Start surfing the social media wave

2009 March 3

by Guy

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Hi guys, 3-fruits-copy

If you haven’t read the previous article on how to ride the social media wave then I suggest you read it first. And if you haven’t got your blog set up yet then what the hell are you waiting for!?

Start off by getting a domain name, preferably your own name like your name dot com or something similar with your name in it. There are various sites out there like go daddy and cheap domain names which are worth registering with but I’ll leave it for you to decide. Just make sure you don’t register a company name or your business because nobody cares what you do! Remember, they care about you, as a person, first & foremost.

If you require any further help then go to this link where you’ll find great, easy to digest, invaluable info about setting up your blog site.

Great! Now that you have your blog set up its time to listen in to what Perry Belcher our social media networker has to say about the 3 major players in the social media scene.

They are: Twitter Facebook and Youtube

Now, most of you are probably familiar with these sites already but for those who’ve been living under a rock of ages then allow me to give you a quick explanation of each:

Twitter - is a micro blogging site that allows you to post little short sentences about what you’re doing. It can only have plain text and links.

It’s growing faster then facebook and I wouldn’t be surprised if half the world ends up tweeting a few years down the line. Twitter relays information to your audience about what you’re doing right now, and since human beings are curious by nature it allows us to pry into others lives by reading their tweets on a constant basis. Some people find twitter a complete waste of time because they might not understand the value and potential this site has but for the social networkers and bloggers, believe me, it does.

Facebook - is the king kong of the social media sites at the moment. It’s like a refined myspace which is basically just a site about you.

Your interests and hobbies are uploaded to your facebook site and it allows you to be interactive with your friends through sharing messages, videos, photos and other info. Facebook is by far the most viewed site in the world. With over 140 million active members it’s built to be the most viral website in the world.

While it took google 10 years to accrue 50 million members, it took facebook only 19 months.

You tube - if you don’t have an account then you’re not getting the vast benefit of youtube. Based around video content it is a community a lot like facebook. Most people see it as a place to watch videos but you can do much more than that. You can subscribe to video channels, upload your own videos, comment on other videos and eventually drive traffic.

Once you learn how to weave these three powerful social media sites together, then you can become a major player in the social media environment.

So how do we make all 3 major social sites work for us? Well, if you’re serious about internet marketing and are looking to drive traffic to your blog or website then here are the action steps you need to take to propel yourself into the social media-sphere.

If you haven’t done so already, open an account with twitter, facebook and youtube. They are free to join. It shouldn’t take you more then an hour to join all three and upload your profile.

Then, follow the advice Perry Belcher gives on how to make the most of each site.

Lets start with Twitter:

When you join twitter use your own name and don’t use your business name. Remember, it’s you that people are interested in not your business, yet.

If you’ve already joined as a business then don’t worry because you can still go back and change the name while not forsaking your followers list (as long as that name isn’t taken).

Write a kick ass bio - Perry Belcher’s bio reads ‘Seriously Bad Ass Marketer & Neurological Copywriter With a Gift From God.’ Yes, you can be cocky & funny but try not to be stale & boring with your bio.

If you add a link to your bio then make sure it goes to your personal blog and not your business or a squeeze page. Again, you want people to get to know you on an emotional level first.

Customize your pick - Make sure it’s a pick of you and not a logo or a cartoon. Try not to be boring either in your pic. In other words, smile :-) even if you teeth don’t look that great. And if its you in a suit with a tie then make sure it’s one of a cartoon character

Start following people you like - If you follow the people who are in your niche then they are more then likely to follow you back, it’s the law of reciprocity.

Find your twitter style - When you post a tweets what do you sound like? A helper, a philosopher, a joker. Find your voice, be yourself and you’ll definitely stumble upon an audience out there that likes your style.

Tweet at your leisure - Don’t make it a chore. There are some who spend hours tweeting when other tasks can be made to good use, so don’t over do it and have fun doing it.

So what do you tweet about?

You will probably want to tweet about your niche first but there is nothing stopping you from posting on other topics as well. You can find great valuable content and resources to pass on via your tweets through Digg, Alltop and Popurls. This gives you a way of connecting to an audience with the latest updates and news relating to your niche.

Remember that everyone on twitter is inherently nice so don’t worry about what to write.

You can support peoples dreams - Complement them on their tweets or successes.

You can confirm peoples suspicions - If they want to know about certain info or products that you already know about, but that you honestly know about.

You can allay peoples fears - Tell them its okay to be scared, if they are newbies in the field.

You can give away resources - Help others solve a problem that they have.

Be conversational - Make sure to ask questions while tweeting and giving away answers. Make it a two way conversation in order to build rapport.

Be positive - That’s an absolute must.

And the last rule for tweeting is don’t be a twitter snob - Follow those that follow you and answer back to your @ messages.

Next it’s Facebook:

When you open an account or if you already have an account with facebook, make sure you fill out your profile page as much as you can. Include your interests, hobbies, favourite films, shows, books etc so that you can establish common grounds with similar friends and begin building relationships.

Approach your - Family, friends, college students, university grads, office workers and local people that you know and gradually build your friends list.

Comment - On your friends status, whether they have a new pic, had a birthday bash, are moving house, flat etc.

Try and follow a local group of your liking if you can.

Don’t bombard your page with photos - Trickle them in gradually. The same with your videos - don’t upload them all at once.

Update your status every so often - By posting a new pic, addding info to your profile page or anything else you are likely to share with your friends.

Set up a fan page or a club page - Make sure its something that is interesting or fun for you to do and enjoy.

Facebook allows you to befriend people that they recommend so use that to your advantage. The maximum friends you can add on a daily basis is 30 so don’t overdo it or you’ll get facebook slapped, ouch!

Make sure you tag your pics and videos.

And the last tip I can give you is ask your friends to comment on your updates - That one little tip can make you a star. Ask them to comment on your photo, your video etc. ask for feedback.

And finally… You tube:

A lot of you might not have a camcorder or a way to transfer video footage onto your youtube page but don’t worry. Until you get to that stage you can start by adding other peoples videos to your playlist - Videos that you like and enjoy.

Make friends with the people who created those videos - Subscribe to their channel and post comments on the vids that you like.

When you start making your own videos it will enable you to communicate with your audience and friends on a whole new level.

The great thing about Youtube is that it gives your audience the chance to see and hear the real you - Vocally and visually. Youtube - Lets you have nuances.

When you make your videos don’t be afraid to tell of your success stories - Don’t be shy - Toot your own horn.

It’s a great place for you to explain things to people - How things work if you’re good at something.

Be funny - Funny is money - But don’t be ridiculous.

Show your lifestyle and interests.

Show embarrassing things in your life - Its okay to get it wrong - Show your vulnerability to others - That’s how you build friendships - Raise the intimacy levels.

People love to see pets and kids - So if you have them, show them off.

The world is becoming smaller and very transparent - Remember, people are curious by nature so don’t hold back.

Get people to subscribe to your channel - Ask them for comments - Ask them to rate your videos - Do anything just to show them you’re alive!

Focus on making your channel work for your niche. After you make 20 plus videos you’ll eventually get youtube to partner up with you and then you can develop your channel even further.

So, there we have it: Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

If you make all three of these social media sites work in synergy then you’ll see amazing things happen.

But above all remember that this is a person to person way of communication, not a company to person. Don’t promote your business whatever you do.

People want to hear about what you have to say, not what your company has to say. People are sick of hearing corporate messages. So don’t try to be a professional.

Be prepared to work 30 minutes a day on your social media sites. Don’t view it as work, view it as fun. If you’re not having fun then you’re not doing it right. che-guyvara-small7