Some of the incredible speakers “Rich Dad”

Just because I am in awe with Palm Trees

I’m all about simplifying and systemizing my business. How about you? There are gobs of twitter tools out there to help you simplify and enhance your twitter experience. Several of them are free and there are some you pay a small fee for.

Let’s discuss 6 of the FREE ones that I personally like to use. I will briefly review each of these tools and then in later posts go in more detail about how to use the tool, the benefits and maybe some of the quirks. Twit, tweet, twid etc.

Tweet Deck http://www.tweetdeck.com

I wouldn’t even consider using twitter without Tweet Deck. This makes the twitter experience actually fun and very easy. Tweet Deck is a desk top application that can be installed in less then 2 seconds. It is a way for you to manage your tweets in a simple and easy manner.

Twellow http://www.twellow.com

Twellow is the yellow and white pages for finding people to follow. This is another tool that is simple to use and is accessed by your twitter profile name and password. So you need to have a twitter account before you can access Twellow.

Social Oomph http://www.socialoomph.com

Social Oomph (previously known as Tweet Later) is a tool to automate your tweets. There is a debate in the social media world on weather this is a good tool to use. My advice to you is just be ethical and honest in all your business and you shouldn’t have any issues. We will discuss this more in the detailed post on Social Oomph.

Twit Wall http://twitwall.com

This is a great tool for when you have something to say that is over 140 characters. It’s actually a blog that can be used right with your twitter account.  I use it for different scenarios and I will give some examples in the detailed post on Twit Wall.

 Split Tweet http://splitweet.com

Split Tweet is a wonderful tool (one because it has a purple background), to manage more then one twitter account. I like this because I can pull this up and look at the accounts as a whole or as individuals. You can also post tweets from this application.

Twitpic  http://twitpic.com  and TwitVid http://www.twitvid.com

Ok now the fun ones! Twitpic is a tool to easily post pictures on twitter and TwitVid is the tool to post videos. Just that simple, and they are both simple to use. More details on the posts for these two tools.

What’s your favorite? Out of these 6 tools which one do you use most often and why? Oops I snuck an extra one in there!!

Getting traffic to your blog posts:

 With a simple post to Twitter, you can have lots of readers come to your blog.

Even though blog feeds do the same thing, you can often find new readers on Twitter or remind current readers to re-visit your blog or a specific article.

What to tweet about

• Be useful and helpful.
• Not every tweet has to be about “you”.
• Take time to tweet about others.
• Be a helpful part of the community.

 Listen and respond to your followers

• Try to help them out.
• You can get great feedback using tweets.
• You can get ideas for info products and affiliate products from the feedback you receive from your followers.

Please NO spam!

• If all you do is send out tweets that scream, “Buy from me! Buy from me!” you will quickly lose followers.
• These are the people I quickly unfollow and some of them I block

What forms of spam irritate you?

Twitter is one of the social networking websites. It’s essentially a micro blogging tool using 140 characters http//www.Twitter.com. Twitter is an incredibly fast way to get more traffic to your blog or website while also building relationships.

• You will want to portray your status as an “authority” in your area of expertise.
• Mix your posts or “tweets” up with industry-relevant links in addition to your personal activities, opinions, quotes and helpful tips.
• When you can have custom graphic background designed that includes your other social network sites.
• Here’s a brief article from Entrepreneur about branding your business http://bit.ly/13zlvP  

Follow people

• All this means is that you sign up to receive their messages and they will recieve yours.
•  If you follow them, they will most likely follow you.
•  This is an important step in order to acquire followers.

 Two Ways to follow people

• You can use the search feature or find people right from your Twitter profile 
• You can use the twitter yellow book known as Twellow http://www.twellow.com

Be Social

• Ask and answer questions
• Give value to your community. You don’t have to say anything profound – just relevant.
• Post and answer surveys: You can increase your relationship with your followers by asking questions. Ask people for advice, what they think of the latest news story or their opinion on a topic.
• Retweet others view this blog post for tips on re-tweeting http://bit.ly/oj6RT.

Utilize direct messages

• This is the way to send a private message to someone that no one else can see.
• You’ll also receive messages from others and be notified via e-mail when someone direct messages you.
• Another great way to connect personally with people

Use Links

• Post links as a natural part of the conversation.
• Use links properly. Don’t send a direct link to your product.
• Send a link to your blog or a general informational website.

For a fun little video series on Social Media Etiquette register at the top right corner of this site!

What are some ways you use twitter to drive traffic to your site?

Are you are a little hesitant about using social media as a form of marketing? Not sure if this is really something you can do? I have a few ideas for you to keep in mind while you are venturing into this on-line party.

Friendships

•  One of the really fun things about social media is you will always meet people that you might not have met prior to this form of communication.
• This is not only great for business but also for expanding your general friendships.
• Social media is just another medium to meet people and develop partnerships.
• Enjoy the opportunity to meet people all over the globe!

Knowledge

• I learn something on a daily basis from my tweets, other blog posts, or direct contact with people through my social media platforms.
• The way to do this is to interact with others and be social. (um this is social marketing).
• Be open to learning new things from people you don’t know yet! 

Immediate gratification

• Ask questions or ask for help and immediately get answers or the help you need.
• Post polls or surveys and you will have answers to your questions!
• Ask people to join you in person and you’ll be surprised you might hook up with you
• Remember just have fun meeting and connecting with new people every day. 

What types of friendships or partnerships have you developed through social media?

No More Recurring Tweets

On Monday, October 12th, 2009, Twitter communicated to us (Social Oomph) that recurring tweets are in violation of their Terms of Service.  Twitter’s rationale centered around the potential for recurring tweets to result in duplicate tweets.

The content of the communication is extracted for your benefit below:

Recurring Tweets are a violation no matter how they are done, including whether or not someone pays you to have a special privilege. We don’t want to see any duplicate tweets whatsoever- They pollute Twitter, and tools shouldn’t be given to enable people to break the rules. Spinnable text seems to just be a way to bypass the rules against duplicate updates and essentially provides the same problems.

Hence, from Thursday, October 15th, 2009, 00:00 AM CST we (Social Oomph) are preventing the entry of recurring tweets on Twitter accounts within the SocialOomph system. Existing recurring tweets on Twitter accounts have all been placed in paused state at that time, so that the content of the tweet text is still accessible to you, but no publishing to Twitter of those tweets is taking place.

Recurring tweets scheduled for other social services are not affected by this change. Other scheduled tweets are also not affected by this change.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, but it is important to us to keep our system in good standing with Twitter.

This content was taken directly from http://www.socialoomphblog.com. Please go to this blog for more information on this new policy.

Why should I even bother with social media for my business? Why should I spend the time getting to know people I don’t know or pay someone to help me with social media?

I’m not a statistical person per se but I do like to look at statistics and data. Maybe this video will give you some insight into why you might want to consider implementing social media into your marketing plan.

What happens in Vegas… stays where? (see video!)

Video developed by Erik Qualman an online marketer and author of the upcoming book Socialnomics.

Jump start your social media marketing by joining us at the first Annual Social Media Ski Retreat in Breckenridge, Colorado February 2010.

Click this link to save some bucks by being on the early bird registration list http://www.backcountrybusinesssolutions.com/social-media-ski-retreat

Social Networks are among the most powerful examples of socialized media. They create a dynamic ecosystem that incubates and nurtures relationships between people and the content they create and share. (Brian Solis)

What are you doing today to increase your presence on line as a business owner? Can you schedule (marketing time) a minimum of 15 minutes in the morning and 15 in the evening to dedicate to your social media profiles and connecting with new people?

If you are still hesitant about becoming involved with social media please review these statistics http://tinyurl.com/y8alypu compiled by Brian Solis. These numbers are staggering and an eye opener to all of us.

Even if you don’t have a website you can have a presence on one of the many social networks.

If you want guidance setting up profiles or designing a social media plan or want someone to manage the back end of your profiles, contact us by filling out a free consult form on our preview page http://tinyurl.com/yd3jgcg.

• Are you ready to take your business to a new level in 2010?
• Are you ready to make some personal changes?
• Do you want to learn the inside scoop of running an on-line business?
• Want to learn what it takes for a business to thrive in any economy?
• Are you ready for high energy, high impact, and intense sessions?

Backcountry Business Solutions and “Backcountrygirl“ present the “First Social Media Ski Retreat” in Breckenridge, Colorado.  Tentative dates are February 22-26 (subject to change to 1 less day). It will be held at Beaver Run Resort which is at the base of the Beaver Run Super Chair at Breckenridge Ski Area.

This event is open to any business owner or marketing manger/director that wants to take their business to a new level using social media. You will leave with a social media marketing plan specific to your business, profiles set up and in action, techniques to maximize your time and efforts using social media and much more.

Get your boards and computers ready for an event that will change the way you do business!. Expect to be challenged and stretched, but also revitalized.We promise ski time, business tips and tools, great food, and a lot of fun!

We will be keeping our speaker and training team small for an intimate learning experience, there will be a few more added to this exclusive list.

Meet Travis Greenlee with Business Building Mastery http://www.businessbuildingmastery.com/

Meet Kevin Knebl with Knebl Communications http://www.kevinknebl.com/

A few different packages will be offered based on your needs. The early bird packages will be offered soon.

To receive details about the retreat and to ski with us please fill out the form below.