Every weekend I give you the tastiest treats from everything I’ve shared on Twitter and Facebook over the past week.

This is the content I’ve hand picked from across the Internet because I think it’s worth your quality time.

This week’s episode is all about the power of four. I give you four tips to simplify your social media marketing, four creative ways to generate leads on Twitter, and the four key components of a successful online marketing strategy.

You’ll also get 8 (4 x 2) ideas for Pinterest boards and 3 (4 – 1) Twitter tools you can start using today to track your metrics.

This is the reading material I’ll be soaking up this weekend. Enjoy!

Tackle Social Media Marketing with These 4 Tricks (Forbes)

Do social media scheduling tools put you in a tizz? Does the thought of posting to multiple networks leave you overcome with a feeling of dread? Get back to basics (and avoid third party social media apps) with these four time saving tricks. This barebones approach is a great way to streamline how you update your social networks.

4 Components of a Successful Internet Marketing Strategy (HubSpot)

There’s no such thing as SEO pixie dust. That’s one lesson you’ll walk away with after reading this article. Also, find out what bases you need to have covered to give your online business the best possible chance of success. It’s all here.

4 Creative Ways to Use Twitter to Generate Leads (Under 30 CEO)

We all know Twitter is teeming with potential customers, but how do you hook them up with your business? The answer is to use your imagination, and here are four ideas to get your mind ticking.

8 Pinterest Boards Worth Creating For Your Business (Entrepreneur.com)

Are you just starting out on Pinterest and wondering how it all works? Or maybe you’ve got to grips with the basics, and you’d like to know how to attract a wider audience. Find out the 8 Pinterest boards your business must have to pull in customers. (Bonus material: discover the best times to post on Pinterest to win followers and repins).

3 Twitter Analytics Tools That Work Well Together (Chatter Buzz)

Twitter is one of the few remaining social networks that doesn’t provide built-in analytics tools. To track the rise and fall of your follower numbers, how much you’re being retweeted, and how far and wide your tweets are being spread, take a look at these three tools recommended by Chatter Buzz. (Bonus tip: It’s also a good idea to track clicks. You can do this with bit.ly, Hootsuite or Buffer App).

In the News: LinkedIn now gives you the option of adding a visual portfolio to your profile – perfect for visual professionals such as photographers and designers. WIRED has the in depth coverage.

We all start blogging with the best of intentions.

The thinking goes a bit like this. Writing a short blog post once or twice a week won’t take much time. An hour or two at most, right? That small sacrifice seems worth it to have a way of expressing ourselves, and potentially of earning a bit of cash on the side. You’ve got endless ideas of what to write about. What could possibly go wrong?

To begin with, blogging is a breeze. Exactly as you imagined. You give your two hours a week, write your posts, publish them, and all is dandy.

Then you decide you’d actually like some readers. After that, the real work begins. And I don’t just mean the marketing.

Once readers start pouring in, you have stats to check, comments to moderate. You have SEO to manage. And life would be way easier if you learned some html, but who wants to do that?

You’ll likely discover your most popular posts are multimedia, so you’ll want to start finding images for every blog post, and learning how to make videos.

After a while, your wellspring of ideas gets a little murky. They’re not flowing so fast from your fingers. Everything feels stale.

Then one day the heavens fall in and your blog gets hacked. Having unspeakable images on the homepage of your family blog is heartbreaking. And it takes you a week of time you don’t have to get it fixed.

What went wrong?

You’re like a carpenter without a hammer, a plumber without a spanner, an electrician missing his “let’s see if this wire is live without creating sparks or making my hair frizzy” tool.

You’re two slices of bread short of a sandwich, my friend. A baker without flour, a pilot without a plane, a farmer without a tractor.

You need to free up time to focus on what really matters, and the reason you started blogging in the first place: writing awesome content. CLICK TO TWEET

How to do that? Where can you get all that time from?

By having the right tools.

Here’s what you need. We’ve got the software, web apps, WordPress Plugins and hacks that will make your blog happy again.

What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

Software Timesavers

Set up your computer system to cut through your blogging tasks like a ninja sword slashing virtual fruit.

1. Get a Razor-Sharp Focus on Creating Content (Block the Internet)

Maybe it’s a tough truth to swallow, but we bloggers often have a streak of narcissism running through our veins. Why would we putting ourselves out there online if we didn’t feel some egotism and pride?

While ambition can be healthy, it can also prove your downfall. I know I (David) love browsing through and admiring stuff I’ve written, instead of knuckling down and putting words on the page.

After I’ve delved through my entire online canon, there’s a ton of shiny things to distract me – it’s called the Internet. So much to read, and so little time. On every webpage there’s stuff that’s way more interesting to read than actually doing some writing.

Blocking the Internet for the time you’re writing kills two birds with one stone. It stops you admiring the content you’ve already created, and it prevents you from wasting time “researching”. Sure, you will need to do some research. But write your article first, then fill in the gaps of research afterwards. You’ll find you’re way more efficient that way.

Top tools for Internet Blocking: Freedom for Mac, Self Control for Windows, Mac or Linux, and Leechblock for Firefox.

2. Quit Messing Around With Formatting (And Just Write)

Writing a blog post might only take 20 or 30 minutes. But formatting headers, BOLD, italics and links takes forever. It’s even worse if you copy and paste your post from Microsoft Word, and you’re forced to undo all the damage Microsoft did to the html.

One solution is to learn how to write in html. However, stopping to write code every time you start a new paragraph isn’t my idea of fun. Plus, it’s all too easy to forget to close off your html tags.

Instead, there’s a far simpler language you can learn: Markdown. You can pick up markdown in a few minutes.

I promise, learn markdown, and you’ll never regret it. CLICK TO TWEET

Once you’ve learned the basics (or even before you’ve learned anything) there’s custom-built software available designed to make composing blog posts in markdown super simple.

When you’re done, the software converts the markdown to html, and you paste the html into WordPress. No more time wasted formatting, and no more messy coding. Just beautiful looking clean blog posts.

Top tools for Markdown: Mou, (Mac), MarkdownPad (Windows), Retext (Linux).

3. No More USB Cables (Have everything everywhere)

Do you work from more than one computer? Or do you have a Macbook, a smartphone and a tablet? Transferring files between devices by USB – whether by drive or cable – takes up valuable time, especially when you inadvertantly lose a file, or accidently replace your latest masterpiece with a blank document.

If you don’t already, it’s time to start syncing through the cloud. In layman’s terms, that means everything you save on one computer (or device) will be on every computer you own. Sounds like some kind of wizardry, and it probably is, but it works.

Top tools for syncing: Our favorite is Dropbox (Multiplatform). Even better, with the WordPress Backup to Dropbox plugin, you can use Dropbox to keep your blog safe, even if it gets hack or gets lost in a server crash.

For Apple fanatics, iCloud does the cloud syncing for you, but there’s no WordPress plugin.

4. Collect Inspiration (and keep it close to hand)

The hardest part of writing is facing a blank screen. In the olden days, writers used to keep pen and a notepad in their pocket, and write a note to themselves anytime inspiration would strike. That way, when they sat down to write, they’d have an idea to get things moving.

Nowadays, nearly all of us carry a notetaking tool in our pockets. It’s called a smartphone. So start using yours to help you remember ideas you have while you’re day-dreaming at work, out shopping, or on the commute home.

The best note-taking apps now store notes in the cloud, so you can access them from anywhere. You write the note on your smartphone, and read it on your home computer.

You can also use these apps to take research notes direct from the web. Some even allow you to snap photos, or convert handwritten notes into a text document.

Top tools for notetaking: Evernote is the mother of all notetakers. It stores text notes, handwritten notes, images, audio clips and other files. What’s more, you’re given an email address to email notes to yourself. Notes can be organized into notebooks and tagged.

Evernote is great because it also includes a web clipper for grabbing research notes from the Internet.

For those who prefer a bare bones approach to notetaking, there’s Simplenote. Notes are text only, so they sync fast. It’s also less resource intensive on your computer or smartphone.

WordPress Insider Hacks

Optimize your WordPress set-up to make writing posts as simple as sending an email or pressing a bookmark button in your browser.

5. Write Your Posts in GMail (or any mail client)

If markdown doesn’t appeal to you, an alternative is to write your posts as emails. This tip works well because, honestly, who doesn’t spend half their life buried in their email inbox?

Because we write emails all the time, writing an email often feels less intimidating than writing a blog post. It’s a way to overcome writer’s block by tricking your mind into getting words onto the page. CLICK TO TWEET

In the WordPress dashboard, head over to Settings>Writing to get Post via e-mail set up. You’ll also have to set up a top-secret email account. And seriously, keep it secret, because anyone who has access to that email address can write posts on your blog.

6. Set Your Default Categories

Do most of your posts go in the same category? Save yourself time fiddling with the categories by selecting the category you always use as the Default Post Category. Do this from the WordPress dashboard in Settings>Writing. Sure, it’s only a few seconds you’ll save for each post, but every second counts.

7. Grab Ideas While You’re Surfing

This tip’s not for everyone, but it works well if you get inspired by things you find online.

WordPress allows you to write blog posts direct from your web browser using a bookmarklet called “Press This”. When you find a picture, video or quote online that sets off your muse, you hit the bookmarklet and get writing.

Again, you’ll find this tool in Settings>Writing in the WP dashboard. From here, you can drag and drop the “Press This” button into your bookmarks bar. Why not give it a whirl and see how easy it makes posting new content?

Websites and Web Apps

These are magical places on the Internet that work in the opposite way to the rest of the cyberwebs. That is, instead of sucking up time, they help you save it.

8. Find Stunning Images for Free

Very few bloggers are professional photographers, but nearly every blog can benefit from professional images.

If you’ve got the cash to splash, then stock photos will give you thousands of fanastic photos at relatively low cost.

For bloggers on a tight budget, there’s creative commons images. These are donated by photographers and designers, and anyone can use them, even you! As long as you give credit to the photographer in your blog post, you can include their image.

The best tool for picking up free images is CC Search. Looking for illustrations? Take a look at Open Clip Art.

9. Automatically Post to Social Media

If you’re doing your social media marketing right, you should be sharing every post you write on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. But that takes away your valuable time when you could be writing.

Never fear, Twitter Feed is here!

Twitter Feed is a free tool that automatically shares all your new posts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Alternatively, if you want more control over your tweets, consider the WP to Twitter plugin, which gives you the option of setting up templates for tweets from your blog, or manually editing the tweets that go out to promote new blog posts, all from within WordPress.

(Ideally, you should update Google Plus too, but Google are a cagey with their API, so there’s no way to post on Google Plus except good old DIY.)

10. Do Your Social Networking In One Place

What about when you need to reply to tweets and Facebook comments, or post other updates?

Being active on social media has become a vital part of the successful blogger’s daily life, and it can be the biggest time zapper of all.

Instead of flitting between networks, and finding constant distractions at each of them, do it all from one dashboard. Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Buffer App, whatever. The key is to choose your poison, and stick with it.

WordPress Plugins

Most plugins seem to give you more stuff to do, not less.

Which plugins are the real deal when it comes to cutting down on wasted minutes? CLICK TO TWEET

11. Fight off the Spammers

Nowdays WordPress comes with the spam busting plugin Askimet installed by default. You must activate Askimet for it to work properly, so make sure you’ve done so.

However, even Askimet isn’t perfect, and spam will still get through. Who wants to waste time moderating spam? Spam busters, here we come.

Math Comment Spam Protection makes sure everyone who comments on your blog is a genuine human being by asking them to do a simple Math quiz before they leave a comment.

Alternatively, consider using the Disqus Comment System. Disqus makes people log in using Facebook, Twitter, Google or Disqus before they can leave a comment. The login system creates an effective wall against spammers, so you can leave your comment moderation safely in Disqus’s hands.

12. Stop Creating Work For Yourself

Link building is vital for an optimized blog, and that includes internal links where you link one of your blog posts to another.

By default, when you set up an internal link, WordPress records a “Ping” that it will ask you to moderate. That’s a waste of time. Why moderate pings when you created them? You know you want them.

Instead of scrolling through your own pingbacks, and clicking to approve each one, you can tell WordPress to self-moderate internal pings. Do this with the No Self Pings plugin.

13. Optimize on the Fly

As well as promoting your blog through social media, you need to be sure you’re getting as much traffic as possible from search. Which means SEO, and SEO is a drag, right?

Not with WordPress SEO by Yoast. It’s amazing how much this does for a free plugin. Yoast gives you an SEO score for every post you publish, and tells you if you need to add your targeted keyword to the page title, post header, or in the meta of the post. It also gives you control over the meta title and description tags for each post.

14. Avoid Getting Hacked

If your WordPress blog has yet to be hacked, you’re one of the lucky ones. There are cyber brutes out there, right now, attempting to smash the lock of your blog and wreak havoc on your site. These bullies are automated, so if they come for you, it’s not personal, but it is a huge pain in the backside.

Restoring a hacked blog takes up time you don’t have, and it’s just not fun.

Muscle up your WordPress site and make it as strong as possible with Better WP Security. It guides you through the process of making your blog as secure as possible.

Bonus hint: Choose a secure password. Sounds like simple advice, but I bet at least half of you reading this will ignore it.

15. Turn Tweets Into Comments

Blogging is a conversation, and like all good conversation, there’s an art to it. CLICK TO TWEET

A skilled conversationalist knows how to pull in as many people as possible into the discussion, even if they’re on the margins.

The Social plugin from MailChimp sharpens the conversation on your blog with little extra effort on your part. Facebook replies and Tweets about your blog post are included beneath the blog post as part of the conversation. That way, you’re pulling more people into the discussion, and creating more value for anyone reading your blog. What’s not to like?

16. Keep Your Old Content Live and Kicking

You spend hours crafting each blog post, yet it seems like every post has a shelf life of only a few days. After that, it’s done, and we’ve all moved on.

Maybe you’ve seen some bloggers who tweet from their archives. Seems like a great idea, but wouldn’t it be time consuming to go back through everything you’ve written and make tweets from it?

It doesn’t have to be.

Using Tweet Old Post (inspiring name, huh?), you can set up an autotweeting schedule for your blog’s archive.

You choose which categories you want to tweet, throw a few hashtags into the mix to boost visilibity, and boom! Your old content is valuable again. CLICK TO TWEET

17. Fix Broken Links (Fast)

As a blogger, your reputation is what sustains you. So when a reader emails you to let you know there’s a broken link on your blog, your heart sinks. “How many other people have clicked the broken link and not bothered to get in touch?” It’s a good question. Yet browsing every single post for dead links will take a short eternity.

Get those links fixed with the Broken Link Checker. Does what it says on the tin.

18. Keep an Inventory of Ideas

Creativity often comes in bursts, and it’s usually while you’re writing one idea that your mind gets flooded with others.

If you prefer to keep your workflow within the WordPress dashboard, then Post Ideas is the perfect tool for you. Rather than having a never-ending list of drafts, it provides a way of prioritizing your ideas.

Then, when you sit down to write, you’ll know where to start work.

Related Reading

27 Time-Saving Tools and Tricks to Be a More Productive Marketer
HubSpot

7 Ways to Save Time Writing Your Blog Posts
Time Management Ninja

Are You Too Busy to Write? Seven Ways to Blog More Productively
Chris Garrett

Do You Know These Time Saving Blogging Tips?
ProBlogger

How to Write Blog Posts When You Just Don’t Have Time
Versio2

For More Tips + Tricks

• BloggingPro
  @blpro
  
  
• Chris Garrett
  @chrisgarrett

• Copyblogger
  @copyblogger
  
  
• ProBlogger
  @problogger
  
  
• Write to Done
  @writetodone

Over to You

What tools and tricks do you use to streamline your blogging time? Share your tips in the comments.

Like this? You can find more social media tips and tricks in the Social Caffeine Collection, a collection of 24 books on social media marketing.

You know your brand is underperforming on social media, but what can you do about it?

Take a look around.

It’s that time of year again. You have to fight to get a treadmill at your gym. Your local park has become a racetrack for runners. And everyone’s talking about the latest diet fad.

We’re all getting in shape for summer vacation.

This makes it the perfect time of year for getting your brand in shape, too. Make your business into a lean, mean fighting machine before your summer vacation, and you can rest easy, knowing your brand will be ready to run at full throttle when you return to work, giving you the best possible performance through the fall and festive season.

Set aside any downtime you have over the next couple of months to get your brand fighting fit. We’ve got the tips to get you started. Some are for beginners, who’ve yet to even dip their toes in social media. Some are for intermediates, who need to bump up their game. And some are for experts, who only need a few small tweaks to be the leaders in their niche.

Let’s get your brand in shape!

Beginner Tips & Warm Ups

Take a deep breath. The first step is always the hardest.

1. Sign Up for Twitter and Facebook

Around 90% of readers are rolling their eyes right now. I know, I know, everyone’s on Twitter and Facebook, right?

You’d be surprised.

If you’re still procrastinating about getting started on social media, today is the day to start. You’ve got the know-how to read this web page, which means you’ve got it in you to use social media.

Seriously, if you can write emails, you can tweet.

The research is clear: if you engage with your customers on social media, they’ll be more loyal to your brand, and more likely to buy your products or services. What are you waiting for?

2. Set Up a Company Blog

I spend a lot of time with small business owners. They’re not dinosaurs, they’ve got a website, perhaps even an eCommerce store.

But when I ask them about their blog, they look confused and dazed. I might as well have asked how much of their market share comes from Mars.

“Now, I’ve heard of Twitter,” they say. “But what’s a blog?”

Here’s a simple statistic, and if this doesn’t get you straight over to Google to find out what a blog is, and how to set one up (I promise, it’s really simple), then nothing will.

Business to consumer (B2C) companies who blog generate 88% more leads compared to those who don’t. CLICK TO TWEET

That figure is 67% for B2B companies. (Stats here).

3. Decide Your Niche

Want to pick a fight you’re guaranteed to lose? Take on Amazon at their own game. Decide you’ll sell everything from ebooks to movies to toilet paper. Because selling everything means you’ll get richer faster.

No, selling everything means you’ll be trapped with a behemoth bank loan for all the stock you’ve bought, and no customers.

To sell online, you must choose a niche. If you want to expand later, you can, but for now, you must choose one product type or service, and be the best (or only) provider in that niche.

Choosing a niche ensures a steady flow of customers to your door.

Even Amazon started with a niche of sorts. It was an online bookstore, and grew from there.

Google started as a search engine. Now it has its own cell phone and tablet range.

Apple started making computers. Now you can buy books, music, games and movies from them.

Start with a niche. It’s the only path to success.

4. Post Daily Updates

So you’ve signed up for Twitter and Facebook. Now what?

You’re ready to start engaging, that’s what!

Get into the habit of sharing on every social network at least once a day, and blogging at least once a week. The more you share, the quicker your audience will grow.

Daily updates are perfect for Facebook. On Twitter, you eventually want to aim for hourly updates. That said, daily is far better than nothing, and the perfect place to start.

5. Find Your Brand Voice

Every brand has a personality. Zappos is friendly and approachable. Most banks are trustworthy, corporate, and distant. Apple is youthful and creative. Microsoft is conformative and slightly boring.

The good news is, brands get to influence their personality. Your brand is partly about how your customers perceive you, and partly about your products.

But it’s also about how you portray yourself.

On social media – which is where you talk to your customers – you portray your personality through your brand’s voice.

That means thinking about how you talk to your customers. Do you want to come across as playful and fun? Or a good listener? Or a creative problem solver? Or someone who understands young people?

All this influences how you talk on social media.

When you’re posting to social media, don’t just type anything that comes into your head. Reshape what you want to say into the voice and personality of your brand. Over time, you’ll start to think like your brand, and talking in your brand’s voice will come naturally.

6. Get Up Close and Personal With the Big 5

Once you’ve got to grips with Facebook and Twitter, you’re ready to expand your social media reach. Start with the Big 5 of social media. On top of Twitter and Facebook, these are LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google Plus.

LinkedIn is the professional’s social network, and is the must join network for businesses selling to other businesses.

Pinterest is all about sharing images of desirable objects. If you sell a good-looking or fashionable product of any kind, it’s the place to be. Even more so if your target market is women, as Pinterest’s userbase is 80% female.

Google Plus is rapidly rising through the ranks, and is essential for all small businesses. Being on Google Plus will become increasingly important for your business’s rankings in Google Search.

7. Find Your Brand’s Niche Social Network

The Big 5 aren’t the only places your customers hang out online. Search across the web, and you’ll find social networks and forums dedicated to anything and everything, from pets to finance to cars to getting smarter faster. Chances are, there’s a network online right now where you’ll find low-hanging fruit you can pluck for your brand.

If there’s not a network around already that’s a good fit for your brand, it means one of two things. Either there’s not a market for your idea and products (Hint: are you selling anything? Have you done any market research?), or you’re in a blue ocean, and you can lead the way by setting up your own social network.

Of course, you don’t have unlimited resources, so you need to carefully target how you reach out.

8. Pick up Some Hashtags

Whether you’re new to social media, or you’ve been at this game for years, you can benefit from searching out the latest hashtags in your niche.

Hashtags are included in tweets to help others quickly find what they’re looking for. That includes finding your tweets, and your brand. Hashtags, therefore, boost your visibility.

To get started, take a look at our infographic of the best business hashtags. To dig up specific hashtags for your niche, visit hashtags.org and try out their handy search tool.

9. Get Your Brand Name on All Social Networks

Want to look professional on social media? Want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to find you, whether they’re looking on Facebook, Twitter or eBay?

Then make sure you have the same username for every social network. This consistency makes you easier to find, and it helps to build customer relationships and trust.

To quickly and easily find a handle you can use on all networks, head on over to NameChk. KnowEm offers the same service, and will even sign you up to every major social network with prices started at around $70.

Ideally, your username should be the same as your website and brand name.

10. Join a Twitter Chat

Or a LinkedIn Group. Or a Google Hangout. Or a Google Plus Community. The point is to get to grips with meeting people online and being social. At the other end of what’s said online is always a person. You’re meeting real people and making real connections, many of whom can convert into customers, or help your business in other ways.

Intermediate Tips & Training Runs

Now you’re starting to get serious, what can you do to keep your audience growing and engaged?

11. Monitor Your Stats

Social media users come in two varieties: those obsessed by metrics, and those who think “It’s social media, not numerical media”.

If you’re the stats obsessed type, you don’t need this tip. However, if you’re on social media “just to be social”, then you’re wasting business time and resources.

On any training regime, you’d monitor your fitness levels, your weight loss, your track times. Business is no different.

Social media is trackable. You can track traffic and conversions. You can see what works at engaging your audience, and what doesn’t.

Stop flying blind. Wipe those goggles clean and take a long hard look at the metrics. CLICK TO TWEET

You might not like what you see at first, but in the long term, you’ll be glad you did it.

12. Discover What Your Customers Really Think About You

This tip’s vital for businesses who’ve been running the grind for a while. If you’re the new kid on the block, you’ll have to be patient and wait awhile before you can do this.

Do you want to know what your customers are saying behind your back about your brand? Whether good or bad, bad ass or bemused, delighted or dumbfounded, you need to know. Only when you know what your customers really think of you can you start to put things right.

Go ahead and enter your brand’s name into the Twitter search bar (you can do the same on Google Plus if you want). What do you find?

13. Scout Out the Competition

Unless your niche is absurdly small you’ll have competitors and chances are, some of them are doing a great job on social media (equally, some of them will be doing terrible).

Want to know their secrets to success?

The beautiful thing about social media is that it takes no subterfuge, sabotage, blackmail or bribery to get insider information.

On social media, everyone’s strategy is out there, plain as day, for all to see.

All you need to do is look at what they’re doing.

You can learn from what others are doing right – and what they’re doing wrong. If anything they’re doing makes you cringe, you know you can do it better.

14. Inspire Your Customers

Everyone has dreams. Everyone. We all have things, people or places we long for. We all want to be special.

Whatever you sell, whether it’s plumbing or round-the-world trips, you’re helping people fulfill dreams. CLICK TO TWEET

At the same time, we all have difficult days when we wake up grumpy, or things just don’t go our way. When that happens, we need a pick me up.

Get together a set of inspirational quotes to share on social media. Mix them up with an image if you want to, but most importantly, share them. Your customers will love you for it, and you’ll generate fantastic buzz.

15. Find What Your Audience Wants

Social media provides a low-cost, easy way to hang out with your customers. Following customers, you get a wonderful insight into their day to day lives, including their hopes, fears, dreams and problems.

When you know the problems your customers face, and how they talk about their problems, you can position your product as the solution. What’s more, you can do this in the words your customers use, which is especially powerful.

16. Ask a Question

Need more insight into the wants and desires of your customers? Ask them.

In fact, ask them anything. Ask them how their day is going. Ask them what they had for breakfast. Ask them for tips and advice.

The more questions you ask on social media, the better. Questions encourage a response, and show that you’re open to conversation.

Research by Buddy Media found Facebook posts featuring a question have a 92% higher comment rate compared to posts without questions. What’s more, put your question at the end.

Posts ending with a question were twice as likely to receive comments, and had a 15% higher interaction rate compared to posts with questions in the middle. CLICK TO TWEET

Closed questions with a yes or no answer (or “Would you rather … or …?”) usually work best, as they’re easier to reply to.

17. Listen

After you’ve started asking your audience what they think, listen to what they tell you. Listening isn’t a passive thing. Listening means taking action.

When your customers give you feedback, and you nod along politely, then ignore it, that’s NOT listening.

Listening means you take action based on what they say.

Let’s say you’re a crafty person who knits up sweaters. The first sweater you sold (to your adoring Grandma, who wanted to support your entrepreneurial spirit) was a red one. Because of that, red is a color close to your heart. But on social media, again and again, your customers tell you they don’t like red. And, truth is, you’ve never sold a red anything since that first sale.

Stop being sentimental. Sure, make a red sweater for yourself if you want. But in your store, include what your customers want. This is about them, not you.

18. Set a Follower Goal

How many followers do you want? Write it down. If you’re just starting out, a good goal is 100 followers. If you’re at 100, then aim for 1,000.

Do everything you can to achieve that goal. Follow people you’d like to engage with. Talk to others as much as you can. Email everyone in your network and ask them to follow you. Share useful content.

(The only thing you must NEVER do is buy followers. Bought followers are usually bots, and reduce rather than increase engagement).

By setting yourself a goal, you’re more likely to engage on social media every day.

19. Try Disconnecting for a Day

This tip is counter-intuitive, but it’s what we’ve found works for us at Social Caffeine. If we’re becoming disillusioned with social media, or our creativity is drying up in lazy, aimless web surfing, then scheduling tweets and having a Digital Detox for 24 hours is the way to go.

See how much work you get done by being offline, even if you can only handle it for a few hours.

Advanced Tips & Running the Marathon

Ready to lead the pack? When you’ve established a steady following, you’re ready to stand out from the crowd and become the go-to person in your niche.

20. Practice Calls to Action

Do you feel like you’re being pushy or selling out if you ask other people to help you out? Then you need to swallow some humble pie, because asking people to help you is the quickest way to get things done. And people love to help!

Research by Dan Zarrella of Hubspot found asking for retweets with a simple “Please Retweet” at the end of tweets increased the retweet rate by four times. That’s a huge boost in visibility for your brand. CLICK TO TWEET

On Facebook, share thought provoking articles, or inspiring quotes, then ask people “leave a comment if you agree”.

Calls to action are the foundation of any solid marketing strategy. Put down your ego already and ask for a helping hand.

21. Connect With An Influencer

There are people out there with tens or hundreds of thousands of followers. They’re trusted experts in their field. If only they knew about your product, you’re sure they’d LOVE it and share it with their network.

It’s time you started connecting.

Sending them an instant message “Hey check out my product!” is not the way to do it. That’s a big turn off, and unless they’re in a really good mood, they’ll ignore you.

Instead, use a more subtle strategy. Start out by following them. Engage with them from time to time. Get on their radar.

If you do it right, they’ll be curious enough to check out your product for themselves. You might have to send out some hints, but that’s way better than forcing it on them.

22. Make a Video

Both Youtube and Cisco have predicted that within the next couple of years, 90% of web traffic will be from video.

I know, putting yourself in front of a camera feels daunting. But speaking face-to-face with your customers helps them feel like they know you. Video builds trust much faster than the written word ever can.

With cameras built into every smartphone, and simple video making tools such as Twitter Vine and Hangouts on Air available for anyone and everyone, making quality videos has never been easier.

Infographic from Socially Sorted

(Not sure about video? Consider starting a podcast, which can be just as good at creating relationships as video without the hassle of being on camera, though unlike video, it requires a regular commitment).

23. Run a Facebook Ad

Ads are a double-edged sword, which is why they’re an advanced tool. Get it right, and you hit jackpot. A constant stream of new customers and fans who spend way more than you laid out on the ad campaign. Get it wrong, and you’ll find yourself bleeding money.

That’s why you must be careful.

Only use ads when you’re sure your product is popular with customers, and when you have a strong understanding of your brand.

And once you’re rolling, even if they’re doing well, test, test, test. Every tweak that boosts click-through rates makes you more money.

24. Create a LinkedIn Group or Company Page

Want to keep your professional profile private on LinkedIn, but continue to pull in leads for your business? Then a company profile is the way to go. A company page allows you to connect with and send out updates to anyone who’s interested in what you do.

If you’d like to engage more widely around a topic related to your niche, then start a LinkedIn Group. Choose the right group name, write a good description, and make sure the discussions are lively, and you’ll have a place to meet potential customers and show off your expertise.

25. Host a Twitter Chat

When your Twitter following reaches a certain level – say a couple of thousand followers – it can be tricky to know what to do next. You know you can continue growing at a trickle, but you’d rather see your follower count explode.

A Twitter Chat is probably what you need. Arrange a time with a few of your followers to meet up each week. Choose a chat topic related to your niche, and for each chat, invite a different thought leader from your niche to share their wisdom. Pick a hashtag for your chat, too. Twitter Chats set you up as an expert, and provide opportunities to meet many different people. Week after week, you’ll find new people coming to your chat session, and your follower count skyrocketing.

26. Host a Google Hangout

As with Twitter Chats, you need a loyal tribe in place before you can host a successful hangout. But once your tribe’s there, it’s a way to grow fast, especially as you’re creating trust with a face-to-face meeting.

You can use Hangouts to do product demonstrations, tutorials, client surgeries, or Q&A sessions. As with Twitter Chats, you can invite experts to be interviewed.

To take it to the next level, broadcast your Hangouts live using Hangouts on Air. Then your conversation will go out on YouTube, and be saved there forever for anyone to find. Remember, the more content you create – including video – the more opportunities potential customers have to find you.

27. Guest Post on an A-list blog

There are few faster ways of establishing your authority than having your writing appear on the go-to blog in your niche.

The more guest posts you write, the quicker your name and face will be recognized, and the faster you’ll grow your social media fanbase.

(Tip: Want to start guest posting today? Why not pitch us your idea? We’d love to hear from you!)

Related Reading:

How to Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less
Michael Hyatt

How to Choose a Profitable Niche
Copyblogger

How to Find the Best Twitter Hashtags
Sprout Social

Social Media Engagement Strategy: How to Increase Engagement
Convert with Content

Free eBook: How to Create Effective Calls-to-Action
HubSpot

For More Tips + Tricks

• Amy Porterfield
  @amyporterfield
  
  
• Hubspot
  @hubspot
  
  
• Mari Smith
  @marismith
  
  
• Social Media Examiner
  @smexaminer
  
  
• Sprout Social
  @sproutsocial

Like this? You can find more social media tips and tricks in the Social Caffeine Collection, a collection of 24 books on social media marketing.

Do you know one of the questions I get asked all the time yet dread the most?

“Who do you admire?”

I hear it and I’m a deer in headlights, every time because I don’t admire people. I respect, love, adore, and am humbled by many, but I don’t even admire the people I’d set myself on fire for.

Why?

Because admiring is like watching. It’s not active enough for me and I don’t do it well. I do listen well, as long as there’s learning, helping, sharing, or some other sort of kumbaya.

I’m loyal to a fault, but am not the friend with whom you want to share the same ole woe-is-me-but-I’m-never-going-to-do-anything-about-it story. For that, I’d be your LAST call.

I’m the get-your-big-girl-pants-on friend. I bet J. Lo is, too. That’s why she’d crush it online because she’s undaunted and willing to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said.

She’s Original

Even when she ran with P. Diddy, she still managed to let her light shine. Sexy, sultry, and “acting like she just don’t care”, she sauntered down the red carpet in a dress made from American Express cards.

She probably yawns at Lady Gaga, thinking, “Been there, done that.”

Figuring out who you are is important. Even if you do many things well, ask yourself, “What is the one thing I know more about than anyone?” Share that consistently. If you are unsure how to optimize what you are sharing, that’s okay, too.

Modeling is good. However, stealing content or borrowing style without props is BAD.

She’s Genuine but Compassionate

I have clients, partners, and friends who are some of the biggest names in media, so trust me when I say I DO know exactly what it takes to create good TV (I use the term loosely).

But the night on American Idol when Jennifer had to tell the contestant whose wife suffered a tragic accident and is now a shadow of her former self, that it was the end of his time on the show, then broke down in tears and left the stage, I have to admit, with a lump in my throat, I almost admired her.

That was a REAL moment for her. Did the producers capitalize? Absolutely.

Did Jennifer? No.

I’ve not seen a single moment when she wasn’t genuine – and I’m sure breaking young hearts was much more than she bargained for.

You need to be real.

If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re angry, be angry. Happy? I’m sure you get the picture. Say what you do and do what you say.

She Has Conviction with Grace

I love watching her give opinions (except when she wears the dark red lipstick. Pink Jen – you rock the pink gloss – red’s too much).

It’s never about her – ever. Has she ever mentioned one show, movie, book? No.

From watching American Idol, I know more about Randy Jackson than I ever wanted to, and while I’m a Steven Tyler fan, I only understand half of what he says (so does he).

But Jennifer? She’s present.

Every word is filled with sincere emotion, radiating with conviction. She comes across as someone who can go to bed thinking, “They went home, but it wasn’t because I didn’t do everything I could to help.”

Not everyone will apply what you teach, and not everyone will like you. Quite frankly, you might not like what you hear or whom you meet. Even if you’re fired up about something, have grace. Even a little goes a long way.

Unfortunately, some people mistake originality for snarky. But J. Lo pulls off the you-don’t-want-to-push-baby-in-a-corner act and still makes me smile. That’s what keeps me (and many others) coming back.

She’s Sexy

Damn, she makes me want to put a dress on.

Seriously – she is the poster child for sexy. If I was a man, she’d be at the top of my list. Yet as pleasing as she is to the eye, that’s not what makes J. Lo sexy.

Sexy isn’t about glamour shots, low-cut blouses, or bikinis in avatars on Twitter or Facebook (really, ladies, come ON). I’ve known many beautiful people who couldn’t spell sexy, much less pull it off.

Can you?

Totally.

If you know who you are, where you are going, and can confidently translate your voice into words that inspire people to do more or be more than even they thought they could be? Oh yeah, they’ll think you are sexy.

New ways of solving a problem or sharing information in a way that feels different and resonates, well, that’s sexy, right? Truly being sexy is about charisma that comes through, even online, by being who you are for all the right reasons, putting your agenda where it belongs – in a meeting on a piece of paper.

What you want to get done should never be at someone else’s expense, or be more important to you than who you are, and quite frankly J. Lo’s persona on American Idol, is exactly who I want to be when I grow up.

I’m here to shake things up, to make an impact, and to help the little guy win the big fight by participating in the conversation and contributing where I can.

And I’m starting to believe that’s what J. Lo is trying to do with American Idol.

It may not be why she signed up, but baby, she’s in it to win it, and she’s got my vote!

I think she’s the real American Idol – a sexy, feminine, and powerful woman, a loving wife and mother, and apparently a real champion of the underdog.

Go, J. Lo!! You make me want to be a better blogger, and you’re definitely someone I don’t mind my daughter idolizing.

Anyone with me?

This blog post is an excerpt from the Social Caffeine ebook, Social Media Marketing Made Easy. Download your copy from Amazon here. Amazon UK users: get your copy here.

Social media marketing is in its gold rush phase. Everyone is joining the party, and you can too. As with any gold rush, you can strike it rich. And social media tools can buzz up your biz for free.

Starting today, you can build a loyal following of people who’ll trust you and want to buy every product you bring to market. You can get influencers in your niche to promote your business to thousands or hundreds of thousands of loyal fans.

Follow my advice and you’ll build a loyal following of engaged fans in love with your brand. They’ll be so excited about what you’re doing you couldn’t stop them from telling their friends even if you wanted to.

This week’s featured Social Caffeine ebook is Social Media Marketing Made Easy. In this book I give you my top tips for making a success of your brand on social media. Every tip is super simple, and is easy to apply to your brand or business.

Social Media Marketing Made Easy is FREE until April 26. Get your copy from Amazon here. Amazon UK users: get your copy here.

After April 26, the book will go back to its regular price of $2.99.

Just in case you’d like to try before you “buy”, here’s an excerpt:

3 Crazy Things Your Mom Told You That Will Kill Your Blog Instantly

My mom had a saying for everything. Her favorite was, “Because I said so.”

It’s probably the one I hated most. It is, after all, the dumbest, though it closely tied with, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?”

But there were a couple of momisms I not only bought hook, line, and sinker, but felt were so brilliant, I actually shoved her off the soapbox and have since started singing the same song and dance to my own five kids!

And I really believed my own you-know-what, until I started blogging, and it sounds even crazier now when I type it out loud!

1: You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

C’mon who are you kidding– what else do people judge it by?

The cover is the ONLY way to get noticed by someone who isn’t your neighbor, relative, or lover, to give you a thin sliver of their attention.

I worked for RR Donnelley for 17 years, the largest printer in the world with over 12 billion in sales. We printed Harry Potter, the 911 Report and the Sears Catalog. Guess what? The cover matters!

My clients spent millions testing the right look and feel to find the right jacket to move the most product. As an online website conversion specialist, I know the color of a submit button can lift response by over 20%.

So yes, when people are shopping on Amazon and you want their attention: Looks matter.

Your blog is your book cover, the first impression of you and the initial invite to visitors to check out the rest of your house. The right design doesn’t just have to look good – it must feel good to your readers by matching up with your style and voice.

First impressions matter, but lasting ones count, especially online where a greener pasture is always a click away. Using WordPress themes like Genesis, Thesis, Woo Themes, or Catalyst is a great way to dress your blog without spending tens of thousands of dollars.

I’m not suggesting you plaster a nice theme on a bunch of misspelled, poorly punctuated, random thoughts and think it will cut the mustard (another momism- what does it even mean?)
Here are some quick tips to enhance your blog, without overdoing it.

Make sure your categories in the navigation bar are relevant.

Tag your articles appropriately.

Take the time to have your Facebook fan page and Twitter widget in your sidebar.

Be easy to share from a want to and an able to with a WIBIYA free pop-up plugin for the bottom of your blog, which will help people share all the brilliant things you have to say.

Be selective. Don’t have every social share button on your post, and stay focused on the platforms where you participate.

2 Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Will Never Hurt Me

Ask Dell if that’s true!

Blogger Jeff Jarvis got so upset with their service one day, he unleashed his words on them and was able to inspire a big chunk of the tech-blogging community, hurting Dell where they felt it the most – their stock price. The CEO finally screamed, “Uncle,” reaching out to Jeff himself to beg mercy. And while Jeff might have wanted to punch someone in the nose, this was probably more fun and effective.

Don’t tell me words don’t matter. Words are one of the only things that matter online!

And apparently no one was listening when moms everywhere said, “If you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Just take a look at Digg’s top headlines if you don’t believe me; you won’t find a whole lot of love, hope, or happiness at the top of that pile.

Brands spend millions to manage their online brand reputation. Sloppy seconds don’t refer to second chances, at least online. Get it right the first time or pay the price later. If you are serious about what people are saying about your brand, start using tools to track the mentions of your brand, product, or service.

Not only is it a great opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade, it’s also good business to gauge the pulse of your competition by tracking their mentions as well.

3 Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Unless you’re Kevin Costner, the Field of Dreams strategy doesn’t work. Information moves fast and furious; jump in and start swimming, or drown.

Making mistakes is part of the magic; sometimes failing means nothing more than trying and taking a wrong turn. Even if you wrap yourself around a tree, at least you were driving on a path instead of sitting on the couch and hoping. There is no perfect plan or words that can make all your dreams come true; only actions can get reactions.

Where there’s a will there’s a way! Yep, at least for now, my mom was right about that.

Sometimes just knowing what you want as opposed to exactly how to do it is a step in the right direction. Ask people like Jonathan Fields who left a successful career as a lawyer to make it happen online.

Or Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger, one of the best blogs for learning how to write better copy and optimize your content. Brian is well-known for successfully building, then leveraging a crowd of ravenous fans to the tune of tens of millions of dollars by taking his time and being patient, but taking action every step of the way.

If you want to see someone who is an open book with a play-by-play on every win and loss he’s made online, check out Darren Rowse at Problogger to become a better blogger and make money!

And if you’re still stumbling and fumbling, confused by all the social media tools and platforms, one of the best how-to social media blogs in the business is Social Media Examiner, owned by Michael Stelzner.

If your mom was like my mom, she may have gotten more than her toes frostbitten walking barefoot both ways to school in the snow, so you have to take some of what she said with a grain of salt!

It’s your time – it’s your life. Follow your best instincts and give it everything you’ve got.

There’s no sense in letting anyone hold you back from being the next big thing – which according to my grandma are a dime a dozen, but that’s a different book.

This blog post is an excerpt from the Social Caffeine ebook, Social Media Marketing Made Easy. Download your copy from Amazon here. Amazon UK users: get your copy here.

Every weekend I give you the tastiest treats from everything I’ve shared on Twitter and Facebook over the past week.

This is the content I’ve hand picked from across the Internet because I think it’s worth your quality time.

In this week’s episode, I share tips for Twitter success from two Twitter rockstars who together have a total follower count of over half a million. I also close the debate once and for all on how often brands should post to Facebook (it’s different to what you think).

This is the reading material I’ll be soaking up this weekend. Enjoy!

How Aaron Lee Got 400k Followers on Twitter (Razor Social)

When Aaron Lee joined Twitter in 2009, he wasn’t a pop artist, a politician or a movie star. He was just a regular guy who enjoys coffee and wanted more traffic to his coffee blog. He heard Twitter could help. In the past four years, he’s built an army of over 400,000 Twitter followers. Over at Razor Social, he explains how he did it.

75 Things I Learned On My Journey to 100,000 Twitter Followers (Pam Moore)

If you take Aaron Lee’s advice and grow your Twitter following to epic levels, you’re in for an incredible journey. Marketing geek and social nut Pam Moore gives the inside track on what it’s really like to be a Twitter superstar.

40 million people can’t be wrong — The secrets of viral ({grow})

Jonah Peretti is the man in the know when it comes to viral marketing, having used it to pull in 40 million unique visitors to his media channel. He recently explained the secrets of his success at SXSW, and {grow} has put together a handy summary of his presentation.

The Best Facebook Posting Frequency Is… (Vocus)

Search for “How often should I post to Facebook?” on Google, and you’ll gets over 350 million results to trawl through.

However, there’s no need to waste your time. Vocus have drilled down into the best posting frequency for maximum engagement. Take a look, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The Definitive Guide to Influencer Targeting (KISSmetrics)

Business is all about people, and the most important people you must engage with are the influencers in your niche. Social media makes this easier than ever before, and KISSmetrics has put together a step-by-step guide on who to target, and how to get their attention.

39 Unforgettable Moments in Tech Startup History (Mashable)

As an angel investor, tech start-ups are close to my heart, and as a business woman, I know about all the trials and triumphs of going it alone. That’s why I loved Mashable’s article on the greatest moments in tech startup history.

Like this? Go supersize! For all the latest Social Caffeine updates and curated content, you should follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook Page.

No matter how long you’ve been running your brand’s Facebook page for, there’s always room for improvement.

It can be difficult to decipher exactly what changes you should make though, since what works for one brand might not work for another.

Or, a Facebook engagement strategy that’s new to you might be old news in the grand scheme of things. What’s an entrepreneur to do?

Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place! Below are 14 timeless techniques to help your Facebook page grow and prosper:

1. Create an SEO-Friendly About Section

You should incorporate as much SEO-friendly text (i.e. heavy on keywords) in your “About” section. This area on a Facebook Page is the only one the site gives you to include a lot of text, and they present useful opportunities to improve your chances of being noticed by searches for some of your brand’s most important keywords, because in addition to the regular About section (which can include a company overview, general description, etc.), there is also space for basic information, contact information and more.

Crafting an SEO-Friendly Facebook Page
Website Magazine

2. Offer Exclusive Content

A Facebook page is unlikely to be the only presence you have on the Web. But in order to make your Facebook page more popular you should maintain a steady stream of content that is exclusive to Facebook. This can be anything as long as it hasn’t previously appeared anywhere else online. Think of it as a secret track at the end of a CD or an extra hidden away on a DVD.
Whatever form it takes it will give people a specific reason to visit your Facebook page.

10 Great Ways To Improve Your Facebook Page’s Popularity
MakeUseOf

3. Offer a Variety of Content

Posting only text bores people. Try to mix in videos, photos, text updates, links, exclusive content, games, surveys, and coupons.

7 Ways To Improve Results On Your Facebook Page
AllFacebook

4. Optimize Your Images

When you add photos to your Facebook Page, always add a caption describing the photo that also includes your relevant keywords. Whenever possible, include a link in the caption to the most relevant page on your blog or website. This builds links and also moves more fans that important step closer to your website to become a customer.

14 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Page For SEO
MarketingGum

5. Create Sticky Posts

By default, new posts are displayed at the top of the timeline and older posts are pushed down. However, you can take advantage of ‘Pin to Top’ feature to create a sticky post that will always be displayed at the top of your timeline above every other post. This can prove useful in several ways such as creating an introduction, promoting a special offer, or other relevant information.

Facebook Page – 10 Tips for Improving Your Fan Page
Social Media Today

6. Revolve Everything Around Your Fans

To get more comments, tailor your status updates to ask for your fans’ opinions, stories and even advice. The comments will float your post to the top of your fans’ news feeds, giving more fans the opportunity to interact.

5 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Fan Engagement
Social Media Examiner

7. Analyze, Rinse, Repeat

Analyze each post according to content — status update, photo, link to article or video. Analyze each post by time of day posted, and according to phrasing — plain status update versus a question. Also, document each post for the number of likes, shares and comments — or lack thereof. Figure out which posts are most successful for your page and then emulate them over and over.

5 Ways to Maximize your Facebook Reach
Web Marketing Today

8. Use Clear Calls-To-Action

Would you like someone to comment, share, or “Like” your update? All you have to do is ask. Remember: People move fast online and there’s a difference between saying, “Here’s my new Page” and “’Like’ my new Page.” Your engagement rate will go up when you use a clear call to action.

Easy Ways to Get More Engagement on Your Facebook Page
Small Business BC

9. Keep Your Posts Short

Posts between 100-250 characters get 60% more Likes, comments and shares than longer posts.

20 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Page Visibility
Ignite Social Media

10. Share Quality Content by Others

What’s nice about Facebook is that when you share an article of another individual, you can create a notification and alert them about it.
Just write their name in the status, and Facebook uses the “mention” functionality to alert them.

How to Get More Likes on Your Facebook Page
jeffbullas.com

11. Encourage Community to Post Interesting Content

Timeline layout squeezes all fans posts into a square box which will only appear on your Timeline several weeks later. Good news is, now you can publish fan’s post instantly via the ‘Highlight’ or ‘Allow on Page’ option. Big plus for engagement and community-building on Page!

9 Practical Tips to Improve Your Facebook Page Performance
Social @ Blogging Tracker

12. Allow Replies to Comments

Facebook has just made it possible to reply to individual comments on your page, and to have these threaded, rather than having to reply to ‘everyone’ who’s commented on one of your posts. The most popular threads will be automatically shown at the top. This is could be a great feature, although there are some doubters that feel it might be over complicated; time will tell.

3 Quick and Easy Wins for Your Facebook Page This Week
Marketing Twentyone

13. If Scheduling Posts, Learn Your Highest Traffic Times

Choose a reliable stat service that shows the highs and lows of your traffic, and based on it, publish posts at specific hours in the day to see which get the best results. This year, I began using Clicky because it is easy to access information. One the features that I like is: it shows the number of traffic per hour, which gives me a line chart of the whole day on the website.

5 Tips to Improve Your Facebook Fan Page
Scene 360

14. Consistently RE-Engage

It is one thing to ask questions to your fans on Facebook, or to share compelling content that warrants comments, questions, etc. – but it is entirely different for you to RE-engage your community by responding to each comment and question. It is this re-engagement of your community that will keep them coming back, helping them to build stronger loyalty to your brand. Oh… and all of this will help you to rank higher in the algorithm.

The #1 Reason Why Your Facebook Page Isn’t Growing (And 5 Others Too)
Cyber PR

Are there Facebook page changes you’d add to this list? Feel free to share your insights below!

To learn more tricks of the trade, pick up a copy of Social Caffeine’s Buzzing It Up On Facebook. Download your copy from Amazon here. Amazon UK users: get your copy here.

Women have been inventing useful stuff for centuries.

From the first automatic dishwasher to windshield wipers to flat bottomed paper bags, women led the way. Heck, a woman invented kevlar, a plastic five times stronger than steel used in helmets, tennis rackets, and bulletproof vests.

(Oh, and if you were wondering, women also invented bras and disposable diapers. And God love Sara Blakely who created Spanx – best thing that every happened to this 43 year old caboose.)

Yet for some reason, you only hear about the men. Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Albert Einstein. Even now, our kids are being taught about women thought leaders almost as an after thought.

Did you know the first American female inventor in recorded history – Sybilla Masters – had to file the patent for her corn processing innovation under her husband’s name?

The law at that time didn’t allow women to file patents.

Times have changed, laws have changed, life and work have changed. Heck, we’ve changed. I’ve worked directly with game changing women like Loreen Arbus, Jane Fonda and Pat Mitchell.

Talk about inspiring!

They shattered the glass ceiling and made it possible for women like me to slip on the proverbial Cinderella shoe and dance up the ladder like it was “no big”.

But was it enough?

If women who lived then saw the modern American woman today would they be impressed or depressed?

It’s still mainly men who hit the headlines in the business, science and technology pages. I’m not saying the men don’t deserve it – they definitely do. It’s just that women deserve to be there too. And when they get there, somehow there’s always some special emphasis or subtle theme that she made it, despite being a woman.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not a man hater. Quite the opposite, actually, I’m the girl next door – some of my closest confidantes are male.

To Max Hart, Jim Waters, Bob Cronin, Jeff Casey and Todd McKeown I send big love and thanks…

These men walked beside me when I needed guidance. At times they stood behind me to back me up. There were even times they jumped in front of me to take an arrow coming my way.

I’m eternally grateful for their friendship. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. And while maybe I should have seen the glass ceiling in 1992 when I graduated school, I didn’t. I simply refused to acknowledge it was there at all.

(I ignored it the same way you pretend those 4 inch sexiest heels ever aren’t crippling you at the event you’re speaking at, right? )

It was a bit shocking to a free spirited 22 year old, but I wanted to win. And I knew the only way to do that was to change the game by beating them at their own. The only way to build rapport was to “win”.

So I played by their rules to become the first woman at RR Donnolley to ever sell a million dollars. Then I played by mine and soon I was the Cinderella story of the company, selling almost 10 million. By the time I got to 20 million at age 25, I wasn’t moving mountains anymore; they were being moved for me.

I wish my story included picket signs or seats I refused to get out of because it wasn’t fair. But the truth is, I was working harder than I had to, to do it “their” way” I didn’t stop to look up and even acknowledge the ceiling. I was too busy putting on the glass slippers they “let” me wear.

But I did a few things my way. I had rules. I never stepped on a toe to get anywhere. I didn’t sell ice to Eskimos that didn’t need it. And to other women in the company I was kind.

Yet I can’t help but wonder, why aren’t thingsmore different twenty years later?

Why do men still reap the majority of the headlines and get all the attention?

I’ve got a theory on that.

As women, we’re not so good at tooting our own horns.

We’re trapped in a double bind. Men who shout about their achievements are seen as ambitious go-getters. Women who are proud of what they’ve done are seen as pushy.

Yet keeping it to ourselves doesn’t help, either. If we don’t get the word out there, how will people know about what we’ve done? If we lock it all inside, how will we ever get ahead?

Sister, we need a change.

Even for those of us taking the hill, are you being honest with yourself? Are you playing it by your rules? Are you a game changer?

That’s why it’s time to Magnify Her. It’s time women around the world start getting together to share our ideas and achievements. It’s time we tooted our trumpets without the fear of being silenced. We’ve got a ton to say – for some of us it’s been weighing down our hearts for decades – and it’s time to get it out there.

It’s important.

It’s important for women. Sharing what’s on your heart isn’t only for you. It’s for your mother who raised you and was the first person to listen to you, who delighted in your every idea.

It’s for all your girlfriends and every moment of laughter and tears you’ve shared.

It’s for your daughter, and her daughters, and her daughters’ daughters.

By sharing what’s on your heart, you’re not only changing your present. You’re transforming our future.

This isn’t even only about women. Sharing your ideas is important for the whole world, men too. Your fathers, husbands, sons and grandsons – all of them need you to start telling the truth.

Why is this so important?

First, because you are important – you must believe that. If you don’t care, who will? Your daughter and your son who will marry a woman just like you needs more.

Second, because, as start-up investor Joanne Wilson said, women invent things to fill a void in their lives. Women tend to come up with ideas to make their lives easier and better. Women’s ideas meet deep needs and are designed to create change.

Last, this stat says it all: Women make 85% of brand purchases, yet only 3% of creative directors and ad execs are from our ranks.

How does this make ANY sense?

Women are the shoppers. This makes them the buyers.

As a woman you know what you need. And more importantly you know what you want. If you’re like me you’re even open to being wrong and being shown a better way. It doesn’t have to be your idea – just a good idea.

And how do we get more good ideas? We work together. We create the wave to lift all boats!

We work to Magnify Her. Magnify You. You can do it. Together, we’ll do it.

Together, we’re here to share, create and make this world a better place.

It’s Her World. It’s Your World.

So go ahead, let loose – what awesome thing did you do today, last week, last month – ten years ago – I don’t care when – just give it life here, today.

Comments are open.

Want to know the secrets I use to get 15,000 honest fans for a brand in 15 days?

This week’s featured Social Caffeine ebook is Buzzing It Up on Facebook. In this book I share the biggest secrets for buzzing it up massive on Facebook. The tips are super easy, and they’re effective because so few people or brands are putting in the hard work needed.

Buzzing It Up On Facebook is FREE until April 19. Get your copy from Amazon here. Amazon UK users: get your copy here.

After April 19, the book will go back to its regular price of $2.99.

Just in case you’d like to try before you “buy”, here’s an excerpt:

3 Ways to Buzz it Up on Facebook.

1. Upload 5 Photos Highlighting Your Services or Products

Okay, I’m all about coolness and graphically wowing people when appropriate. And even though I’ve been wowed by people creatively using these images together to look cool, they don’t inspire me to do anything but admire them.

Pretty to be pretty = FAIL.

Those five photos show up on a prime piece of real estate on your page!

Unless you are a graphic designer, pretty is usually not effective.

Your photos should be used strategically, showcasing your product or service.

At Facebook, each of these photos can include a description. This is your opportunity to tie your business into your page.

Include a live link to the product or service in the description where readers could actually go if inspired to buy something from you.

2. Tag Each Photo with Your Page Name and an Influencer’s Name

Posting a photo without strategically tagging it = FAIL.

Likes are vanity, sales are sanity.

Always use your page name to tag your photos. But if you want to get the attention of an influencer, tag the photo with their name, using @name, giving them a textual shout-out in your description as to why you tagged them.

Are they the nicest person you know? The smartest?

You goal is to let them know why you admire them and why they are important to you, worded genuinely in your status update so it helps them as well.

Facebook’s tagging feature puts these types of actions on their page, increasing your chances of getting their attention. Mari Smith does this better than anyone.

(Remember – it’s not about you – it’s about them first!)

Here is a great example of this tagging strategy of a photo Mari posted of herself with Guy Kawasaki.

Now she is a smart cookie, so she’s also using her social capital to show her prospects and followers her inner circle… but don’t panic!

You don’t need Guy in your photo for this to work! (Hey, not everyone is as connected as Mari.)

Let me explain….

Pretend you finally self-published your book. You could consider promoting it like this…

1. Add your description to the photo with a link to the book.
2. After tagging the photo with your name, include the name of your book’s fan page (if you have one and you should), tag Guy (or influencer) with @fanpagename.
3. Then you should add a link to the photo in your description to his page where he’s promoting his book…

“I’m super excited about my new book, Title, which you can find at [http://link]. I have to give big shout-out to @GuyKawasaki for giving me such a great marketing strategy to model with his book @Enchantment.”

It’s important to make sure you’ve liked the page of your influencer BEFORE you do this, so you can use the Facebook tagging strategy correctly with a link to his page in the Facebook drop-down book as shown.

To make this work, again AFTER liking his page, when you type the @ sign and the first letter of his name, you’ll see it as a drop-down from Facebook. You can highlight to select it, hit enter, and you will have effectively ensured Guy would see it on HIS page. While on the topic, get Guy’s book Enchantment. It’s fantastic.

3. Add Descriptions to Each Photo With Live Link(s) to Your Site(s)

This is super important. If you aren’t doing it = FAIL.

In your description, always include a live link to a product, service, your blog, etc. Remember, they are called Facebook fans for a reason – they aren’t really yours until they’ve come to you outside of Facebook. You want to include anything that might, someday when snowballs start freezing in Hell, get someone to leave Facebook and check you out.

It’s simple. You simply add a fun comment and casual link to your site like I did here:

You can also link directly to an opt-in or sales page, which I highly recommend.

I usually create more than one sales page for clients’ products depending on where the traffic is coming from. So should you, meaning, don’t be over the top with your approach to convert them.  It doesn’t work.

What converts for traffic at my blog does NOT convert from Facebook.

By focusing on doing this consistently, casually, and carefully with a dash of crafty, you should see an increase in your blog traffic, shop, or company website.

You want to gently remind your fans you have a life, albeit small, outside of Facebook, giving hints that, “Gee, I’d love to share all my great ideas and free tips with you that you can find at my site if you’re interested.”

This blog post is an excerpt from the Social Caffeine ebook, Buzzing It Up On Facebook. Download your copy from Amazon here. Amazon UK users: get your copy here.

Every weekend I give you the tastiest treats from everything I’ve shared on Twitter and Facebook over the past week.

This is the content I’ve hand picked from across the Internet because I think it’s worth your quality time.

In this week’s episode, I show you the women whose voices matter when it comes to social media marketing (yes, you’re in safe hands here). I’ll also show you how to find your most valuable Twitter followers, and why when you schedule your social media sharing matters (no more random spray and pray for you!).

This is the reading material I’ll be soaking up this weekend. Enjoy!

The Top 20 Women Social Media Influencers (Forbes)

Haydn Shaunghnessy’s been at it again. He’s crunched the numbers with Peek Analytics and uncovered the top 20 women influencers on social media. (Hint: Pay special attention to #17).

The 7 most interesting social media studies and what to learn from them (buffer)

Did you know social networks account for a fifth of all time spent online? Plus, all around the world, women spend more time on social networks than men. Discover more fascinating facts and what they mean for your business in this summary of social media studies from Buffer App.

All-in-One Social Media Checklist (Nicole Munoz)

Get back to basics with Nicole Munoz. Are you buttering your bread right on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn? Take a look at this article to see if you’re missing a trick. Also, take a look at this in depth Facebook checklist from Socially Stacked.

75% Of Facebook Engagement Takes Place During The First 180 Minutes (exploreB2B)

The time you post really do matter. That’s according to new research outlined by exploreB2B, which shows half of all Facebook likes and shares on a post happen within an hour after it is first posted.

How to Find Your Most Valuable Twitter Followers (Advanced Web Ranking)

Does your website have a secret fanbase on Twitter who are driving your traffic? Dig into the stats to find out who are you real greatest fans. You might be in for a happy surprise.

Plus, if you’re looking to integrate Twitter with your blog or website, check out these Twitter plugins for WordPress.

BONUS: Is Facebook ruining your life? Did you check out Social Caffeine’s Digital Diet 2013 challenge?

Like this? Go supersize! For all the latest Social Caffeine updates and curated content, you should follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook Page.