Using social media to increase website traffic is an important part of your overall traffic strategy, if you want to be successful online.  And the best part, you can do this rather easily and at little to no coast. Use social media correctly, and not only will you see a boost in web site traffic almost immediately, you’ll also see an increase in opt-ins and sales too!

Just in case you’re an Internet marketing newbie (beginner) – social media refers to the many “social sites” you hear so much about. Social sites such as: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.  Social media, simply put, is people congregating in groups of like-minded individuals online that share common interests and/or goals. In order that you may take full advantage of social media to build your online business, I’ve put together several tips to help get you started:   

Get Blogging – With WordPress, which is what I use here at my blog, you too can create a personal or business blog and start posting about mutual interests you share with others online. By consistently posting original and fresh content - that’s an important statement – at your blog, you will get more visitors and increase back-links to your site.  If your content is keyword rich in the title, body of content, and relevant to your blog home page or deep page, then search engines will rank your content higher. It is very important that you realize that there are millions of people searching for related information on the Internet. The only way you’re going to get noticed, is to get better! 

Use Video Appropriately - What I mean by appropriately is, that unless you have a site that sells and/or specializes in video exclusively, than don’t overdue it cause it can really s-l-o-w down your blogs load time. However, when done correctly, video can help increase site traffic very well. If you choose not to load videos directly at your blog, then simply upload it to your YouTube account or other video services like Vimeo, then link to it from your site.

Linking to your video will do wonders at increasing your back-links, because the search engines love these links! And since Google owns YouTube, then you can’t help but rank higher with Google as well. As a matter of fact,  if the video you posted with the keyword you are trying to optimize; and Google indexes it because of its relevance to what your video content is about, your video can be ranked no. 1 in the search engine in a matter of minutes! 

“Hubba Hubba” Hub Pages- You can also use Hub Pages to set up an account that will work like a blog, and allow you to set up multiple streams of income online. Again, include back-links to your blog or site that you want to promote. As for your blog, don’t spam your account with endless promotions. First and foremost, you want to build relationships with people. And as a result of these relationships, you’ll begin to see an increase in traffic to your website.

Stop. If you choose to pay social media marketing companies to increase your site traffic and sales, be sure to do your research first to find the right keywords to target. Because the competition is so fierce online for keywords, do your best to target keywords that people commonly search for but have lower competition. You can use Google’s keyword tool to see how many websites target the same keyword, which will help to determine if it is the best to choose for optimization.

It’s not as difficult as I may make it sound here when it comes to successful social media marketing. However, it can be very time consuming, especially if you don’t take time to do your research at the beginning.  Remember, the choices you make today will determine how successful your online business will become in the future. And like Grandma always said: “Son, if you don’t have time to do it right at the beginning, then when you going to have time to come back and do it over?”  

To your online success!

Blessings to you and yours,

James

Social media’s impact on Internet marketing has caused many, if not all, online marketers to rethink the way they do business online. Gone are the days of simply throwing-up (literally) a slick website, cramming it full of scraped article content and ‘shady’ affiliate programs, then sitting back and watch your PayPal account fill up.

To which I loudly proclaim…Amen!

Listen, Internet marketing, or marketing online, work from home, online marketing, etc; etc, was originally intended to be a simple process; wherein the inexperienced online marketer could simply plug into a turnkey system and then follow the yellow-brick road to fame and fortune, right?

For most Internet marketing newbies, however, the ‘wizard’ at the of the road turns out to be some self-proclaimed guru waiting to take the uninformed marketers money. “Just plug in to our turn-key system and we’ll show you how to become a gazillionaire in the next 90 days!” they are told, all the while being led unknowingly along the bread-crumb trail to nowhere.

Furthermore, the Internet marketing newbie is also unaware that the guru shouting this nonsense, most often times, doesn’t have a clue as to what they’re doing and are simply parroting what someone else told them. Many times without knowing themselves as to whether or not what they’re being told really works!

Is this a ‘dysfunctional family’ or what?

The sad part is however, due to especially tough economic times at the moment, more and more people than ever before are making their way online seeking their financial freedom. Unfortunately, many of these Internet marketing newbies will find themselves trapped in the snares of the guru lying in wait at the end of the road. Wasting countless hours and money, listening to someone who may not necessarily know what they are doing.

However, no matter how bleak a picture I may seem to paint for you here, I do want you to know this…

Internet marketing is here to stay for a long time to come!

Internet marketing is not some fad that’s going to go away, ever.  However, due to the explosion of Social Media’s impact online, Internet marketing is rapidly evolving and changing the way marketers do business online.

With this in mind, I see one change in particular that is currently paving the way for a much brighter future ahead for all of us!

Because the world is becoming more connected through the myriad of social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Linkedin, etc) word is getting around of whom to do business with on the Internet, and whom not to!  We all have become a rather “cliquish” bunch, readily identifying with those whom we wish to “friend” and those with whom we do not.

There is no judgment here in the above statement, nor is the ‘right or wrong’ of it a factor, it simply is what it is.  Sociologically, we as human beings have a natural tendency to form groups and to associate with others of like minds. This tendency to form groups, according to Napoleon Hill in his book: “Think and Grow Rich” is the foundation upon which the power of the mastermind, or the “Third Mind” as he calls it, can be harnessed.

And exactly what the heck does all this have to do with social media and the future of Internet marketing, you ask?

Well I’m glad you asked

Listen, because of the Internet’s natural progression towards connectivity, the social media outlets in particular, we are actually ‘seeing’ each other for what we are; or at the very least, role-playing what we would like to become. The very nature of social media is to connect with one another, to create mutually beneficial relationships.

With this in mind, those individual marketers who have ulterior motives or unethical business practices, can not sustain such relationships due to their shallowness and short-term nature.  They will be ‘found out’ so to speak and seen for who and what they really are. Individuals of this sort will, over time, fade away into online obscurity.

Think about it, how many of us online have been ripped-off with less than desirable results from products or services that did not live up to their hype? Then afterwards, how many of us told everyone we knew about it? This is the power of word-of-mouth advertising, and with social media, this is like word of mouth advertising on steroids! And It can work for you, or it can work against you…

Social media, as well as Internet marketing, is going to be around for long, long time to come. In fact, if you are not already a member of at least one social media outlet, than you will be soon (provided you wish to be a part of the Internet of the future, that is).

From Twitter to Facebook, MySpace to Digg, as well as a host of others too numerous to list here, there is a social media outlet online waiting for you to find them. And when you do, simply plug in and be a part of the Internet that is to come.

And if you truly want to succeed at Internet marketing, now and in the future, than simply find your group (niche) be true to yourself, to your newfound friends, and offer something that adds value to their life. And your friends will gladly do business with you, and you with they.

This is the world of social media, and this is the world of Internet marketing to come…

Don’t miss out on it!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, be sure to check back often for more updates. As always, we appreciate your feedback, comments and questions.

Until next time,

Godspeed

James
~+~

If you haven’t heard by now…

Twitter is THE fastest growing, “Micro-Blogging” service and social network all wrapped into one.  After a few bumpy roads & strong growing pains, the free service that allows hyper-connectedness, plus an interesting way to express “what you’re doing” at any given time, is on the fast track to becoming the next mega success story online.

Hey, they’ve got Google talking (Ka-ching!)

Oh, almost forgot…

Don’t forget to grab your “Official Twitter Report” at the end of this article!

Now, back to the rest of the article…

Twitter was founded by Evan Williams, who is no rookie to bringing creative ideas to multi-million dollar reality.  Evan was a blogging pioneer and has created & grown web properties that have attracted the attention of the big dogs online, including Google!

One of Evan’s past web projects grew to be so huge, in fact, that Google bought him out for a multi million dollar price tag.

Rather than reclining on a beach chair & sipping Coronas for the remainder of his life, Evan decided to try his hand again, and this is when he thought up the concept of… “Micro-Blogging!”

In all our modern day internet hustle & bustle there’s come a need for brevity… short, to the point, yet meaningful messages.

Evan’s idea for Twitter was a service that not only allows people to post short “micro-blog” entries (by enforcing a self-created parameter that only allows users a maximum of 140 characters per post), but also helps people stay connected through the use of followers, text messages, and @replies.

The Twitter faithful are even coining their own new lingo to describe some of the everyday actions that take place on the site.  “Tweets,” for example, are the term used to describe each of your short, 140 character or less, posts to update your Twitter profile.

In this article the aim is to go over a simple overview of the everyday things you’ll need to know in order to get started on Twitter & set yourself up for maximum exposure using this free service.

• Create Your Twitter Account

First off, you’ll need to go create an account by visiting http://Twitter.com and by following the easy to follow prompts for creating a new account.  It’s really simple and very user friendly, you do not have to be a “techie” to figure this one out (As opposed to some other social network sites)…

• Customize Your Profile

Once you’re all setup, be sure to visit the “Settings” tab and customize your profile and also enter a short bio, along with the URL to your website. You have 160 characters (not words) in which to describe yourself.  May I suggest you use Notepad, or whatever program you prefer, first, and really think about the best descriptive words about yourself and what it is you want your “followers” to know about you.

• Tip!

In order to double the chances of getting a click, I’d also recommend including a hyperlink within your bio, in addition to the hyperlink you’ll enter in the box for your web URL.  This is a simple, commonly overlooked tip that will help you get more followers

• Cell Phone Option

The next thing you’ll want to do is visit the “Devices” tab and get your account setup so that you can send tweets on the go from your mobile phone.  This gives you the freedom and flexibility to share with followers something that may only happen once in a lifetime, or a special event takes place where you may not have access to your computer.

The steps for confirming your mobile device to work with Twitter are easy to follow and you’ll be up and rolling in no time flat.  Seriously it’s really simple

• Start Tweeting!

Once you’ve got your new account created and have configured your settings & mobile, it’s time to start tweeting.

Remember, you’ll be limited to 140 characters per message so choose your words wisely.  If you’d like to include a hyperlink (A link that redirects to your blog, website, etc) with your Tweet you should consider shortening it down using a free tool like Tiny URL, or Snip URL (Tinyurl.com and Snipurl.com).

• Tweet Etiquette

Be careful not to come off as too “Spammy” by including links in every Tweet… get involved with the Twitter community and share some of your daily activities with your followers so you can get a real feel for what it’s all about before sucking traffic out… its got to be a give-give relationship!

Remember this, we are discussing “Social Media” here, not marketing media. So if you want to succeed in this venue, then you must take off your “marketer’s cap” and put on your “social cap”.  Be yourself, make friends, and let the rest present itself as it comes.

• Increasing Twitter Followers

Now, to really get yourself on the fast track and start adding new followers fast, the best advice is to follow people who you find interesting, and single out those who already have a large follower-ship.  Tweet regularly and often using your mobile phone, the Twitter site, and even handy third party applications like “Twhirl.” (Twhirl.org)

Anytime you see a new Tweet from someone you are following send them an @reply by including the “@” sign + their Twitter user name in a message responding to their original tweet.

By sending users an @reply you’ll get their attention, strike up conversations, and best of all – put yourself in the public spotlight so that all of their followers will take notice of you.

Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying Twitter with all your friends and will have massive follower-ship as well!

Once you’ve built a follower-ship it’s easy to get visitors to your site by using services like TwitterFeed anytime you post a new blog entry, TweetLater to automatically direct message new followers, and other little known tips & tricks for putting it all on auto-pilot.

Twitter is a new revolution in communications and may be the first glimpse at Web 3.0.  Everyone’s using Twitter!  From Oprah to Aston Kutcher and Demi Moore (uh, excuse me, Mrs. Kutcher) as well as a slew of other celebrities.

The Twitter list reads like a virtual “Who’s Who” of the world!

Listen, I recommend you get setup on Twitter…NOW (as in yesterday)  so you too can ride this new wave into the future and enjoy it for all it’s worth!

Now, you’ve got two options here as I see it…

A) You can learn Twitter the hard, tedious and time consuming way, or…

B) You can take the shortcut to the top of  the Twitter list, by grabbing your copy of the official, step-by-step Twitter Report below…

Listen, please!

This is the official Twitter Report at the link below!

DO NOT get ripped off by all the other “me-too” Twitter products popping up online…

Go now, and grab your copy of the Official Twitter Report,

Claim Your Free Copy of “The Twitter Report” By Clicking Here

Godspeed,

James

PS: Listen, I’m not sure how much longer they can offer this Twitter Report for free, so let me encourage you to grab your copy now before they start charging for it (It’s this good!)

Claim Your Free Copy of “The Twitter Report” By Clicking Here