Regardless of whether you’re a business owner or an individual with a dream, you want people to know about you and buy your “stuff,” right? If you have a blog you can become known as an expert, a thought leader, and can use your blog to engage your readers.
Are there bloggers out there that you simply love to read – so much so that you can’t get through a day without checking them out? What do they have that you don’t? They’ve found a way to make their blog a place where things are happening and they want to be part of it. What do the other pet bloggers have that you don’t? Probably a niche. What’s yours? If you can find it you can corner the market on it and soon readers will be flocking to your blog like kittens to a milk dish!
By now, you've probably heard about Google+, right? The "Facebook Killer" is one of the many things it's been called. Gaining an invite into the beta Google+ was something I was looking forward to simply because I love to be part of whatever new gadget or technology is available.
I did get into the new social media site and now I am trying to build my Circles, as they're called there. With a Circle you can add professional contacts, family, friends, acquaintances or whatever Cicle names you'd like to designate for yourself. You can add people to multiple circles and in Google+ people can add you to Circles without first sending a "friend request" as they do through Facebook -- is that a good or a bad thing, I haven't decided quite yet. With Circles you certainly have the opportunity to widen your reach and get to "know" and interact with more people than you might have access to through other social media platforms.
By now I assume that everyone has a blog, right? No? If you don't is there a reason? If you're looking to find a publisher or a following for your products or services you should consider a blog as a way to "get your name out there."
Starting a blog is 1) an easy way to get an online presence and 2) you can use your blog as a website -- win/win. Even if you're not at the stage in a writing project where you're looking for a publisher, it is never too early to get an online presence going. If you're a business owner -- whether an aesthetician, an auto dealer, or an accountant -- you need to establish an online presence. No longer do individuals look to the Yellow Pages when they're looking for a service provider. When people are looking for a service provider, they are turning to the internet, typing in a few search terms and voila there you are, right? If you want to survive and thrive, you'd better have an online presence because chances are, your competition does.
You’ve made the jump into social media for your business because “everyone said you had to,” right? But, now that you’re into it, you’re wondering if you’re doing it correctly. You were under the impression that there is no right or wrong way to “do” social media, but there is. Social media is a balancing act of it being about you and your clients.
Here are the top five mishaps that those new (and sometimes those who’ve been around a while) make in their social media presence:
