Useful resources from Ed Dale’s Internet Marketing Seminar

Last Friday to Sunday I attended an Internet Marketing seminar hosted by Ed Dale of 30 Day Challenge fame. You may know Ed from Internet Marketing this Week, an almost-weekly podcast that I highly recommend if you’re interested in what’s new in new media and technology.

The 200, or so, participants enjoyed both local and international speakers on the subjects of outsourcing, content development (including using video), search engine marketing, business best practise, using offline marketing to drive customers online and blogging. All good, practical, information.

The highlight for me was the ‘hot seats’ where brave participants nominated their website for review by an expert panel.

I was lucky enough to be chosen and as a result got great feedback that I’lll start to implement this week at the Australian Businesswomen’s Network website.

The Twitter tag of the weekend was #30dchome. I thought you may be interested in looking it up - as you’ll find that participants posted highlights from the program as well as some handy links.

The 30 Day Challenge

You may have heard me speak about The 30 Day Challenge before. It’s a free, annual program, that is designed to get you online and doing business. Last year over 30,000 people participated. I’m sure it’s coming again in 2010.

I’ll post something when dates are released but in the meantime you can keep in touch with news by:

• Subscribing to Internet Marketing this Week on itunes
• Following Ed Dale’s page on Facebook
• Following Ed Dale on Twitter

Additional Resources

• Guest speaker Lynn Terry (Affiliate Marketing)
• Guest speaker Leslie Rodhe (SEO)
• The fabulous Market Samurai tool

Cheers,

Suzi

Do you make these Top 11 mistakes with your social media? #30DSM - Day 28: 30 Days of Social Media

Social media can be seriously profitable for your business. “It’s the secret low cost marketing weapon used by the leading entrepreneurs. But, it can go horribly wrong if you make these mistakes…” explains today’s 30 Days of Social Media contributor, Meredith Collins. She identifies 11 mistakes that you don’t want to make.

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Mistake #1. Trying to sell something. Although it might seem counter intuitive, if you try to pitch something too soon you are bound for disaster. Social Media is like a big party. You wouldn’t walk into a party and start selling everyone your products. You would spend time to make friends and get to know people. You would share some things about yourself and have conversations with people who were on your wavelength.  Social Media is relationship and referral marketing amplified – so use this as a PR machine, not a straight sales tool.

Mistake #2. Lack of consistency. If you decide to use Social Media then commit consistent time to the process of using it.  Dependent upon your strategy, you may need to ”tweet” daily or ”blog”/”post” every few days or weekly.  Whatever the strategy, consistency is key and you must devise a plan and stick to it.  Your target market needs consistency and reliability – your commitment and visibility speaks volumes about your business.

Mistake #3. Wrong place wrong market. Choose your social media sites well.  Be strategic about which sites you use and where your target market is looking.  A local business may not be using the same social media as a specialised, niche or global business.  This is not about throwing balls in the air and hoping they will land correctly – it is a powerful relationship marketing tool.

Mistake #4. Joining too many Social Sites. I always say to clients ”don’t do four sites badly – you are better off doing one really well”.  Be strategic about which sites you use, add value and manage them well.  The big sites are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Plaxo and Wordpress, and depending upon your business, article marketing might be very effective.

Mistake #5 Failing to ’add value’ for your market. Value for your target market is the rule in Social Media – and ”surprising value” is the way to go.  Social media is all about relationships and positioning yourself as an expert – so put more value in your posts, articles, audio (podcast) files, videos and recommendations and offer surprising value – enough value that your target market remembers you and wants to engage with you.

Mistake #6 Focusing on promotion over content. This ties in with Mistake #5 – if you don’t push out good content, there is no perceived value.  Promotion can come later and even disguised as content when you have a market who wants what you have got.  ”Do” Social Media well and the money will come.

Mistake #7 Making contentious or argumentative statements. Contentious statements may attract attention, but they may also lose your audience. Condescending or argumentative topics are unlikely to work in the long term.  Just think of that argumentative person in the office…. don’t go there.

Mistake #8 Taking instead of giving. Remember Social Media is about relationships first.  Give value, give suggestions, give value, give advice, give ideas, give news give possibilities, give gratitude and do not take relentlessly.  One of my biggest joint ventures came after some “giving”. GIVE = Give Influence Very Easily – give first and you will never be second.

Mistake #9 Not joining groups. The premise of Web2.0 and Social Media is community – sharing and expertise.  Be seen within groups that are of interest, add value to you and to which you can add value for others.  Position yourself and share your expertise.  No one ever made it to the top being a Lone Ranger and contribution and mixing is important if you want to make it in Social Media.

Mistake #10 Don’t shun face to face events. Face to face networking is still a significant way to connect and the connection can continue online.  Others are far more likely to recommend you, continue to network online and follow you in the Social Media spaces, once they have met you.  You will learn from others, expand your own circle and be able to offer significant value to those with whom you come in contact. This is where we add some value for you.

Mistake #11 Having incomplete Social Media profiles. You cannot maximise your work opportunities with an incomplete Resume.  Neither can you maximise your connections, potential client interest or business opportunities with incomplete profiles.  Ensure that your profiles are complete and get to the point and offer information your market wants.  Enlist the help of experts to get you set up correctly in the first instance.  Create the best impression you can.

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Meredith Collins is the founder of Video Social Marketing, an organisation which specialises in teaching business owners and entrepreneurs how to leverage the awesome power of video and social media for your business. For more great articles, resources, tips and training programs on Social Media for Business go to www.videosocialmarketing.net

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TODAY’S TASK

Are you making any of these mistakes? Which one(s)? How will you change your strategy as a result of identifying these mistakes?

Until tomorrow,

Suzi

Using Social Networks to Find Networking Groups- #30DSM - Day 15: 30 Days of Social Media

Social networks are a great place to find groups with whom to network face-to-face, as well as online. But, how do you find networks and networkers relevant to your needs?

Today’s lesson is from Brooke Simmons, Managing Director of Pursuit Communications.

Pursuit Communications is a public relations agency based on the Central Coast of NSW. We service clients of varying size and in many locations. The majority of these clients have been secured, largely, through networking.

We believe that location shouldn’t be a boundary as to how far your network and networking capabilities extend; in fact we encourage our clients to network outside of their regular circles because we’ve seen the results for ourselves – it works! With this in mind we thought it was timely to blog about the importance of networking and some great examples of networks that we’ve come across.

Twitter is a great place to start networking. Simply search using tools such as: Who Should I Follow,  Just Tweet It and Who’s Talkin for terms that are relevant to your industry, much as you would with a Google search.

Search for Networks and Networkers
Terms such as “Networking”, “Sydney” [or your own location] or “Businesswomen” will all start you off in the right direction. Look at who follows these Twitter users and whom they’re following and follow suit. Before you know it you’ll have the base of a great network foundation.

Introduce Yourself
Introduce yourself when you start following someone and tell them why you’re following them - something along the lines of “Hi I found you through networking women site I’m looking to network with like minded people. Hope to share some great tweets with you soon.” – which is exactly 140 characters will start you off on the right foot.

Remember, networking should never be about $$$. You shouldn’t try and flog your product or business too heavily. A slowly-slowly approach is often best with Twitter. Just as in real-life networking on Twitter should be a place where ideas are encouraged, shared and embraced.

Examples of good online groups
One example of a networking group with its foundations firmly in Twitter-sphere is Central Coast Biz. Based on the NSW Central Coast, a majority of its members can be found on Twitter. CC Biz – “is run by small businesses for small businesses.” Their aim is to encourage business on the NSW Central Coast to support one another and help grow the local economy. They encourage people to come “offline” and meet at regular intervals at various locations around the NSW Central Coast.

CC Biz appreciates that some people may not be comfortable with large groups or meeting a group of “unknowns” which is why their functions are designed to provide guests with the opportunity to network in an informal setting.

TweetupMellers is a Melbourne based networking group which is supported by its followers on Twitter and is a great example of  an “offline” event which builds its base “online”. Based in Melbourne the group claims they are “Just another place to connect yet over a few vinos, nibbles and a belly full of laughs – in real time-physical time! We all know the power of twitter in lead gen, personal branding and networking so combine this with tweetupmellers and shaaazam – add another power marketing strategy to the business model!”

Further afield, another Twitter-based networking group, PRinks is a new addition to the networking circle. Aimed at anyone who works within the communications industry this networking group seems to have found a niche with Gen Y who is ever embracing social media.

I first heard about PRinks was via @GemCrowley,  a fellow PR practitioner and 1/2 of the power-source behind PRinks - @rogerchristie is the other 1/2! The idea was simple use the “online” world to create an “offline” world activity.

The idea behind PRinks is simple, “Come join us for a great chance to catch up with friends, meet new people, have a good chat, share ideas and enjoy a drink or two. ”  The first two PRinks were a great success with PRinks number three later this month.

PRinks has maximised the social networking space and created a fan page on Facebook. This is another great place to look for networking groups. Start by heading to the “groups” page on Facebook and looking for industry related groups that are relevant to you.

Start your own group
If you do find the results are lacklustre, why not take the initiative and start your own group. That’s what it’s all about. Right?

Setting up a group on Facebook is ‘easy as pie’. Remember though to limit invitations to those who you think will benefit from an invitation. Try and put yourself in the receivers’ shoes. Would they appreciate an invitation to join this group?

So, what happens when you’re ready to take your networking “offline”?

A lot of groups will allow you to attend the first meeting at no cost and if you’re interested in attending further meetings, they may ask for a small membership fee – which will be well worth the networking and information you’ll receive.

If you are a bit nervous in attending a function alone, why not ask a fellow colleague or Twitter friend to attend with you or if you’re a sole operator – try and find other members prior to the meeting and arrange to meet with them so you’ll at least know someone before you enter the room. You’d be surprised at how many others are nervous and you may just strike a common cord with someone – and potentially some great business or a new friend.

Don’t be limited by your own industry, ask clients to join them at a networking function they go to or if your partner has an opportunity to attend a networking function, ask if you can tag -along – the more you get out the more you’ll get back – ultimately the possibilities are endless!

So, the next time you’re thinking about networking don’t forget about the importance of social networking in real-life networking. Don’t under-estimate the power of an e-mail, blog, Facebook message or Twitter – tweet. As seen through the success of the groups mentioned here– social networking can build a real network of people who could potentially turn a simple meeting into business success.

Related posts:
How to organise a networking TweetUp

TODAY’S TASK

• Search and find a networking group or networkers in your location or industry.
• Do you belong to an online network? Tell us about it?

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Brooke Simmons - Pursuit Communications

Brooke Simmons has over four years experience within the public relations arena and over ten years experience in the media, most recently she has worked on the following clients - Events by Olivia, Gosford City Council, Talk’N Tours, I Hate Cinderella, Wet Ones, Sassi Sam,  SBNG – Small Business Networking Group Central Coast NSW, Sam’s Beer, Blumin’ & Tonia Todman Roses, Brands on Sale Campbelltown, United Airlines, Lenovo Australian Olympic Torch Relay, Radisson Resort Fiji, Lufthansa Airlines, REED Constructions Australia, Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Autodesk - Australia, Glass Onion Website Design and OZtion Online Auction Site.

In addition to her public relations capabilities Brooke has held the title of Managing Editor for Manchester Unity’s member magazine U Magazine from December 2006 –April 2008.

Prior to her foray in the public relations arena, Brooke has held other roles within the media industry. Previously working at; Silverspan Marketing, Nova 969 FM and Regional Radio Bureau - now known as Regional Radio Works.  As a result Brooke is well versed on the many facets of the media and also holds a great number of media contacts.

She is contactable at the following email address and phone number;
E: brooke@pursuitcommunications.com.au, P: +61 (0) 407 780 710

How to use wikis to collaborate, brainstorm and share knowledge. #30DSM - Day 7 - 30 Days of Social Media

Have you ever tried to work with others to coordinate a meeting, a project or an event (or even a social night out) and got caught in a horrible email spiral between many people. You don’t know which email to read, they all look the same it gets really confusing!

Collaboration is the backbone of social media. The ability to collaborate online has been made easy with the use of wikis.

But, what is a wiki and why is it a powerful tool for your business?

A wiki is an editable web page that anyone can create, contribute to, edit and save. Wiki’s are an invaluable tool for teams (even if it’s a team of two) to work to coordinate details of projects and events. A wiki is a page or collection of web pages designed to enable anyone to modify them. It’s a basic website where you can create links, embed objects, organise using files and folders and edit it collaboratively.

You may have used wikipedia, the largest wiki on the web. It’s the world’s biggest encyclopaedia and its content is compiled by the online community.

I’ve been using wikis for the last two years to manage projects, coordinate work in progress, and work with remote team to brainstorm.

Here are a couple of examples of how we use wikis at the Australian Businesswomen’s Network:

1. Advisory Board collaboration

The ABN Advisory Board meets once a month in person. In between meetings we use a private wiki to share ideas and news and to collaborate on new initiates and share resources.  (An automatic notification system lets me know when anyone who is a member of the wiki makes a change that I need to look at.)

2. Newsletter coordination

Each month we publish a newsletter that goes to over 11,000 women in business. We manage the status of all aspects of delivering that newsletter (including advertising, editorial, proofing, communication with contributors and design) on a dedicated Newsletter wiki. I can look at the wiki at any time and get a real-time view of the status of all elements of the newsletter.

3. Team Meetings

Each week when we sit down for our team meeting we refer to the team Work in Progress wiki to refer to the status of various projects, the statistics we are tracking and what’s important for us to focus on for the next week.

Wikis come in all levels of complexity from a free wiki like PB Works (which has a free and low-cost version) to a more advance wiki platform like Confluence created by multi-award winning Australian company, Atlassian.  The ABN used Confluence wiki to host the tasks, lessons and interactions of mentorees and mentors in our MentorNet mentoring program (by mashing it up with other technologies).

Wiki’s are ideal if you have:

• A complex project to manage
• A remote team working together
• The need to edit and change documents (without having the headache of tracking multiple versions)
• Various levels of authority/access to information for different team members

Wiki’s can be moderated so that you can approve changes and you can have many levels of activity from administrators, writers, or just basic access allowing them to read. And the system tracks changes for you so you can go back and reverse a change or see what changes were made by whom.

Some of the great ways I’ve heard that companies have used wikis is to:

Manage an FAQ page

• Wikis are handy for adding questions and answers as you get them. You can share the wiki with the public, or keep it private. You can even give your community access to collaborate with you to create a comprehensive FAQ system.

Brainstorming document

• When working on a new project a wiki can be used to brainstorm. You can add images, videos, thoughts, pages, files, comments and folders to manage content. And, you can contribute without having to know HTML.

Manage Events

• When organising an event (whether it’s a product launch or a Christmas BBQ) you can set up pages for different aspects of the event and assign responsibility for updating those pages to different team members.

One great way I’ve seen a wiki used is to collaboratively write a book  (See this post from NPR radio.)

PB Works has a good online tour (and a 30Day risk-free trial) that you may want to check out.

And, from my favourite video-tutorials, here’s a quick look at wikis and how they work.

TODAY’S TASK

Got a new project to start on? Try using a wiki to manage the various people and elements of the project. Let us know what action you take by using #30DSM in your tweet.

Resources:

• Google Sites
• PBWorks
• Wikispaces
• Atlassian
• Confluence

30 Days of Social Media starts now!

Hi and welcome to 30 Days of Social Media.

What is social media? How can YOU use social media to grow your network and your business, to connect with your clients and to reach more people?  That’s what we’re going to be looking at, together, over the next 30 days.

Each day we’ll post a lesson on an area of social media and give you resources, tips and strategies to create you own Social Media Plan.

We’ll look at how to harness this buzz in practical ways, and without wasting time and energy.

START HERE:

Listen to this introductory message now to get the overview of this program.

HOW THE PROGRAM WILL BE DELIVERED?

This social media event will be delivered using social media tools… some you’ll be familiar with (or at least have heard of) and others will be absolutely new to you.  Daily Twitter posts will announce that day’s lesson. (If you’re not on Twitter go ahead and start an account - don’t worry if you don’t quite know how to use it yet.. and follow my account.)

Details of each day’s lessons will be placed here, on this blog.

Guest contributors and I will provide resources and information to build your knowledge.

Most days we’ll also include an ACTION STEP - a way for you to implement that day’s lesson.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?

You will be invited to implement your new knowledge as you go along. Some of you will implement things each day and some will wait until the 30 days is over and you feel you have enough information on which to act.

Some will be spectators and others will get on the playing field and play hard for 30 days.

However you choose to participate is fine with me! I’m happy to have you along for the ride.

GET SOCIAL

I encourage you to interact with me and with the others participating in the program, both in this blog as well as through Twitter and the other ways that we’ll introduce you to.

Social media is one of my favourite subjects. I’m more excited about this than any other area of business right now, and I’m learning right alongside you.

Thank you for joining me.

I look forward to the next 30 days of social media with you.

Suzi Dafnis

Day 6 - 30 Days of Networking: Get Your Message to More People, Faster #30DNet

Welcome to Day 6 of 30 Days of Networking.

When you send out a message on Twitter those that follow you are the only ones that see the message.

Wouldn’t it be great if your message could be spread to more people (to people that don’t yet follow you)?

Today we look at the art of the Retweet and how it relates to networking.

What is a ReTweet?

Retweeting is when a message someone has posted is rebroadcast by others to their followers.

For example:

If I follow you. You post a resource or a message that I think my followers will get value from. I can ‘forward’ that message on by re-tweeting your message:

e.g You post:

Here’s a link to a great article about how to grow your business [link].

I post:

RT @yourusername Here’s a link to a great article about how to grow your business. [link]

The RT above is shorthand for ReTweet. I could also write “Retweet”. Now, my followers will see YOUR post and YOUR user name and may choose to now also follow you.

Here is one example:

In this example I have retweeted two posts:

1. The first was by @DynamicBusiness (and mentioned me)

2. The second was a tweet by ABN member @KateTribe

Here is another (This time the ‘retweet’ action takes the form of a credit to the original post - without using the words Retweet in the post.)

Make your retweet personal

I can take the art of Retweeting one step further. Rather than just forwarding (retweeting) a tweet, I can also add a comment to it.

e.g.

RT @yourusername Here’s a link to a great article about how to grow your business [Loved this article! Especially Tip No. 2.]

Now my followers have a recommendation/reason behind my Rtweet.

Why Retweet?

Retweeting is for the benefit of your followers. It’s a way to have them share the information and resources that you think will be valuable to them.

Another reason to retweet is that it acknowledges the original Tweeter. (They see the tweet too because their @username appears in the retweet.) They may in turn think better of you or retweet you, some time in the future.

Never retweet, however, if the tweet isn’t going to add value to your followers. Don’t do it just to win points with the original Tweeter in the hope that they’ll return the favour.

When to retweet

Retweet any time, but only when the information will truly benefit your audience. That doesn’t mean that it has to be a serious business tweet. For example, last week I tweeted about a really cool video I saw. (The tweet is above.) I made it relevant to my followers by pointing out why I was sending it to them.

What to retweet

• Interesting, relevant content.
• Posts that reveal your likes, interests and humour. (Best not to retweet anything too political!).

How retweeting benefits your personal brand and helps you network

While Retweeting may send your followers off to ‘hang out’ with others on Twitter momentarily, you remain the source of great information and they’ll come back to you and trust your future tweets if you give them some great resources.

Retweeting is a great way to broadcast good content, even if it’s not your own! Others good tweets supplement your own and (as long as they are interesting and relevant to your followers) keep your name ‘out there’ in the Twitterverse.

TIP: Always credit the original person by including their user name in the retweet.

If you’re getting tight on characters you can abbreviate the tweet but maintain the essence of the message.

TODAY’S TASK:

Retweet someone!

Let us know what happened!

Best wishes,

Suzi

P.S. If you’re using a Twitter application like Tweetdeck of Seesmic Desktop (or on your phone Tweetie or a similar application) look for a button that makes it easy to retweet - one that doesn’t require you to manually type RT or Retweet.

If you’re working within the Twitter.com site then just cut/paste the tweet adding RT or Retweet to the front of the tweet.

Day 5 - Twitter conversations you should join

There are conversations going on right now on Twitter about your industry, the things you’re interested and things you want to know about. There may even be conversations going on about you and your business.

How do you monitor these conversations?

Today we look at a couple of tools.

In the 30 Days of Networking precourse lesson we looked at search.twitter.com - which is a great way to monitor a phrase or keyword.

Here’s a second way to monitor conversations.

It’s called Monnitor.  (Take note of spelling.) It allows you to watch a stream of conversations on a keyword or search phrase.

Below  is a screen shot of a search I was looking at today.

Here’s why:

Business mentor

The Australian Businesswomen’s Network runs the MentorNet mentoring program. I wanted to see if there were women out there looking for a business mentor. I would in that case introduce myself and let them know where they could find more information. (You don’t want to come across as Big Brother so enter the conversation gently and don’t oversell.)

Business Network

I want to see what other networks are doing and offering and also want to be able to recommend the Australian Businesswomen’s Network if, and when, it seems like the ABN would be the solution to a problem raised in the stream of tweets.

Crossfit

Crossfit is a fitness movement. (If you’ve read Seth Godin’s book Tribes you may recall him using Crossfit as an example of a tight-knit tribe.) I’m a fringe-dweller (or so I keep telling myself) of this tribe. This week though I’m going to California to take part (as part of a Sydney team competing with 98 other teams) in the Crossfit Affiliate Challenge.

So, I was looking to see if anyone else is totally freaked out about competing … Hmmm… seems if they are, they’re not sharing it on Twitter.

So, you found a conversation you want to join. Now what?

Now it’s time to engage. If for example someone is asking: Does anybody know a good business network for women? I’d pipe-up with:

@username you may want to check out the Australian Businesswomen’s Network for great online networking. Here’s the link [link goes here].

TODAY’S TASKs

• Go to monnitor.com and enter three search terms.
• Connect with someone new.
• Let us know what happened. (Tweet about it and include the tag #30DNet. )

Thanks for playing.

Suzi

P.S. If you’re not using Seesmic Desktop of Tweetdeck to view your tweets then check them out. Life becomes a whole lot easier when you can categorise your followers and conversations.

Day 4 - 30 Days of Networking: Use Twitter to Get and Give Referrals

Word-of-mouth is an age old (and largely reliable) way to generate new business. Social media, and the transparency that it provides, makes word of mouth referrals more important now than ever before.

People take on board the recommendations  of people they know, like and trust.

A great way to get referrals is to give them! Of course it needs to be authentic giving, not manufactured of intended to manipulate.

Let’s start with GIVING referrals.

How do we use Twitter to give referrals?

Who do you follow that you WOULD recommend? Who’s tweets give you enjoyment, knowledge, value?

As a blogger, I’m always looking for ways to improve my blogging skills and tips on how to manage, create and organise my blog posts. I follow Darren Rowse, whose Twitter name is @problogger , so I recommend him to those who have a blog, or a looking to start one.

How to GET referrals on Twitter

This is true in offline as well as online networking: The best way to get referrals is to BE someone that people know, like and trust.

KNOW - Your tweets reveal a lot about you. They tell us what your interests are, what you know about. Your tweets reveal your humour, outlook on life, when your sharing and when you’re pitching.

LIKE - We tend to like people like us, and people whose interests are like ours. Be sure to have the real YOU show in your tweets and you’ll attract more follows that you are most aligned with.

TRUST — We trust those that do what they say they will do. Trust usually follows Knowing and Liking. Keep any hidden-agendas at bay when connecting. (I remember being in a networking relationship for a long time with someone I didn’t trust because I saw the opportunity for an important business deal. My gut feeling won and I backed out of the relationship and as a result felt free!)

The bottom line: Be someone that people want to refer. The people I tend to refer are those who are generous with their information, who are ‘real’ or are thought leaders who provide great information that I, or my community of women in business, can enjoy,

There are plenty of opportunities to sell and do business. Be relaxed about it … Lay off the hype and any over the top self-promotion. (Few people like the person, who, at a live networking event is shoving cards in people’s faces. The Twitter version of this are the over-the-top promises and ‘look at me’, ‘buy this today’ type of tweets.) Aim to add value!

TODAY’S TASK:

• Tweet something. Who are you following that you would recommend?
• Tweet a recommendation about them. Be sure to include their Twitter name (and of course the #30DNet tag).

My post for this task will be:

If you have a blog (or are starting one) I recommend you follow @problogger . His posts are consistent, generous and practical.  #30DNet [FYI - that's 136 characters]

In a couple of days I’ll show you a world-wide Twitter protocol that is another great way to make and get recommendations on Twitter.

Best wishes,

Suzi

Day 3 - 30 Days of Networking: Use Your Twitter Profile to Network

Hello and welcome to Day 3 of 30 Days of Networking.

So far we’ve set in this free networking program we’ve

• Set our networking goals
• Learned why it’s important to tweet about relevant issues
• and looked at how to get more of the right kind of followers.

Today we’re going to look at how to use your Twitter profile to grow your network.

When you registered your Twitter account at twitter.com you had the opportunity to set up a profile. And, you have no doubt filled in some, or all, of the available fields already.

Let’s review your profile and look at ways to maximise its effectiveness.

Watch this video for today’s lesson on using your profile to network more effectively.

We’ll discuss the best ways to set up your:

• User name - Have you made a big mistake with your user name?
• Location - Where should you say you are?
• Website URL - Which one? And what to put if you don’t have a website.
• Your Bio - Your life in 160 words or less.
• Your photo - Are there dos and don’ts?
• Your Twitter Background - Branding and continuity

[Note: I stand corrected... In the video I suggest you cannot change your user name. You now can! So no need to live with something that's not working e.g. sillysue92. (Promise this will make more sense when you watch the video!)]

Here are links to a couple of the people mentioned in the video. I follow them and all have been Twitter mentors for me.

1. Joel Comm - Author of must-read Twitter book Twitter Power
2. Carrie Wilkerson - The Barefoot Executive (a master Twitterer)
3. James Burgin - A branding expert (and a friend)

TODAY’S TASKS

1. Review your profile page and ensure it’s going to help you network.
2. Tweet something (remember to include tag #30DNet in your tweet so that we can follow your conversation)

Best wishes,

Suzi

Network without leaving your desk

Like most businesswomen, I’m extremely busy. I need to make the most of my time and the more that I can achieve from my desk, the better.

So when I was invited (by Flying Solo’s Robert Gerrish) to be a part of a B-Net Business Network interview I took the opportunity to use it to talk about one of my favourite subjects. How to Network Without Leaving Your Desk.

The interview was released this week. It’s about 7 minutes long and it gives you some quick tips on using technology to network from your desk!

Here’s a link to the video now: Networking Without Leaving Your Desk | Suzi Dafnis

By the way, I’m currently writing a course on ways to network without leaving your desk. If you have ideas you’d like to contribute I’d be happy to hear them. Just send me a comment here or email us (see the envelope symbol at the top of this page).

Flying Solo is Australia’s community for solo & micro business. Check out their newsletter and great resources on their site.

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