Google Me | Just Google Me

What About Me and Google

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I was with Dr Turner today and when we finished working on his Linkedin profile. I started to think, dangerous I know! Linkedin is a great way to “network” in a business like way on Social Media. Or should it be Business Media? I digress. Linkedin growth has been phenomenal in the last year or so. I seem to remember a tweet from the company itself announcing a 60 million memebrship in February 2010 and still growing. Somebody in Holland I believe – spooky maybe that is why they won the World Cup…….Oops ……… Just kidding Spain.

There are numerous reasons social media sites grow and I don’t claim to know them all; I do believe that a large growth contributor is open access to developer API’s (Application Programming Interface’s).

Now Thats funny because Google Buzz released an API in May 2010 and is continuing with updates. So….. what could be the thinking here………

You guessed it Google ME – no not the movie by Jim Killeen. No I mean GoogleMe the POTENTIAL Facebook killer.

Add to that Google is making Youtube users to connect their account to their Googleaccount. Has Facebook has finally awoken the Giant?

Google Personal Profile

There is no way of knowing Google’s exact plans, if you listen to them they don’t seem to know either. Who knows what benefits there maybe in the long run. I; for one though; am ramping up my Google presence. If Googleme appears. you can bet that the implications will be big, and it might make all of Google’s social properties more beneficial to businesses. YouTube is one of the most popular sites in the world. Add that to everyone else with a Google account. So its “me and Google” for now..

Time to Tweet on Twitter | What Now?

So many people I talk too are confused about Twitter; and sometimes me too! What can you really do with Twitter? Tweet real time news and information I know, and crikeyCNN and the BBC are on it so it must be good! Really; what the harried business owner wants to know is how do I make Twitter work for me? There really are limited hours in the day for tweeting. Well it can be successful.

What any business needs is a strategy to take the twitter efforts and turn them into real quantifiable results. If you are on twitter you understand already that unless you have a large following then it all seems pretty redundant. Getting a large following is an art in itself.

Firstly you need a solid Twitter foundation. Essential is a professional looking Twitter background. You can customize your background with a company feel. The benefits you provide and of course; most important a Call to Action (CTA). Your background is really like a website and should provide phone number and website address. Its okay to test a couple of backgrounds to see what works best.

I already here the groans…. not more work! It’s okay – there are time management tools and a number of ways to lighten the load. I recommend a few free tools to start: Ping.fm(post from anywhere to anywhere), SocialOomph.com (lots of useful tools) and of courseHootsuite (a social media dashboard). Remember taking an hour or so to program 50 tweets can save time in the long run. I guess by now you are understanding – “If you don’t work for Twitter; Twitter don’t work for you!”

So now you have started a strategy and measurement is critical, quite simply, if you don’t measure you don’t know what works. Previously mentioned Hootesuite provides the ability to measure results from your Twitter account and if you include Google Analyticsyou can measure:

1. Visits to your website
2. Average Time on site from Twitter Visitors
3. Number of page views by each visitor
4. % of first time visitors
5. TRACK CONVERSIONS this is where the money is better know.

Remember Twitter is in the “New Marketing” model of permission so being to salesy will not help. Give freely and engage. The secret of Twitter’s success is realizing that folks don’t want to use the Web for private conversations but public ones. Nearly 90% of Twitter users make their updates public, so everyone can read them.

It encourages other people to see what we are saying, its not about doing one-to-one e-mail or instant messages anymore. it is about communicating with one another in an open way. Twitter is about keeping in touch and making the world smaller.

If you would like to know more about how to drive your business with Twitter visit Best of Professionals.

Social Media | Does it work for Small Business?

Can small & medium sized businesses succeed in Social Media? The answer is yes; if there is a coherent SMO strategy and a consistent commitment of time. Social Media is all the rage; whether its Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or one of many others it is quickly (seemingly) becoming imperative to business survival. It has been called the most cost-effective and powerful way to market a company, web presence, or business on the internet. Yet with careful consideration it appears to be the ultimate conundrum as a marketing tool because by its very nature it conflicts with traditional marketing methods and goals. There is no point in taking your business into social media if all you want from it is too be able to say. “I have a Facebook account” at lunch with friends.

You should have a strategy that has actionable steps. Your business should develop Social Media work periods where (nominated) staff spends time implementing the strategy. Strategies will vary but ultimately the goal is to engage customers both new and existing in a frank and fun network. The more fun the more often you will eventually gain new customers.

Social Media does not replace your website. It is supplemental and can be used to promote your website;

Best of Professionals can provide information on how to successfully integrate a Social Media campaign into your business marketing strategy.