Posts Tagged ‘Twitter’

Yes. Branding is one of the most important aspects to marketing. Sure, when you or your business are just starting out it might not seem like that big of a deal but it really is. Think about this: if brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, McDonald’s or Wal-Mart hadn’t taken the time to work on branding, would they have become as well-known as quickly as they did? Plus, don’t you think they took special efforts to ensure correct branding was done? It’s like this, if you want to get anywhere you need to put yourself out there. Even if you are a very small business owner, only yourself even, it’s important to get your company name out there. Just because your business is small doesn’t mean it has to look small. It’s all about perception!

There are many ways to start branding yourself. For instance you can have a catchy name or slogan. Think about Twitter - even their name is interesting. Or Google - not only is their name catchy but it’s also a play on words. Google is the largest and most used search engine today. Googol is the largest number. Coincidence? I think not.

Besides coming up with a catchy name or phrase to become well-branded, you can promote yourself. Google is a huge search engine - promote yourself on the sponsored links side of the search engine results pages (SERPs) using Pay Per Click advertising. If you are already running search, why not do email marketing. Or, better yet, write a press release about your new business. Press releases are a great way to get your name out there.

You should write a release if you have just started a new business. To write the release talk about what makes your business better than your competitors or different. What makes your business stand out. If you are running any new promotions, it’s time for  a press release. Press releases are a great way to get information out quickly and help build awareness for both branding and your site.

In a nutshell, branding is definitely important to your business. You want people to buy from you more than once, make yourself unforgettable!

Wow. Facebook just made some adjustments to their layout and people are “tweeting” about it like crazy! Who would’ve thought? Well, Mark Zuckerberg, for one. Facebook really seems to know what they are doing. But, did this really help their site? Sure, Facebook is doing great right now and they have quite the member database, but I’m watching for updates and it’s not as appealing as Twitter. So, I’ve been going back and forth with various different professional friends that enjoy the Interactive World as much as I do, and they too agree that the jury is still out on the new Facebook page. I really hope it helps the site out, but if not, I hope they learn that it’s better to invent new things rather than copying off of someone else.

This is my opinion on the new Facebook page so far, and please remember that it’s JUST an opinion. I like the look of it but I see where they are going but I think they’ve missed the mark. The updates look Twitter-like…but they aren’t. If you want to see the updates, you have to refresh your screen. Where Twitter will scroll down, with Facebook you need to refresh. I have faith that Facebook will indeed work this out, but in the meantime, I will continue to Tweet. Also wondering, is there a way to see what everyone is saying on Facebook like you are on Twitter?

Stay tuned for new developments with Facebook. You have to love the interactive world. It keeps you on your toes!

Twitter is amazing! I realize I’m a huge fan of this micro-blogging site, but it seems that others have really started to fall in love with Twitter as well. It’s been making the news quite a bit lately as they have made some major changes to the site to make it even more user friendly. But, before I get inot the exciting new features Twitter has added, I would like to think abck to where and how they began.

Twitter started out as a very simple social networking site that rapidly took flight. People were using Twitter say what they were doing - in 140 characters or less. Then, advertisers started to notice the potential for free advertising on Twitter and along came Tiny URLs.

Hence the need for the latest addition to the Twitter site. Now, along with “tweeting” what you are doing, you can search the Twitter trends to see what others are “tweeting”a bout as well. Or, if you have specific topic in mind you can run a search to see if others have tweeted about it. For instance, I’m a huge fan of John Travolta. So, naturally I would practice using the new search tool by running a search on him to see if others feel the same. Wouldn’t you know that others do love him! I was able to find a great Saturday Night Fever You Tube video and John Travolta himself! Okay, maybe it wasn’t him, but it could be! Regardless, I’m now following John Travolta on Twitter.

So, as you can tell, Twitter is becoming more and more useful to everyday Internet users. What started out as a simple micro-blog…I’m watching television or I’m at the mall, has really grown into something spectacular. From Tweeting from your mobile device to finding other users who Tweet about something that interests you, my only thought is what’s next?

More and more people are starting to use Twitter for advertising their brand or site. Since it’s becoming more widely used, I think it’s only fair that some rules of etiquette should be posted. Please feel free to comment with any etiquette rules that you feel should be added.

1. Don’t spam. Sure, your site is the next best thing since sliced bread and you want to make sure the entire world knows, but the worst way to do this is by sending out constant tweets just sending people to your home page.
2. Tweet when you are introducing something new. If you don’t have anything new to twitter about - don’t tweet. Instead get those creative juices flowing - come up with something “tweetable” - be it a promotion or a new product, and then tweet like you’ve never tweeted before!
3. Direct messages. It’s there for a reason. If you are engaged in 3-D tweeting (conversation back and forth rather than just saying what you are doing and leaving it at that) then why not Direct Message each other instead of spamming others who have no idea what or whom you are talking about. Direct Messages allow only the person you are talking to to be able to see the message.
4. If you are at an event, it’s time to use Twitter and start Tweeting. But, please don’t over-tweet. We don’t need the play-by-play on every thing that is going down..just the important highlights please.
5. If you want follows, then follow others.
6. Lastly, do unto others as you would like them to do for you. By this I mean, the following: If you want people to click on your tinyurl’s and visit your site, visit theirs too!

Hope this information helps! Twitter is growing very quickly. Be a part of the fun!

Obviously, I use Twitter. I’m such a huge fan of it that I’ve even incorporated one of my Twitter accounts into this blog. And yes, you heard me correctly - I said one of my accounts. I have multiple Twitter accounts - each updated repeatedly throughout the day. Twitter is an amazing place to keep in touch with friends (in 140 characters or less) or as it is becoming more widely used, it’s a great place to advertise your website or blog.

Twitter is also definitely growing in popularity. Here’s a video of John Stewart poking fun at Twitter. The video is a bit long, coming in at around 5 minutes, but it’s definitely worth it as it’s pretty funny! Really, it’s wizard! (You will need to see the video to understand.) When John Stewart of the Daily show starts to poke fun at something it’s a pretty sure bet that it’s popular. Next thing you know, Tweets will be showing up on such shows at the Soup.

I am constantly on the Internet. I’m on it while I’m working and while I’m home watching television. When I’m filling out surveys and it says: How many hours do you spend per week on the Internet, I’m the one with around 40+ hours logged in. I wish I could say that was all while working but really, it’s not. In my opinion, the Internet is among one of the best inventions. It really is something that I know I could do without but I would rather not think about actually having to.

So, what I would like to do is just give a shot-out to my favorite websites, a top 10 if you will. Check them out and let me know your thoughts. Also, feel free to let me know what your favorite websites are if they aren’t listed.

1. www.ILikeTotallyLoveIt.com - This is a great site for those in eCommerce. If you have cool items that you are trying to sell, here is a great place to promote it. Warning though: this site is not good for promoting the sale of your regular run-of-the-mill products, they have to have something unique about them. For instance, the “Yes We Can” T-shirt that is shaped like a Campbell’s Soup can but for President Obama or the Run DC t-shirt. Don’t worry, it’s not all political, those are just two that stood out to me.

2. www.Facebook.com - Facebook is a great place to meet new people and catch up with those you have lost touch with. It’s part of the social networking hype that has caught hold of practically everyone on the Internet. We at WowThatsFree even have a Facebook page.

3. www.Twitter.com - Yet another social networking site. On this site you are able to tell your friends and followers what you are doing, in 140 characters or less. So, no need to worry about saying too much or having to read up on tons of information, it’s 140 characters or less. It’s quick and easy, and most importantly, it’s fun!
4. www.Pogo.com - If you are mildly into gaming then this is the site for you. They have everything from slot machine games to bingo to different action games. It’s a great site to waste away a rainy Sunday or when you can’t fall asleep at night. There is a membership fee but it’s so minimal (around $5/month) that it’s really worth it.
5. www.Ebay.com - This site has been a personal favorite for a number of years. When I’m trying to find something and want a good price on it, I search on ebay first. I’ve found everything from puppy wee pads to articles of clothing. I’ve even been able to sell a few items on there as well. It’s a great money making site and great way to spend some money.
6. www.PerezHilton.com - I have to have a blog as one of my favorites, considering that’s how I love to spend my time. Perez Hilton is a very famous celebrity blogger. He gets the news out before everyone else. His writing is humorous and it’s nice to be able to know all the details of all of your favorite celebrities. Perez Hilton leaves nothing to the imagination.
7. www.Gmail.com - Being a huge fan of Google, I had to give their new email props. I use gmail for all of my personal email needs. It’s fast and the setup is very unique, making it very user friendly.
8. www.Google.com - If you don’t know about Google, it’s time to crawl out from under the rock you’ve been hiding under for so long. It’s said that around 85% of users are using Google as their main search engine. It’s got the majority of the search results and there are so many people advertising on Google that it’s questionable why you would search anywhere else.
9. www.Pandora.com -  When I’m working I’ve got to have music playing. My taste in music is very different from the majority of the people I work with so I’m usually found with my headphones on and my music blaring. Pandora is the perfect place to find the music that you would like to listen to because you are able to set up stations to be exactly what you want to hear. You simply type in the artist or type of music and it sets up a station playing that type of music.
10. www.HomeDepot.com - I had to add this site in as I can’t seem to leave this place when I go visit the actual store, without spending a ton of money. Maybe that’s due to being a new home owner, but the store makes me feel like a kid in a candy store! You can get everything from new windows to blinds to paint to tools and much more! It’s just a handy store! So, of course with the mention of this store I have to mention that I found the $1000 gift card for Home Depot. So nice! That just took my expenses down quite a bit!

Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Hulu are expecting a major increase in traffic over the next couple of days. For instance, according to the LaTimesBlog, “For the CNN-Facebook live video stream of the event, technicians are building support for more than 1 million simultaneous viewers…Facebook is separately adding servers to its own website to increase bandwidth.” Basically, things are quite a bit different then they were even 4 years ago when President Bush was re-elected. I guess it really is a time of change.

So, with all of the coverage that will be taking place to cover the swearing in of our 44th President, Barack Obama, the only real question is - how are you going to go about watching it? Should you get a free Flat Screen television? Or would you rather watch it with a free laptop? It’s your choice but act now to get your free laptop or flat screen television! Watch everything with class and style.