industry expert. Here’s how to get started and make guest blogging work for you:

1. Take a look at the profiles on your social media accounts. Make sure they are complete, accurate, and compelling. Editors and website owners will want to check you out online, so you want your profiles to put your best foot forward. Generally, it makes sense to have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. Include a link to your website/and or blog in each of your social media profiles.
2. Write several articles related to your industry and post them to your website or blog. These articles will help show off your writing skills and provide a peek at your writing style. Make sure they are your very best work. If an editor or site owner goes to your website to learn what to expect from you and sees a bunch of spelling mistakes and grammar errors, he is unlikely to want you writing for his blog. Format each article to ensure that it is easy to read, and focus on interesting, helpful topics.
3. Reach out to the editor or owner of the site for which you want to guest blog.  The blog will usually list the owner or editor’s email address. Some will make it even easier by providing a contact form for you to fill out and submit. Alternatively, you can contact the owner/editor through his or her social media accounts, but try emailing first.
4. Introduce yourself to the editor/blog owner in a professional and friendly manner. Explain what type of business you own and share your passion for the industry. Inform the editor/blog owner that you would like to contribute as a guest blogger. Share your goals as well. For example, you might want to guest blog for the purpose of building a reputation as an industry expert. Provide links to your website and your best articles as well as contact information.
5. Pitch topics about which you are passionate, making sure they are a good fit for the blog on which you will guest post. Send well-written posts to the editors/blog owners who have accepted you as a blog owner. Include a link back to your site in each post. Also, if possible, link from each post to one of your previously published articles/posts, choosing one that is relevant and provides valuable new information (rather than the same information you included in the current post).

The post Tips for Guest Blogging Success appeared first on Social Media School.

The Subject Line

Despite its briefness, the subject line is one of the most important parts of your email. In fact, it may be the most important part, as it has the responsibility of  tempting your recipient to open your email in the first place. Focus on creating a subject line that briefly informs the reader about the purpose of/content of your email. Give it a hook, so that people don’t just delete it with the rest of the junk flooding their in-boxes. However, stay away from spammy subject lines, and avoid the repetitive use of characters, such as a lot of dollar signs. Often, these get flagged right away and sent to the recipient’s junk mail bin.

The Greeting

Like the subject line, this part helps give the reader a clue of what to expect from you in this email. Generally, it’s best to create a personal greeting that includes the recipient’s name. You want the greeting to be personal and friendly but not unprofessional or negative. If you absolutely have to send an email without the name of the recipient, don’t use any of the following:

• Dear Sir
• Dear Madam
• To Whom it May Concern

The above greetings are too stuffy and formal. You want to establish a friendly, engaging tone for your emails.

The Body

It’s important to remember that the people who receive your emails are busy. Few people have the time to or interest in reading very long emails. Make your emails clear, straight to the point and reasonably short. Also focus on making them easy to digest. Long blocks of text tend to be a turnoff, so include headings that allow your readers to skim to the details they want.

The Closing

Assuming that your recipient will know which action you want him to take is a mistake. Make the next step clear in a concise but friendly manner. Than sign the email, using your first name. As with your greeting, you want this to be personal and friendly. Be sure to include links to your social media accounts as well. This makes it easy for your recipients to check you out online and learn more about what you do and what you have to offer.

The post Anatomy of an Email appeared first on Social Media School.

1. Avoid spreading yourself too thin. You don’t need a presence on every social media network to reap the benefits of social media. Instead, figure out where your audience is, go there, and establish a strong presence on that social media network. If you hear how great a particular platform is, but your audience isn’t there, why should you be? Focus your efforts.
2. Though you should not try to dominate every social media network out there, it’s also a bad idea to restrict yourself to just one. As mentioned in the previous tip, you want to be where your audience spends its time. Find out which social media networks are most frequented by your audience, and concentrate on them.
3. Don’t give up on emailing. Social media has not replaced email. Start your conversations on social media networks and definitely engage there, but when the time comes for a more in-depth conversation, take advantage of email to further the relationship. And don’t forget that telephone calls and in-person meetings can also help solidify a relationship you initiated via social media.
4. Never forget about SEO. Good SEO can help drive traffic to the profiles you create on social media networks as well as to the content you post and share.
5. Make sure the message you post fits the network. To save time, you may consider posting the same message to all your social media networks. Don’t do this. Instead, take note of the types of messages that work best on each network and tailor your content.
6. Track, monitor, and measure everything you do on social media. Remember that time is money, and it’s a waste of time to use social media will nilly. You need to monitor and measure if you want to learn what works and how it’s helping your business. Move forward with the efforts that get you the results you want, and reduce or stop the efforts that aren’t helping you meet your goals.
7. Be genuine. Social media requires you to get personal, but be yourself while you’re at it. No one likes a phony, and your social media success is dependent on people liking you enough to pay attention to your posts.

The post 7 Tips for Success in Social Media appeared first on Social Media School.

Anyone can post on Twitter,  Facebook, and other social media sites on behalf of his or her business, but many struggle to turn their activity into increased sales. This is, at least in part, due to the fact that many focus too much on marketing or even outright selling and too little on being likable. This is a huge mistake, as social media is an excellent platform for building a reputation.  Traditional advertising often falls short in this area, but social media is excellent for showing others what you are made of.  With social media, you can take a personal approach, getting people interested in you as an individual, and by extension, in your company.

It is surprisingly easy to use social media to boost your likability.  Here are a few tips for getting others to like you:

• Be Interesting: People are busy and there is more than enough content on the Internet to keep them occupied for a life time. Why should they take an interest in you? The answer is because what you post is interesting. You take the time to learn what interests your audience, and then you tailor your content to your audience members’ interests. Also, you avoid beating the same old dead drum everyone else does.
• Reciprocate: So your followers share, like, and comment on your posts? Be sure to do the same for them. This shows that you are interested in them as well. And let’s face it, one-way relationships just don’t work, even if they are online relationships.
• Be Present: How can anyone like you if you aren’t around much? One of the most important rules of social media is to use it regularly. Let your audience get used to having you around and seeing your content.
• Help Others: No one wants to be subjected to constant sales pitches, so keep the self-promotion to a minimum. Instead, focus on engaging with others and building relationships. Don’t worry, the sales will come.

Keep in mind that boosting your likability isn’t really about getting more likes for your Facebook page or adding more followers to your list. Instead, it’s about stimulating the kind of warm and fuzzy feelings that encourage others to choose you over the competition.

The post Increasing Your Likability Via Social Media appeared first on Social Media School.

The changes are supposed to allow users to choose which content they want on the “front page,” which is the main news feed. Then, they can go on to the other content they find interesting but less relevant.  And making it even easier to get to the content you want, the update includes the following mini feeds that you can view when you want a specific type of content:

• All Friends–This is the feed to check if you want to stay on top of the content your friends share.
• Photos–This feed is made up of photos posted by your friends and on the pages you’ve liked.
• Music–This one is all about the music you enjoy.
• Following–This feed makes it easy to stay up to date with the latest about your followers and the pages you’ve liked.

The update also includes efforts at streamlining for Web and mobile users.  The idea here is to give users a practically identical experience, regardless of whether they are accessing the social media site via their computers or on tablets and smartphones.  The look is intended to be more modern and cleaner.

Photo changes are also a major part of this update. The update puts photos in the spotlight of the news feed, making them larger and overlaying the text on top of the images. This is intended to not only make posts more visual but also to give the news feed a cleaner look.

When Will My News Feed Change?

You may have to wait a bit to check out this new look via your own Facebook account. But rest assured, you will eventually get your chance. You can, however, join Facebook’s waitlist to try it out by clicking here.

The post Facebook: News Feed Update appeared first on Social Media School.

As you might expect, App cards are designed to showcase an app. They will allow you to include an image, description, and other information about your app in an expanded tweet. You can also include a link. Then, when someone clicks the link, he or she can install or use your app.

Product cards are used to display products you are offering for sale. You can use a product card to display an image of the product you’re selling as well as a description of the item. You can also take advantage of up to two additional fields, which you can use to provide other information. For example, you could use these fields to provide information about the price of the item on display or customer rating details.

The Gallery card allows you to show off up to four images as a preview to an entire collection of images. You also have the option of giving credit to a photographer on a gallery card.

As exciting as you may find the new Twitter cards, it’s important to note that two of them aren’t available to everyone just yet. You can use the Summary and Photo cards–added last year–and the gallery card without any special approval. The summary card can be described as a general or all-purpose card. You might use it for posts or articles, but you could also use it for products. Viewers preview the content on your card and if it interests them, they can click to visit your website. The Photo card allows you to display a photo prominently; viewers can click through to view the photo on your site.

The Player card, like the new App and Product cards, requires special approval at this time. You can use this card to post interactive media and live events. This card requires the use of an iframe to display your interactive content.

What do you think of the newest Twitter cards? Share your thoughts with us by commenting below. If you want to learn more about these new tools, visit Twitter’s documentation pages.

The post Twitter Adds 3 NEW Cards appeared first on Social Media School.

Expand Your Reach

When you write a post on your blog, you reach your audience–your current readers and any new readers who happen to find your latest post, such as through the search engines or sharing. When you guest post on another party’s blog, you reach that blog’s audience. You can write about what you know and tweak it to cater to the blog’s audience, expanding your reach and attracting a whole new set of  readers to your own blog. Some of these readers might not have found you on their own.

Boost Traffic

Each guest post you write should translate into increased traffic for your blog. Typically, you’ll have the opportunity to include a link or two back to your own blog, and if the blog has decent traffic and a solid readership, this can mean an upswing in visitors to your website or blog. If you also accept guest posts, you’ll have even more potential for increased traffic. Your guest bloggers will share the links to the content they provide for your blog, and the people who come to read it may stay a while to check out your other content.

Develop Relationships

If you write as a guest blogger, you have the chance to get to know other bloggers and share ideas. The same goes for accepting guest posts on your site. These bloggers may prove willing to spread the word about your business and send referrals your way. They may also share business opportunities and suggest ways to improve your strategies. Some might even become customers or develop an interest in a partnership with you.

Build Your Reputation

Write guest posts that inform or solve problems for the intended audience, and something wonderful will happen. In time, you will develop a reputation as an expert in your industry–a go-to person. This is especially true if you guest post on well-respected, well-written blogs. A better reputation means more business!

What’s your experience with guest blogging? How does it benefit your business?

The post The Benefits of Guest Blogging appeared first on Social Media School.

1. Follow the Rules: Like all social media networks, Pinterest has rules. Compared to other platforms, however, Pinterest is pretty easy-going. Learning the rules and following them is one of the most important steps in running a successful Pinterest contest.
2. Keep It Simple: In general, the less well known your brand and the less valuable the prize you offer, the less complicated you need to make your contest requirements.  After all, who wants to spend valuable time deciphering a long list of requirements for a brand he or she has never heard of. However, keeping it simple is ALWAYS a good idea, no matter how attractive the prize. Try to create just a few entry steps and make sure your instructions are clear (at a glance) and easy to follow.
3. Make It Fun: The people who enter your Pinterest contest will be well aware of all the competition. So they’ll likely feel more excited about entering and taking the time to follow the required steps if you make the contest match their interests. For example, if your target audience is into decorating, have participants create pins of dream rooms or items they want for their dream homes. They’ll enjoy the virtual window shopping and have more of an interest in entering your contest.
4. Get the Most out of It: Set goals for your your Pinterest contest. For example, you might want to use your contest to help increase your fan base, or your primary goals may include collecting information about your fans.  Then, make sure your contest requirements will help you achieve your goals. If, for instance, your goal is to collect information about your fans, you can require participants to sign up for the contest (and a login) on your site. This way, you can collect the information you need each time someone chooses to enter. If it’s fans that you want, require all participants (both entrants and voters) to follow your brand on Pinterest.
5. Make It Worth Their While: Of course, not every brand has the major bucks to shell out for a very extravagant prize, such as a car or a vacation. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t offer an attractive prize. Think long and hard about your audience members and what they want/need, and then provide a high-value prize that suits your audience yet fits within your budget. Gift certificates for online shopping and high-value items from your site are always good ideas.
6. Track Your Results: Keep track of your results throughout the contest period. Set up a spreadsheet to keep track of each goal on your list and update the spreadsheet each week with your progress.  For instance, if you want to drive traffic to a page on your site, update your spreadsheet with your referral traffic numbers.

The post Make Your Pinterest Promotion a Success appeared first on Social Media School.

1. Out With the Old: Trash old emails, direct messages, and other contacts that no longer have a use. Received a bunch of  spam? Get rid of that too! If you’ve been saving messages with the plan of using the information within them later, stop procrastinating and either use the information now or store the information in its proper place, such as a relevant folder or your Contacts list.
2. In With the New: Do you have contacts in your inbox that you have yet to enter or save in the appropriate folders? Now is the time to get this done. Then, sort through all those business cards you’ve collected and make sure you’ve added each person to your lists/folders. What good are contacts if you never reach out to them? Check the comments on your blog and social media pages for contacts to add as well.
3. Clean up Your Information: You’re sure to have some outdated or incorrect information in your profile and on your pages. Now is the time to delete it and add up-to-date, valuable information in its place. Maybe your company has experienced a change in key employees, added new products or services, or accomplished important goals.  Make sure your profile and pages include all that you want to share.
4. Make Sure It Works: Check your links, videos, and audio clips to make sure everything works as it should. If a prospect wants to click through to another page or check out your content, the last thing you want are broken links or videos that won’t load. Such issues are big turn-offs for prospective customers.
5. Roll out the Fresh Content:  Research new topic ideas and get on a regular posting schedule. This is especially important if you’ve slacked off on posting lately. Include some posts that provide company news or update your audience on your products or services. Provide helpful how-to’s, write posts that answer frequently asked questions, and upload attention-grabbing photos and videos. If you focus on a particular topic much of the time, shake things up with a new angle!

What have you been putting off for far too long? Add it to your social media spring cleaning list!

The post Social Media Spring Cleaning appeared first on Social Media School.

1. How-To Posts:  Teach your readers how to use your products or services. Write how-to posts or create photo and video tutorials. Provide tips for using or making the most of  the products you sell online. These types of posts are not only likely to please your audience but can also help you rank well with the search engines, especially if you choose well-targeted keywords and use them in your posts.
2. Question-and-Answer Posts: Your customers have questions, and your blog is the perfect place to answer them. Mine your blog topic ideas from questions you receive from your customers online and over the phone. Use questions posed not only through your site or email but also via your social media pages. Also, visit communities your audience members frequent and follow the conversations posted there. You’re sure to see questions that need answering. Turn them into blog posts!
3. Expert/Thought Leadership Posts: Your blog also provides the opportunity to share your expertise. Write posts, or have key employees write posts, that demonstrate leadership in your industry. These types of post help build credibility and encourage your readers to trust your brand.
4. News Posts: Your readers will definitely consider your blog valuable if it brings them relevant news. Create blog posts that provide industry news. Update readers on news related to the products you sell. You can even keep your readers interested by writing blog posts about changes and improvements within your company. Don’t forget to include behind-the-scenes posts as well. Consumers like to read about the people and happenings that make a company tick.
   
5. Reviews: It’s so hard to choose the right product or service these days. Consumers have so many options that many suffer from choice anxiety. You can relieve some of the pressure they feel and help them decide by posting reviews on your blog. Just remember to keep them objective; otherwise, you’ll lose your readers’ trust. Include a description, product testing details, and pros and cons in each review.

What types of topics work best on your online retailer blog? Share with us!

The post 5 Blog Topics Ideas for Online Retailers appeared first on Social Media School.