iTechSpeak :::...

Did you know Twitter engagement rates are higher on Saturday and Sunday? Below is an excellent infographic provided by Linchpin SEO, which provides the clues needed to crack the mystery of how to really engage people on Twitter.  

As I mention to my clients, having a social media presence is not enough. Converting social media presence into "influence" is the challenge. Social media Influence is what really translates into sales leads or referrals for sales conversions.

People do business with people they know, like and trust.  The hard question is how do we get Social media to emulate this basic human interaction. Engaging conversations with people, which makes those people share your value with others.

The question I suggest my clients ask themselves [as they look at each social media platform] is "Are we selling something or sharing something of value?" Sharing value is what people tune in to and VALUE is what people share.

The Linchpin SEO does an excellent job of teaching how, when and why engaging people builds personal and business brands.



Twitter Cheat Sheet , an infographic by Linchpin Infographic Design

• Not having a compelling statement in the "Subject" that makes someone want to open your email.  Hi, hello and hey says nothing to the reader and may even trigger spam filtering, causing your email never to be read. Forbes writer, Kern Lewis's article How To Write A Compelling E-Mail Subject Line covers how to create a sense of urgency.  Also check out 5 Tips for Writing Subject Lines that Will Get Your Emails Opened from Constant Contact.
• Not changing the "Subject" line when the email topic changes.  People can easily think they already read your email, because it has the same topic as a previous email you sent or they sent. Now your new topic gets deleted, without being read. Bye bye to that totally awesome idea you had.
• Using email to initiate a series of back and forth conversation volleys, when a single phone call is more expeditious.
• Introducing new topics in the email "Body", which are unrelated to the topic in the "Subject". 
• Using email as a word processor for lengthy sharing of information. Keep emails short and to the point.
• Bad timing on business email sends. Since business people constantly receive email, Saturday or Sunday may not be the best time to send emails.  By Monday, your email could be pushed so far down and out of sight by the 50-100 emails delivered after your email.  Just because you send an email during the weekend does not mean other people read emails during the weekend. Everyone has different work habits.  Send email when you know there is a good chance a person is in their office AND cleared out their "Inbox".
• Not paying attention to geographic time zones.  Consider your reader's local time zone, when timing an email send. Your email sent at 9AM might be 9PM to your email reader. Better to write an email in draft mode. Then send the email during your reader's local business hours
• Sending email to people in different cultural work environments. Again, consider timing email sends mentioned above. In many Spanish speaking countries, work stops at 2PM and resumes at 4PM.  In Europe, weekends are definitely considered mini holidays. Relaxing and spending time with family is a priority on weekends, especially in France.
• Disregarding country holidays. Keep a world holiday calendar handy.  Time email sends accordingly, to increase the chances of your email being opened and read.

You can tell quite a bit about a person from their email address. Email address name and case lettering may provide clues as to the type of person you will engage. If you think hiring managers, executives, recruiters and business professionals don't pay attention to email addresses, think again. Are you willing to take that risk with the competition in the job market being so fierce?

Your email address should answer the question "Am I committed to presenting a positive professional appearance, while marketing myself and my company?"

Sybil.Krill@anydomain.com is serious about her career or business. She provides an email address that presents a professional posture. A balanced amount of confidence is displayed in capitalizing the 1st letter of each part of her name. She is branding herself, because her email address reflects the same name she uses in her every day life, on her resume, business cards etc..

danny.krantos@anydomain.com almost achieves the same goal as Sybil.Krill@anydomain.com above. He may lack confidence, because the 1st letter in his first and last name is lower case.

bubbalicious@anydomain.com wants to be anonymous, whiling complaining about people not recognizing them or not responding back to their emails. Maybe they are also wondering why they are not getting calls for interviews or business meetings to present their services. This person is definitely not serious about their career or business posture. Cryptic email addresses beg for a response of "I'll get back to you, maybe".

MICHELLE.ARILLY@anydomain.com may love herself a little too much. Having confidence is one thing, but let's not go overboard. Following Internet and instant message rules, all UPPER CASE lettering is perceived as shouting. Is this person going to be high maintenance in the "attention" department?

Gary.Friptal@MyCompanyDomain.com provides the same professional posture as Sybil.Krill@anydomain.com, whiling adding that extra branding touch. Their name is branded and so is their company. Like a commercial, both are tied together. When people see the company name they think of that person. When people see the person's name there is an instant association with that company.

Amy@MyCompanyDomain.com is professional but is it memorable? If you are the only Amy in your company, that might work for a while. What happens, if you leave the company? Amy.G.Winstrom@MyCompanyDomainName.com works better. If you change companies, your personal name brand recognition still goes with you.

A single name works best, if you purchase a "vanity" domain that contains your first and last name (i.e.Amy@AmyWinstrom.com). Now you're cooking with branding gas.This can follow you no matter where your business travels take you.

If you're short on time, you can view a quick video on this topic.

Many people use Google Alerts as a automated tool for acquiring news stories and doing research on various topics. You can even use Google Alerts to search for job or business opportunities. Place 2 to 3 words within "quotes" for each alert. Then you automatically receive an email with results found anywhere on the Internet. You can use Google Alerts to track how your company fares in the public eye or keep up with friends, family and associates. Just create an alert with their name in quotes.

Former New York City Mayor Koch endeared himself to people with his famous line "How am I doing?". That's a question you can and should answer about yourself, using Google Alerts. What do hiring managers, human resource professionals, recruiters or business associates see when they type your name into Google or any search engine?

By creating different Google Alerts with different variations of your name spelling, you receive feedback on what type of information people are viewing about you. This also provides intelligence on whether you should make adjustments to profiles you may have on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or articles mentioning you or your company name etc.. Oh did you think that information about you was private? Think again.

Your web presence should reflect the name you use on your resume or bio. Google Alert intelligence is also valuable, if you have a similar name to someone else. Talk about a case of mistaken identity, if that person has a less than acceptable Internet web presence. Consider making your name more unique by adding a middle initial, generation qualifier or certification distinction (i.e. Al Q. Brown - Jim Smith, III - C. E. Reid, CSI).

Related article: "5 Quick Ways to Grow your Internet Web Presence"

Find Out What Others Are Saying About Your Business

by Bruce Newman

Affiliate marketing is usually defined as the reward for each customer brought to a target website; in short, an Internet-based marketing method of driving traffic to a particular site. To clarify this further, let’s say I’m an affiliate for a website that sells pet products. For each customer who I bring to that website, I will receive some reward – usually money. (This may also require that they purchase at least one item.)

Is it worth my while?
The answer is both yes and no. It depends on the terms of the affiliate agreement and the amount of effort you are willing to expend. If it was so easy for these companies to just bring in business, they wouldn’t need an affiliate program. However, every company knows that generating new business is hard; it’s expensive, time consuming, exhausting and a slow process. They have calculated that it helps to have an unpaid (or minimally paid) sales force providing them with leads (and customers). The question for you to determine is, “Are the rewards worth my effort?”.

What is required from me?
Sometimes being an affiliate can initially be very easy and profitable. If you have a network of friends with a need for the affiliate product or service that you represent – such as pet supplies, you can easily make a few dollars. But what happens then? What is required for you to continue to provide new customers? And, how will you do it? These are questions you must be able to answer before becoming an affiliate of any program.

How much money can I make?
You can make a lot of money as an affiliate, particularly if you are an affiliate member for several websites and have an effective operating strategy. Having a solid networking tree is also quite helpful. Unfortunately, few affiliates fall into this category. Some affiliates enjoy a solid secondary income stream. However, most affiliates make little to no money, usually because of a lack of effort or difficulties with the company they are an affiliate for. We will discuss this further in another article.

Why become an affiliate?
Being an affiliate can supply you with a secondary source of income. Even if you are employed in a job, an affiliate income can make a significant difference in your total income. Possibly, as you continue to refine your strategies and affiliate agreements, it can even become a primary source of income. In any case, it requires work on your part. Just remember, money won’t come rolling in once you sign up as an affiliate without your effort.

Next week, we will discuss how to select an affiliate program(s) from the many programs currently available.

Bruce Newman is a long-term ETP Network member and Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC which matches the specific software products and services needs of companies to rated outstanding consultants who can meet those needs. It has an extensive and well-supported affiliate program that offers up to $225 for each company that registered by an affiliate which signs a contract with one of its referred consultants. Additional product and service information is available at: http://www.prodinst.com

Video Affiliate Marketing Part 1