A while ago, Guy Kawasaki shared that he re-tweets his tweets. No, not like a broken record! His philosophy is that good tweets should be repeated because news travels globally and across many different time zones.  Guy experimented by resending the same tweet every 4 hours for a 24 hour period.  He found that all 6 tweets had almost the same amount of comparable clicks to read, and retweeted by followers all across the globe.

Instead of 700 retweets in 24 hours, he got 2800.  Talk about getting more mileage per tweet!  LOL!

Guy uses a fancy program to do his retweeting and run reports – but there are free options out there.

Tweet Old Post is one of my absolute favorite plugins. However; there is something you should be aware of… the newest version DOESN’T have the ability to selectively block certain posts from being tweeted. Yeah! – that stinks!

For example; you might want to block an old post about a workshop or teleseminar you had last year. Or, perhaps some personal posts that don’t need to be re-run.

So, if you already have Tweet Old Post on your system, DO NOT update it to v. 3.2.6. And, if you already have, and want to go back – you still can. YAY!

This page has previous versions http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tweet-old-post/download/

I deleted mine and re-installed v.3.2.5, via the upload zip file feature in WordPress, no need to ftp, and it works just fine. Even my settings from before are still there (because the info wasn’t deleted in the database).

Joy!

Courtesy of http://imgs.xkcd.com

Google has thrown down the Gauntlet to Facebook by introducing its latest attempt to tap into the increasingly important Social media scene. Google+ is the latest big thing to come out of the Google camp, following on from two previous social platform failures in recent years.

Google plus promises to be different from previous social failures in that this is a totally new approach from Google. This new service will also tie together all of Google’s current services such as G-mail and its popular video streaming service YouTube.

Google+ is currently only open by invitation and no actual date for a full launch has yet been announced, but it’s coming, because Google needs it. (comment below and I’ll send you an invite)

Google+ has been deliberately structured with a similar look and feel as Facebook, with some very similar functionality such as profile pictures, video uploads and news feeds

However, one of the fundamental differences is the way “Friends” will be structured in Google+. A user’s friends or contacts are grouped into specific circles of the users choosing – as opposed to the common pool of friends used in the Facebook model.

To create Google+, the company went back to fundamentals in the wake of its previous notable failures, including Google Wave and Google Buzz, a micro-blogging service whose launch was marred by privacy issues.

Google learned a lot from the failures particularly that of Google Buzz, and one of the things they learned is that there’s a real marketing opportunity for a Social Media product that addresses people’s concerns around privacy and how their personal information is shared. This is something Facebook has been grappling with since it was launched and continues to plague them to this day.

Google generally gets more than one billion visitors a month to its websites in any given month, but research suggests that people spend more time on Facebook than they do one Google and in terms of measuring success or failure online, time is more valuable than visitor numbers, something Google is all too aware of.

Just like Facebook, Google+ will have a central web page that runs a current constantly updating conversation stream of comments, photos and links being shared by its users, their contacts and friends.

If you are at all familiar with other Google services, you will notice that they all share a toolbar that generally sits across the top of the site. This toolbar allows users to access their personalised data feed. In Google + this toolbar will enable users to add the information in their other Google accounts to the news stream directly from the toolbar. They can then contribute their own information to the stream.

Google+ is also working on a live conference video chat facility, where up to ten people can jump on a conference call.

Google is also going to automatically store photos taken on mobile phones on its Internet servers, allowing a Google+ user to access the photos from any computer and share them across the service.

Google executives have given this social expansion project its highest priority and Google is keen to build its own social presence to take on Facebook directly.

Google recognizes that it’s position as the main gateway to online information could be at risk as people spend more time on other social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Google also realizes that enticing people to yet another social media site may be an uphill battle especially when they are pitching against Facebook, their main rival and the biggest Social site on the web.

To achieve dominance and set its self apart from Facebook, Google+ is taking a very hard look at personal privacy at the core of this service. This is one of the Hot topics currently causing the most consumer pain and ne of the most important aspects to get right. Privacy issues have caused Facebook and Google a lot of grief in recent years, something else Google is keen to avoid.

Social media is fast forming into the critical mass of most online users. the potential for commercialization and financial domination are only just being realized and that’s why Google is spending so much time, energy and resources trying to find its place in the growing social web.

Google+ is still under construction and won’t be widely available until later in 2011. However one thing is becoming increasingly clear. Social media is only going to become increasingly important to business in the near future and those who are best placed to take advantage of this opportunity are going to grow and grow fast.

ps.  If you would like a Google + invite, just leave a comment with your addy below and I’ll send you one

Many thanks to @Kevin W Baker for sharing this article with me!

Kevin W Baker

http://fanpagebydesign.com is a Social Media Consultancy and design company based in Victoria British Columbia Canada. We specialize in building Facebook fanpages for small local business to give them a viable social presence and to provide websites designed and optimised for their local market. We know social media, our clients know their business. Working together we can design a social media program to grow your business using locally derived traffic and the power of social media.

More info about Google Plus on Mashable

•  http://mashable.com/2011/07/16/google-plus-guide/
• http://mashable.com/2011/07/08/google-button-twitter-share-button/
• http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/

Part of the world’s most watched Social Media video series; “Social Media Revolution” by Erik Qualman. Based on #1 International Best Selling Book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman. This is a shorter version that includes new social media statistics for 2011.

Ever land on a web site and jump back because you were startled by sheer horror of what you were seeing?  I have. Here are 6 examples off the top of my head - continue with caution! :)

1. Flimsy, Limp Handshake - this person has no confidence. They are so worried about "what if" they miss opportunities.   #FAIL.
2. Obnoxious Salesman - Pop-ups, flashing text, lots of bold graphics. #FAIL
3. The Programmer/Techno Snob - usually has mystery meat navigation, information is hard to find and scarce. #FAIL
4. Ultra ADHD - Too many choices, and so much junk that you get a headache trying to find what you want. #FAIL
5. Simple and Shy - extremely plain.  No call to action, or visually appealing anything to get you revved up about what they have to offer. #FAIL
6. The Wannabe - copies what other marketers are doing without understanding WHY they do it. They just want to make a fast buck.  #FAIL

Anyone can create a blog/website.  Over 20k are created every day.  Doesn't mean they should though.

Let me ask you... what are all 6 flawed marketers missing?

ENGAGING with their prospects.  Be where your customers are.

To be engaging means...

Always being LIKE-ABLE.
Do you know someone that everybody likes? Pleasant with an attractive personality. Is that person humble? A servant to others with a joyful attitude of giving?   Is this you?

Always be TRUSTWORTHY.
Do what you say you're going to do.  Be in integrity.  Think of businesses that are trustworthy... Amazon, Zappos, Apple.  Companies that have the distinct reputation for extraordinary customer service and satisfaction.  Have you done what you say you're going to do?

Always be ANSWERING.
Answering questions, responding to inquiries, offering solutions.  Be fast and frequent.  Typically 24 hours is a respectable turn around time.  How can you set up a system to always be prompt?

Always be THANKING...
...people for their RT's (re-tweets), comments, or sharing your material.  Stay in a state of Gratitude.

Always be LINKING.
Linking your content to your social media accounts, like twitter.  Twitter makes it easy for your peeps to RT or re-tweet your link to expand your reach.  And, think of others! When they RT, their @twitterhandle is tweeted too, so don't use all 140 characters.  Save at least 20 characters for the re-tweeter's handle to show up on your tweet too.

Always take PHOTOGRAPHS.
Facebook is the worlds largest website and what do most people spend time doing? Looking at pictures! So always take photos of events and opportunities - a cell phone camera is fine.

This is totally up to you! You can engage your prospects, build relationships and create evangelists for your business or not.  Or, you can continue to do the 6 Flaws and "interruption marketing" to piss your prospect off.  Whatever you do, just make sure you're in alignment with your visitors GOALS.  Help them solve their problem quickly and painlessly as possible. Your website isn't about you, it's about THEM

Now It's YOUR Turn! What are your thoughts? Post below, I'd love to know what you think!

Your website is stale.  It sucks.  It was supposed to be a means of attracting new clients in your target market.  But that never happened.

Let me take a moment to underline that a website is a tool. If you don’t use the tool, why have it?  An outdated website reflects badly on your business.  It says your either; 1) too busy/lazy to update it,  2) you don’t care, or 3) your out of business.

That being said, I think it’s important for you to understand that marketing online TODAY requires your website be a “hub” of your communications. Engaging and nurturing relationships.

How Do You Create A Hub?

It’s so easy to lose focus on activities that bring the greatest return for you.  (Like writing) Sure, I get sidetracked all the time – but staying focused, putting out good content that engages my followers keeps me stuck in their memory. That is where we ALL want to be!  Right?

Looking to the future of your website and beyond, here are thoughts to consider:

1. Content is the most important piece of your website.
   Not your design, colors, photos or anything else. You can have the ugliest website ever and still have tons of traffic if your content is relevant and authoritative – Google will see to that.
2. Make the content easy to find.
   Today’s website platform will most likely be WordPress which has category, search, and archive widgets. Use them.  (And don’t forget to tag & categorize your content)
3. Consistency.
   Lord knows I suck at consistency! I go in spurts – I’ll write great blog posts for a couple weeks then burn out. An interesting fact is that my older articles still bring traffic. I have one from 2005 that consistently shows up in my “most read” stats. So, do the work! Even if you have 1k excuses – do it anyway.
4. Sharing.
   Wordpress has tools that automatically Tweet, post to FaceBook & LinkedIn (and anywhere else) you want. And most people think you only need to share once. Not true! I was on a call yesterday with Guy Kawasaki and he automatically sets some of his stuff to tweet/post every 8 hours for a day or two. Each re-tweet would have a couple hundred clicks… So it pays to re-tweet your own stuff at different hours. (The web never sleeps!)
5. Engaging.
   Remember ANOTHER 80/20 rule – 80% helping, 20% promoting. Take time to thank people for following you. Comment, comment, comment, comment, and continuing comenting on other people’s stuff. Blogs/tweets/FB/LI. Not only does it open the door for communication, your comment creates a back link to your site – Google Goodness with a big red bow!
6. Consider Mobile users.
   Read these 2 posts I wrote about mobile marketing here: http://thewebcoach.net/in-u-s-31-own-smartphones-is-your-business-mobile-ready/ and here http://thewebcoach.net/web-coach-tip-mobile-marketing-strategies-and-7-tips-to-get-you-started-plus-wordpress-mobile-themes-and-plugins/
7. Schedule your “feed me & share” time.
   FIRST thing in the morning when I have coffee I open up my Google reader and skim over the news of a few chosen resources that give me inspiration to write. That usually gets the wheels turning and an article is born soon after.  If you have to get up a half-hour earlier to make this happen – DO IT!  It’ll be the best 30 minutes you spend each day.

After my article is written, then open up everything else on my computer – share my article, check in w/my social homes, engage, and then go on about my day.  I check twitter while waiting to pick up my kids, while dinner is cooking (be careful! I lost track of time and went to the grill to find this.) And before bed.  Sometimes if I’m watching TV in the evening I’ll bring my laptop and check in during commercials.

Many people talk about limiting your time online to XX minutes… But then, I feel that time becomes “reactive” time. I’ve only got 15 minutes to answer these messages, OMG! I’ll never make it! You should be ENGAGING during this time.

Save the responding to tweets/fb to 1x a day. Most people are satisfied if you get back to them within 24 hours. So spend your time looking for ways to help/engage your peeps. I pretend I’m a social butterfly with rainbow wings and pixie dust. Hey, whatever it takes! LOL!

I think Mars Dorian got it right when he said:

A lazy person does barely any work.

A good person does the work when he feels like it.

A digital crusader does the work EVEN when he doesn’t feel it.

So, don’t skip “the work” when you don’t feel like doing it. That’s amateur, and that ain’t you!

Now It’s YOUR Turn! What are your thoughts? Post below, I’d love to know what you think!

Why?

Those with high Klout Scores have the ability to impact a large audience.

Genius!

Bet lets talk about you and me.

Marketing agencies aren't the only ones who benefit from Klout - you can too!  Here's how.

Curious who has high Klout scores?

Now It's YOUR Turn! What are your thoughts? Post below, I'd love to know what you think!

Going Dark? This is an old phrase from my phone company days.

In Las Vegas, there are a mind boggling amount of circuits going to casinos, hotels, businesses, government agencies and so on.  All are priority #1, and many have a redundant fiber optic network backup that is “dark” meaning there is no data running on it, it is just sitting there dark “just in case.”

Often, in our everyday lives we are called to more pressing matters and we go ‘dark’.  We don’t have a redundant network to back us up, and our online colleagues, friends, and clients wonder if we fell off the earth.

Here is a recap of GigaOm.com’s post 6 Ways to Revive a Dead Social Media Channel

1. Address your absence.
2. Begin again as if starting all over.
3. Reach out to fans and followers who have engaged you lately.
4. Begin re-posting consistently.
5. Reply, comment and acknowledge your followers quickly.
6. And last but not least: Map out a social media calendar.

My partner Kym and I offer Twitter Management for a few select clientele, and their social media calendar looks something like this:

What’s happening this month? Monthly promotions, testimonials, local activities, people, business or organizations you want to promote.

Weekly/Daily topic schedule.  Myth Monday, Technology Tuesday, What? Wednesday, Thank-you Thursday, Fun Friday.

RT (re-tweet) sources: StumbleUpon, Digg, industry leaders, vendors, and related current events to piggyback.

We all want to appear sharp and on the cutting-edge of whatever our gig is, and by creating a calendar, no matter how hokey it feels, is the best way to keep ourselves on track.

Now it’s YOUR turn.  Go on now… get busy!

Social Media Revolution 2 is a refresh of the original video with new and updated social media & mobile statistics that are hard to ignore. Based on the book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman.

1. Thou shalt use WordPress for your website/blog.

2. Post to your blog often.

3. Use social media - Facebook, Twitter.

4. Use lots of videos.

5. Be real and personable.

6. Make sharing easy.

7. Create a kick @ss  freebie that over delivers.

8. Always respond to comments.

9. Sharpen your saw.

10. Create evangelists.

BONUS: Learn to sell.

• "The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less" by Mark Joyner
• "Integrity Selling for the 21st Century: How to Sell the Way People Want to Buy" by Ron Willingham
• "Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness" by Jeffrey Gitomer