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.

Just what is a blog & how can I market my site with one?

Just what is a blog??
From wikipedia:
"A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual[citation needed], with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting), which are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, one which consists of blogs with very short posts. As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112 million blogs.[1] With the advent of video blogging, the word blog has taken on an even looser meaning — that of any bit of media wherein the subject expresses his opinion or simply talks about something."

Blogs can be used for anything you like. I have several for different purposes. You can use it as a simple journal .... marketing ..... recipes .... selling... photos ... music....

My daughter has one for her stories (she loves writing)
I get digital scrapbook graphics from many blogs.
But the biggest advantage to blogs is writing about information & good content that relates to your business.
for my candy bar wrapper site .... I have a link to a party planning & Idea blog. It is linked right on my menu. That blog has party decorating, recipe, games & other great tips for different theme parties.

Alway put alot of keywords & hyperlinks to your site. Also link other relavent sites in your blog also.
Link INTO your blog from your websites.

Blogs are picked up very well by search engines like Yahoo, Google & MSN.

Content on your blog must be updated quite a bit to stay on the top search pages though.
First month or so... blog at LEAST every other day, if not every day. Then once or twice a week is fine.
Now ... do you need to sit & write EACH day?.... NO.
Here are 2 things you can do.

#1: sit 1 day & type up a weeks worth of blogs on notepad or MSword. Then copy & paste into your blog, 1 each day.

#2: Here at Blogger (maybe wordpress has it too) you can use the "post options" & schedule your blogs to post whenever you want.

I use this feature alot, especially if I know I'll be gone for a few days.

There are plenty of blog sites ... I like http://www.wordpress.com/ & google Blogger, since they are the easiest. If you have or use other sites like myspace, auctiva & many more.... advertise your products on those blogs as well. Can't hurt.

Blogs are a great tool to market your site so have as many as you have time for!