Syndicating Your Content
Show Notes: January 3, 2011

Building your business brand should be one of the main goals you have for your social media marketing plan. What this means is using syndication to place your content on the internet as an extension of your brand, and it’s message. So let’s talk about your social media hub.

The Center of Your Hub – Your Website or Blog

Of course, you know that I advocate your website actually be a WordPress blog, and I can put you into a fully functioning wordpress blog for only $10 a month….but I digress

Your website and blog are the center of your social media hub. This is where you sell your products or services on the web. It’s your online representation of you and your business. People visit your blog, you talk to them through your posts, and or content, and they decide to buy from you because you’ve established a rapport with them.

Your Hub’s Spokes

Think of these as spokes on a wheel, where your blog is the center of the wheel and the spokes are those places where you go and create a second presence, another place where people can find you. This is where social media comes in. Each social media network you join is another place for you to meet new people and connect with friends and clients. Each network is an opportunity for you to build a community. You’re probably using some of them now, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Plaxo, and others.

Once you’ve created your profiles at your social networking sites, here are some strategies to consider:

1. Build and nurture relationships. When you’re spending time on your social networks, think about ways in which you can build relationships. This can be furthering relationships you’ve already established or forming new. For instance, when I have a new friend on Facebook, I put them into a list so I can look for them frequently, and easily, to see what they are talking about. As often as possible I try to join a conversation they have started, by adding a comment or sharing their information. Don’t underestimate the power of sharing your friend’s links, comments, etc. It’s a tremendous goodwill builder.I use my personal Facebook profile as a way to nurture my existing relationships as well as build new ones. Think of it as expanding your reach.
2. Syndicate your content. Once you have a blog up and running, you’ll want import it into Facebook with the Networked Blogs app so that you can immediately send new blog posts to Facebook. This allows new friends on Facebook to see your post, and click over to your blog to find out more about you. It’s also a social community itself. You can find and follow blogs through Networked Blogs that extend your online community.
3. Make new friends. I add friends in Facebook who I have never met. I may see something they said to one of my friends, or pulled them up through a search that intrigued me, so I send a friend request. When you do invite them to be a friend, make sure to add a personal message letting them know why you’re sending them a friend request. Again, having a common interest or two really helps break the ice. To expand your community, you need to feel comfortable reaching out to new people. Remember that common interests help us form those online relationships a bit easier. You never know who your online friends know. It’s expanding your sphere of influence.
4. Show who you are. Transparency is key to your social media strategy. Keeping in mind that all you post on the internet, stays on the internet, show a little personality in your interactions with others online. Don’t be afraid to talk about your interests, the stories that illustrate your point in a blog post.
5. Share info you think your friends would be interested in. You shouldn’t be broadcasting your marketing message 24/7. Sharing is one of the most expedient ways to create solid relationships. Be seen as someone who thinks of others.

Those are some tips on creating a hub for your social media using your blog’s rss feed to deliver your blog posts to your social networking sites and how you can create and build profitable relationships online.

What do you think? Let me know by commenting!

WordPress Mastery, 101

Nov 3, 2010 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT
Nov 10, 2010 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT
Nov 17, 2010 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT

I remember when I first discovered WordPress. I had been blogging since Feb. 2005 at Blogger.com. I had been attending online expos at the time and, in January 2007 learned about WordPress and self hosted sites.

I programmed my first blog, moving North San Diego Business to a self hosted blog. Through the years I’ve chosen to focus just on WordPress blogs. To me it’s the heart of my content syndication strategies.

However, I’m sensitive to the budget issues facing the small business community and have found a WordPress blog service, Free Blog Factory. They fill a great need in having a self hosted blog, but not having the budget to have the blog custom designed and built.

Free Blog Factory is hosting a free webinar tonight, November 3, 2010, then again November 10th and 17th entitled WordPress Mastery, 101 to show you how easy it is to use WordPress as your website. If you have time, sign up and check it out.

If you check it out, let me know what you think? Is it a service that might benefit you?

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Join Social Spin CEO Bradley Will and co-founder Russell Yermal as they bring you 60 minutes packed of top-notch Social Media Training.

+++++5 Part Formula to Build a Better Blog+++++
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT or
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT

This webinar will give you the 5-part secret formula to building a blog with more traffic, better content and making you more money!

We will also give you first glimpse at our brand new Blogging Starter Kit which teaches any newbie on how to dominate online with their blog. This is the answer to solopreneurs who want a self hosted WordPress blog, but don’t have the budget to have the blog custom programmed. You can test drive the blog for FREE for the first 30 days.

On Wednesday, May 19, 2010 from 4pm to 6pm Pacific Time you can learn how to create, and use, a WordPress.com blog.

If you want to really start getting your message out to the world, blogging is the tool you need. It’s the beginning of leveraging your content, world wide! It also minimizes the time you need to invest in social media, helping you work more efficiently.

With a blog you can increase your online visibility and elevate your credibility. Now is the time to start blogging! Plus it drives search engine traffic to your website.

In this online webinar, you’ll work with me learning:

• What is a post
• What is a page
• What is the sidebar
• What is the content area

Dashboard Orientation

• What are the settings and what do they mean

How To Create and Manage A Post/Page

• Adding Images So your blog will also be visually appealing
• How to use the Timestamp
• Tags – what are they and how to use them
• Categories – what they are and how to use them
• Linking Strategies in Posts/Pages Linking keywords or phrases helps the search engine know what text is more important than other text
• Keyword Strategies

Managing Links, Categories and Comments

• Links – Creating them, managing them
• Managing Comments
• How to control them through the settings
• How you find out about comments on your blog
• How to determine whether you spam them or not
• What to do if you get a negative comment

Click Here To Register

Syndicate Your Content With Blogs

Syndicating Your Content
Show Notes: March 8, 2010

In today’s episode of Syndicating Your Content I talked about how to find content for your blog. Some of the points I made were,

• subscribing to blogs through Google’s Reader to keep you at the forefront of your niche
• other blogs posts can be shared, including a link back to the original post
• YouTube
• Re-purposing your old newsletter and article content (audio on Article Marketing)
• EzineArticles as a resource
• FireFox AddOn ScribeFire for posting on the fly