Thinking "Out Of The Box" Promotions

Why buy plain ole' boring business cards that get lost or tossed???
Think "out of the box" with something Unique that has not been seen very often & will keep YOUR company in mind when a client is ready to order!

Playing Card Business Cards....
Standard Deck of 52 cards with YOUR logo and contact info on each one!
Going to a tradeshow?  Hand these out & everyone will remember you!
OR Mini 2 x 2.5 deck of cards.

Ways to Network more Effectively on Twitter

 Find the right people to follow

Networking starts with finding the right people. And you’re in luck: there are dozens of tools out there to help you locate people in your niche on Twitter.
Twitter.com offers a directory of people who you might like to follow in their “Who to Follow” tab. This is along the top bar of Twitter.com when you sign in. From here, you can browse suggested accounts that are presented to you based on who you follow already.
You can also find a lot of quality accounts to follow simply by asking for suggestions from those you already follow. Or, why not try participating in Follow Friday? Services like Twollo, Twibes and Just Tweet It offer keyword-based ways to find people in your niche, too.

 Show your followers who you are

Once you’ve amassed your target network, it’s time to show them who you are. Even before they read one of your tweets they should have an idea of what your interests are and why you’re using Twitter.
We’ve got the resources for writing a killer bio and choosing the right profile picture so your followers will feel that they know you, at least a little.

 Don’t make newbie mistakes

One way to send potential connections running for the hills is by making some common newbie mistakes on Twitter. Here are some mistakes you should avoid if you want to maintain that professional sheen on you Twitter account:

• Unprofessional (risqué, unrelated, blurry, etc.) profile picture
• No bio
• Uneven follower to follow ratio
• Too self-serving
• Too few/too many updates

It’s not easy finding the sweet spot with your Twitter account, but be sure you avoid some amateurish mistakes and you’ll attract others who want to network.

 Think about your actions from your followers’ point of view

Whenever you send out a tweet, question how your followers will see it. Will it come off as being too sales-ey? Too pushy? Too self-absorbed? You want to think about how your tweets will be perceived by others if you are going to network effectively.
Just like when you talk with someone at a conference, consider the impact you’re making and take a moment to stand in their shoes. At a conference you offer a business card when you’re having a really great conversation, so why not extend this to Twitter and ask a particularly interesting person to have a longer conversation with you over email or DM?
It can be difficult to read sarcasm and emotion online, so be careful of tweeting things that could be misinterpreted. All of your actions have some impact on your business network on Twitter, so just be sure you tweet with confidence that you’ll be well-received.

 Retweet, retweet, and retweet some more

Are you a little shy when it comes to saying “hi” outright on Twitter? Retweeting is one of the best ways to show someone you’re interested in networking with them without being too pushy.
By retweeting someone, you’re sending the message that you are listening to what they say and you want to share it with others. What better way to start up a business relationship is there? And if you add in your own opinion to the beginning of the retweet, they’ll get to know a little bit about your personality before you reach out and begin networking more one-on-one.

 Ask questions

Get your Twitter network talking by asking a general question. Here are two general rules of thumb to keep in mind when writing a question on Twitter:

1. Stick to your niche – you’re more likely to hear from people who are interested in the question this way, and if you’ve built a targeted network, they’ll want to share their opinions.
2. Let them know you’re listening – retweet some or all of the answers, add your own answer, or tally them up and present them in poll form. This will tell your followers that you actually care about their answers.

 Share your network

When you get to know your Twitter network, you’ll be able to introduce two people who have a lot in common, or offer up a few great account for your very own Follow Friday tweet. Don’t be afraid to share contacts, as this is what Twitter is all about – and in turn, you’ll notice others doing the same.

How to Combine your promoting efforts

SO many places to promote.... so little time. Make your efforts count & get more "bang for your buck"

Blogging, Squidoo lenses, Twitter, Facebook, Redgage, Forums & more.

Being able to connect to several sites & accounts is a GREAT way to save time. Post on 1 & it posts on another as well. You can connect your Facebook Biz pages to your Twitter account... See the video below.

Now... Squidoo & Redgage both make money when other's click either on it or within it. So here is a scenario:

You have a new blog that has links to your Website or products. You set up a Squidoo lens that has to do with your products & you have links to your blog.

You have a Redgage account that links to your Squidoo lens. You promote your Redgage account on a Facebook page that will also post on Twitter.

SOOOO... promote on Facebook, will also post on Twitter (a twofer)... link to your Redgage (you get paid for clicks) the link from there goes to Squidoo (you get higher ranking AND maybe extra $ if they click on ads).... then you link to your blog (hopefully they follow your blog) & THEN the links in the Blog go to your site or product.

Now I KNOW you are asking "Why not just go directly to the site?" Take a look at that crazy "maze" of a scenerio. You have created many backlinks to your site & searches LOVE backlinks! AND if you have good friends, they will share or Retweet the entire thing all over again to their friends.

This all may sound like a giant Jigsaw puzzle but it is the best way to help in your search ranking & we all know: Higher the Ranking - the better our sales are.

Using Twitter to YOUR advantage

Follow BusinessesGrowingTogether on Twitter

Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting. Simply search what interests you, follow them & follow conversations.

Twitter are small snips of information called Tweets. Each Tweet is 140 characters long.

Twitter connects businesses to customers in real-time. Businesses use Twitter to quickly share information with people interested in their products and services, gather feedback, and build relationships with customers and other people. Twitter offers businesses a chance to reach a targeted audience.

How do you find that targeted audience?... First, Twitter will give you a list of who you may want to follow based on your profile Keywords. Start following a bunch & many will follow you back.

The next place to get followers is from any twitter lists on forums or groups you belong to. Add yours & follow the others.

Then another GREAT place is www.twibes.com. These are groups of "tweeters". Find a twibe & follow the members in the Twibe. I searched "weddings" & there are a few wedding professionals & planners. So there may be followers that are interested in wedding info.

Searching with Hashtags... Users often preadd # to words in their Tweets to categorize them for others eg: "Check out our new products for the Fall: http://t.co/link2 #fallsale" Think of hashtags as the theme of your Tweet. Users can then click on a hashtag to see other similarly-themed tweets and find yours in search. Then follow the people that are also using that hashtag.

One more trick to find targeted followers.... on the right side on your twitter, you see "trending topics". If you see one that connects to your biz, click on it & follow some of those tweeples.

Now that you have a bunch of followers.... you need to tweet. PLEASE don't tweet an entire page worth of your product links! Add links to interesting things... maybe a DIY "how to"... or a recipe.... & THEN throw in some product links. If you want to tweet thoughout the day & want to schedule tweets, I use www.hootsuite.com ..
You can schedule a weeks worth of tweets in 1 sitting. This way, if you work throughout the week, you can schedule tweets on a weekend for the entire week & promote your business while you are at work.

One other reason I use Twitter... the backlinks get picked up extremely fast! Bots & spiders crawl that link almost immediately. When I tweet a link... by the time I get back to that item, I have 15 to 25 hits within 2 seconds. These are not "eyeballs" but spiders & those spiders "report back" to searches & it helps your ranking in the search engines. Each tweet with a link is considered New Content, so don't spam the same product over & over in the same day. Space them out.

So now you know a bit on how to use twitter to grow your business. Twitter is sort of different but it is a fantastic tool for marketing you business & communicating with customers.

Using Squidoo lenses to promote your products

What is Squidoo & how can it benefit me?
Think of a Squidoo lens like a blog post. But the main difference is not only will you promote your products... you can make money by getting traffic to your lens.

We will talk more about that later. Also, a blog changes subject matter as you post, Squidoo lenses should be a very specific subject. This creates backlinks to your sites & search engines LOVE these links.

The building blocks of a Lens are called modules. There are MANY different modules & as you make more lenses & participate on other lenses, you will earn points & as you hit new levels, the more modules & widgets will become available to you.

Links: Squidoo has a rule of no more than 10 links to the same site UNLESS they are "whitelisted". How do you know what sites are whitelisted?... When you go to publish your lens, it will tell you that you have too many links to the same site. No "biggie", just make several linked words all to 1 link. The links from specific modules don't count toward the number of links. So you can have several Amazon, Zazzle, Ebay or other modules with product links.

So first you need to Register... That’s all very straightforward and you just need to go to www.Squidoo.com and create an account and follow the links that you will then receive in your email.

Next question... what do I write about? Plagerism is NOT allowed & you will get banned if caught. Also with the new "rules" with Google, duplicate content can also get you shut down until you fix it. Duplicate content is more than the first few sentences coming from another site. Even if you are giving credit to the site you are quoting.... if it's more than a couple sentences, google will flag you & squidoo will "spank you".

Now... Just what do you want to write about? Everyone is an expert at something. Start with a very simple lens about something you do well. Are you the best fundraiser at your kid's school?... Do you grow the best Roses in the neighborhood?... Find your niche & go from there. Most of my lenses only have a small amount of actual info & more selling... but this one has a wide variety of some info & selling:

http://www.squidoo.com/bar-mitzvah-bat-mitzvah-planning

So just get started because you can always go back & add or change your lens. Actually, this will freshen up your lenses & the search engines will pick you up better. Add plenty of Tags. These are the keywords that people will search & you want them to find you. You add a few tags when you create your lens then down the side, you can add more. Only use relevent tags.

Next... about the presentation of your lens. Adding some pictures, graphics & color will keep your readers interested. NOW here is a trick to use some great photos.... you are not to use others' pictures or photos unless you have the rights to do so or give a link credit to the site with the photo, BUT if you set up an affiliate account at AllPosters.com... they have a photo or poster for just about everything. You can use their image & link it with your affiliate info. This is totally allowed as long as you have the affiliate link with it.

Limited HTML & some css coding is allowed in the text link so you can add more photos from your websites & a bit of color text, borders & boxes to add so "zing" to your lens.

This is a great lens for adding some CSS coding. http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-css
Just follow the exact codes they give & experiment.

Other modules that are great to get your visitors involved are Polls... guestbooks.... link lists. Let others add to your lens. This will put your lens higher up in the Squidoo lens rankings... higher the rankings, more you get paid.


OK.... now the "Money Makers". Don't expect to get rich quick. This is NOT the place for you if you expect that. Right now, I get excited when I hit $10 in a month. I have read other lenses & the people who make high dollars have 100+ lenses. So think of these lenses as more promotional & keep making more & more. Then the money comes in.

You need a Paypal account, so make sure that is all set up. There are several ways that squidoo divies up the money. Google ads, Chitika ads, Amazon, itunes, ebay, zazzle, cafe press & others. The portion you get will depend on your ranking. There is an actual list on some lens but it is confusing, so I just work my rear off & get others to my lens so that my rankings go up. You only get pennies from the ads BUT you get much bigger chunks from any sales from the modules. You do not need to sign up for any Associate or Affiliate accounts with any of them if you don't want to. I can't even sign up for an Amazon affiliate because Colorado & Rhode island are the only 2 that have stupid tax laws, they won't let us. BUT I can get some money through my lenses since it is Squidoo getting the full amount & then giving all of us a little chunk.

Add Modules that match your lens. If you are writing about a Singer... add you tube, itunes, Amazon mp3s. Talking about Authors... amazon books, products on cafe press or zazzle. Party lenses... Amazon books, products, You tube videos, recipes. etc... etc. Add modules that get readers to interact on your lens. Guestbooks, Link Plexos (readers can add their links), polls, debates. The more reader interaction, the higher your ranking & the more your share of the income. "Hugging your lens".... go through & update your lenses. Even if it's a small thing, hit that publish button & share it. Get others to give it a thumbs up.... add to the guestbook... favorite it... lensroll it... All that, again, boosts your ranking. Then simple promotions of your lenses.... Tweet... Facebook... blog... whatever it takes. Add a link from your website to a specific lens. Add to forums... Facebook groups. Promote your lenses as much as you do your websites.

My list of lenses are at: http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/kjscreations and http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/blueskiesplusllc (you don't want 2 accounts.... I had 2 way back when I started... just keep them all on a single dashboard)

Notice that 1 of my lenses is http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-lens-directory

I collect other helpful lenses & list them all here. I also have a Link plexo that allows readers to add links to other lenses as well. So see about lens ideas? I did a lens about lenses that show how to build lenses. Lens ideas are only limited by your imagination.

The last part is promoting your lenses. Once you publish your new lens... there is a Twitter and Facebook link. Remember that you can promote in forums too (if allowed). Update your lenses every couple weeks or month. Always remember to hit the publish button.

One last tip.... the more you go & "hug" others lenses (adding your links, taking polls, liking other lenses) you also get points for all of this activity. The higher those points... more modules & widgets open up to you.

So that is how you can promote & make some money at the same time. Now go set up an account & start your first lens. Once you get one done, you will want to do another & another.

Setting up a Landing Page on Facebook

Adding a Landing Page on your Facebook business page is the First Impression your new members will see. Make it WOW them so that they will like your page & suggest to THEIR friends! See http://www.facebook.com/businessesgrowingtogether
If you already "like" my page.... click into the welcome tab. This is my landing page for new members.

So here we go....

You need to know some HTML for this.

Go to your BIZ PAGE.... click in Edit page (under your logo)... down at the bottom where it says "more applications"... click browse more.
In the box that has "search apps" Type in Static FBML
The first on the list... (static FBML), click on it. Then click on "Add to my page" (under the logo) & click on Add to page button next to the page you want it on.
Close
Now go to your biz page....
Click on Edit page & go to FBML 1 under applications....
Click on Edit. In the box title, that will be what is ON THE TAB to be REALLY short. 1 word or 2 short words.
Write your page in HTML in the box. Save Changes.

Now to make this the Landing page for New visitors...
Go to your biz page wall. Click on Options (under share button)... then click on settings.
Choose from the dropdown (second one) next to "Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else:"
This means visitors who are not yet "likers". You don't want all your current members to go there everytime.
Anyway.... choose the tab you want them to land on. OH.... when you go to edit that new page... click on the "link to this tab"... I think that will put in the tab on your page.

You now have a landing page. To edit it.... just go to your biz page, click edite page.... find that page (it will be named what the tab name is)
Click in the edit. Ta-da.... you may need to change your tabs so that one will show.

Now if you want to add ANOTHER FBML page, like I did with my Coupon Page at http://www.facebook.com/businessesgrowingtogether
Simply click on edit on an existing FBML page (your welcome or landing page).... scroll to bottom & you will see "add another FBML box"

Just DON'T click on your settings to have "Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else".

For any graphics... you will have to host them yourself or on a place like photobucket.

Make your Holiday Cards Count!

Calendar 2011 Holiday Card for Business by BlueSkiesPlusLLC

Get more "Bang for your Buck" when it comes time to send out Holiday cards to your clients or vendors. Send Holiday cards with a Yearly calendar & your Company Info on them.

IF you are a bit "Crafty".... buy small magnets with self adhesive on the back & add a magnet to the back of the cards. Your clients will attach them to a file cabinet or fridge. But the best part is that each time they look at the calendar, they will see YOUR Company information & not forget you!

So make your Holiday cards count!

Calendar 2011 Holiday Card for Business by BlueSkiesPlusLLC
More Business Invitations

Niche Websites Are Still Going Strong

I get this great newsletter & wanted to pass it on... (This is why we have 40some different websites.) Promote your website by putting your name on great products!

from Daniel Scocco
http://www.dailyblogtips.com

Niche Websites Are Still Going Strong

Daniel Scocco here, and this is the Daily Blog Tips newsletter.

Today I want to talk about niche websites, and why they are still
going strong around the web.

------

First things first, what is a niche website? It is basically a site
that targets a very small niche, like "pinot noir wines" or "sample
resumes." Such websites usually have a small number of pages, say
10 or 20, and their main goal is to rank in the first page of Google
for a specific keyword. Once they achieve that, they will receive
a lot of organic traffic (i.e., traffic from search engines), and
they will monetize such traffic with CPC ads like Google AdSense or
with affiliate marketing.

I prefer to call these sites "mini websites," but many people refer
to them as "niche websites," so we'll be using both terms
interchangeably here.

A couple of years ago some online marketers started to criticize
niche websites, saying that they were doomed to vanish, being
replaced in the search results by large content portals that
covered a wide range of topics.

Guess what? This didn't happen, and niche websites are still going
strong. In fact, recently Google implemented a change in its
algorithm that favored them even more. The change basically made it
harder for large websites to rank for narrow keywords with their
internal pages, especially if those pages are not content rich.

Want an example? Consider the keyword "starcraft 2 download." With
the change in the Google algorithm it is now easier for a mini
website called StartCraft2Download.com to appear in the first page
for that search query, and it is now harder for a large website like
Mahalo.com to do the same simply by publishing an internal page
talking about that topic.

Another criticism that mini websites receive is that they are more
unstable than large, authority websites. In other words, one day
they could be in the first page for a specific keyword, and the
other day they are gone.

This can happen if you use black hat techniques to get your mini
website ranked, but otherwise the above criticism is not true at
all.

If your mini website has all the information about a specific niche
or keyword, and a decent amount of quality backlinks, Google will
consider it an authority inside that small niche, and hence it will
give high rankings for the mini website.

This is the point that most people miss. A mini website can also be
an authority site, although an authority on a very small niche.

Now don't get me wrong. Building a mini website that ranks
high for a competitive keyword is not easy nor fast. You'll need to
work on the content, promote it and get a good amount of backlinks.

But, if you know how to do these things, developing a mini website
when you have some time available could be a smart investment.

In the future I'll talk more about building and profiting from
mini websites, so stay tuned.

Some do's & don'ts when promoting

Using the social networks such as Facebook & Twitter to promote your wares has become a very popular way to reach 1000's of "eyeballs" with 1 click of a button.
HOWEVER.... there is "etiquette" & ways to get potential customers to read your ads. Now this is based on MY surfing habits. I would think a lot of others feel the same.

Most of this is for both Twitter & Facebook (unless it says different)

First.... DON'T post 2 pages of "look at my stuff"... especially on a personal page. I will NEVER "listen" to anything you have to say & will probably "unfriend" or "unfollow" you in a heartbeat. DO.... spread out your posts or tweets with a product... then an info .... then a funny video ... THEN back to a product. If I find the info worth reading, then maybe I will find your product link worth clicking on too.

Second... DON'T hijack a fan page with your products on someone else's page, unless it is specifically for that as http://www.facebook.com/businessesgrowingtogether is. DO comment IF it is relevent to that post. Or simply hit the "Like" button.

Third ... DON'T spam. Both on Twitter or Facebook messages. A message every hr about "look at your stuff or join a group" on FB messages or posting the same tweet over & over may get you banned from both sites. At the very least, I will unfollow or unfriend you REALLY Fast! DO send a message on FB once a week or so.... & tweet different products at LEAST 20 to 30 min. apart.

Fourth & last.... DON'T connect your Twitter TO your FB page.... this will only result in Pages & pages on your wall & no one will even look if you actually have something important to say. DO connect your FB Fan page TO your twitter. This way, if you have a few things to post on your business fan page.... it will tweet as well without filling up page after page!

Using this information is totally up to you. It is only my opinion but, as I said in the beginning, it is based on MY reading habits.

Google's SearchStories Videos

SearchStories ... Set up your own to post on facebook or your blog. Advertise your business quick & easy. Google & YouTube will doo all the work FOR FREE!!! Yup, you heard me, FREE!

Check out my first try

12 Favorite and Little Known Tips for LinkedIn

Posted at http://www.sellinglounge.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=3686

12 Favorite and Little Known Tips for LinkedIn
By Elyse Tager (c) 2010
http://www.elymedia.com/

Most business professionals are on LinkedIn at this point. LinkedIn tells us that:

• LinkedIn has over 70 million members in over 200 countries.
• A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and
about half of our members are outside the U.S.

• Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

To me that states clearly that if you have almost ANY kind of business and are prospecting, LI will be a good resource for you. But just setting up a profile and dabbling once a week or so is not going to do much for your prospecting efforts. Below are a few tips that not many folks know about, but are powerful techniques for increasing your visibility and maximizing that "inbound marketing" that Social Media is known for.

1. Create 3 saved searches. If you are doing a search on a company, person, industry or whatever, save your searches. At the top where you see the number of records in your search you'll see a "save this search" button - you get 3 if you are at the basic level. LI will send you a weekly email, if you want, to get updates to your search.

2. Recommendations are important, so ask for them. But make it easy. I first call or email my contact and ask if they will recommend me. If so, write the recommendatíon yourself - so you are sure that you are sending the right message. Be sure to talk about the problems you solved - that's really the point, isn't it?

3. Use the Question and Answer area to gain more visibility on the Internet. On the question that you answer you will see a "share this" with a drop down menu. You can email your network, Digg it, Bookmark the question on Delicious, or use the link provided in your answer and link to one of your blog posts, or somewhere else on your site to pull in traffic.

4. Join groups that are in line with your business, your objectives or your hoped for job. Fish where the fish are. The more "on target" the group, the more valuable the content they provide, and the networking opportunities will be.

5. Use groups to expand your network, but be selective. In the groups tabs, you will see "Groups Directory". Select that and on the next page use Search Groups, selecting "other" from the drop down categories menu. Join the groups that interest you. Once you are a member, you will have access to the members in that group. Try connecting with the ones that make sense. You might evaluate based on the size of their network, the type of company or industry they are in or how much interaction they have had with the group.

6. Did you know you can export your connections? Go to "Contacts." Then "Connections. " At the bottom of your Connections box is "Export Connections. " Export the connections and import them into your preferred address book. Do this frequently so you are consolidating all of your contacts in one spot (might be Outlook, Act, Salesforce).

7. Refer to both the LinkedIn Learning Center and their blog. The Learning Center is full of great tutorials and the blog has info on updated and new features with full explanations.

8. For better and more valued networking, when you invite someone to join your network, don't use the canned LinkedIn message. Say something about who you are and why you want to connect with that person.

9. To really maximize your profile, find one or two LinkedIn specialists (Google that phrase, or check Amazon for authors) and look up their profile. Study carefully and learn by example.

10. Be creative about how you use the Answers section. It can be used to ask for solutions to problems, for resources, for vendors, for processes. But it can also be used to find good connections, or find other groups you may want to join, to deliver information on your products or services, IF it provides an answer to the question. Sometimes you've got the perfect solution!

11. You can share a group with your connections - more value added to your community. When you are in a specific group, on the Overview tab you will see an option to "share group" and you can send an email to 50 of your connections.

12. Don't hop over the "People You May Know" suggestions that appears in the upper right corner of your home page. Expand the box and start connecting with people on an ongoing basis. This is a great way to widen your circle.

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for almost any social media objective - branding, lead generation, or job searching. Invest some time in learning the finer points - you will be glad you did.

About The Author
Elyse Tager is a social media strategist and founder of Elymedia. Elyse develops effective marketing strategies to help the small business grow significantly. Want to learn more about growing your business with Social Media? Sign up for Elyse's free introductory teleseminar available at => http://www.elymedia.com/.

Need to vent

I know alot of readers don't want to read vents & complaining ... but this is sorta about promoting your site & this may be a better place to scream. LOL

I have quite a few websites since this is my livelihood & it's how I keep the lights on & water running. I work ALL day, EVERY day promoting my online stores. Adding products.... updating squidoo lenses ... blogging ... twittering ... facebook .... ebay.. forums & message boards.
I answer other's blogs & leave my web address if possible. Trying to come up with more ideas to make more money. I have many lenses, blogs, twitters etc.

Now here is my "Venting".

NEW SELLERS who whine about market places not getting fed to google.... googles rules about electronic payments .... "Oh My God, my biz is going down the tubes".... "This FREE store is not like ebay & I'm not getting orders" ... "FREE is not worth my time"..... "they should advertise on TV" (mind you the marketplace is FREE) "Why doesn't my crap sell?" (they have 5 garbage products in their store, shipping is outrageous & there are so many typos in description that I don't understand a word).... "WHAA-WHAA-WHAA!!! I WANT TO SELL STUFF BUT I WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO DO ALL THE WORK FOR FREE"!!!!!

Go AWAY people!!! I am SO tired of giving FREE advise & then you STILL won't get off your rear end & do something!!!

I belong to groups like www.sellinglounge.com where there are a BUNCH of incredibly intelligent business owners. Those are the places to be & anywhere there are stupid people... I just have to stay away because I'm going to say something really nasty one of these days!

WHEW.... Thank you for "listening" & BTW, I thought I could write this here because "not so bright" sellers never read biz info anyway & YOU ALL are the Smart Entrepeneurs on the Internet!!!

Using Video to promote your site

Use VIDEO to Market & Promote your site!

Brought to you by http://www.promote-101.com/

This is just from my random notes from the ECommerce Summit. Videos are something I've been thinking about doing.... I just need to get a decent idea of WHAT I want the video to "say & do".

Videos are a HUGE way to promote your site! Not only Youtube but there are a bunch out there. So.... here are some notes.

First... this Company will optimize & do video productions. http://www.opv1stpage.com/
Now THEY CHARGE.... have no clue how much, but just wanted to throw that site in. I want to work on doing my own & then see just how bad mine are at first

OK.... Now random notes:

OWNER should star in the video. Makes it more personal & comfortable than some "bikini clad model" Unless you are shooting a Car Wash product. LOL.

FUNNY & HOW TO videos are the largest viewed.

You can use www.tubemogul.com to upload your video to all the video sharing sites.

Must use the right Tags & keywords.... Videos pick up well in Regular Google & other searches AND Google has a separate video search as well.

Use an editing software... Moviemaker is a good one & free. You will have to look how to download... I see a copy for XP... not sure about windows 7. Should be the same.

Have a logo ready to add to your entire video... with your website addy.
see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeJcDBlQiCE

2-5 minutes max if possible. & "a call to action at the end of every video." (you know... "but wait... order now Blah blah blah")

SHOOTING TIPS:
1: HAVE A GOOD STORYLINE... write out the script
2: Be prepared.... have scripts & demo ready.
3: Have 2 people. One in front of camera & 1 behind.
4: Lighting... have 2 lights... 1 on each side of camera & be about 6 to 7 feet away. Make sure "actor has some depth behind them. Don't shoot with the actor flat up against a wall. OUTSIDE on a nice day is the best for shooting if you can.
5: TEST AUDIO. Nothing more irratating than having to stick your ear directly on a speaker to hear anything.
6: Shoot the video twice using 2 different shots. Ex: 1 from front & 1 from side OR one from waist up & another from chest up. You can edit mush better with extra shots.

Now that you have your videos..... submit them & embed them in your site, blog or squidoo lenses.

Need more Traffic to your WEBSITE but don't have time?

Do you need to promote your site but just don't have the time to post blogs... twitters... forums?
I can do that FOR YOU!!!
Basic package: each month: 30 blogs (1 per day) to a blog on Google Blogspot with keyword links, 150 Tweets on Twitter with links(5 per day) & 1 post per week on up to 2 forums that you belong to that allows a promotion section. Cost: $400

Added to the above: If you need a blog set up on Google & Twitter account set up... for an additional $100 (1 time flat fee), I will set them up... email you the login & password Info. I will also try to get as many followers as I can in that first month. You can send your company logo for me to add to your Blog as well.

Need a logo for your blog or website? $50 & we can design one for you. (1 change included after you send us your idea or theme)

My credentials: I have 28 websites & stores online.... 5 twitter accounts, 6 blogs, 6 Squidoo lenses & belong to several forums.
EX: twitter - @petsadored or @kjscreations or @bgtogether
blogs: http://www.petsadored.blogspot.com or http://www.apronmadness.blogspot.com

I DO NOT Spam.... I handwrite each blog & twitter to be interesting. I may retweet relevent info & tweet a new blog entry.

So you can take us "for a ride" for 1 month & if you want to do it again for another month.... just let us know.
I take paypal or credit card info over phone... After you email us at kjscreations@comcast.net include an email or phone & I will contact you with the info I need to get you started.

FREE Matching Gift with ANY ORDER!

Do you need to promote your store?

Order any item from Promote & add your LOGO. With ANY order (1 or 1000)... you will receive a MATCHING free gift! Hand out to clients or be a walking billboard!

Limited time offer. 1 week (2/26 thru 3/6) So hurry & order your promotional products.

● Hats ● Watches ● Totebags ● Earrings ● Buttons ● Magnets ● Ornaments ● Clocks ● Mousepads ● Mugs & More!

Sell YOUR designs on Zazzle... we will set it up

Earning money & not having to deal with Customers.... payments... questions, returns or shipping is the perfect way to raise money as a fundraiser OR extra income! Pet rescue, school, church or any organization fundraisers.

Zazzle is the place for that!
Don't have time or knowledge to set up your store? I will do that FOR you!

Zazzle has quality products & you earn 20% of any orders from your store.
AND YOU DO NOTHING! (except email me the info for set up & spend the royalties)

Here is how my program works:

* Cost: one time fee $150 for total store set up & up to 25 items added from 1 design.
* $25 per extra 25 items per extra design.
* I will email you for all the profile info I will need.
* You send me your logo & I will design a banner for your store.... add links to twitter & other website on your front page.
* You send your first design via email & I will create up to 25 items & post them.
* I will set it up for royalty payments to go to your Paypal. When royalty payments reach $25 or more... payments will go directly to you. You will also receive all sales info, etc. directly from Zazzle.

I will send you all the login info & it becomes YOUR STORE!
When you are ready to add additional designs on products.... THEN I will invoice you the $25 for each additional design.

Now Marketing & promoting is totally up to you. twitter... add to forums .... facebook ... wherever. So actually making money from sales will depend on your marketing efforts.

Here are some zazzle stores I have set up:

http://www.zazzle.com/petsadored

http://www.zazzle.com/kjscreations

http://www.zazzle.com/kjsweddingshop

http://www.zazzle.com/kjsinvitations

http://www.zazzle.com/blueskiesplusLLC


Email us for more information.... If you would like to get started, send us your paypal email & I will send an invoice. shelly@candybarwrap.com

Get your own store on Ecrater FOR FREE!!!

Are you planning on defecting from ebay when the next round of price increases take effect?

I don't blame you. All the listing fees... final value fees... payment fees.... 3rd party listing fees... do you REALLY make much money?

Get your store registered & built on ECRATER. They are the ONLY totally free marketplace on the web. (paypal & google checkout still has small fees though)

It is quick & easy to set up. Ecrater sends your store to Google base FOR you to keep your store ranking well in google products. You don't have to keep up with the, ever changing, "Google Rules". Ecrater is also one of the first 3 to become a Google Marketplace Partner.

But don't think if "You build it-they will come". You do have to promote your own store.

Being an active member in the Ecrater Forums will help you do that. It is a forum of all helpful sellers. Some New & some seasoned sellers, all ready to give a helping hand.

More background about the founder of ecrater.

Here are examples of a few stores on ecrater...

kjscreations

petsadored

pictureitstore

candybarwrappers

scratchoffgames

designertimeclocks

blueskies

bigtallmensclothing

and Many....Many more!

Ecrater is quickly becoming the fastest growing marketplace on the web & you can be a part of it!

WOW your customers with Free Gifts

Wow Them With Giveaways
Promotional marketing techniques that get buyers to spend money

by Janelle Elms - Sep 21, 2009

I'm unsure why people think that just handing me a business card is going to engage me enough to get me to part with my money. As a consumer, I have many choices; a lot of companies are trying to get me to buy from them and, at the moment, I'm less willing to hand over the dough.

So how can you change my mind and get my money? Don't be typical—stand out. Take me away from traditional thinking about what you're trying to sell me. Allow your enthusiasm and excitement about your product or service to wow me.

In recent articles, we looked at useful marketing gimmicks for promoting your business and how to more effectively use your business card to achieve your marketing goals. In this article, we'll cover tips for wowing customers with your giveaways and marketing materials (not to mention, getting them to spend money).

Be flexible with your marketing
I was recently at Creation Fest '09 out at the Gorge in Washington. It was a very beautiful venue but it was so hot and there was no shade. Vendors were having a hard time getting customers to come by their booths. I then saw a brilliant retailer come up with an idea to market their products. Out to the main walkway of this outdoor event went two employees, each wearing a T-shirt with the business' Web site on it.

The vendor empowered these employees with two things that made this on-the-spot marketing opportunity a success: postcards containing product information and a water soaker/sprayer. People were flocking to get sprayed by the cooling water—and they weren't walking away without first getting one of those postcards.

Make your promotion match your product
Not long ago, I ordered a variety of light-switch plates from various online artists. I opened the first one. There was the light-switch plate I ordered wrapped in bubble wrap—that was it. The second one came in an envelope and included one of the free Vista Print business cards. For some reason the business card was about the artist's jewelry business. Even if I had kept her business card, I would have never connected her again with light-switch plates.

The third light-switch plate wasn't wrapped any differently, but the package did include another great product: This seller had thrown in a promotional item advertising their business name, e-mail address and Web site. It wasn't a business card or postcard; it was a mini screwdriver. Exactly what I needed to put up my new light-switch plate!

“Every time I use that screwdriver, I'm reminded of the great product I received from that seller”

It was such a delightful surprise. I, of course, saved it. Every time I pull that screwdriver out of the drawer to use it, I smile a little at the unique idea, and I'm reminded of the great product I received from that seller.

Be willing to do what it takes
I was walking through the local mall when I encountered a rather tall man, completely covered in bright-colored Post-it notes. People were gathering around him to find out what he was doing and what he was handing out. Curiosity didn't kill the cat, but it sure drove these potential customers crazy. They couldn't wait to find out what he was "selling"—neither could I. Upon a closer inspection, he was promoting an online reminder service. Brilliant! And he made sure that the hoards flocking to him all left with information about the company.

Be aggressive with your marketing
Grannie Annie from Hawaii doesn't let anything stand in the way of making sure you know about her products. Besides being one of the most insightful businesswomen I know, at 72 years old, she's also rocking the marketing part of her business. Check out the scooter (pictured, right) she travels to events with.

There's no empty space—the whole thing is covered in marketing messages. And her basket contains a marketing arsenal of business cards, postcards and samples she hands out to literally everyone in her path. Her marketing is focused with one simple pitch: Go to her eBay Store at

www.Grannie-Annie.com.

Use your tools in new ways
One of my favorite things to do is walk down Fifth Avenue in New York and window-shop, especially during the weeks following Thanksgiving. Everyone has such incredible window displays that just stun me. But that's all they ever did. They never inspired me to actually go in and buy items.

Then there was the window that got it. Inside was yet another incredible display with a fabulous outfit. But on the outside of the window was painted information about the clothing, the Web site link where you could purchase it, and a request to join the online group and talk about what you thought of the outfit.

The retailer was not only giving people an opportunity to spend money (especially outside of store hours), but they were also creating an active community that would participate in future promotions and purchases.

Align your marketing to the world of your buyer
The opera world is struggling with an aging audience and no upcoming customer base of 20 to 30 year olds. The opera establishment realizes it not only needs this age group to grow into the traditional opera audience; it also realizes this age group has more disposable income than any has in the past, and could help financially support this art world.

“None of these ideas took a lot of money, just a bit of creativity and thought about who the customers are”

Speight Jenkins, director of the Seattle Opera, is over 70 years old, yet this summer he announced a contest called "Confessions of a First-time Opera Goer." The rules were simple: Send in a video test of your announcer skills and say why you should have a behind the scenes sneak peak at the opera world. These videos were posted and voted on. Genius.

The Seattle Opera did very little work. The customers they were seeking did all of the marketing, using a medium they're very familiar with. These video links were, of course, sent to the family and friends of the entrants, engaging possible additional customers. And since they were done by people who didn't know about opera, the videos allowed others to let their guards down toward this usually pretentious event. Seattle Opera now has a younger, hip spokeswoman working for free, and creating a lot of powerful viral marketing press. The promotion continues with the winner doing video updates on her adventures in the opera house.

As you can see, for the most part, none of these ideas took a lot of money, just a bit of creativity and thought about who the customers are. Do I use business cards and postcards in my business? Yes, but they definitely don't look like the traditional versions of these. I also have bright-orange Rock Star graphics on the back of my car with my Web site and the phrase, "Choose Success. Are you ready to be a Rock Star?" People stop me all the time and ask about my business.

With my other business, Mermaid Caramels, I have an easy and simple way to do my marketing: I hand out samples. The soft sea-salt caramel is put into a small plastic envelope along with the business card that includes the Web site address. It's then sealed with a Mermaid Caramels sticker. The teal and brown branding is very visible, my call to action is included and most important, as soon as they taste the product, I know I will have an order coming. The total marketing package only costs about 6 cents more than just handing out the business card!

So how can you think different about your products, service and business today? What does your customer's world look like, and how can you be part of that in order to attract them?

A Unique business card / coupon... Scratch Off Tickets with your company info & let your customers "scratch" for a discount!

All my saved Twitter tools & articles

There are a TON of great tools to use for your twitter account.

I thought I'd list all my saved links for both tools and articles that are in my Fav. files.


http://www.copyblogger.com/grow-business-twitter/

http://tinyurl.com/

http://www.socialoomph.com/ (was tweetlater)

http://www.tweetcube.com/

http://wefollow.com/

http://www.bloggingtips.com/2009/08/08/6-twitter-directories-to-add-yourself-to/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10199077-2.html

http://mashable.com/2007/09/06/widgets-2/

http://pelfusion.com/freebies/365-free-best-twitter-icons-and-buttons/

http://www.free-twitter-apps.com/apps/AutoTweets/

http://www.bigtweet.com/features.html

http://www.free4twitters.com/gallery.php?id=C9B0_49F4D75B

http://www.free-twitter-apps.com/freeapps/UpdateBoxScript/

http://www.webresourcesdepot.com/free-twitter-backgrounds-26-sites-to-get-them/

http://kylegraham.tv/video02.php

http://twitclicks.com/blog/2008/12/12/introducing-twitclicks-track-the-urls-you-share-on-twitter/

http://www.free-twitter-apps.com/apps/MassFollowScript/

http://pocketsapp.com/

http://www.splitweet.com/

http://tellafriend.socialtwist.com/

http://tweeba.com/about/listings/

http://tweetburner.com/

http://rt2buy.com/rt2buy

http://twittercism.com/twitter-101/

http://www.free-twitter-apps.com/freeapps/TwitterButtons/

http://www.free-twitter-apps.com/apps/TweetMatch/

http://www.free-twitter-apps.com/freeapps/TwitterSignatureGenerator/

http://twitterfeed.com/

http://mashable.com/2008/05/24/14-more-twitter-tools/

http://blog.2createawebsite.com/2009/06/15/my-6-twitter-lessons/

http://dossy.org/twitter/karma/ (need to use a browser OTHER than IE)

http://twitpic.com/

Google Docs for Business Partnerships

With forums... groups...boards etc. alot of "like minded" people meet. The internet has made us all "neighbors".

Having a web biz all by yourself can be really hectic so many people have partnered up & split the duties along with the profits.

Along with my personal bizes... I have a biz partner for a bunch of others. Now... we just live across town, however biz partners can live on different ends of the country with all the tools available.

Phones... IMs ... emails are just a few but a REALLY GREAT tool to communicate with a biz partner is Google Docs.

We use this for lists of sites... twitters...squidoo lenses ... blogs.... since I take care of the "social part"... I set up the list with all the logins (just in case I am "abducted by aliens")... and my biz partner has access to all that info.

Another Doc spreadsheet keeps track of orders that I have to get made & shipped. For our earrings...my biz partner takes care of emails & orders.... puts them on the spreadsheet. Then I go to the spreadsheet... make the earrings, do the shipping & highlight & date the ones that are out the door.

We set up an LLC & all paypal & bank accounts are in our biz name so we both have access to everything. If you do ever get together in a partnership... make sure everything is in writing & everything is available to both partners. Have "duties" separated in writing & never "assume".

So with all the great tools out there, partnerships can be a great way to set up bizes!