Apple and Pizza Hut are using Facebook to reach their target markets, then Facebook should definitely be a part of YOUR social media efforts.

To use Facebook effectively for your business, you should follow the following strategies and ideas:

1. Create a Fan Page. Fan Pages are a highly effective way to interact with your target market, receive feedback, promote new products or services, answer questions and build a loyal following.
2. Use Facebook’s custom html feature to build your list, offer free report downloads, create custom feeds, survey your fans and more.
3. Take advantage of Facebook’s many applications to offer special content to your audience. You can create custom landing pages, add audio and video as well as transcripts from events.
4. Promote an event. Facebook offers the ability to promote your event to your Facebook Fan Page members as well as all of your “friends.” All you have to do is create an event page and then email your fans and friends an invitation. Facebook will even keep track of who you invited, who is attending and who isn’t.
5. Announce sales, special promotions and offer coupons. Facebook fan page members and friends react well to receiving special promotions via Facebook.
6. Receive feedback. Many of the major brands use their Facebook fan page to receive feedback from fans about what types of products and services they want to receive or purchase. This is a fantastic way to give your target market exactly what they want.

As you can see from the above, Facebook offers businesses excellent opportunities for promoting products and services as well as building a strong community. If you are new to Facebook, it is vital to develop a strategy for how you want to reach your target market and how you are going to accomplish this. Facebook is big and powerful but don’t let it overwhelm you. Pick where you want to start and slowly add more features to your page or profile as you build your community.

Next we will cover LinkedIn and it’s unique features for building your business.

Twitter Marketing

Posted on 20. Jun, 2010 by sandra in News, Social Media

Welcome to my second post in the series “Introduction to Social Media Marketing”. Today we will be discussing Twitter.

Twitter is one of the most popular social media sites being used today by individuals and businesses. It is often referred to as “micro-blogging” because you can only post a maximum of 140 characters at a time.  Twitter provides a platform for you to interact with your target market, network and create relationships that can boost your business.

Here are a few ways that you can use Twitter effectively to promote your business:

1. Put your best foot forward. Create a twitter profile that represents you and your business well. Include your photo, links to your website and a strong bio in your profile. Also, consider creating a custom Twitter background. Twitter backgrounds can be obtained inexpensively and are a terrific way to compliment your branding efforts.
2. Strategically build your following. There are millions of people on Twitter and when you first get involved, the inclination is to follow and follow back everyone who follows you. However, doing so will dilute your efforts and fail to achieve the desired results. For instance, if you make and sell organic baby food you might be tempted to follow every new Mom on Twitter. If you do so, you’ll develop a huge list of followers quickly. But not everyone is interested in organic baby food. Your efforts would be better spent targeting Mom’s who tweet about organic foods, organic baby clothing and green living. For best results, concentrate your efforts networking with people who are interested in your product or working in your niche.
3. Treat your Twitter followers as you do your newsletter followers. Through various metrics, social media experts have shown that Twitter followers are as responsive (and sometimes more) as your newsletter subscribers. Having a sale? Tweet about it! Offer your twitter followers a special coupon or bonus. Have a big announcement about your business? Share it with your Twitter followers. Not only are your followers interested, but they will retweet (RT) it and introduce you to potential new buyers and possible joint venture partners.
4. Having an event? Twitter is a terrific way to tell your followers about an upcoming event that you are hosting. Whether it is a virtual event or a live event, Twitter is a wonderful way to spread the word. You can also use Twitter to share information and products you gather at events you attend. There are many mobile applications that you can purchase or get for free that makes Tweeting “on the go” very simple.

Are you ready to start tweeting? If you are new to Twitter, create an account, set up your profile and get involved. Twitter is highly interactive and it is completely acceptable to jump in on a conversation. Just remember, don’t be a sleazy car salesman. Provide valuable information as well as updates about your business. And, if you are not new to Twitter, consider how you can incorporate some of the ideas we provided into your Twitter strategy.

Next we will cover Facebook and how using it can benefit your business.

Introduction to Social Media Marketing

Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by sandra in News

Do you remember when businesses, small and large, focused a lot of time and energy on advertising in order to market their company or products? When nearly all businesses placed an ad in the local Yellow Pages? Well, social media is the Yellow Pages on steroids! Through social media, you can market your business and services worldwide, educate consumers, receive feedback from customers, run special promotions, provide coupons to targeted audiences, and much more. AND YOU CAN DO SO EASILY AND AFFORDABLY. The power of social media is almost limitless for both small and large businesses.

There are dozens of social media sites all of which have unique features, users and possibilities for marketing your business. Over the next 10 blog posts, we will provide an overview of the top social media sites and ways that you can use each site to promote your business. The social media sites included are:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Digg
• StumbleUpon
• Squidoo
• Ning
• YouTube

Like any marketing or advertising campaign, it is important to start with the end in mind. So before you jump on board with any of the social media sites, we recommend that you spend time developing a social media strategy that will help you achieve your goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you get started:

1. Who is your target market? Which of the social media sites are they hanging out at?
2. What products and/or services do you want to promote?
3. How much time do you have to spend on social media marketing? Do you have staff that can assist you with your social media efforts?
4. What do you hope to accomplish through your social media efforts?

Social media marketing is a powerful tool for your business. You can reach people who you otherwise would have never known your services or products existed. By spending only minutes a day, you can influence your audience, build customer loyalty and increase sales and spend only the value of your time. Social media can boost your business in ways you never imagined!

In our next post, we’ll introduce you to Twitter and how you can best use it to benefit your business. In the meantime, give some serious consideration to the questions asked above. Your answers will influence which social media platforms you choose, how you use them and what results you will achieve.

Using Social Media to enhance your business

Posted on 15. Feb, 2010 by sandra in Uncategorized

I have recently been invited to write a guest post for TAVASA (Transcriptionists and Virtual Assistants of South Africa) on Using Social Media to enhance your business.

Please read the post on their blog

Reaching Millions with Twitter: The Whole Foods Story

Posted on 09. Feb, 2010 by sandra in News

Could you imagine your company gaining over one million followers in it’s first year on Twitter? Read this interesting blog post and interview to find out how they achieved this and went on to have over 1.75 million followers:

• Even if you’re a small business, there’s some great insight to be gained from Marla Erwin, Interactive Art Director for Whole Foods Market. Marla was instrumental in creating Whole Foods’ acclaimed social media program and the results have been phenomenal! For example, in the first year, Twitter.com/Wholefoods gained a million Twitter followers. It has now surpassed 1.75 million people

SocialMediaExaminer, Reaching Millions with Twitter: the Whole Foods Story, Feb. 2010

Social Media Revolution

Posted on 07. Feb, 2010 by sandra in News

Let me have your thoughts/comments once you have watched this amazing video about the Social Media Revolution.

Social Media in Plain English

Posted on 19. Jan, 2010 by sandra in News

Watch this great video to explain Social Media in Plain English.