Specialist, thought leader and even guru are some of the glib terms used. Maybe we should be using words that are a bit more fun.

Like…savvy, adept, adroit or even crackerjack.

Just imagine being at a dinner party and someone asks you what you do. You respond with.

“I am a Crackerjack Savvy Social Media Marketing Specialist“.

Bit more fun really.

The “Guru” term is the one phrase that makes me cringe the most. To me it is someone who has disappeared into the Tibetan mountains, had a vision, hummed a lot and and has come back with insight and enlightenment that is god like and transcends being human. They are wearing sandals, donned a magical cloak and the halo is shimmering.

Sorry…haven’t met one of those yet.. but looking forward to it.

The path to professional

Becoming well known and a professional in your industry is often a journey that starts with a burning passion. This is maybe the most important quality because you need that fuel to maintain the dedication and discipline required to be at the top of your game.

In social media marketing the two most common formal paths that converge in a social media expert and specialist are from public relations and marketing. With the rise in the importance of content marketing, multi media and technology the skills required can even extend into creative, technical and writing.

Also thrown into the mix is an understanding of data that keeps us on track in our quest for determining what does and doesn’t work.

Creative Ninja Geek

One term we should maybe kick around is “Creative Ninja Geek“. This conjures up a picture of someone that understands tech but hasn’t forgotten to be human and social. They have cloaked their nerdness with a creative streak and a large dash of humanity.

They are the sort of people I often enjoy hanging out with.

Ever been to a software or technology conference? Men in suits are often in abundance.

Attended a social media marketing conference? The women show up and there are a lot more hugs to be had. A bit Californian really.

That is why I like social.

How do you become a social media marketing expert?

Here is an infographic that provides some hints, colleges and education ideas that you may find useful on your path to becoming that social media expert.

Infographic source: Schools.com

What about you?

What was your path to being an expert in your area. Are you self taught or is it a combination of formal education, experience and learning on the job?

Are you passionate about social media marketing?

Look forward to hearing your stories in the comments below.

Image by Shutterstock

It’s expediency driven by budget, necessity and inexperience.

You bought a lemon.

Blogging is not that different.

Sometimes we are so eager to get started that we cobble something together and launch. Later we have to pull it apart because it didn’t have the foundations to handle the traffic or the flexibility to do what was needed.

Sometimes we borrow when we should have bought.

The result is that it can be painful, time consuming and often expensive. It’s called impatience, it can masquerade as frugal and it may even be called shortsighted.

We have all been there.

A blog that means business

If you are serious about turning a blog into income and then your business, then laying the right foundations is important. It means sitting down and doing some planning.

It means asking some questions

What am I going to focus on? What should the branding and design be like? What should I develop it on?

The list goes on.

If you do mean business then you need to create the right framework and foundation for your blog.

A framework for the future

Sometimes a little thought, the right framework and resources can be time saving and stress relieving in the long run.

Here are 10 key building blocks to get you started.

1. Focus

Many people start a blog because they are passionate about photography, sales or leadership. This focus normally happens because of two factors.

1. Passion for the topic
2. Innate ability

Others start with an analytical eye on an opportunity. A topic that is trending and a business category that is growing. These can be identified around topics such as

• Health
• Making money
• Success
• Avoiding pain

You can then choose a business focus that is growing using tools such as Google Trends or Facebook ads to see if the market is growing or shrinking.

Both approaches can be successful, but for me I find the passion approach provides a stronger and more sustainable foundation.

2. Branding

Branding is part science and part art. In its simplest form it involves two key elements.

1. Your visual design that resonates with your chosen category. This includes logo and colours
2. Your messaging and voice which will carry into what you write and how you communicate across a range of multimedia

Being memorable and sticky within your category so that you stand out is key. If your competitors are zigging maybe you should be zagging.

3. Select a Platform

There are so many platforms to build a brand online. It can be confusing and it will make your head spin. Let me keep it simple.

In essence you have two choices:

1. Rent a pre-built platform such as Blogger or Tumblr. Advantages?…… It is fast and cheap
2. Design and build on your own platform using a WordPress Template. Advantages?…..You own it and have flexibility.

In the end it comes down to fast and cheap is more for those who are just playing and messing around.

If you want big foundations that mean business then build it on the WordPress platform using your own domain name.

Then you own it.

4. Design & Development

Design is what consumes most of people’s time. For most, it is how it looks. Yes…Looks are very important… but design goes much deeper than that.

It is also how it works.

Design that matters and manages the tension between form and function can be beautiful to behold.

Steve Jobs knew and understood that.

So hire a designer that understands that it isn’t just about having a beautiful face but powerful and essential functions.

5. Hosting

Ever been to site that is so slow to load that you click away. That can sometimes be put down to having a slow internet connection. Often though it is because you are sharing a hosting computer with hundreds of other domains.

It has become vital with Google’s new attention to user experience that your site loads quickly. if it doesn’t then you will find that it will affect your sites search engine results as Google gives your site a small black cross.

This little rule is now written into Google’s algorithms.

Fast is good.

The other key here is having a site that is online 24/7. You may pay a little more but in the end you will be thankful. especially when you are building a blog that means business

I have found that my hosting supplier WebHostingBuzz provides robust and cost effective blog and website hosting with great support.

6. Content

So you have a great design and you are hosting your new blog on a solid foundation. What’s next?

You need content.

This comes back to your focus. Create content that meets the needs of your target audience. This will mean creating content that solves their problems.

Content can be put into four categories that may help you in your content creation.

Content that:

1. Educates
2. Entertains
3. Informs
4. Inspires

That is the what… but how do you do it?

There are three ways to approach content creation.

• In house …You!
• Outsource… external writers
• Combination

You may have to start with creating all your own content from day one but you may find that the mixed model or outsourcing is where you end up.

One one powerful tip here. Create the best content you possibly can. It will surprise you how far and fast great content will flow across a social web.

So now its time to look at the 4 important marketing strategies to build that blog.

7. Build your social networks

Quite often people wait to design and, develop and launch their blog before growing their followers on social networks. I would recommend that you don’t delay this.

Build your social networks as fast as possible. The two big social media networks to focus on are Facebook and Twitter. Other social media networks should also be in the mix such as Google+ (which continues to gather momentum), LinkedIn and Pinterest. The amount of attention you pay to these will be driven by your blogs target audience interests and gender

I often find that many blogs and businesses build networks on Facebook and chase “likes” and forget about Twitter.

Hint…don’t forget Twitter.

Its ability for powerful networking , follower engagement and for driving traffic is often underestimated. This blog receives over 60% of its social networking traffic from Twitter.

8. Optimise for search engines

Despite social media being an attractive and shiny new toy for marketing, search engines should be in your marketing mix. In some industries over 90% of buying decisions start with an online search.

Today over 50% of my blog traffic comes from people performing a search and then clicking on the link to my blog.

It will take time to build this up but the persistence will pay off in time as you build authority online in your niche.

Here are some key tips to building a search friendly blog

• Create the best content that you possibly can. Google loves unique fresh content that is popular and is linked to by other bloggers.
• Use keywords in your headline where possible
• Write an enticing description with keywords that people will want to click on when it turns up on the Google search result page.
• Include relevant categories when finalizing your article before publishing
• Put in the key words and phrases into the relevant “tag” section in WordPress before hitting the publish button that people would want to use to find information on that topic
• Use some free plugin tools such as “All in One SEO” or “Yoast” that assist you with some of the tasks I have mentioned

One last point.

Optimising and working at your SEO (Search engine Optimisation) is important for one big reason.

Receiving traffic from Google is free (unless you are paying for Google AdWords) and free is always good.

9. Building Powerful Networks with Promotional Partnerships

The trick to building traffic fast is to get help. Now I don’t mean sending an email or a tweet to a blogger of influence and beg for some attention with a “please share my post” or “watch my awesome video on YouTube”

The secret is helping them out. Offer to write a guest post or share their content. Write an article about the top bloggers in your category and shine the spotlight on them.

Help others first and then they will help you.

If you get this right and are strategic then you will accelerate the traffic and the building of brand awareness. Affiliate marketing is built on this concept.

This powerful tactic starts with “how can I help you” rather than “what can I get from you“.

10. Grow your email list

So we have enlisted the power of social networks to market your blog, we have also understood that Google is a bloggers friend and we need partnerships.

There is one key marketing tactic to include.

Email….Why? Because you own that list. Ownership is better than renting a “like’ list.

If there is one thing you should do from day one is to start building an email list.

This is called “list building.”

Where do you start?

Set up an account with one of the popular email platforms such as Aweber or MailChimp so that you can start building a list. They have all the metrics and tools to make your email marketing fly. Don’t ignore this.

It is vital.

An email list is yours and you own it and it gives you control to market to your subscribers when and how you like.

Just relying on Facebook likes and Twitter followers to spread your content is putting the control of marketing to those social networks.

You never know when they will cease to exist. Nothing is forever…remember MySpace?

Offer an incentive

The best strategy to build a “list” fast is to offer a free eBook or video that offers something of value in exchange for their email address.

This should be prominent and either in the banner or the top right corner of your blog.

Another way to add more power to this tactic is to offer a pop up that hovers over the screen and dims your homepage whenever someone turns up to your blog and offers that free eBook or premium content such a s video tutorial.

You can create settings so that it only does this every 7, 14 or 30 days depending on your settings.

You should also offer this on your Facebook page via a custom Tab. Make it easy for people to subscribe to your blog by offering an incentive. It will increase and accelerate your signups by 300 – 400%

What about you?

Now have an online portal and platform that means business. You can use this foundation to turn that knowledge into cash using a variety of new media monetization models.

How are your plans proceeding? What have you learnt on your journey.

Look forward to your questions and insights in the comments below

Want to learn how to market and supercharge your blog with social media?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 149,000.

Download and read it now.

Image by Shutterstock

Some of us will love them, others will tear their hair out and wring their hands. Others will complain and scream at the moon.

So what are the new rules, guidelines and policies that Facebook wants you to embrace? In essence you are now allowed to include a “call to action” for promoting that event, book or competition. The old rule of not having anymore than 20% text still applies.

The previous policies that prohibited effective marketing text in the image for brands was always a nonsense. So it’s good to see some commonsense emerge after 12 months!

How are some brands taking advantage of these new rules and breaking what were the old Facebook cover photo guidelines? How can you take advantage and apply them to Facebook’s cover photo and images to increase sales and conversions?

Here are 5 examples that you can use as inspiration to get people to book, buy or subscribe.

1. Mari Smith

Mari hasn’t messed about and has leapt in and is promoting her free webinar. Can’t miss that great smile!

2. Skype

The new rules from Facebook allow you to promote a contest. Here is one of Skype’s efforts with its “presenters” contest.

3. Hubspot

Hubspot has aalways been big on offering free ebooks that offer great value. Here is an example of their Facebook cover image which takes advantage of allowing that call to action in three simple steps.

4. Inbound Zombie

John Haydon’s “CTA” couldn’t be much simpler for his Inbound Zombie brand. The “Call to Action” is very clear… text and arrow!

5. ShortStack

It seems that simplicity is a consistent theme with ShortStack making asking for a “like” simple, fun and colorful.

What about you?

What are you trying to promote with your brand on Facebook? What design resonates with you? Is their a call to action you think is more compelling than the others?

Look forward to your comments and insights in the comments below.

Want to learn how to market and supercharge your blog with social media?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 149,000.

Image by Shutterstock

Two years later in November 2008 another $15 million was raised to maintain the momentum as the blog added more journalism resources and USA wide local reporting.

The power of celebrity was embraced with politicians, academics and famous power brokers in all areas of business and industry contributing articles to the blog.

It was in June 2011 that the blog’s website traffic passed the doyen of traditional media, the “New York Times” for the first time.

“In just six years it had disrupted 100 years of traditional media”

Seven years later it was sold to AOL for $315 million to add to its other online blog assets including Engadget, TechCrunch and MovieFone. And today it’s website traffic is measured at over 77 million visitors per month.

That blog is Huffington Post.

Tipping point

In the blogging world this was a watershed moment. Never before had so much money been paid for a blog.

New media is replacing and disrupting old media.

The old business model that made many media moguls billionaires and king makers was based upon the rivers of gold which were generated from classified ads.

Huffington Post was purcahsed by AOL because of three key elements.

1. Its online and global influence
2. Advertising revenue
3. Traffic

In one sense this new media is just a variation of old media except that it is online. Traffic, eyeballs and advertising.

The new media models

The new model is not so simple but multifaceted and convoluted. Blogging in the past was driven by building email lists which took a lot of time. With the advent of social media their marketing and growth have been supercharged.

Global reach and influence at the speed of a tweet, a Facebook share or a viral video.

To make money from a blog in 2013 you do not have to be a Huffington Post. There are many ways to make a living out of blogging that can enhance your current business and lifestyle that are within everyone’s reach.

Let’s have a look at some of them.

1. Advertising

Just to show that the Huffington Post is not a one off there are many other blogs that generate significant revenue. One of those is Mashable.

Mashable’s model is based almost exclusively on building huge amounts of traffic that makes it an attractive platform for advertising. Current page views per month total approximately 50 million. This also means producing a lot of content. To put that in perspective. Mashable publishes dozens of articles a day to feed the content beast.

They work hard at optimizing their advertising and have developed technology for:

• Infinite ad scrolling
• Story telling ads unit
• Content velocity algorithm

This blogging business model is becoming harder as advertising rates fall. But the rewards can be great with some reports that Peter Cashmore is worth nearly $100 Million US and the blog has been valued at over $200 million.

2. Sponsorship

Suzi Dafnis is the clever business brain behind a very successful blog that is targeted at business women in Australia called the Australian Business Women’s Network. Just recently it has won “Best Australian Blogs Competition” in the business Category.

Sponsorship is the main revenue source with sponsors including American Express, Optus and GoToWebinar.

3. Webinars and Seminars

Social Media Examiner was only started just over 4 years ago by Mike Stelzner and made its first million dollars within 12 months through paid online webinars.

Prior to starting the Social Media Examiner blog Mike had run other blogs and businesses including one on how to “Write White Papers”. Mike has moved into producing conferences recently with the successful inaugural “Social Media Marketing World” in San Diego.

If you want an insight into how he made his blog such a success I would recommend you read his book “Launch – How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition”

4. Speaking

Blogs can be the platform that makes you visible. This includes for being invited to speak at conferences, workshops and seminars. Guy Kawasaki uses his blog as an online platform to promote his speaking and his books.

Guy understands the importance of an online platform for building credibility and marketing his personal brand. He also understands the power of social media and has nearly 1.3 million Twitter followers

5. Books

Tim Ferriss is the author of the New York Times best seller “The Four Hour Work Week” which was about creating a success lifestyle in a web world. He has used his blog to launch not just one but three books after the huge success of his first book.

Tim uses his blog as his promotion platform for his books and for engaging and sharing his inspiration for experiments in lifestyle design.

6. Affiliate

Affiliate marketing is the art of either selling other people’s products on your blog or getting affiliates to sell your products. Brendon Burchard is one of many who have perfected this art and science.

One of the the key secrets to succeeding in this is building promotional partnerships with powerful online influencers and other bloggers who have significant followings online. Some of the pioneers in this space include Frank Kerns and Jeff Walker.

It can supercharge your revenue. For a further insight into how Brendon achieved success his book “Millionaire Messenger” is worth a read.

Another blogger and podcaster that understands how to use affiliate marketing to create revenue and is worth checking out is Pat Flynn of the blog titled “Smart Passive Income”

7. Consulting

Mark Schaefer is the force behind the awesome blog “Grow“. He uses his blog as his front door and shingle to his consulting, educating and training business that helps businesses grow by tapping into the marketing power of social media.

He is also the author of several books including ”Return on Influence” and “The Tao of Twitter”

8. Online Courses

Amy Porterfield is a blogger and a professional Facebook expert who has created and developed online training which is her main revenue stream. Her flagship course is Facebook Training 101 – FB Influence.

She understood the importance of her blog as the online portal to her online courses.

9. eBooks

Darren Rowse is the genius behind Problogger. Not only has he made that blog a business success but also started a Photography Blog called “Digital Photography School” with over 1 million subscribers . His eBooks on “blogging” and “photography” have become his main source of income

Darren makes money from his blog in 12 different ways. So making money from your blog is not just limited to one revenue stream. The challenge is working out how you can monetize with multiple channel sources.

10. Premium content – Paid Membership

Timothy Sykes blog is about how to make money on the stock market and his main source of revenue is by selling premium content which is accessed through paying to be a member on his site.

Premium content that is only accessible via monthly membership is a proven model and another one worth checking out is Psd.Tutsplus.com which is a resource and learning site for those who want to learn photoshop.

11. Sell Products

Tucker Max is a blog and brand that is memorable but maybe for all the wrong reasons. If hedonism is your thing then Tucker Max is is your man. He makes money from the blog in a variety of ways. The main source of income is selling his products on Amazon.

It highlights that even a bad image can be monetised. The creativity is up to you!

What about you?

As we have seen, blogging can be both a business and an online portal to to express yourself. The challenge is deciding what you want it to be and how can you make it into a business and lifestyle that works for you.

So how do you make money from your blog? What types of revenue models attract you?

Look forward to hearing your stories in the comments below.]

Image by Shutterstock

This was first felt in the schoolyard. It meant being invited to hang out with the popular gang. It was noticed when you were offered to attend “that” all important birthday party.

When college came around it was being selected to be on the football team, chosen for that all important committee or be part of a fraternity.

It doesn’t change when you start your career. You need to be “liked” to get past first base at that job interview.

Being left off the list is a lonely place.

On the social web that has been transformed into every “brand” wanting to be liked. It does have some benefits.

What are the benefits of Facebook likes?

So you are chasing the blue upturned thumb. Why should you?

These are some of the benefits:

• Creates social proof that your brand is popular which says “everyone likes us so you should check us out and find out why”. Empty restaurants may have great food but those empty tables scream a different message.
• Those social signals can improve your search engine optimisation
• It helps move your content
• Creates brand awareness
• Find out what your fans like and so create products and services that they want through free crowd sourced research
• Sell more products and services

All of these are important as marketing moves offline to online.

So how do get more Facebook likes?

Dan Zarella likes doing research and loves numbers. Often he lurks around calculators, spreadsheets and data crunching computers. So he has summoned the lists of figures and made the database sing and dance.

This meant he collected 1.3 million posts on 10,000 most liked Facebook pages and did some correlation and calculation.

Then he made simple sense of the complex.

Here are some of his results that turned up a revelation or two. Well …it did for me.

You may be surprised

The data showed some results that many of you already know. Photos are helpful for garnering likes but there are some surprises.

• Short posts “and” long posts get a higher “like” percentage. In fact an 800 character post can get as many likes as one with 90 on Facebook! The common knowledge is short always wins. The data says something different.
• Share percentage on Facebook spikes at around 450 characters. So on the topic of Facebook sharing the data analysis insights show that if you want your Facebook post to be shared rather than just liked, then make it 450 plus characters.
• Self reference works well on Facebook. If you use “me” or “I” then you will gather more of those Facebook likes.

Want some more scientific data then check out the rest of Dan’s infographic.

Infographic source: Dan Zarella

What about you?

What tactics have worked for you in building your Facebook likes? Have short Facebook posts been your habit? Are longer posts something you have tried and have they produced positive results?

Look forward to your insights and stories in the comments below.

Image by Shutterstock

At other times it seems like herding cats.

A chaotic stream of tweets that have no apparent organisation, theme or filters.

Wikipedia has this on herding cats:

“An idiomatic saying that refers to an attempt to control or organize a class of entities which are uncontrollable or chaotic. Implies a task that is extremely difficult or impossible to do, primarily due to chaotic factors.“

Now doesn’t that sound like Twitter?

It is trying to make sense of its chaos, embracing a jumble of jellyfish or throwing a net over a swarm of bees.

Always fun, sometimes dangerous but with a lot of potential.

Twitter has its own rhythm

Facebook is filtered for family and friend fun. Google+ is like Twitter on intelligence steroids…. Long form content preferred, geeky and very visual….with an overdose of males from silicon valley.

Well what about Pinterest?…..It needs no explaining, just pin your image and let it speak its thousand words.

And Instagram?

A distraction in the form of an app that makes you stop what you are doing as you walk and travel. It is always tempting you…to shoot, filter and send…. to the socialsphere.

Twitter is a torrent of humanity. News, feelings, inspiration and un-throttled. The rhythm is short and punchy but with links to a million rabbit holes that can distract.

It’s quick and sometimes requires little thought and it shows.

So how do you herd?

The herding of this torrent is done in part by Twitter tools such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and others. There is no Hootsuite for Facebook or Google+.

It’s not needed.

The other part of the herding equation apart from the tools is the lowly hashtag..”#”.

Harmless looking isn’t it?

This started in 2007 according to Wikipedia by Chris Messina to tag topics of interest on the microblogging network. He posted the alleged first post on Twitter to include what would become the “hashtag”:

“How do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp ? ”

The first high profile use of the hashtag was in the 2007 California fires by Nate Ritter with #sandiegofire.

On the international scene it gained more notoriety as hashtags became a common practice for the 2009-2010 Iranian election protests to glue stories and events together.

Want to send a Tweet to a loose global group with an interest and passion for social media? Use the hashtag #socialmedia . Interested in marketing then the hashtag #marketing is the go.

It is cat herding at its finest.

Are hashtags media glue?

Twitter’s fame continues to spread and in part it is because of its evolution as “the people’s” news channel. It has spread into Television, radio, billboards and conferences. Want to see the beat of the street at a conference? Enter the hashtag for the event and watch the feedback channel in all its 140 character glory.

Want to see the masses reaction to a TV show (many now display the shows hashtag on the screen). Then plug it into your smartphone and tablet and see the responses ebb and flow.

Negative, positive and reactive.

It is becoming the glue that connects social to mass media. It allows us to respond and interact with a medium that was meant to be a one way street.

The hashtag virus is spreading

The hashtag was “owned” by Twitter but it is now moving into Google+. It has been adopted by Instagram and its success there often revolves often around the hashtag habit and it continues to grow in stature.

Dan Zarella produces evidence that posts that include hashtags had a much higher like-to-follower ratios than those that did not.

Is Facebook going to hang with the gang ?

If rumours are true then they will… but at this stage a “Hashtag” on Facebook is like wearing belt and braces. It is not necessary or needed.

Want to know more about hashtags?

Here is an informative Infographic that will help you with the the art and science of hashtags to get you started.

It provides a simple what, why and where.

Infographic by: Social Caffeine

What about you?

How do use hashtags? Do you even use them?

Look forward to hearing your stories and feedback in the comments below.

Want to learn how I used Twitter to market my blog?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

Image by Shutterstock

I tweeted here and there and collected 31 followers in 90 days of meandering. Even followed people with large Twitter tribes on topics as diverse as food, photography and politics. Malcolm Turnbull, the local senator must have thought I was a Twitter groupie.

Luckily he didn’t report me for stalking.

My progress on Twitter was slow, confused but persistent. Despite this I continued to tweet, retweet and play. My curiosity was undiminished.

Some people such as Jennifer Aniston’s boyfriend at the time tweeted so much that she decided that he loved Twitter more than her.

She moved onto boyfriend number twenty seven.

Twitter is more powerful than you think

Twitter’s sometimes chaotic nature does make management of the torrent of tweets seem like herding cats. It is essential that you plug your Twitter account into a management tools such as Hootsuite and Tweetdeck. This will help you manage your stream with lists of people and hashtags that categorise on topics.

The real power of Twitter is that you can build a follower base that allows you to share a focused stream of content that adds value to your followers daily lives.

There are no fancy Facebook “Edgerank” algorithms to throttle your tweets and choke your content distribution.

Its pure and wild. I like that.

So what are some fundamental principles that you should embrace if you want Twitter to work for you?

The 10 Commandments of Twitter

Here are 10 commandments that may guide you to the Twitter promised land of a large and loyal following. That engages with you and shares your content with speed and velocity.

Thou shalt

Moses used this term so I thought that I couldn’t go wrong if I borrowed the term “Thou shalt”

1. Write a meaningful “bio” description

If you are using Twitter for purely personal reasons then go crazy and knock yourself out with a crazy and cute bio. If you are serious then make sure that when they read it they know in a heartbeat what you are about.

2. Have a link

I don’t know how many times I have looked for a link to take a deeper dive into a Tweeter to see what they do and where they have come from but get stymied. If you don’t have a blog then take them to your Linked account or Facebook page.

Let them discover the real you. The bio is just the start

3. Be focused

Build a tribe of Twitter followers who are passionate and interested in your topic of interest. That can be done with tools such as Tweepi or Twellow.

4. Automate where appropriate

This may seem evil to some but as you grow your follower base things like following back become time consuming and unmanageable. Automate the boring tasks such as content distribution and follow back but not the conversation and engagement

5. Not neglect Twitter

Keep the stream of Tweets rolling out so that followers see activity and content. Keep that activity going. Do this at a level that you are comfortable with.

It is different for everyone. Remember it is a tool not a religion.

6. Use Hashtags

Hashtags allow you to put content into followers accounts that are topic driven and organised. If you are interested in blogging then include a tweet with the hashtag #blogging.

It will lead to increased awareness and sharing of your tweets.

7. Manage with a tool

The Twitter eco-system of tools and apps evolved because Twitter kept its network simple. It has been effective and been part of its charm. To manage and monitor both the tweets and the people you interact with on Twitter and organised like your mum would be proud of then Hootsuite and Tweetdeck should be used.

8. Brand your Twitter account

Ensure that when people trip up on your Twitter account that they recognise your brand that is on Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube. My caricature works for me.

Consistent branding is good.

9. Use Twitter sharing and subscribe buttons on your blog

Make it is easy and obvious for people to share your content on your blog with obvious Twitter buttons at the top of your article. Make sure they can follow you on Twitter with buttons that don’t confuse and again are in a position that is prominent..

10. Write the best headline you can

As Twitter has only 140 characters your tweets should be written with the beast headlines you can muster. Learn and practice this skill until your fingers hurt and your mind burns.

You only have 2 seconds to capture their attention until they click away.

What about you?

What commandment resonates with you. What have I left out. Maybe we could come up with 20 but I ran out of time.

Look forward to your feedback in the comments below.

Want to learn how to market your blog with Twitter?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 149,000.

Download and read it now.

The conversation has moved on.

Facebook is now part of most people’s web lives, Twitter is where a lot of people are reading the breaking news and if you want to be entertained then just dial into YouTube.

Despite it’s minimal mindshare, media profile and awareness Google+ has woven its way into our consciousness and is now the second largest social network.

As if these social networks aren’t enough to distract us then we also have Pinterest and Instagram to add to the online temptations.

The social web is the modern version of Alice in Wonderland, where we are following not one but many rabbits down innumerable rabbit holes.

What are two key factors driving the social web in 2013?

According to a Global Web Index study it is:

• Mobile – with the number of people accessing the internet via a mobile phone increasing by 60.3% to 818.4 million in the last 2 years.
• Older users adoption – On Twitter the 55-64 year age bracket is the fastest growing demographic at 79% since 2012. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook’s and Google+’s networks are the 45 to 54 year age bracket at 46% and 56% respectively.

These 2 key factors are keeping the social web bubbling along. So maybe the reason your grandparents aren’t turning up to that dinner party is that they have now discovered Facebook and Twitter!

So let’s look at some of the fact, figures and statistics for the major social networks.

Facebook

Facebook continues to grow and work out how to make money from its ads and mobile users.

Here are the latest facts and figures from its earnings call for the first quarter of 2013

• Daily active users have reached 665 million
• Monthly active users have passed 1.1 billion for the first time
• 751 million mobile users access Facebook every month
• Mobile only active users total 189 million
• Mobile now generates 30% of its ad revenue up from 23% at the end of 2012

Twitter

Twitter is the fastest growing social network in the world by active users according to a Global Web Index Study.

So how does that translate to hard numbers?

• 44% growth from June 2012 to March 2013
• 288 million monthly active users
• That means that 21% of the world’s internet population are using Twitter every month
• Over 500 million registered accounts
• Twitter’s fastest growing age demographic is 55 to 64 year olds, registering an increase in active users of 79%

YouTube

When you wanted to watch a video it used to be VCR, then it became a DVD player, then we moved onto cable networks and now it is YouTube.

These numbers from YouTube’s own blog put some perspective on it penetration into our culture and time.

• 1 billion unique monthly visitors
• 6 billion hours of videos are watched every month
• This means that 50% more hours of video are watched in March 2013 compared to last August when it was 4 billion hours a month and last May when it was 3 billion.
• YouTube reaches more U.S. adults ages 18-34 than any cable network

Google+

Google+ is making an impact on the social media universe and is now the second largest social network.

What are some of the numbers on Google’s social network built to protect it from Facebook’s growth and data capture to ensure it remains relevant?

It is Google’s social layer that enhances it’s other online assets.

• 359 million monthly active users according to a Global Web Index study
• Its active users base grew by 33% from June 2012 through to March 2013

LinkedIn

The largest professional business network on the planet continues to grow but not at the pace of Twitter or Google+

Here are some numbers from Visual.ly.

• Over 200 million users
• 2 new users join it every second
• 64% of users are outside the USA

So what numbers surprise you?

You have glanced over the numbers. What has surprised you or is it all a big yawn?

Was it the mobile stats, the increasing use of social networks by 55 year olds or was it YouTube’s relentless rise.

Look forward to your feedback in the comments below.

Want to learn how to market your blog with social media?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 149,000.

Download and read it now.

Maybe it was produced by someone that had a personality bypass.

Whatever it was, it didn’t seem human.

That, I think touches on what a “voice” is.

It is about being human, displaying a personality and willing to be vulnerable.

Then the real fun starts.

Writing and creating from the “real” you is your voice. That can be daunting and exposing. Your internal conversations start the jabber….”What if I show a side of me that no one likes or thinks is stupid?”

Looking daft or dork is not cool.

In fact we were all raised on the human craft of hiding behind a facade when the school playground often rewarded the strong, the fake and the facile.

Many childhoods are lived in quiet desperation of hiding the real “you.”

Being grown up means accepting yourself for all its glorious imperfections.

A formula, an evolution or a revelation?

I don’t have a process or a magic potion to finding a writing voice or an expression formula but let’s have a look at what happens when you start to write and create in an online world. What happens when you start to publish on social media networks or your blog.

The journey commences.

I am curious and wanting to express my insights. I write. I record and express myself. The publish button is struck! The blog post is live and the YouTube video is online!

No clapping or cheering can happen until you step onto the stage.

There the music is revealed, the words are displayed and your design is exposed.

Whoa!…on the internet two billion web users can see your thoughts and concepts in black and white and high definition in all its wonderful glory and imperfection.

If you are honest the world will show up and say “fabulous” …work harder and maybe “well done”.

Your genius that is you is on display.

Don’t like what you hear? Then there is more work to do. The fun stuff is in growing….not shrinking!

That is sometimes a painful revelation but is part of your journey of personal evolution.

The unique you

There is only one “unique you”. Own it and embrace it with two arms and welcoming introspection.

It’s all you’ve got.

The strange thing is that creating a writing “voice” is more a journey of subtle growth that happens by stealth and mundane action.

Sitting down to write in the small hours. Staying up so late that the next morning you ask yourself…”Was that necessary?”

It is turning up and “doing the work”.

Influencers and stealing ideas and inspiration

I have had some strange influencers on my writing and expression including Jeremy Clarkson of “Top Gear” fame.

An introduction to a car review that is is 900 words of fun, humour and stories and 100 words of features and functions about a Porsche, Ferrari or Skoda with maybe a telling pithy insight.

That is it.

Who would have thought that. Inspiration from a car magazine writer.

Inspiration comes from content and creators who can be geeks, intellectuals or artists. These can be taken from any walk of life and whose ideas are so good that you want to steal them.

Just ask David Bowie.

“The only art I’ll ever study is stuff I can steal from”

What is your voice?

So what is you?

Your persona and humanity is multi-dimensional and many faceted. It is a jumble of experience, thoughts, expression and passions.

Here are some tips to find your voice.

1. Show your personality

Your voice is your personality on display… warts and all. Place a stake in the ground. Put your hand up and say “this is what I think, believe and feel“. I believe in this and I am sharing it.

When that happens people start trusting and listen. This is how I am and this is how I talk.

That is an insight into your voice.

2. Display your humor

Is you humour dark, dry or ironic? Don’t let your children, friends and family’s seemingly innocous non appreciation dissuade you. Press on.

Have fun.

Sometimes the crowd doesn’t get it. You are not creating for the masses…only those who are fans and believers.

Some of them live in a distant town on the other side of the world. They are your neighbours.

3. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes

The audience you want to communicate with will help you define your voice. How you write will be be also woven into who you are writing for. It must be kept in mind that most people read at a grade school level. Trying to be smart and clever by using big words and complicated sentences will just make them click away.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein

4. Expose your imperfections

Accepting that you are not perfect but a product of a life journey can empower you to realise, write and reveal the naked you. People will find a voice that is transparent and full of bumps, scrapes and scratches will produce a voice tapestry that is much more interesting than a mass produced sound of blandness.

People read books and watch movies to see life’s dramas in all its glory. That is much more interesting than a manufactured sound.

5. Reveal your passion

Allowing the passion that drives you to radiate and express your ideas and creativity will allow the genius that is you to shine. Passion is not a singular word but a synergy of interests, skills and focus that is wrangled and woven together.

Put passion on display.

A primary passion might lead the pack but all around it are the chorus of sounds that make the symphony rich and deep. Put them up to the light, place them on a pedestal and let them sing.

Talk and write how you “feel”.

6. Tell your stories

Your voice can be evolved as you tell your stories that make up the days and years that is your life. Those stories can be tales of woe, insightful experiences or even just plain side splitting fun.

Tell those tales and let them communicate a powerful message.

7. Develop brand “you”

Can you write down a few key words and phrases that could encapsulate you and could be turned into a caricature or a logo. This is more an art more than a science but is worth a try.

Sally Hogshead is an author that wrote the book “Fascinate”. Her byline is an insight into her brand voice.

“A hogshead is a barrel that holds 62 gallons, so what’s your name smartass”

Now, that is part of her voice and reveals her personality and sense of life. You can’t borrow or steal that line but you can learn from it.

What about you?

What is your voice? Are you putting your personality on display? Are you willing to be judged.

Now that is a scary thought.

Are you telling your story and revealing your passions. Don’t hide behind a faceless set of words. Are you willing to stand up.

We stand outside the arena and say “I am going to go in and kick some ass when I am bullet proof and perfect. That is seductive. The truth is that you will never be perfect” – Author Brene Brown “Daring Greatly”

Let the words you create speak for you.

Want to learn how to create a powerful blog that has “your” voice?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

Image by Shutterstock:

In the world of cars ….is it a Ferrari? If it is art… could it be the Mona Lisa? With the profession of architecture, is it personified in the Sydney Opera House?

A rose?

Big claims… but you have to admit their all damm good. Memorable even…and maybe even the term excellent could be rolled out and we could even stretch it to “awesome”.

When you see something that is splendid you know it. The visual impact can be visceral , emotional and inspiring.

Whatever the phrase it is always good to strive for perfection. But keep in mind that if you are always “waiting” for your creation to be sublime and faultless then that post will never be published or that book will never be written.

At some stage the finger needs to hit that “publish” button or that “enter” key.

7 Tips for the Perfect Facebook Post

Images on Facebook are the most shared of any media. As humans we do like a good picture. Facebook just makes it easy to acknowledge that with a “like” or if we get really get excited we can even share it with our 500 “best” friends.

Creating a perfect Facebook post for images is maybe not possible, but here are 7 tips to help you move along the spectrum of excellence towards a “God like” Facebook post.

1. Post copy

Keep it short and sharp and less than 90 characters or make sure that you if you have a URL include it near the top of that text. Oh yes…asking a question about the image is sublime because it increases engagement.

2. Call to action

You need to include a URL in your post copy that drives your audience either deeper into Facebook, your blog or website. Also make that ugly long link more attractive by shortening it with bit.ly

A bit like putting lipstick on a pig.

3. Target your Post

If you are targeting a country, language or audience then make the post relevant and specific for them.

4. Timely promotion

Want to reach a bigger audience?… then run it as a “sponsored story” on Facebook within 24 hours of posting. To ensure it works as an ad unit make sure the image is square.

5. Image Upload

Make it at least 300×300 pixels and use an image that has high impact. This includes close-ups of people (don’t use a company logo) and colors like red and orange are good.

6. Mobile first

Facebook is very often viewed on a mobile (some figures show that as being 70%) so use simple images, short copy and yes/no questions are ideal.

7. Engage

Publishing that image post to Facebook is just the start. Engage with your audience with comments and even questions.

Infographic Source: Salesforce.com blog

What about you?

What has been the best Facebook post you have ever published. Was it an image, a video or something else?

What techniques and tactics have worked for you?

Look forward to hearing your stories in the comments below.

Want to learn how to create and market a “sublime” blog with social media?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 149,000.

Download and read it now.

Image by Shutterstock

Fashion items that were droll and ugly can go from sales bin to sales headline because they have somehow tapped into a viral word of mouth frenzy.

Who would have imagined that the “Crocs” shoes that only Minnie and Mickey Mouse would wear could become fashionable on seven continents.

I didn’t.

In fact I still haven’t bought my first pair because I am allergic to plastic and ugliness.

Who would also have thought that the skinny jeans that I wore as a teenager would make a return as a fashionistas staple diet in 2013. Predicting fads, fashions and trends is sometimes frustrating and very unpredictable.

Skinny and plastic. It used to be flares and platforms.

Podcasting returns

Podcasting was cool when I started the blog four years ago but as social media became fashionable Facebook and Twitter made podcasting look a tad obsolescent and dowdy.

Not sexy or trendy was the phrase that crossed my mind.

So why is podcasting having a resurrection? It is due to two key factors.

1. The growth and rapid adoption of smart phones. You can now get your podcast direct to your phone without having to hook up your iPod to the computer.
2. The explosive growth of an online media portal where you can publish and download your podcasts…. called “iTunes”

These have provided the device and the channel to make podcasting effective and able to be distributed with ease that was only imagined years ago.

Who is doing podcasting well?

Podcasting can take many forms and style. Just like Crocs and platform shoes. It depends on what type of media preference, flavour and voice that you find attracts. A lot like choosing your favourite radio station.

In fact that is what podcasting is. 21st century radio channels that you can listen to in your car, at the gym or on the beach.

Here is a case study of podcasting success that I discovered while attending the Social Media Marketing World in San Diego. Why is it emerging as a hot new trend?

According to Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner when they conducted a recent social media study discovered

“that even though only 3% of marketers are currently using podcasting in their social media marketing strategy… 32% have a desire to learn how to use podcasting in their marketing efforts and 23% have plans to increase their podcasting activities in 2013.”

Add this to the growth of smart phones and the adoption on iTunes and you have a strong podcasting marketplace with a large upside.

So let’s find out about podcasting success.

Pat Flynn – Smart Passive Income podcast

Pat operates a very successful blog at “Smart Passive Income” which as you have already guessed by the name is about creating passive income from focused blogging and content creation. He started his podcast 18 months after buying the equipment. Due to the fear of creating a personal podcast. So even successful bloggers are human!

Introduced in July 2010 its listeners have given it more than 500 five-star ratings. Mr. Flynn consistently ranks in the top 10 business podcasts on iTunes, including, at one point, earning a second place spot behind The Dave Ramsey Show (iTunes doesn’t explain how it ranks podcasts).

His marketing philosophy is based on what he calls the “Exposure Cycle“.

The Exposure Cycle

Here are the 3 steps to exposing your podcast to the world and some of his insights on what is required to make a podcast successful.

1. Discoverability

To get exposure you need to be discovered.

He does this by:

• Making sure that the podcast is optimised for search engines with a keyword rich title, description and meta data. Also he optimises it on iTunes for SEO.
• Creating professional artwork which should be like the cover of a quality book
• Pursuing tactics that assist in getting the show rated and ranked in the top 10 on iTunes

2. Stickability

Podcasts are much more sticky than an article on your blog as they keep people hanging around (the podcast manages to do that well for an hour). A blog post is read in a few minutes.

So how does he make it sticky?

• Works hard on creating a great first impression with the best quality sound he can create.
• Relevant information without fluff
• Inject your personality
• Valuable content that is actionable and provides listeners with takeaways that answer the question of “what’s in it for me?”
• Social proof (he displays that there have been 3 million downloads and the fact that 50,000 subscribers regularly listen to his weekly podcast)
• Keeps them involved by voice techniques that make people “lean in” by repeating important points and dynamic voice changes from whisper to loud.
• Breaks the one hour podcast into 4 sections and signals the next transition with “Next we are going to talk about“

3. Shareability

I don’t know how many times I have dropped into a blog and tried to find the social sharing buttons and discovered them quietly lurking down the bottom and wearing camouflage.

Any media needs to be easy to share and it isn’t just about the social sharing buttons.

So how does Pat make it easy for people to share his podcast?

• Obvious floating sharing buttons on the side bar
• Provides show notes
• Implements calls to action
• Syndicates his podcasts to to the popular podcasting directory”Stitcher”
• Creates landing pages with their own domain name
• He also uses mobile optimisation which uses texting and a mobile landing page and an opt-in

If you want to learn more about podcasting from Pat you can check out his free podcasting tutorial which is 6 step by step training videos help you get your podcasting up and running.

Wrapping it up

Pat is not the only podcaster on the planet and in fact one of the most successful is a gentleman called Cliff Ravenscraft who podcasts under the show name “The Podcast Answerman” and has created more than 2,800 episodes since 2008. Cliff provides a 120 minutes of free instruction on how to podcast on his blog.

Still not convinced?… then there some other significant bloggers and marketers that are stepping in to podcasting including Michael Stelzner, Chris Brogan, Michael Hyatt and even Seth Godin.

Where there is smoke there is fire. Podcasting is worth checking out.

What About You?

Did you know that podcasting was making a comeback? Have you tried podcasting? Do you even listen to podcasts?

What has been your experiences?

Look forward to hearing your stories and feedback in the comments below.

They told him they wanted a faster processor and a better mouse.

He asked them “How on Earth did you know all this?” They said “Well we didn’t know any English so we had to teach ourselves in order to use it”

Sugata continued his experiment and discovered that a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary in the West.

It seems that “encouragement” is the key. Just saying “wow!” Saluting learning, growing and achievement.

He then hired grannies in England to continue his experiment. Gave them a computer, Skype and broadband and all they did was celebrate the learning of the children in India with words such as “Well done! Very good“.

Is social media crowdsourced encouragement?

To know, all you need now is a computer, an internet connection and a browser and you can find out almost anything. We take that knowing and create blogs, open a Facebook page, establish a Google+account and publish online. The global crowd shows up and says “Well done…. love your photos, your article or your video.

We take photos with our smart phones and we post them to Instagram and we pin images to Pinterest. It is also done with likes on Facebook, comments on blogs and Twitter retweets.

The crowd is saying “wow”

As human beings we all crave attention, encouragement and a pat on the back. Provide positive feedback and a smile and we keep showing up and having a go. The social web provides a two way channel where we publish and receive encouragement that drives us to potential greatness. We have the tools and we now have the world wide web affirmation.

This is why online expression and creativity is growing so rapidly. That is why the social networks are touching our souls and psyche.

So why is social media better than your granny

The global crowd never sleeps. Your friends on Facebook, followers on Twitter and the readers of your blog in Germany, USA or South America fill in the time gaps that Granny can never match. They show up and say “keep going … you’re on the right track”. Grannies also need to nap. The social crowd is always there 24/7.

Grannies also don’t live forever but the online gang keeps propagating, the children grow up and take her place.

Grannies also sometimes don’t know how to Skype, use Twitter or leave that important comment. It’s a technical thing.

This blog has been built on the back of your feedback and encouragement that gets me up early and keeps me up late because you have stood on the sidelines and said the occasional “wow” and “well done”.

I have grown, I have continued to learn and I couldn’t have done it without you.

I call this the “Granny Effect”

Thanks.

It is a battle for eyeballs and Google attention. It is a content war where the best rises to the top. Readers and viewers vote with social signals such as retweets, plus ones on Google+ and Facebook likes and shares.

The Web landscape has provided the means for everyone to become a publisher. So your competition is everyone with a smart phone, a blog and a website.

At last count there were 1 billion smart phone users, 550 million websites and 300 million blogs.

That’s a lot of competition!

Social networks have allowed us to not only create content but reach a global audience.

But shouting at 2 billion people who have internet access is hard. But you don’t have to reach everyone, just those that care about your type of information. It might be feline lovers who want see cats cats in pyjamas or pet owners that love dressing up their dogs in tights.

Social platforms such as Twitter allow us to speak to our tribes, fans and followers that are interested in your topic of choice. Keep it focused and the battle for attention is much easier.

The Challenges

So what are the challenges to create that content that reaches and resonates with your followers and attracts new eyeballs?

• Finding the ideas and inspiration – “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” So read books, blogs and watch TED talks. Consume content with focused persistence that is relevant to your industry.
• My ideas are not original – Many people think that they have to come up with original ideas every time. Start with curating other people’s content that puts a collection of ideas in one article.
• Forgetting about “you” – Companies often talk all about themselves. You need to forget you and produce content that educates, informs and inspires your audience.
• Building a platform – Sometimes trying to build a blog is too big a technical challenge. Give it to an expert to do.
• Marketing – Content needs to be found. So building social networks, optimising for search engines and building email lists is a challenge that needs to be overcome and focused on.
• Managing it – Engaging with your audience as they respond is a task that wil require vigilance.

The Opportunities

The opportunities are global and far reaching if you can overcome the challenges.

• Expert – Content will position you and your brand over time as a thought leader.
• Networking opportunities – Connecting online will lead to face to face meetings that will make the virtual connection real and strong.
• It has given the introvert a voice – If you feel that you are too quiet to be successful then content and a platform will provide you with an online platform and channel.
• Online asset – Content built up overtime provides opportunity to create our own online asset & IP that you own.
• Monetise your content – By packaging your content online and selling it as an online course, book on Amazon or a paid seminar content can be turned into cash.

Below is the visual representation of ”How to Unleash the Power of Content” on Slideshare that was the keynote at the Social Slam Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

How to Unleash the Power of Content “Ideas and inspiration for content that people love to share on social media” from Jeff Bullas

What I learned about Creating Content that Spreads

In building my blog over the last 4 years I have discovered some insights and important principles that I discovered about creating content on my platform.

1. Start – Just starting is vital don’t wait for someone to push you. Pick yourself and just start.

2. Perfection – We stand outside the arena and say “I am going to go in and kick some ass when I am bullet proof and perfect. That is seductive. The truth is that you will never be perfect” – Author Brene Brown “Daring Greatly” You will never be perfect. Just start.

3. Passion and Purpose – Start with your passion and purpose, as the fuel this will get you up early and keep you up late as you create content.

4. Audience – Know who your audience is and give them the content they crave. Solve their problems and keep focused.

5. Add Value – Provide as much value as you can possibly give.

6. Simple – “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. – Albert Einstein. Don’t use big words, corporate speak or acronyms. Keep it simple.

7. Headline – You only have seconds to get them to read the rest of your content before they click away. Learn to write great headlines.

8. Structure – After the headline comes the introduction. Then it’s sub-titles and content that makes it easy to read. Build your content for skimming and scanning. Don’t scare readers away with a wall of text.

9. Multi-media – Content can be created in so many media. Turn a blog post into a presentation on Slideshare, a podcast or a YouTube video.

10. Build for sharing – Make sure that you have Facebook and Twitter sharing buttons as a minimum.

11. Persist – Building a loyal following that loves your content will take time so persistence is core and necessary.

Types of Content That People Love to Share

So here are some ideas to create content that people will want to share on a visual, mobile and high speed social web.

#1. Create Lists

I can hear some of you yawning. The reality is that in a time poor world giving people a list of things to do or 10 tips for creating a great video are the types of headlines and article that people click on. Packaging and chunking it down tells your reader you aren’t wasting their time and it is easy to read and view.

Creating this type of content still works and works well.

Example: 10 Powerful Tips to Increase Fan Engagement on Facebook

#2. Go Negative

It is sad but true but most people prefer to hear bad news or know about things that they shouldn’t be doing or avoiding. Take the negative angle to a story or learning and be surprised by the traffic.

Example: Personal Branding on LinkedIn: 10 Mistakes to Avoid

#3. Infographics

The last two years has seen the rise of information that presents complex data and information with a combination of text and images. It’s called “Infographics”

Infographics is a media that has a propensity to get shared on Pinterest and passed around on Twitter.

Example: 23 Hints for Creating content that Google Loves – Infographic

#4. Curate content

Take a topic and find some of the best articles on it when you do a Google search. Package it up and serve it to your readers. You have saved them time and effort by putting all that information in one place.

They will love you a little bit more!!

#5. Provide “How To’s”

It never ceases to surprise me the appetite for simple instructions that take people by the hand and shows them where to start and the steps along the way. Provide a “how to” framework that makes it easy to read, understand and implement.

Your blog will be valued and admired.

Example: How to Verify Your Pinterest Account and why You Should

#6. News

People want to know what is happening whether it is in their industry, city or the world. Help them find it easily and quickly. Create, publish and promote this content fast. It has a nasty habit of becoming outdated and irrelevant very quickly!!

Get it right and the news break streams over the web in a torrent of tweets.

Huffington Post and Mashable are a success beacuse of this.

Example: Apple Makes Huge Announcement About Twitter

#7. Research

Provide research backed facts wrapped up in a well structured article whether it is a singular or multiple source and they are printed off (or emailed) and put in front of the managers and CEO’s eyeballs. If the university research says it is true… it is!!

Many people want proof before they make that first step of action.

Example: How 5 Prestige Brands Innovate and Market on Facebook

#8. Case Studies

Research is great but real world case studies are the real proof that it works. Provide a multiple list of case studies and it is lapped up and shared by your advocates on the social web.

Example: 5 Successful Facebook Marketing Campaigns – Case Studies

#9. Evergreen Content

The web demands fresh news and content very minute of every day. In this frenzy of informing it is often forgotten to tap into the power of content that is just as relevant in 2 years time as it is today. It is content that can be continued to be promoted and shared with your readers for a long time. Create content that is a framework or covers first principles and you will give it longevity and endurance.

Example: 10 Ways to Launch and Promote a product Using Social Media

#10. Images

Create content that takes screenshots or uses images to convey an idea, concept or story. It provides emtional impact and they get shared on Facebook more than any other content type. A tool that helps me do this is Snagit and it is now an indispensable part of my content creation and optimising toolkit.

Images can take your content from average to awesome!!

Example: A Powerful Two Step System to Increase the Value of Your Facebook Community

#11. Video

When creating a content you can share your story and ideas many ways but as online video now streams easily on the high speed internet it needs to be included in your content marketing mix. It can be a direct to camera video, a video capturing your screen (such as the Camtasia software) or it can be sourcing videos from YouTube that enhance your story.

#12. Slideshare

Slideshare is the YouTube for Powerpoint presentations.It is often underestimated as a means of making your content accessible and attractive. It is also a very visual platform that displays ideas and concepts quickly and easily. You can take your articles, research papers and blog posts and put them into a Powerpoint that can then be uploaded to Slideshare.

In the last year I have used it more extensively and views of my Slideshare account are now averaging from 25,000 to 35,000 views a month and total views are now over 400,000.

It is a format for your content that should be seriously considered.

Example: How to get Started with Social Media Marketing

#13. Top 10 Lists

People love to know who or what is on top in almost any category or sector that you care to name. Create content that display this and watch the traffic spike.

Example: 10 Top Pinterest Boards

#14. Tool or Application Reviews

Everyone is looking for better ways,tools and apps that make life easier in what is sometimes seen as a complicated web world. Make it easy for your readers to find and download the software.

Example: 10 Must have WordPress Plugins Every Blogger Should Know About

#15. Solving problems

Provide step by step instructions about the major issues that plague your industry. This content adds enormous value to your readers and great content creation is always about adding value.

Example: 20 ways to Increase Your Facebook Likes and Engagement

#16. Statistics and facts

Content that outlines the latest statistics and facts are always an option that produces clicks and shares. People are intrigued by the bigger and better and articles about this are always a hit.

Example: 72 Fascinating Social Media Marketing Facts and Statistics for 2012

#17. Quotes

Put a quote on Twitter or Facebook and watch the “likes” leap. Nothing like an inspiring quote to put a gleam in someone’s eye to start their day.

Example: Stephen King on what is required to be a good writer “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

What about you?

What have been your challenges and opportunities. What ideas have worked for you in the past. Are there some you would like to try?

How is the visual web treating your content, sharing and liking?

Look forward to hearing your stories in the comments below.

Want to learn how to create great content?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

How do I know that?…because I asked them.

Last week I was standing in front of thirty young adults at the International College of Management aged from 18 to 25 and I posed the question. Would you rather read a blog article or watch a 2 minute video?

Twenty five out of the thirty said “video”

This maybe not the scientific method preferred by mathematicians with PhD’s and avid students of statistics, but it’s fast and efficient and measures the beat of the street.

That crowd is not getting any younger and in fact they are becoming your mainstream audience as they move into management and create startups. You need to create content that communicates to that crowd.

This is a challenge for marketers and bloggers.

Sensory overload

Readers and younger viewers demand more titillation and excitement. Videos that entertain and content that contains more visual eye candy in high definition. Have you noticed that a 42 inch big screen TV is now no longer big enough. A 3.5 inch smart phone is sometimes seen as too small. We are heading into a mobile gadget world and now 5 inches is fashionable and demanded.

Sensory overload is a journey of diminishing returns, but you have to play the game. It is now essential to think color, visual and multi-media.

Monochrome and mono media is not enough anymore.

The game is multi-channel and multi-media.

What other media content should be on the menu?

Images, photos and infographics are some of the other key elements to content curation and creation that grabs attention and asks the question.

Is this interesting enough to share on my Facebook page or Twitter account?

Infographics are a media that attracts attention and flows across a social web. They started to gain more prominence about 2 years ago and have maintained an interest that sees them used in marketing campaigns and used to create blog attention.

What are the seven key steps to create an awesome infographic?

It starts with selecting a topic or an event that that you think people will want to learn or know more about.

Learn about the others below.

Infographic source: Graphs.net

What about you?

Have you ever created an Infographic? How did that work for you?

Did it create more traffic, build more links and attract some more attention?

Look forward to hearing your stories in the comments below.

Want to learn how to create great content?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

But how things have changed.

On the social web we live on a diet of fast change and rapid media evolution. Twitter’s evolution often flies below the radar and Facebook changes such as a new timeline and graph search attracts numerous blog articles, comments on Facebook and mass media attention.

Twitter has become a multi-media social network without anyone really noticing.

Many of us are just using it for tweeting text and links and forget that you can increase engagement by including video, images and even Slideshare presentations that can be viewed within the Twitter platform. Twitter is hoping that we will use the network to share multi-media in new ways.They are even punting on changing the world of video marketing and communication by integrating their new 6 second video service called Vine.

Twitter hopes to make video an acceptable medium that is short, snappy and sharp just like they have done with text.

Effective marketing is multi-channel and multi-media

The question is often asked “what social network should you be using?“. The answer is, as many as you can as time and resources allow where your target audience is hanging out. Coca Cola knows this well and Wendy Clark the senior VP-integrated marketing communications and capabilities at Coca Cola had this to say about effective marketing strategies in a digital world.

“None of our plans are simply social, or TV, or mobile or experiential. On the contrary, it’s the combination of owned, earned, shared and paid media connections“.

She went on to say

“no single medium is as strong as the combination of media”

To highlight this point she mentioned that for their Olympic campaign in 2012, Coca Cola used 60 different types of media!

In other words multi-channel and multi-media combined are vital to create marketing synergies that have the potential to become viral. The Old Spice social and mass media strategy also showcased this.

Did you know this about Twitter?

Twitter has released some internal research that shows how multi-media rich its platform has become and also its increasing role as an effective buzz and engagement tool that can used by journalists, news organisations and users to increase their Twitter followers and retweets.

#1. Tweeting more gets you more followers

For journalists who post a concentrated number of Tweets in a short time span, follower growth is 50% more than expected.

#2. You can send tweets with a text message

Twitter was born with mobile in its DNA and that is obvious from its 140 character limit that was designed around the texting constraints of mobile SMS. When Twitter became embedded within Apple’s mobile operating system it reached a tipping point that has continued to cement its place as the the web’s go to channel for breaking news.

Twitter can be set up to integrate with your texting.

Not only can you send tweets with a text message but you can receive text messages when someone new follows you, your tweet is rewteeted and even when your tweet is marked as a favourite.

Below is the screen you see when setting up your mobile for texts and Twitter. To make sure that you aren’t receiving texts all the time from someone new following you or retweets it may be best to turn most of these off.

#3. Tweets with media receive on average 3 to 4 times more engagement

Twitter started as mono-media but has evolved into a multi-media social network. Media can include videos, photos and even Slideshare that can be viewed within Twitter. Tweets with multi-media receive 300-400% more engagement than tweets without media included.

#4. Using more @mentions increases your follower growth faster

Twitter research of its Twitter stream shows news organizations that tweet 20% fewer URLs and 100% more @mentions grow followers 17% more than expected.

#5. Hashtags can increase engagement by almost 100%

According to research from Twitter, journalists using hashtags increased engagement by 100% and the increase was 50% for news organizations.

#6. Retweeting more gets you more followers

Sharing more but letting them know via a rewteet can get you more followers.

So use the retweet button. Twitter found that journalists with above expected follower growth send 200% more retweets (3X) compared to journalists with below expected follower growth.

What about you?

Have you been guilty of tweeting a lot? Have you increased your followers?

What about retweeting? Are you a big retweeter?

What works for you on Twitter? ook forward to hearing your stories in the comments below.

Want to learn how to use Twitter to market your brand and your blog?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

This has led to tactics emerging to increase engagement by posting frenzied Facebook updates many times a day. Brand pages are offering incentives, bribes and tactics that look very much like begging.

Just to gain those precious additional likes.

The magic marketing goals often heard around the water cooler are 1,000, 10,000 or even 100,000 Facebook fans. Always numbers with many zeros.

It all has become a bit unseemly really.

Despite large fan counts being the social media managers holy grail, the core challenge on Facebook is that it is filtered. It is lucky if even 15% of updates such as photos, quotes and videos even appear in people’s Facebook timelines.

This filter on Facebook is due to censoring being applied by the social network called “Edge Rank”.

So the question that needs to be asked is this “Is a Facebook like worth what we think it is?”

The Twitter advantage

Twitter might seem a bit more wild west. But its advantage is that is not filtered. Every tweet appears in your followers streams.

This is something that the marketing team quite often forgets.

What is not appreciated by many is that it is easier to build a loyal tribe of fans on Twitter who are interested in your content and subject than it is on Facebook.

Maybe you should rethink your social media strategy?

Top tactics to gain more Twitter followers

So how do you get more Twitter followers?

• Follow people on Twitter. The law of reciprocation is what works with this tactic
• Have great content that links from your Twitter account. People will check you out and if your content is good on your blog or website then it is more likely you will be followed
• Engage with your followers on Twitter with retweets, comments and questions
• Make it easy for people to follow you on Twitter from your website by including a follow me on Twitter button that is obvious and near the top of your page

For some more detailed tactics, here are some more articles that may help.

• How to Build a Targeted Twitter Tribe of 100,000
• 12 Keys to Success on Twitter
• 37 Ways to Use Twitter for Business

Also my book “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” has many easy to implement Twitter tips.

40 ways to increase your Twitter tribe

So you are still short of ideas? Here is an infographic to get you started.

Infographic Source: Twiends

What About You?

Is Twitter an important social media network in your marketing plans? Is it working for you?

Could you do better?

Look forward to hearing your feedback and stories in the comments below.

Want to learn how to use Twitter to market your brand and your blog?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

Well, that is the common wisdom.

The reality is that mistakes can cost you your job, your relationship and significant dollops of money.

All of these are painful.

Social media provides a public platform that make stuff ups visible at velocity. Humiliation on a global scale is the downside of the social web.

Tweet the wrong thing and you have the potential for a viral campaign of the very wrong kind that provides a new category of embarrassment.

Embarrassment at speed.

Public relations agencies have made a lot of money from advising companies on how to be ready or recover from a social media disaster.

So not engaging your brain before you post to Facebook or tweet on Twitter is a mistake that should be avoided at all costs when participating on social media networks.

So what should you do?

There are are some basic principles to keep in mind when you next punch out 140 characters to 200 million people.

• Think before tweeting
• Summon your commonsense
• Don’t drink and tweet
• Don’t tweet when angry
• Implement social media policies or guidelines

There maybe more but these will enable Twitter harm minimization that will help you retain your job, your business and your sanity.

What shouldn’t you do?

Here are 14 Twitter mistakes to be avoided to ensure that the boss values you on Monday morning, your wife still loves you on Friday evening and your career path is not hijacked by an insane moment.

Infographic source: Boot Camp Digital

So what about you?

Have you ever tweeted something that you still regret. Have you ever seen a tweet that made you wince.

What is the most terrible tweet you have seen in your Twitter stream or heard of?

Look forward to hearing your stories and experiences in the comments below.

Want to learn how to Use Twitter to Market your Brand and your Blog?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

When those friends, family and old college acquaintances came up on your screen and you were invited to connect with them after years and maybe decades of no contact. Many looked the same, others looked a bit older and some I couldn’t recognize.

For me it was a bit of a “Wow”moment. Global connection in an instant in full living color.

The network touched us, connected us and provided glimpses into lives forgotten but still lived. It allowed us to share photos, videos and stories of our adventures. Some glimpses into others lives are exciting, others intriguing and some just border on the mundane.

Engaging with your friends online from your news feed can be done in a variety of ways from placing a comment, sharing the update or just hitting “like” if we don’t have much time.

But we are still working out the ways to play.

Does the “Like” button need an alternative?

The ever present “like” button seems to have been with us forever. In fact it has only been with us for just over four years on personal pages and replaced the “become a fan” button on brand pages in June, 2010.

We have all seen those updates from friends where we silently say “I didn’t want to know that!” Other reactions are sometimes “too much information” and sometimes you feel like saying “I don’t care“.

Maybe we need buttons like “funny” when you see an update like this.

“I am proud of myself. I finished the puzzle in just 6 months while the box said 2 to 4 years“.

9 Updates Deserving the “I Don’t Care” Button

Here is a fun look at 9 types of updates that don’t need a like button.

Infographic source: By www.themaplekind.com – where you can waste a lot of time and also have a chuckle.

What About You?

Do you often see updates that needed something stronger than the “like” button?

What is the best Facebook update you have seen?

Look forward to your comments.

Want to learn how to create great content for your blog and social media networks?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

Image by Eveline314

The questions were often asked.

How was it going to make money and could it make meaningful revenue?

For savvy marketers though it has proved to be a great organic platform to promote their brand and blogs to a large world audience, but it took time and persistence.

Despite the challenges, Twitter managed to raise over $1 billion in funding over the last 7 years and today it is on its way to $1 billion in revenue in 2014 according to sources such as Bloomberg.

This is due to its evolution as a paid platform for hire to advertise your business and brand.

So how can you advertise on Twitter?

For a long time the best way to to market and promote your brand on Twitter was organic and free.

You built a tribe of followers and then you used it to engage with content and interaction. From that foundation you could then drive traffic to landing pages, make offers and calls to action.

Paying for advertising on Twitter was not easy in the past and was restricted to the USA. It also hasn’t been available for much of its seven years as it relied on its large venture capital funding to build its network and technology. With the implementation of the self service features, companies are starting to experiment with paid advertisingusing a variety of tactics.

Paid advertising on Twitter can be done in three ways.

1. Promoted tweets
2. Promoted accounts
3. Promoted trends

Promoted tweets and promoted accounts are a self service type of advertising similar to Google Adwords and Facebook Ads.

Promoted trends are at this stage reserved for major brands with costs being prohibitive for the smaller end of the market with reports that it now starts at $200,000 to play. They are also not self service but are arranged by contacting Twitter’s advertising team.

Here are some case studies including two from Twitter that highlight how you can be effective on its simple 140 character network.

Case Study 1: Promoted Tweets

Airbnb (@Airbnb) is a community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique accommodations in more than 26,000 cities and 192 countries. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week or a villa for a month, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to interested travelers.

It was designed from day one to be easy to use and is gaining some serious traction online.

The challenge

In addition to their short- and medium-term rentals, @Airbnb needed to promote a new program of monthly sublets that meets the demand of customers seeking longer-term housing solutions.

The solution

@Airbnb used Promoted Tweets to tap into their enthusiastic customer base to get the word out about the new sublet program on Twitter. To stimulate interest in the program and drive sales, @Airbnb created an offer of $200 off monthly sublet rents.

According to Michael Schaecher, the Marketing Manager at Airbnb.

“We can extend the life of a Tweet with Promoted Tweets in timelines, and because of that, we can extend the life of the product launch itself.”

The results

Airbnb achieved an engagement rate of over 4% for one of their Promoted Tweets. The shelf life of the message extended beyond the campaign period as followers continued to discover the Promoted Tweet in their timelines.

They achieved a 4+% engagement rate for their promoted tweeta campaign.

Takeaway tip

Share an exclusive offer to increase awareness and drive high engagement.

Case Study 2: Promoted accounts

HubSpot is an inbound marketing pioneer that provides B2B companies with an all-inclusive software platform. They have been at the forefront of social media and content marketing and have always been creative with their marketing. The company currently works with over 7,500 companies in 46 countries to help them drive and convert leads.

The challenge

HubSpot wanted to find a more effective way to:

• Generate new leads
• Engage existing followers
• Increase sales conversion rates
• Improve the return on investment of their marketing dollars

The solution

HubSpot used Promoted Accounts to target B2B decision-makers with marketing-related interests. The company also launched Promoted Tweets in timelines targeted to followers and users similar to those followers. These Tweets not only offered educational content relevant to marketers, but also included a specific call to action, such as an invitation to attend an informational webinar, download a marketing e-book or register for a free marketing assessment.

“Not only are we driving new business at a 46% lower cost per lead, but our lead conversion rate is also 48% higher on Twitter compared to other platforms.” – Dan Slagen Head of Paid Marketing at HubSpot

The results

By connecting with a highly relevant audience through Promoted Accounts and increasing engagement with Promoted Tweets, HubSpot experienced gains in sales, conversion rates and ROI, as well as a significantly lower cost-per-lead.

• 150% increase in sales through Twitter
• 46% lower cost-per-lead
• 32% ROI

Takeaway tip

Reach new customers with Promoted Tweets.

Case Study 3: Promoted Trends

LG is an electronics global technology brand that is involved in home entertainment, mobile communications, home appliances and air conditioning. They decided to conduct a marketing campaign that included a Promoted Trend.

Using Promoted Trends, Twitter users see time, context and event-sensitive trends at the top of the Trending Topics list on Twitter. This gets some serious eyeballs with 200 million Twitter users using the social network every month.

The challenge

LG wanted to promote a new phone in the UK . With many phones competing for brand awareness they wanted to cut through the clutter online.

The solution

They launched a Twitter exclusive treasure hunt around a Promoted Trend called #LGTicketHunter.

The example below shows how it would have appeared on Twitter. This advertising appears at the top left of your Twitter account.

The results

The results were significant and provide a glimpse of what can be done on Twitter.

• 50,000 hashtag mentions
• 20 million impressions
• 5,000 tweets per hour
• 12,000 engagements

This was not just a Twitter campaign but a full interactive markting campaign over 5 days. The Twitter “Promoted Trend” was run over two of those days.

What about you?

So how effective has Twitter been for you in promoting your brand. Has your approach been more organic rather than paying to get online attention and awareness?

Have you been thinking of running an advertising campaign on Twitter? Have you ever paid to market on Twitter the past and if you did how successful was it?

Look forward to reading your feedback in the comments below.

Want to learn how to grow your followers and market your brand on Twitter for free?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 140,000.

Download and read it now.

The journey of online publishing and social networks was never a grand plan but it is the evolution of humans playing on a web canvas that continues to surprise us with its speed, reach and role in influencing buying decisions, building trust and marketing.

A decade later the internet landscape is unrecognizable. We are all still learning of what works and what doesn’t.

A recent report on “Digital Influence” by Technorati Media provides some insights into the fast evolving landscape that provides some metrics on the digital landscape. It was created from information gleaned from over 6,000 influencers, 1,200 consumers and 150 top brand marketers. Technorati Media has a reach of of approximately 130 million US unique visitors per month ad has published reports in the past on the state of the blogsosphere.

Social media is a small part of digital advertising

It shows that despite social media having enormous mind share it is only 10% of all digital advertising spending. It also reveals that online influencers such bloggers are not being included in marketing programs due to lack of metrics and also the lack of understanding of the power they wield online.

Here are some insights that I gained from the “2013 Digital Influence Report“.

1. Blogs have significant influence on purchase decisions

Blogs are one of the top online services to influence a purchase. When making overall purchase decisions consumers rank blogs rank third behind retail and brand sites. Despite this inflencing power brands are spending very little on blogging advertising and marketing initiatives with bloggers.

According to the Technorati Media research it seems this has more to do with a lack of metrics and the fragmentation that leads to their complexity as a purchasable medium.

In essence it seems it is too hard for brands to measure and buy advertising on blogs.

2. More Brands are on Instagram than Google+

When it comes to a social media presence the top three choices are clear. Facebook at 91%, Twitter at 85% and YouTube at 73%. The rest all then fall below 50%. What is surprising is that Google+ despite its rapid growth and its 500 million plus users is still struggling as a choice and relevance as a platform that brands believe adds value to their digital marketing.

Blogs have a significant place in the top eight being placed at 6th at 32% above Instagram and Google+.

3. Social is only 10% of the digital advertising budget

You would thinks that with all the noise online about Facebook and Twitter that it would be a big part of paid advertising. The reality is much different than the buzz.

The top 3 include:

1. Display ads such as banner website advertising – 41%
2. Search advertising such as Google Adwords – 19%
3. Video advertising including YouTube – 14%

Total spending on social media advertising is only 10% across all social media networks with Facebook taking 57% of that pie. Blogs only obtain 5% of the overall advertising budget that is allocated to social.

What is interesting is that mobile is growing at 8%.

4. Over half of Brands have “earned” social media goals

Growing Facebook “likes is still the main objective for most marketers with website traffic, Facebook fans and Twitter followers following close behind. Brands are also placing major earned goals against landing page visits, Retweets and comments.

Pinterest followers and repins are in the top 10.

What I do find surprising is how low the importance email has as an earned goal metric.

5. Brands aren’t taking much notice of Klout

When it comes to selecting which influencers to work with then the following metrics are the top four are:

1. Audience index from Comscore and Nielsen
2. Twitter
3. Facebook
4. Basic blog statistics such as unique users and page views

Despite the only recent addition of Pinterest and Instagram to social media mind share they are in consideration as a an influencer metric.

Even though Klout, Peer index and Kred are on the list they rank as less than neutral.

6. If you want to be an influencer you need to blog

Influencers have realized that to have their voice heard on a social web then they need to have a blog. The power of the reach and velocity of online publishing supercharged by social media cannot be underestimated.

A third of influencers also said that they have been blogging for five or more years.

7. Text blogging dominates on influencers blogs

Despite the rise and use of multimedia it seems that text is still the main communication media. The magic of the written word is not going away anytime soon it appears

8. Facebook and Twitter dominate where influencers get social

Online influencers have realised that to communicate and message online that the two social networks that are mandatory are Facebook and Twitter. This can be seen in the blue metric below that shows Facebook is published to once a week 83% of the time and Twitter sits at 71%.

The rest such as LinkedIn and Google+ are not above 30%.

The research also show that Facebook and Twitter create the most referrals, the most shares and generates the most revenue.

9. The majority of influencers make revenue from blogging.

Despite nearly two-thirds of influencers making money from blogging for 80% it generates less than $10,000 per year in revenue. 11% make more than $30,000 per year and 4% make more than $100,000 per annum.

10. Banner advertising is the top revenue generator for bloggers

The top three by a large margin include banner advertising in top position with text ads and affiliate programs at two and three. Sponsored content such as sponsored articles, product reviews and brand content round out the top 6.

The number of banner ads is an interesting metric with only 1% having more than 10.

Conclusions

The report also makes some relevant insights into what the influencers major branding pain points were when being approached by brands.

Here are the top three.

1. Brands expect that the bloggers time is available for free – 68%
2. Pitches by brands are sometimes irrelevant – 50%
3. Brands don’t listen to the blogger/influencers ideas about what works for their audience – 38%

It also appears that lack of knowledge of the role and thepower of online influencers, the lack of available and trusted metrics is making it hard for brands to justify spending advertising budgets on influencer marketing.

Maybe that will change as measurement tools mature and brands realize the growing power of online bloggers and influencers.

What do you think?

Look forward to reading your comments below.

Peter, a friend of mine and I decided to look for some holiday work to top up our meager income. He had some contacts in a local steel plant that was offering some holiday shift work that paid well.

The only challenge was that it was a 12 hour night shift.

On taking the job I was given the task to sit on the other side of a machine that chopped large pieces of metal into smaller pieces of metal. Task two was stacking those small pieces of metal into piles on a pallet.

This was brain numbing. By the end of the first night I was thinking, there had to be a better way.

I also had an insight about my future career path and it was “not” going to be in a steel fabrication factory!

Twitter can be tedious

When I started with Twitter it was great to see people start to retweet my content. On a social web it is not just about you, so you need to share other people’s content that adds value to your followers and friends. This can be done a few ways. I can follow their Twitter feed and retweet their content when they tweet it. Another way is to check their blog for new content.

The problem is that this can take a lot of time and it is tedious. I thought, there has to be a better way.

So I had to find an answer to the question. How can I share fellow bloggers content that I trust without sitting at my computer all day?

The Twitter tool that saves time

In my quest I stumbled upon Twitterfeed.com that allowed me to share great content from other bloggers on automatic pilot. It meant that every time they published a new post it was tweeted into my Twitter stream.

It serves three purposes.

1. It shows up in my Twitter feed and alerts me to new content from bloggers who know their stuff. They publish and I learn.
2. It also places valuable information into the Twitter accounts of my followers. They discover.
3. It makes sure that I don’t miss sharing their new content every time it is published. The tool handles it and doesn’t forget.

So how do you use it?

Step One: Create a new feed

Go to the top of the Twitterfeed dashboard and click on the create new feed . In a few simple steps you will improve your social media effectiveness.

Step Two: Create a name for the feed

In this example I am entering Jay Baer whose blog “Convince and Convert” is one of the top marketing resources on the web, especially in the area of content marketing.

Step Three: Advanced settings

I would recommend that you tweak your Twitterfeed so that you also let the blogger know you are sharing their content. So at the bottom of the “Step 1″ page click on advanced settings.

Then enter the Twitter name for the blogger whose posts you will be sharing with the @ before their Twitter name.

This will ensure that the blogger knows you are sharing their blog posts on Twitter. This could create awareness about you and could even lead to them sharing your content.

That only has to be a good thing!

Step Four: Select and authenticate your Twitter account

The last step is to enter your twitter account and then authenticate it.

You are now done!

This will free you up to write more blog posts. Engage with your followers and spend valuable time on creative tasks.

What about you?

As humans we are always looking to use tools, machines and computers to do more with less.

What do tools do you use to save time and improve your efficiency? Are you for or against automation?

Look forward to hearing your stories and opinions in the comments below.

Some pundits will say that is not the right question because it is like asking “what is the ROI on your phone?”. Others will say social media should stand up and be measured in its own right. The challenge though is that we live in a multi-channel marketing world and the path to your sales door for your product is not a straight path and easy to measure.

It is not unusual for a company or brand to have the following digital channels and tactics that are all engaging, marketing and selling.

• Email
• Paid search ads
• Organic search results
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blog
• Slideshare
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

And I have only just started and haven’t even mentioned Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr or a multitude of other channels.

These are all working to drive the prospect your business and buy your product or service.

But there is also another question.

Should the first click or the last click get the credit?

In our social and online world seeing that your friend liked a certain brand could lead you to visit that Facebook page and click on a link that offered a discount for their product that took you to their online store. You didn’t buy but left the site.

A week later you do a Google search for the brand, visite the site and buy the product.

Who gets the credit? Google or Facebook?

Research by Adobe analyzed 1.7 billion visits to the websites of more than 225 U.S. companies in the media, retail, and travel industries. It shows that the ROI for social increases significantly if the first click attribution is accepted.

“Using first-click attribution for the retail websites we analyzed, the average visitor from social media sites delivered $1.13 in revenue. In contrast, when using last-click attribution, the average visitor from social media generated $0.60”

In the end both contributed.

Is social media about engagement or selling?

“Social media’s” main role in this online marketing game is revealed by the first word in the phrase. It is about engaging first, it is human and social. Do this well and selling your product becomes easier. Your content will define your brand. It is achieved with images, videos and content that humanises your business.

Social media’s value is not always captured by first-click or last-click attribution models. This value includes:

• Brand awareness
• Customer loyalty
• Engagement through social conversations
• Engagement due to content
• Offline channel transactions
• Personal referrals due to awesome content that adds value

These are hard to put a value against but they are real but soft metrics and should be in your marketing tactics tool box.

10 Examples of Social Media ROI

So what has been the results achieved from social media marketing? Here are a few examples.

Infographic source: psoshul.com

So what about you?

How do you use social media? Is it more about engaging than selling?

Does your CEO need more hard facts and wants to see the ROI before they commit the resources and cold hard cash or is creating brand awareness and customer loyalty valued?

Look forward to reading your stories in the comments below.

Want to learn how to create great content for your social media marketing?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 139,000.

Download and read it now.

Why limit yourself to so few words when there is a dictionary and an encyclopedia available and limitless communication at your disposal.

Its brevity is both an enigma and its charm. It has been its weakness and strength due to that simplicity.

Keeping it simple is not without success precedent.

One of the most successful children’s books of all time was written with only 50 words. It was a challenge thrown down to Dr Seuss by his editor when he wrote “Green Eggs with Ham”

The history of short and simple

20 years ago on December 3, 1992 the message “Merry Christmas” was sent by software engineer Neil Papworth to the Vodafone director Richard Jarvis.

That was the world’s first text message. It was short and it was simple.

Who would think that 20 years later that:

• 6 billion messages would be sent every day in the USA
• 2.2 trillion texts would be sent every year in the USA
• 8.6 trillion SMS messages would be created every year around the planet
• Text messaging would be a $150 billion a year industry

It is the messaging of choice for most teenagers. The adults have also realized its time saving capabilities.

People have also understood that having a conversation is maybe not something you always want to do.

Twitter wants to transform video messaging

Twitter has just announced a smart phone app called “Vine” that allows you to take a video that is limited to 6 seconds and continues to loop.

It is not alone with the idea.

There are competing apps called Viddy and Tout that do much the same.

So what can you do with a 6 second video and it raises this question again.

Why bother?

Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to put the boot in. Twitter took texting to a new level and put it on steroids. Maybe a short and simple video is enough to get a powerful message out that is memorable.

Is less more?

How could you use Vine for marketing?

Viddy thinks that 15 seconds is the right length for a video short message while Vine has chosen 6 seconds. Maybe there is some science behind both but let’s look at some possible ideas for marketing with a short video.

Here are 6 ideas:

1. The brand elevator pitch

Want people to understand what your brand is all about. The elevator pitch is where you wrap it up in one sentence or two. 6 seconds is maybe enough.

How could you make it visual and viral.

2. Product demonstration

One to two minute video reviews of products in your online store are now maybe too long. Why not experiment with six seconds?

3. Launching a new product or service

Explain your new product in six seconds if you can. (If you don’t then use YouTube). Maybe your messaging will get better as you learn to communicate the key features and not the unnecessary.

4. Give your brand a personality

Social media allows and wants you to give your brand a personality. Use Vine to make it real and authentic. Make it quirky or innovative.

Many brands want an image that goes beyond bland.

5. Marketing a promotion

Use a 6 second Vine video to market a new promotion. This could be a new book, song or a movie or even an event. How long do you need to communicate something new. Remember the power of simple.

6. Announcing a special offer or discount

50% off. How long does it take to announce that special offer for your clothing store? Make it visual, aural and shareable.

If you want to look at how 15 businesses are using the Vine video app for their brand. Check out this post over at Hubspot.

What about you?

How do you think you could use a six second video on Vine to market your business and brand? Do you even want to?

Do you think this idea will stick or do you think it is a fad?

Look forward to your comments below. Tell us your thoughts and ideas.

Was the passion for something so strong that you just did it?

Don’t ignore that signal.

If you have, you maybe doing something everyday that you hate. It is called a job.

It is your soul talking. A hint and an inkling of your possible destiny and life work if you listen to that still small voice.

When I discovered reading and the journeys it took me on, I consumed books day and night. Despite the lights out rule that applied at 8.30 every night and the threat of parental disapproval, I continued to read under the covers with my bedside lamp at my elbow.

I travelled the world enjoying tropical beaches, jungles and daring adventures while wearing pyjamas.My imagination was my free pass to the world without ever leaving the house.

Reading, learning and consuming information and ideas is now a big part of my destiny and purpose. Some books change you more than others. My rule of thumb is that if I get one good idea, it is one book worth reading.

Here are 10 books that have inspired, educated and entertained me. They are woven into my imagination muscles.

#1. The 4 Hour Work Week

I read this book by Tim Ferriss about 5 years ago when the future promise of the web was starting to become very real as social media took hold. Twitter was just starting and Facebook was getting traction. The book promises to take you from the drudgery of the day job to the dream of doing what you love doing and monetize it on the web.

This book inspired me to start my blog.

Find out more: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated)

#2. The Element

This book by Ken Robinson I have read more than once. As I have been a teacher in a previous life, it resonated with me. It provides an inspiring insight into how when finding your passion and combining it with your innate abilities and talents can take a life from drudgery to a masterpiece. He calls this intersection “The Element”. Included are examples from famous people that have have found the element such as Paul McCartney, Richard Branson and Arianna Huffington.

Want to learn some of the secrets to take your life to another level? Then read it.

Find out more: The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

#3. Made to Stick

This book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath is about ideas. If a book inspires you to write a blog post about it, then you know it has touched you. They outline the 6 principles of “Sticky Ideas” that I now consider when writing or communicating. What are those six principles?

Simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness,credibility, emotions and stories.

If you want to improve your communication skills and make your ideas memorable, then this book should not be ignored.

Find out more: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

#4. On Writing

Stephen King is known more for fiction books than non-fiction. This book is part memoir (for the first 100 pages) and then he reveals in the last 200 pages the basic toolkit for becoming a good or even a great writer.

His passion for writing is obvious and compelling. His life journey is revealing. Three key messages impressed me…the importance of simplicity, starting and persistence. That is just the start of what you will find between its covers.

This book is not just about writing, it is about life.

Find out more: On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft

#5. ReWork

This book is written by Jason Fried and David Hansson who are the founders of 37 Signals which is a very successful software development company (ever heard of the software “Basecamp”). What you find is a lot of ideas to rework your business that they have discovered from personal experience. If you are living in the 21st century and want to know how business is being reinvented that works in a knowledge economy then it is worth reading.

Short punchy chapters packed full of cool ideas and inspiration.

Find out more: Rework

#6. Start with Why

Simon Sinek impressed me when I heard him speak. His core message is what makes leaders great and how that leads to companies that succeed and excel. He uses examples (stories) starting with the Wright Brothers, Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs.

Get the “Why” right and then the fun starts. It is also about the art of influence.

Find out more: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

#7. The New Rules of Marketing and PR

I must confess I read it more than twice and hence it has a lot of coffee stains. What I loved about this book was its revelations on how to communicate and market in a digital world. I was tired of the old ways of marketing and selling and David Meerman Scott opened up my eyes to a new paradigm. It is about being authentic and talking plainly. It is also social media 101.

This book preceded the launching of my blog but it is woven into its tapestry.

It should be sitting in your Kindle book list or parked on your shelf after it has been consumed and underlined.

Find out more: The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly

#8. The Millionaire Messenger

Brendon Burchard is like a “mini me” Tony Robbins. Don’t let that fool you. In this book he reveals how to monetise your knowledge ten different ways and have fun while doing so while adding value to people’s lives.

He provides a glimpse into what he has learned about presenting, writing a book, creating promotional partners (affiliates), promoting seminars, educating online and much more.

If you are a expert or thought leader and you don’t know how to package your ideas and knowledge and sell it, then read this book.

Find out more: The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice

#9. The War of Art

If you want to learn more about the art, the challenges and the processes of the creative sphere then this book is packed full of insights. If you are an artist writer, musician, business person or you are breathing and have a pulse….doesn’t everything involve being creative?…then read this book.

It is about overcoming roadblocks and resistance in life. It is about “doing the work” that is congruent with your purpose and destiny.

Find out more: The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

#10. Permission Marketing

Seth Godin is so visible in the marketing world that he like a global beacon. I read this book while also reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR. This book flips the model of push marketing to attraction marketing. This book was also instrumental in starting my blogging journey. It is about people giving permission for you to sell to them. I thought that was a cool concept.

Want to see what is important about marketing in a web centric world. Then read this book.

Find out more: Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers

So What About You?

What books have inspired you. What books have made a difference to your life. Have they helped you launch a business, blog or even write a book?

Look forward to hearing about those books that made a difference in your life.

Want to learn more about how to create compelling content?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 130,000.

Download and read it now.

It is also a path of resistance to writing or even starting a blog.

The question is often posed… “What shall I write that hasn’t been said before or written about?“

It stops many a creator from publishing, writing, painting or composing. Children don’t have this block. They copy everything they see. Ever seen a seven year old dressed as their favorite super hero?

We all start somewhere.

They just begin…. with no thought to whether they are original or plagiarizing.

Playing the piano starts with learning the scales. There is nothing new or creative about that.

An online publisher, blogger and writer has to begin.

Start Stealing

Your job as an artist, producer, creator and author is to shamelessly start stealing. Many people of perceived genius and as front runners in their industry have perfected the art of stealing. All creative work stands on what has gone before.

• “Good artists borrow, great artists steal” – Picasso
• “The only art I’ll ever study is stuff I can steal from” – David Bowie
• “We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.” – Steve Jobs
• “I invented nothing new, I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom there was centuries of work” – Henry Ford

The invention of the mass production process was a collection of copied ideas and insights that took manufacturing to new heights.

Collect and Curate

The art of creativity is a mash-up and remix. You collect ideas (steal) and then curate them in lists or compositions that speak to your soul. Wrangle that content into a work of art that comes from ideas pried from reading books that inspire you, speakers whose journey touches you and videos that make your heart sing.

Attending a conference? Take notes, copy what you hear that speaks to your soul.

If an idea creeps into your consciousness while driving, stop the car write it down or type it into your smart phone or tablet. Reading an ebook on your Kindle app on your Tablet and you read a great quote..make a note or highlight it for later. Maybe even share it to your Facebook page.

Your destiny is to collect, curate and chase down content deeper and wider than anyone else. Do more research. Google more content. Read more books.

That is how you will lead the pack.

Create with your own “Mojo”

In time that collection and curation will become embedded in your DNA. The days and years of countless copying and stealing others ideas and thoughts will become transformed into your unique composition. That collection that will have your voice woven into the fabric of your content creation and creativity. The article, blog post, book, video or music that you produce is a compilation of years of stealing ideas that are now your work of art.

You are adding your own Mojo that stands on the shoulders of giants that have passed before you.

Ideas are great but?

Ideas are great but without action they are just that ..ideas.

So start that blog today. Outline the chapters of the book that you always wanted to write.

Just sit at your desk and start. The magic is in the motion. Mundane action is where the journey of creativity and genius begin.

Want to learn more about how to create compelling content?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.

It is now available to download. I show you how to create and build a blog that rocks and grow tribes, fans and followers on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It also includes dozens of tips to create contagious content that begs to be shared and tempts people to link to your website and blog.

I also reveal the tactics I used to grow my Twitter followers to over 130,000.

Download and read it now.