Social Marketing | Lynn Brown

Realistic Social Media Strategies For Your Business

July 6, 2012 By Lynn Brown 38 Comments

With an abundance of social media opportunities at our fingertips, confusion can easily set in when trying to decide where to get the most bang for your business. You struggle with social media strategies and speculate about which is best for you and your business.

For the past few years, this complaint has been a common refrain among business owners plugged into the social media scene. Because successfully utilizing social media is a process requiring daily participation, you may feel like you’re banging your head against a wall and pondering if the “prize” is worth the process.

When it comes to social media platforms, many business owners believe quantity prevails over quality…the more social media platforms they belong to, the better their chances of increasing their audience/clientele. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth! Spreading yourself too thin results in neglecting the very thing that could have served you well.

Upon deciding to go the social media route, investigate and target social media platforms most visited by your audience.

A good idea is to focus on two social media platforms. Narrowing your focus enables you to actively, meaningfully, continuously and easily communicate with your audience and monitor responses without experiencing “social media meltdown.” Reserving time to respond to any negative feedback and steering your audience back on track is essential!

Remember…when it comes to employing social media for your business, your main goal is to find which social media strategies and platforms best serve your target audience. Don’t waste time or resources on those that don’t correlate to your product or service.

Finally, it is essential to spend time monitoring, communicating, participating and building relationships. People respond positively to businesses they trust and feel connected to. So…take the leap and build relationships!

Were these tips helpful? What social media strategies are working for you and your business? Please share some of the practices that help you maintain good social connections with your audience.

To your continued online business success!

LinkedIn Connects Business People For Success

June 29, 2012 By Lynn Brown 34 Comments

LinkedIn Connects People

LinkedIn is a network of business people helping each other through a growing social network comprised primarily of business owners, making it unique and different from other popular networks. LinkedIn allows business owners to forge essential connections for business success.

In business, the foremost reasons for using social networks are to gain leads and connect with people who can enhance your success. When using LinkedIn, you are mingling with people like you…business owners.

LinkedIn is not the leading social network, but is definitely a worthwhile investment of your time. I know you have heard me say that time and time again, but it is true! Unlike Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is a social spot for business owners, providing an opportunity to network with other business owners. LinkedIn is a forum where like minds come together for solutions.
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After becoming a LinkedIn member, business owners can join groups and discussions according to common industries, areas or topics of interest. Exchanging ideas and collaborating with others is an invaluable tool! Gone are the days of traveling from site to site, seeking answers and/or leads for your growing business. Your entire social networking needs can be found in one place…LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Groups

“Basic” members can join a total of 50 groups, permitting the ability to explore an abundance of various interests within a range of groups. By joining multiple groups, you are sure to find the right mix of interests and knowledge to support your type of business.

I found the most valuable groups don’t spend an inordinate amount of time talking about their own business. You definitely want to belong to vital groups that brainstorm ideas and help build leads. Great groups will discourage those who only want to promote themselves.

Connections begin immediately upon joining a group and getting to know the business owners in that group. Giving/sharing with the group is what it is all about. You are not there to simply extract the advantages, but to give something back in return. Offer a brief introduction, let them know you are new to LinkedIn and, when there is opportunity, submit your own valuable input.

Topic Groups

After mastering the art of contributing to groups in a meaningful way, you should then consider starting a topic group of your own. Take the leap…share valuable information on a specific topic. Form a topic group and invite everyone and anyone that can relate to your topic. Don’t discount the value of sharing with your competition as well! Collaboration is what LinkedIn is all about; there is something for everyone, so don’t hold back.

All it takes to connect, in a meaningful way, on LinkedIn is to make a habit of establishing new connections every business day. Reach out and give a little, gain a bit, share a piece of your life and watch how this assists your business expand to new heights.

Remember, the way to amplify and augment your business is to get connected! LinkedIn is an essential tool for accomplishing this task. Business owners “gather” with like-minded people, gain information, form friendships and create leads. LinkedIn is your one-stop-shop for superior social networking.

So…have I convinced you about the power of LinkedIn? If you’ve never utilized this platform, now is the time to dive in. If you previously used LinkedIn but set it aside, promise me to jump back on board and join a few LinkedIn groups! As always, feel free to share your insight below.

To your continued online business success!

Filed Under: Linkedin Marketing Tagged With: Linkedin, linkedin connections, linkedin groups, Marketing Tips, social marketing, social media

Social Marketing on How to Own Your Facebook Newsfeed

February 21, 2012 By Lynn Brown 38 Comments

Just when you think you figured out Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg tosses a new obstacle in the path of social marketers. And if you haven’t figured out how to master this new change, you might as well kiss your status as an in-the-know marketer good-bye.
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That’s right — I’m talking about your Facebook Newsfeed!

In an effort to make things simpler for Facebook users, Zuckerberg developed a new algorithm that determines what friends you follow the most, what stories will appeal to you, and what you’ll be most interested in reading. However, as well-intentioned as this change was, this means that online marketers are potentially missing out on new updates from their customers (and those updates just might have something to do with your online business!).
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So what’s a savvy social marketer like yourself to do?
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Adjust your timeline to reflect all your customer updates with the following steps:
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Go to your Newsfeed and click on the “Sort” tab. You’ll immediately be presented with two options: sort by “Top Stories” and “Most Recent”. If you click on the “Top Stories” option, you’ll be letting Facebook take the reins in deciding what’s most interesting to you. Click on “Most Recent” to start seeing an in-depth and chronological timeline.
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Mute the people, pages, and applications that have nothing to do with your business (or any that just annoy you!). Just hover your mouse over the top-right of the update, click on “Hide all by”, and you’ll never have to see those annoying updates in your Newsfeed again.
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Manage your Timeline even further by heading to each of your customers’ profile pages and clicking on “Subscribe”. This ensures that all of your customers will show up in your Newsfeed when they make updates. It might be a bit time-consuming, but it’s worth it for busy online marketers!
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Use these updates to keep your Facebook Timeline recent, and you’ll never have to worry about missing what your customers or clients have to say!
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Let me know in the comments below, if this was a helpful tip — or have you been using the Facebook Newsfeed and can share some marketing ideas.
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Wishing you a highly profitable and successful day!

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Filed Under: FaceBook Tagged With: customer updates, facebook newsfeed, facebook timeline, marketing tip, Online Marketers, social marketing

Reasons Why I Love MarketMeSuite

January 3, 2012 By Lynn Brown 28 Comments

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I’ll admit it: I’m absolutely gaga and head-over-heels in love with MarketMeSuite – and if you use Twitter for your own online marketing purposes (which I hope you do!), then I’m pretty confident you’ll be shouting your own declarations of love in just a few minutes.
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If you’re the kind of business person who wishes for more automation to give you more time in your day, then MarketMeSuite will do just that. Essentially, MarketMeSuite is a free social media dashboard tool that allows you to check out what’s being said about you on Twitter and other social sites. It’s like Google Alerts for Twitter: every time your brand is mentioned via a hashtag – or even indirectly – MarketMeSuite will immediately pick up on it and alert you to what’s being said.
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In addition to giving marketers the opportunity to learn more about what’s being said about their businesses, MarketMeSuite allows busy marketers the opportunity to set up reply campaigns, schedule tweets (even a year out!) and built-in link shorteners, no need to pre-shrink those long URL’s!
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This tool does it all – you can search for conversations via industry keywords, geo-targets and even negative words, so you can start contributing to the chatter within an easy-to-use dashboard format. It’s the perfect resource for the busy online marketer who wants to significantly cut down on the time it takes to engage with social media users and give you a marketing edge.
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Can you tell that I really love MarketMeSuite yet?
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Because I’m not done with my high parise to MarketMeSuite, here are a few more reasons why I think every online marketer should have this tool:
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It makes it incredibly easy for online marketers to find what’s being said about their business. This allows for opportunities to address reviews, highlight feedback or just tune in on what customers are saying.
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It’s also an intuitive social media dashboard, meaning you won’t have to spend hours trying to figure out how to use it (always a bonus!). And should you get stuck or have a question, their customer service is first class.
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This is the best feature: MarketMeSuite allows you to brand yourself in a unique way. When you post status updates on other dashboards or Twitter, the message is usually followed by a promotion from one of these sites (for example, “via HootSuite” “via Twitter” “via TweetDeck”). However, the MarketMeSuite allows you to brand yourself by posting your updates, followed by a link to your site rather than to HootSuite or TweetDeck. Genius!
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This platform just recently added features to manage your Facebook (including groups and pages) and Linkedin accounts too!
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MarketMeSuite has the ability to add users to your account, like executive assistants or virtual assistants, to help manage your account.
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Did I mention it’s free?

Check out MarketMeSuite at marketmesuite.com to learn more about this must-have Twitter tool.
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Are you currently using any social dashboards? Think you might give MarketMeSuite a test run?

Make it a highly successful and profitable day!

Check Out My Video

Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: facebook, marketmesuite, social management, social marketing, twitter

Easy Video Marketing Tips for Social Media Strategy

November 22, 2011 By Lynn Brown 20 Comments

Video marketing is the most important tool any small business owner, entrepreneur or professional could hope to have. After recently going through a video coaching program, I discovered using video allows your audience to get a better picture of who you are, builds confidence, and even regard you as an expert in your specific market niche.

So if you’re not using video in your current social media marketing strategy, it’s time to whip out a webcam and get started.

Whether you’ve never made a video before or like to dabble in it, these easy video marketing tips will get you going with your online video campaign:
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Don’t forget your SEO strategies when engaging in video marketing. Make sure your video title is optimized with your most powerful keywords; also, be sure to optimize your description tags and keyword tags with your most profitable search terms. Remember, just because it’s a video doesn’t mean you should throw everything you’ve learned about SEO techniques out the door.
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Make sure that all of your videos contain an HTML link. However, don’t place it as a watermark on your actual video, which can be pretty annoying. Instead, put an HTML link in your video description, place one in the bottom corner of your video, and make sure your video ends with a strong call-to-action that contains your HTML link.
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Provide killer content that your clients will love. Think of it as a great way to get current news, insider tips and other information to your clients. Additionally, don’t take too long to get to the good stuff – your clients will quickly become bored. Keep your videos short, focused and to the point.
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Finally, accompany your video with a slide that sums up the information you’ve been talking about. This helps your clients who may not want to sit through your speech get to the best information and still discover your HTML link.

These easy video marketing tips will ensure that your next major online campaign is your most profitable yet!

Your turn … are you using video marketing as part of your business strategy? Leave your comments and let me know if there are other tips that have helped your videos get noticed by your audience.

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Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: easy video marketing tips, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tips, social marketing, Video Campaign, video marketing

A Key Social Media Marketing Tip to Live By

November 11, 2011 By Lynn Brown 22 Comments

Social media marketing often feels like you’re on one long vacation. After all, who else can say that they’re making a living by spending their days on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn?
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But this informal approach to online entrepreneurship can set you up for a major trap – a trap that’s so detrimental to your online
success, you could end up undermining your own bottom line.
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So what’s this trap, you might ask? Is it being too pushy with sales? Is it getting into arguments with your online posters? Is it ignoring the need to keep your posts updated with fresh content?
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Not exactly – in fact, the trap has nothing to do with social media marketing. It has more to do with the way you approach your at-home work.
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Not sure what I mean here?

Okay, let me explain. How many times have you sat in front of the TV and spent the afternoon channel-surfing while focusing on social media marketing? How many times have you let a sink full of dishes or a crowded laundry room distract you from getting the task done at hand? How many times have you given up on a day of work because the kids were too distracting, or you wanted to sleep in?

That’s exactly what I’m talking about. These little distractions or days off can add up to a major drain on your bottom line – not to mention that it quickly chips away at your sense of discipline and motivation. So what are you supposed to do?
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Use this key social media marketing tip to live by: Treat yourself like a Fortune 500 CEO.
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If you’re ever tempted to do laundry instead of working, or sleep in just for an hour longer, think to yourself: would a Fortune 500 CEO do this? If you want to spend the day working in your PJs in front of the television, ask yourself if a Fortune 500 CEO would do it.
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Use this social media marketing tip, and you’ll have the discipline you need to make your online fortune.
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What do you think? Am I on track or way off base – let me know by leaving your comments below.

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Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: Entrepreneurship, Motivation, online business success, social marketing, social media marketing

Future Social Media Marketing Trends You Must Know About

September 16, 2011 By Lynn Brown 33 Comments

As the year progresses to its end,

social media marketing trends show no signs of slowing down.
While Facebook recently enjoyed reaching its 750 million member milestone this past summer (that’s almost 1/6^th of the world’s population) and Twitter boasts 175 million members, it’s clear to see that social media marketing will continue to dominate the Web 2.0 world.
There’s no denying that social commerce is a critical aspect to any company’s success, be it online or offline. With that in mind, here are the future social media marketing trends that are set to make waves – and possibly even change the way you look at traditional marketing and advertising:

Users already exhibit a great deal of control over their favorite brands via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. However, if you’re not already interacting with your most valuable stakeholders, then it’s time to get on board, as research suggests that social media marketing will become more influenced by feedback from online users.
Social media marketing trends indicate that the most successful business websites will incorporate Web 2.0 sites into their own. This falls in line with research released in 2010, which suggests that over 60% of online users would trust information contained on a social media site over that on a corporate site – even if the information was identical.
Social media marketing trends also suggest that the most successful business campaigns will take place on Web 2.0 platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This research indicates that if you haven’t already made the jump to social media marketing, you could be missing out on a very lucrative slice of online profits.

If you’re ready to stand out as a leader in social media marketing, then these trends should set you up for major success in 2011 and beyond. Are you ready?

Make It a Successful and Profitable Day!

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Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: facebook, Marketing Advertising, Marketing Trends, Media Marketing, online business success, online marketing, social marketing, twitter

Emotional Triggers That Drive Your Readers Wild

August 30, 2011 By Lynn Brown 37 Comments

Whether you’re writing for social media marketing or want to develop the kind of web copy that sings, there’s one secret that makes a key difference in your success: emotional triggers that make your readers buy, buy and buy some more.

Let’s face it – whether you want your readers to whip out their credit cards or opt into your list, you need to understand what emotion will drive them to do so. And according to marketing research, you don’t need to be a psychic to tap into the inner mind of your clients…

…You just need this list by your side:

Fear:
This major emotion is one of the biggest triggers that will drive your clients to opt into your list or buy your products. To tap into this emotion, think about what fears drive your clients to your site in the first place.
Anger:
Are your readers angry about the economy? Are they frustrated at having to work in a dead-end job? Tap into what makes your clients see red, and you’ll see your conversion rates skyrocket.
Vanity:
Your clients want to look their very best – and if you’re in the weight loss, beauty and health niche, then you need to tap into their innermost vanities to get the conversion rates you’re looking for.

Now that you know the emotional triggers that drive your readers wild, you can harness the power of your words in everything from your social media profiles to your website content.

What emotional triggers are you using in your social media marketing, leave your ideas and comments below.

Make it a Successful and Profitable day!

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Filed Under: Online Basic Tips Tagged With: Conversion Rates, Emotion, Marketing Ideas, Media Marketing, social marketing, social media, Web Copy, Website Content

Getting To Know — What is LinkedIn?

August 5, 2011 By Lynn Brown 12 Comments

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Linkedin is a powerful social paltform which to date, has more than 100 million members.

It’s known as the social network for professionals. However, with the increase of small online business, up-and-coming entrepreneurs and specific service professionals, Linkedin has become a major player in building social visibility online.

LinkedIn allows you to reconnect with past colleagues, and get connections that will boost your career. There is also a platform where you can ask experts questions and get real answers.

It all began in May of 2003, and nearly 5,000 people joined the network within the first month. Now there are over 1 million new members every week. There are countless potential connections for you.

Benefits of LinkedIn:

Job seekers are more likely to find a job when working with LinkedIn connections.
The more connections you have, the better.
Fortune 500 members are on LinkedIn! Get connected to the big dogs.
You’ll be seen by more people with each connection. Your profile will show up in your
connections’ profiles. This will help bring in new connections.
List your current and past employment, activities, awards, education, and any
affiliations.
Make your profile searchable online to increase your Google PageRank. Just make your
profile public and select Full View to make your profile searchable.
Increase traffic to your blog or website. Add links and description for backlinks to
your profile for increased search engine optimization.
Check your employer’s information before you start working for them. Find
commonalities with you and your interviewee so you have something to talk about
during the interview.

LinkedIn is an amazing social media network for every professional, business owner or entrepreneur and it is free to join. The features of LinkedIn is far better than any other social media marketing network out there.

Linkedin has been my favorite and most important social site which has helped me to grow and boost my online business in a whole new direction. Please visit my new YouTube channel: Linkedin Marketing Mgr to subscribe for ongoing video tips and techniques that will help you to learn more about Linkedin for your business.

Would like to hear how Linkedin is helping your business. Ask me any burning questions about Linkedin, I would like to help you get more out of Linkedin for you and your business.

Wishing you and your business much Success!

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Filed Under: Linkedin Marketing Tagged With: Linkedin, linkedin marketing, Marketing Network, Professional Business, Service Professionals, social marketing, social media, Visibility Online, what is linkedin

Simple Social Media Marketing Tips

August 2, 2011 By Lynn Brown 12 Comments

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Social media marketing is a powerful source in helping your business grow and stay visible.

BUT ….. How do you get results from social media? How do you grow your business with Facebook and Twitter? It’s easier than you might think.

Use these simple social media marketing tips and techniques:

FOLLOWERS & FRIENDS:

Start out by sending follow requests on Twitter and friend requests on Facebook. Get connections on these top social media sites. Increase your fan base to boost your business. Find people you believe might be interested in your business, industry or market niche. For example, if you are in the business of selling jewelry you should find people who are interested in fashion. Send a request to these people with a short introduction to your business.

BE REAL:

Infuse your personality into your social media sites, and make it a friendly space for your friends and followers. They will be more likely want to connect with you and like your business. When you share information, be real, let your personality shine through. Don’t try to be anyone else but you! and… Make it fun.

INTERESTING CONTENT:

Post content that will be shared and liked by your audience. Word of mouth is free, and it is the most effective form of advertising. This is why using social media marketing works so well. It’s all about sharing things with friends. When your content is shared or liked on Facebook and Twitter more readers will come to your page to follow or friend you. It’s a great way to gain more exposure online.

GET INVOLVED & BE POLITE:

Pretend you are face-to-face with your social media network all the time. Never ignore them. Recognize them. A simple thank you goes a long way. Get involved in the conversations going on about your business, or anything related to your business. When someone posts something on your Facebook wall you need to reply in a timely manner. Be friendly and available. Post comments on other people’s Twitter posts, fan pages or blog posts.

These simple social media marketing tips will keep your fan bases growing. Ask for more friends or followers, make it fun, post interesting content, and interact with everyone.

Were these tips helpful? Please add your social media marketing tips and techniques that help your business grow.

Make it a Successful & Profitable day!

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Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: facebook, Fan Base, Followers, market niche, Marketing Techniques, Marketing Tips, social marketing, social media marketing tips, twitter, Word Of Mouth

Social Media Madness Update: Stay Focused Stay Sane!

July 22, 2011 By Lynn Brown 13 Comments

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My recent post How Are You Managing Social Media Madness brought up some very good points. The discussion is a good one if you still want to jump in.

I also shared this with my Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter followers. With all the comments receive to date, I have a broader view of what some of us are going through and wanted to share what I have learned so far:

There are many that are completely overwhelmed with social media and how to implement and utilize for their business.
There are some that are so overwhelmed they have actually got off Facebook or Twitter and some won’t even get onto Google+, well, at least not for now.
The majority all seemed to agree that having a plan, knowing which social site is best for you, your industry and your audience and staying focused is key.

As we move along in our online business, I know how important social media can play a huge role in building awareness, increase the number of visitors to our site and the chance of engaging those visitors to turn them around into paying customers. So what is the best way to ‘manage’ social media marketing madness?

I would like to share my good ebiz associate and friend, Melanie Kissell – Solo Mompreneur that offered this advice and so expressively stated:

“It’s not humanly possible to
spread yourself thin across ten or twelve social media venues and participate
in a meaningful way. People who try to do that end up neglecting other
important business-building activities and don’t end up building the kinds of
rock solid relationships they need in order to grow their business.

I think the only way to “stop the madness” is to “stop yourself
in your tracks” and do a personal social media assessment. Then pick three
or four social media venues that you’re going to include in your marketing plan
and work those consistently.”

Maybe it is time to step back and currently assess the social media marketing sites we are currently on and how it relates to our business. What do you think?

Always appreciate your thoughts, comments, ideas and suggestions – so feel free to share!

Oh and if anyone wants some good tips on Google+, Daphne Bousquet – Event Strategy Solutions … shares this on her recent post Get Visibility With Google+ – you should go and check that out on her blog.

Wishing you and your business much Success!

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Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: Business Building, Google, Marketing Plan, Marketing Sites, Media Madness, Media Marketing, Mompreneur, online business success, social marketing, social media, social media sites

How Are You Managing Social Media Madness

July 19, 2011 By Lynn Brown 53 Comments

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This is a great time to be an online entrepreneur with the benefit of exploding your business in a fairly quick time because of all the social media sites, right?

Maybe it is just too fast! I have been reading, listening and chatting with others about all the social media sites we are using for our business. The benefits are wonderful to be able to meet so many people within your industry. Connections, relationships and building clients and customers are a huge part of what social media marketing provides.

BUT …. are we getting too many sites? Seems every time you turn around, someone is sending an invite yet to another social site.

I was just reading today an amazing article written by my very good online ebiz associate, Peter Masters, of The MarketingM8 Blog, Social media time management and Google +. Social media satire 19

In the article, Peter starts out saying ”The amount of new social media developments in the news is mind boggling and have you noticed that no one mentions social media being a fad any more?” In fact, he jokes about ‘fad’ being the F word no one is talking about anymore. I believe it is because we are all way too busy trying to keep up with the ‘social media madness’!

He wonders how we all find the time to stay up with these social sites since we all can agree, there are only so many hours in each day. (Read the rest of his article)

I would like to hear your thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how do you manage your social media madness?

Also, please visit my video and give it a like so others may contribute their thoughts over there as well.

0 How Are You Managing Social Media Madness

Wishing you and your business much Success!

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Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: entrepreneur, Google, Linkedin, Media Madness, Media Management, Media Marketing, Peter Masters, social marketing, Time Management, twitter, Youtube

Linkedin Social Media Myth Revealed

June 14, 2011 By Lynn Brown 29 Comments

I call it social media madness! So many social media sites and platforms that can overwhelm even the most experienced online marketing entrepreneur. However, these social sites — like — Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and have you checked out Empire Avenue yet?!…. have proven to take businesses to the next level.

But there is a social media myth out there that I wanted to reveal. I can’t tell you how many times I hear …. “Linkedin is not for me.”

That is just plain wrong! In fact, if you are not using Linkedin in marketing your business, products or services – then you are leaving money on the table.

Linkedin has been for job seekers and job recruiters. Large and small companies and corporations use Linkedin when finding and recruiting executives. While that is still true today, it is also true that Linkedin provides small online business and entrepreneurs with a huge platform for leveraging knowledge, ideas and opportunities. Linkedin, in my opinion, is the elite social professional site to build your business with high credibility. Build connections, alliances and more important, gain acceptance as an expert in your business. This alone will attract more visitors to you, gain your trust and turn them into customers or clients.

The key to using Linkedin successfully, will be determined on the proper set up of your Linkedin profile. This includes the appropriate keywords, optimization and completeness of your information.

NEW– those of you wanting to gain more knowledge about Linkedin and its tremendous features, should visit and subscribe to my new YouTube channel – Linkedin Marketing Manger. I will be personally sharing lots of tips, info and what I like to call my Linkedin Likes!

Recent comment from one of my online business associates:

“Hi Lynn, I agree with you and being a member of LinkedIn I do see the power in it. My problem is I just don’t spend as much time building relationships there as I should be. Thanks for this video and great reminder that I need to get back there and participate more.” Richard Petrillo – www.workwithrichardp.com

Is there one thing about Linkedin that you would like to know more about? Please share it here ….. thank you!

Filed Under: Linkedin Marketing Tagged With: Credibility, entrepreneur, Gain Acceptance, Job Recruiters, Job Seekers, Linkedin, linkedin marketing, Media Madness, Media Myth, online business success, Optimization, social marketing, twitter, Youtube

My Top 10 List of Social Media Strategies

June 7, 2011 By Lynn Brown 39 Comments

Every where you go whether at seminars, online webinars, reading ebooks, newsletters, reports and now all the online videos, it is all about social media marketing.

What about your offline life? Your local area, business groups, associates, family and friends should also be considered as part of your ‘social strategy’.

Done properly, you will reap the benefits of amassing huge awareness about you, your business, products or services. If not, then generally up-and-coming entrepreneurs and small online business owners become frustrated and disappointed. This creates the large percentage of online businesses failing within a 6 month to 1 year time frame.

So what can you do to have the best social media strategies work for you?

The key is to be consistent with all of your business marketing which includes social media and offline marketing strategies as well.

Here is my Top 10 List of Social Media Strategies:

1) Email Signature - Adding a personalized signature to your emails is a great way to share your social profiles and look professional at the same time. I enjoy using WiseStamp.com Here is an example:

2) Website or Blog - A well written About Me page that provides information to your visitors on how your site will benefit them. Adding your social profiles with icons or links along with an opt-in form is key.

3) Social Share Buttons - Make certain you provide social share buttons on your site or blog, posts, articles or any other media to encourage your visitors to engage and share your information.

4) Business Cards - Some think the business card is becoming extinct. With the new QR codes, start handing out your cards again! Anyone with a smart phone, can scan your QR code and be taken directly to your site or a welcome video! Of course, be sure to add your site URL and some of your social sites for those not able to access the QR code.

Here is my QR Code!

5) Your Advertising - Newspapers, yellow pages, free ads, commercials – Have you noticed lately how all the big companies are now boasting their Twitter and Facebook, even YouTube, social icons when they advertise. Always include yours too!

6) Marketing Pieces - Brochures, catalogs, fliers, just about any promotional gift, mugs, pens and more! – include your site URL and whenever you can, include those social icons. Don’t forget that QR code!

7) Contests - This is a great avenue to bring visitors to your site or to your events. In doing so, be sure whatever they fill out and keep to receive their prize, if they win, that you are including your social profile icons and site address.

8) Events - Handouts, banners, signs – all can include your site URL and social media icons.

9) Mobile Phone Networks - Texting out specials, announcements or other information about your business, include a link or mention you can always find more information by visiting your site or direct them to a welcome video.

10) Talk About It - At the grocery store, bank, cleaners, post office, just about anywhere – there are so many places you frequent that you should spark a conversation, ask a few questions and hand them that business card! So practice your elevator speech and remember not to make it too long, but interesting enough to get their attention!

The big message is to be consistent with your strategies. Utilize all of them to obtain the best return and draw the biggest attention. Take advantage of the social media platforms utilizing strategies that work best for you and your business.

And don’t forgot those social buttons, links or icons whenever you are marketing your business!

Your turn … what social media strategies are working for you? Share other strategies to add to my list!

Make it a successful and profitable day!

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Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: Business Groups, Business Marketing, Email Signature, Marketing Strategies, Media Marketing, Media Strategies, Offline Marketing, online business success, Qr Codes, social marketing, social media, Social Profiles, Social Strategy, Strategies Work

How to Add Google Adsense for Content to your Blog

May 6, 2011 By Lynn Brown 4 Comments

If you are looking for additional income from your site, you might want to consider Google Adsense for Content. Google provides this program for advertisers and publishers (you) where you put ads on your site and get paid every time someone clicks on it!

Of course you should have an established site with good traffic to start building your Adsense income. If you don’t have a site, I recommend you look at setting up your blog right away. With a good social media marketing plan, you will build awareness about your site so that visitors and traffic start streaming in.

Google Adsense for Content displays ads that are relevant and pertain to your page or blog post. This is good news for you! Your visitors won’t become annoyed with these ads simply because they pertain to the subject matter. While you are providing more value to your visitor, Adsense is providing you another income stream!

Google Adsense for Content is easy to set up and configures easily into your blog or site.

Video: How to Add Google Adsense for Content to your Blog

Except – There are 3 things to look out for:

1. Don’t expect to make a lot of money unless you have traffic streaming into your site. Remember, you only get paid when your visitor clicks on the ad. However, not everyone coming to your site will do this. And the amount or percentage that you make per click can be very low. Sometimes it can be .02 cents. But because it is a plugin and go type of feature, you will be happy to see that $100 every now and then once your site starts rolling in the traffic!

There are some marketers out there that have 10, 15, 20 or more blogs! Just think when they have Adsense going on every one of those blogs. That can add up!

2. Do NOT click on your own ads. And also, do NOT have your friends and family click on the ads either. With Google’s algorithms they will penalize or even cancel your account for doing this. After all, they do not charge you to set up an account. Just follow the rules when you set up your Google Adsense account and everything will be fine.

3. Keep it professional so your visitors keep coming back. Nothing worse than every paragraph is Google Adsense ads. There are some bloggers that like to ‘trick’ their audience where it looks like it is part of the paragraph. That can be frustrating to your visitor and worse, they can get frustrated enough not to ever return to your site again. So keep it professional, tactful, tasteful and you will reap the rewards for that.

Let’s hear from you. Do you currently have Adsense ads on your blog or site? Share your thoughts …. and let me know if my video was helpful in getting you started with your Google Adsense for Content ads.

Make it a productive and successful day!

Filed Under: Make Money Online Tagged With: Additional Income, Ads, Adsense, Advertisers, blogging, Google, Income Stream, make money online, Marketers, Marketing Plan, monetizing, social marketing, start a blog, Traffic Building, video

7 Eye Opening Ideas to a More Social and Profitable Site

April 29, 2011 By Lynn Brown 38 Comments

Recently I visited a couple of groups and forums that I’m a member of. It seems that the biggest question, concern and desire that I hear all the time is . . . . wanting to have a ‘profitable site’.

Questions like — ‘can you really make money online’ and statements saying ‘I paid lots of money for a website and I haven’t made any money’.

It amazes me that still so many people think that having a website on the internet is the ‘key to success’ … Well, it is a ‘key’ but really it is a tool for you to promote your business. How your site is implemented for your business is what really counts.

If you build it … doesn’t mean they will come!

Traffic to your site is required to begin the process of attaining visibility, sales and profits.

THE EQUATION IS LIKE THIS: You get enough visitors checking out what you have to offer, you will have a higher chance of success. BUT… there are other things to consider:

1–Provide valuable information

2–Your site is pleasing to the eye and not offensive

3–Content relates to your business or market

4–Easy to navigate

5–Advertising isn’t in your face or obnoxious

6–Site is properly optimized (SEO)

7–You are interacting with your visitors ALL the time

When you have a complete understanding of what today’s social media madness is all about, that is when you will start seeing the results you want — more traffic, more sales, more profits!

It is called ‘social marketing’ for a reason. Network with people starting with a well designed blog and get ‘social’ each and every day.

]How are you implementing your blog for bigger profits?

Make it a Profitable and Successful Day!

Filed Under: Blogging Tips & Info Tagged With: blog, business success, make money online, Marketing Network, Media Madness, Money Online, profitable, Profits, Promote Your Business, social marketing, social media, Traffic To Your Site

Are You On Target Towards Online Business Success

April 22, 2011 By Lynn Brown 26 Comments

You’ve done all the planning, research and implemented your blog or website. Are you dominating your audience? Attracting visitors to your site? Making sales and increasing profits?

Today’s social marketing allows you to break open your online business into many dimensions and opportunities to attract and build connections with your audience. Online forums, groups, social sites, videos, webinars, audio, ebooks, articles, online ads, search engines …. the ideas are endless.

How is your online business success? Here are some points to consider:

–Targeting your market niche is not only necessary, but with today’s online competition, it is a must that you know everything about your market. For example – Demographics; who are your customers or clients? – Gender, age, education, marital status, etc. You wouldn’t want to target married women with articles and products for ‘Divorcing Your Man’! Just as you wouldn’t want to target younger people with products that are for 55-65 year olds.

–Sales up or down? If your business is not moving along and providing the profits and success you have planned for, then consider reviewing and researching your market niche for up to date trends, news and information.

–Determine key points that are working and those that should be changed or even deleted from your marketing plans. It is smart business practice to make the changes necessary to increase visibility of you, your company, products or services. Don’t hang onto ads, other marketing or branding that isn’t providing results.

Are you on target? What business strategies have worked for you? Please share your strategies or goals that you’ve accomplished and those you think you need to change.

Wishing you a productive and successful day!

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Tagged With: Business Strategies, business success, market niche, online business success, Online Groups, Smart Business, social marketing, success, target market

Top 5 Reasons A Blog Will Bring Success To Your Online Business

April 19, 2011 By Lynn Brown 27 Comments

Today’s social platforms are a tremendous way to build awareness about you and your online business. A blog is not only important to the success of your business; it is the absolute key in connecting with your visitors and building the customer/client relationships which results in income and profits.

One of the first actions I like to take with my clients is to assess their current social media/marketing plans and to insure a business blog is included and properly implemented.

Here are 5 reasons a blog will bring success to your business:

#1 Easy Setup – If time is money, then setting up a blog is priceless! A blog is easy to setup and easy to maintain. No expensive webmasters or long contracts to get your blog up and going. Once you blog is setup, you can start updating your site in minutes. Further, you can update your blog from anywhere in the world as long as you have computer access.

#2 Instant Communication – Reaching out to your audience and interacting with them builds important connections for your online business. With a blog, you can talk with your customers in real time, communicate tips, advice and information along with answering questions they might have. This responsiveness is a vital part of your online business success as it can give your company a ‘leg up’ on the competition!

#3 Customer Feedback - Knowing what your customers are thinking or what they really want is gold. Getting that feedback can be a challenge. BUT, your business blog can gather this information by posting simple and fun surveys, ask open-ended questions and other queries to get your audience interacting with you.

#4 Bring A Face To Your Business – A well implemented business blog can give important information to your potential and current customers that tells them who and what kind of business you are. Keeping your profile and contact information up to date will be key and is easy to do at any time with your blog. Adding and updating your blog with company awards, personal recommendations and testimonials is something your audience can see at any time they are visiting your blog.

#5 Resource of Information – A business blog makes the perfect resource of information. Customers at anytime will be able to visit your blog to find out about you, your company, and learn about your products and services. They will be able to interact with you by leaving comments, questions and inquires on your posts and articles.

These are just a few of the reasons a blog is important to the success of your online business. What other reasons are your blog helping you in your business? Please leave your comments, ideas and suggestions below.

Wishing you a productive and successful day!

Filed Under: Blogging Tips & Info Tagged With: blog, blogging, business success, Marketing Plans, Media Marketing, online business, online success, social marketing

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To your continued online business success!

LinkedIn Groups

Topic Groups

So what’s a savvy social marketer like yourself to do? -

Adjust your timeline to reflect all your customer updates with the following steps: -

Mute the people, pages, and applications that have nothing to do with your business (or any that just annoy you!). Just hover your mouse over the top-right of the update, click on “Hide all by”, and you’ll never have to see those annoying updates in your Newsfeed again. -

Manage your Timeline even further by heading to each of your customers’ profile pages and clicking on “Subscribe”. This ensures that all of your customers will show up in your Newsfeed when they make updates. It might be a bit time-consuming, but it’s worth it for busy online marketers! -

Use these updates to keep your Facebook Timeline recent, and you’ll never have to worry about missing what your customers or clients have to say! -

Let me know in the comments below, if this was a helpful tip — or have you been using the Facebook Newsfeed and can share some marketing ideas. -

– I’ll admit it: I’m absolutely gaga and head-over-heels in love with MarketMeSuite – and if you use Twitter for your own online marketing purposes (which I hope you do!), then I’m pretty confident you’ll be shouting your own declarations of love in just a few minutes. –

Can you tell that I really love MarketMeSuite yet? –

Because I’m not done with my high parise to MarketMeSuite, here are a few more reasons why I think every online marketer should have this tool: –

Check out MarketMeSuite at marketmesuite.com to learn more about this must-have Twitter tool. –

Are you currently using any social dashboards? Think you might give MarketMeSuite a test run?

So if you’re not using video in your current social media marketing strategy, it’s time to whip out a webcam and get started.

Whether you’ve never made a video before or like to dabble in it, these easy video marketing tips will get you going with your online video campaign: –

These easy video marketing tips will ensure that your next major online campaign is your most profitable yet!

Your turn … are you using video marketing as part of your business strategy? Leave your comments and let me know if there are other tips that have helped your videos get noticed by your audience.

As the year progresses to its end,

…You just need this list by your side:

Video: How to Add Google Adsense for Content to your Blog

Except – There are 3 things to look out for:

If you build it … doesn’t mean they will come!

Twitter Tip: Advanced Search

Free 1-on-1 Consult

Meet Lynn Brown

Marketing Tips For You!

Popular Posts

Search

Helpful Resources & Tools

Sponsors

Shopping Cart

So what’s a savvy social marketer like yourself to do?
-

Adjust your timeline to reflect all your customer updates with the following steps:
-

Mute the people, pages, and applications that have nothing to do with your business (or any that just annoy you!). Just hover your mouse over the top-right of the update, click on “Hide all by”, and you’ll never have to see those annoying updates in your Newsfeed again.
-

Manage your Timeline even further by heading to each of your customers’ profile pages and clicking on “Subscribe”. This ensures that all of your customers will show up in your Newsfeed when they make updates. It might be a bit time-consuming, but it’s worth it for busy online marketers!
-

Use these updates to keep your Facebook Timeline recent, and you’ll never have to worry about missing what your customers or clients have to say!
-

Let me know in the comments below, if this was a helpful tip — or have you been using the Facebook Newsfeed and can share some marketing ideas.
-

–
I’ll admit it: I’m absolutely gaga and head-over-heels in love with MarketMeSuite – and if you use Twitter for your own online marketing purposes (which I hope you do!), then I’m pretty confident you’ll be shouting your own declarations of love in just a few minutes.
–

Can you tell that I really love MarketMeSuite yet?
–

Because I’m not done with my high parise to MarketMeSuite, here are a few more reasons why I think every online marketer should have this tool:
–

Check out MarketMeSuite at marketmesuite.com to learn more about this must-have Twitter tool.
–

Whether you’ve never made a video before or like to dabble in it, these easy video marketing tips will get you going with your online video campaign:
–