Yesterday we covered the first 5 reasons why social media can benefit entrepreneurs.  Click here to check it out. For most entrepreneurs, social media can provide emotional support, create an interactive environment, help foster meaningful relationships, facilitate the community building process, and provide more monetization options. Without further ado, let’s wrap up this series by introducing the last 5 reasons in this post.

6. Social media eliminates the “middlemen” once and for all for entrepreneurs

In the old media world, small businesses must have an “agency” to do almost everything.  To publish a book, you needed a book publishing firm.  To do PR, you needed a PR firm.  You got the idea.  With social media, you can now reach your users directly. Entrepreneurs can self publish their books using sites like Lulu. With sites like Twitter and Facebook, businesses can do their own PR and marketing.  David Meerman Scott calls this shift as the New Rules of PR and Marketing.

7. Social media helps entrepreneurs become more efficient and productive

Social media brings productivity and efficiency to entrepreneurs.  With the right time management skills, tools like Gmail, Twitter, and blogs let businesses accomplish more in short amount of time. To master the productivity skills, here is an article you must read – “30 Tips: The Productivity Guide of Social Media.”

8. Social media lets entrepreneurs find and pursue their passion

Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It is probably one of the greatest books ever written about social media.  The book persuades you to pursue your dreams and find your passion.  For entrepreneurs, there should be no more excuses for not doing something they are passionate about in the 21st century.  To learn more on how to cash in on your passion with social media, read this article.

9. Social media creates more “linchpin” opportunities for entrepreneurs

In Seth Godin’s latest book “Linchpin,” the sound of becoming indispensable rings clear and loud. For entrepreneurs, being defined as “indispensable” by their customers means “standing out.” Correct implementation of social media tools makes you stand out even more. Would you like to become an indispensable blogger, Twitterer, or wine guy? In every field, entrepreneurs have a chance now to become the “linchpin” via social media.

10. Social media helps entrepreneurs develop their personal brands

Personal branding is a hot topic in the new digital age.  Entrepreneurs need to have a brand that’s recognizable, preferable, and indispensable deemed by their customers.  There are different ways you can achieve this goal with the assist of social media.  Please read this article (“5 Ways You Can Make Your Brand Indispensable Via Social Media”) to get more tips.

 
To sum it up, social media and entrepreneurship should be combined to create more efficiency, more brand equity, more linchpin opportunities, and more relationships with your customers.  You can leave your comments below if you want to.

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Today, I got to brainstorm for more strategies about how social media can benefit entrepreneurs. Over the past year, social media has played a significant role in the businesses I am involved with, such as blogging and networking.  So what’s the fuzz about social media that really makes it indispensable for modern entrepreneurs? I understand there is a lot of hype surrounding social media nowadays.  In this post, I’d like to list the first 5 logical reasons why I consider social media as an essential tool for most businesses, no matter you’re in B2C or B2B sector.  Let’s get right to the points.

1. Social media provides emotional support for entrepreneurs

There were times I got frustrated with my business not moving forward.  But I refused to be defeated by emotions.  These are the 13 most inspiring video clips from YouTube that I put together a while ago. I’ve seen them over and over again in the past.  They really helped me turn my frustration into courage and strength.  (I highly recommend you to check out the above link)

2. Social media is the interactive tool that connects entrepreneurs

I like to use the LinkedIn group example here.  Similar to Meetup groups, LinkedIn lets business people plug in corresponding groups based on their interests.  For example, if you are an entrepreneur, a must-join group is Dharmesh Shah’s On Startups – The Community For Entrepreneurs.  Entrepreneurs in that same group can share articles and post discussions that provide valuable information about entrepreneurship, business development, etc.  Here is the recommended reading if you are interested in learning more about LinkedIn groups: 30 Top LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs, eMarketers, and Social Media Enthusiasts.

3. Social media offers a channel to for entrepreneurs build relationships

Tools like Twitter can help business owners establish relationships with their suppliers, customers, and prospects.  I’ve written an article about how to use Twitter to build relationships, check it out – “15 Tips to Help You Build Relationships on Twitter”.

4. Social media helps entrepreneurs build communities

If you’ve read the book “Tribes” by Seth Godin, chances are you already understand the importance of having and leading a community. Social media tools like Facebook help you accomplish that. You can start a Facebook page for your business today and start counting your fans tomorrow.  The more fans you have, the more social proof your business gets.  Check out the NY Entrepreneurs Business Network fan page here.

5. Social media creates monetization opportunities for entrepreneurs

We all know that starting a business is hard. For beginning entrepreneurs, correctly using social media to position themselves means more options to monetize.  On my blog, I currently integrate Google Adsense, Amazon Associates, Chitika eMiniMalls and sell affiliate products.  Of course my ultimate goal is to have and sell my own product, something that truly belongs to me.  But at the beginning, every bit of other income sources helps.  This philosophy should apply to entrepreneurship in any other endeavor.

Please stay put and wait for our 2nd post in a series that will detail the last 5 reasons why social media can benefit entrepreneurs. Make sure you subscribe to our RSS so you get updated once it gets published. (Update: Part II is now available here.)

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I was reading an article from Problogger today about the problem many small business owners encounter when they try to blog.  The fact is some business owners don’t even write emails well, not to mention blogging. Our blog post here will examine 6 methods social media can benefit small business owners.  Remember, social media is only a tool.  Whether or not it’s effective depends on how you use it and what you use it for.  We will focus on the “How” and “What” aspects in this blog post.

 

1. Use social media for networking purposes

Networking enables small business owners to know more people, increasing the possibilities of finding clients or strategic partners.  Social media sites such as LinkedIn.com offer endless opportunities for business owners in a niche industry to mingle and network.  Correctly filling out your profile is crucial if you want to be identified by valuable contacts that you’d like to network with.  A great and impressive profile tends to make you popular within a group setting.  Let’s say you want to join a LinkedIn group with a focus on networking, you can join Manhattan Local Networkers Group on LinkedIn.

2. Use social media for relationship building purposes

The competition for small business owners is fierce, intense, and cruel.  Eventually, it boils down to relationships.  Your clients and partners are willing to do business with you because they trust you.  How do you gain their trust and build real relationships?  There are two separate posts I’ve written which discuss the key of relationships building:

15 Tips to Help You Build Relationships on Twitter

How to Become A Trust Agent in A Digital Market?

3. Use social media to get leads

It’s almost a cliche to emphasize the importance of leads.  Believe it or not, social media can help you get the job done more efficiently.  If you are on Twitter and happen to follow Mashable, you have probably seen, for numerous times, that Mashable offers a Kindle or whatever gadgets as incentives for their readers to join the Mashable Facebook fan page. That said, incentives are effective when used to get leads.  Have you seen someone offering a free PDF book just to get their readers opt in their mailing list?  You can also build a list by putting an opt-in box or pop-up window on your blog.

4. Use social media to better understand your own industry

We are in an information age. Learning how to filter the correct information through while not getting overwhelmed is a skill to learn.  Microblogging site Twitter is the tool that I use to get my daily dose of information.  I am following Internet titans such as Leo Laporte, TechCrunch, Problogger, etc. So I can get firsthand information from them once it becomes available.  I have also learned so much about social media industry by following links on Twitter.

5. Use social media to do customer services

This is a no-brainer.  Companies such as Whole Foods Market and Media Temple are best known for the superior customer service they offer.  This is reflected by their speedy response to their Twitter customers.  I have had firsthand experiences with both companies and I am very satisfied with the results. In essence, small businesses should know how to treat customers kind and well with social media.

6. Use social media to expand your influence

While you can be social as a business owner, the real rare commodity is the ability to lead. There is almost a direct correlation between a company’s expansion and its influence in its industry.  Needless to say, correctly using social media to become more influential can help any small business succeed in the long run.  Social media tools help you foster communities and tribes where you can lead with influence!

 
If you are a small business owner, don’t forget to leave your opinions below on how you use social media to grow your own business.

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Recently, I started doing more research about tech startups and the factors which made them successful.  Not surprisingly, I realized for each successful Web 2.0 company, there is either a great corporate culture or an appealing concept attached to it.  While doing my research, I’ve stumbled upon the following three video clips.  They are, in turn, featuring Tony Hsieh, the Zappos CEO, Evan Williams, the Twitter co-founder, and Dennis Crowley, the Foursquare co-founder.  Each talk is filled with passion.  Enjoy!

1. Tony Hsieh on the Zappos culture

Zappos.com is an online shoe and clothing shop.  Founded in 1999, Zappos has grown to be the biggest online shoe store. The company grossed over $800 million in merchandise sales in 2007.  The company was then acquired by Amazon.com for a reported $1.2 billion.  In the video, Tony talked about the value a good company culture could create.  For Zappos, customer service always comes the first.  I, personally, found the Pizza story described by Tony was a great example to showcase the company culture at Zappos.  Therefore, this is a great case study here.

 

2.  Evan Williams on listening to Twitter users

Today marks Twitter’s 4th birthday. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey sent his first Tweet on Mar. 21, 2006. Twitter has been growing wildly in the past 4 years.  Last month, Twitter hit 50 million tweets per day. What’s the secret behind Twitter’s success? Perhaps we should revisit Evan Williams’ TED talk, where he discussed a simple idea, which is that people like to share with their friends and family about what they are doing.  Without a good idea, a tech startup is hard to reach the tipping point.

 

3. Dennis Crowley on what’s the concept behind Foursquare

You’ve probably heard of Foursquare by far.  Foursquare is a location-based social networking website, software for mobile devices, and game. Users “check-in” at venues using text messaging or a device specific application. They are then awarded points and sometimes “badges.” In a very uplifting style, Dennis Crowley presents his view on how we can make the world just a little more fun by adding game elements in our daily activities. The game elements, along with the fact that Foursquare is location-based and real time, have made Foursquare grow exponentially after its launching in Mar. 2009.

 
Do you have the next startup ideas?  Share your comments below.

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As I sat on the edge of my seat watching the highly anticipated State of the Union Address the other night, I was reminded that though there is talk of recession in the economy, oppression in the job market and many other potential world issues that this absolutely is the best time for entrepreneurs to triumph and conquer success.

Among many other techniques, I believe there is one way if used right, that can have a large impact on that victory. Subsequently I was proposed the question, “ Why and how should entrepreneurs leverage social media and technology for their success?” I loved this question, not because the answer was somewhat of an obvious one but because it immediately gave me the opportunity to truly tap into the actual volume social media/technology currently holds. As well as how necessary it is for an entrepreneur of today to be in tune with all forms of social media and technology. We live in a time where the internet is no longer just a tool for information but it is a way of life. As an entrepreneur, engaging in these social medias you have a greater chance of getting that foot in the door or even allowing someone of importance to recognize you and your business/product. Now this is not to say that if you belong to a million social media sites that you’re guaranteed an automatic million dollar deal. The amount of energy that you put into technology still needs to be complimented by other necessary leg work to get the most fulfillments of success.

But as I stated previously, when used in the right way social media can be a great instrument for networking, promotion, marketing, and can assist you in attaining knowledge about your industry. You can create and manage a blog where you generate and express your own creativeness and opinions. You can keep in touch by tweeting as well as follow up with other professionals by traditional email and/or text message, upload podcasts and footage on YouTube, and you can join some of the hundreds and counting social networking sites that are out there. Essentially if you can find your way to a computer, a smart phone or any other useful form of technology, the opportunities can be endless. Some of the best perks of connecting with social media is that it can be working for you while you’re away from the internet, you can control the content and information that you post, and you can link to as many other corresponding social media forums that you want. There is a great saying that simply exemplifies those last statements, “Your network equals your net worth.”

As entrepreneurs you know having a business and selling yourself in a certain field takes very hard work and determination. I believe the same approach you take with your business should be taken with social media and technology. When using social media, you are affecting perception and representing yourself so you would want to be professional and put your best foot forward at all times. Also, do your research and don’t forget to ask for help if you’re not that savvy with where to begin. So, if you haven’t already, start your engines, go out into the World Wide Web and get on the road to social media. Finally good luck and continue to challenge yourselves.

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As social media tools become more mainstream, companies of all sizes are eager to adapt to this new trend in their corporate strategies.  Living and breathing social media everyday, I’ve found, in particular, several false and misleading  assumptions that most CEOs or entrepreneurs hold about social media marketing.  While social media signifies a completely different way of communication and socialization, its role can not be overstated.  This article reveals ten common myths of social media that usually lead to false expectations and poorly executed corporate plans.

1. All social media tools are free

In my opinion, this statement is way too general.  We can interpret the meaning of this sentence in many different ways depending on the angle we look at it.  Twitter and Facebook do not charge its members for using the service.  In that sense, it is, indeed, free, or free of charge.  However, time weighs heavier than money for most entrepreneurs. Social media can easily take away hours of your valuable time that you could have used productively to do something else that would contribute to your company’s bottom line.  If this is the case, social media is costly, especially considering it’s highly addictive for certain people.

2. You must dominate your market on all major social networks

Some people are under the impression that the more social networks you involve, the faster your business will grow. While this belief may sound logical, it’s simply not realistic because of the limited time and resources everybody has.  Dominating your market on a single network may already prove to be a daunting task, not to mention several. Here is how I handle this situation. I predominately use Twitter as my marketing tool. On the side, I set up Facebook pages, YouTube and Flickr accounts, etc., but only on supplemental basis.  Besides, if my messages goes viral on Twitter, one of my followers may Digg it, or bookmark it on Delicious. That is how my message spreads to other networks without me getting involved in it.

3. You can do everything by yourself

While you have the capacity to do everything by yourself, be prepared it’s extremely time consuming and involves a huge amount of self-learning.  On the other hand, it’s better to use your time efficiently to do the things you are good at.  For example, if you have a blog but you are not familiar with Photoshop, the best option is to hire a graphic designer to do the logo and site layout for you.  This way, you can work on more important things such as writing articles which provide good content.

4. Your site can attract a good amount of traffic within months

If you have a blog or website, chances are you already know it takes time to build your following.  It’s rarely a succeed-overnight story, unless you already are a celebrity.  In order to take your site to the next level, here is the correct formula: Success = Content + Links + Hard Work + Discipline.

5. Just be social, and success will come

Given the literal meaning of “social media,” it’s not uncommon to hear advice that goes like: “You must be social and proactive in order to stand out from your social media peers.”  Well, all I can say is social media comprises of people with a variety of backgrounds.  Sometimes, strategies are more important than personalities.  The key word here is “Relationship.”  Relationship is the thing that bonds you together with your target market audience.  Fortunately, there are many other ways you can build good relationships on social networks even though you are not a social person.

6. Just provide good content, and people will find it

There is not doubt that content is the king.  But without links, you are not getting all the Google juice.  In order to increase your presence on different social networks, you must have the correct marketing strategies.  No matter how good your content is, it means nothing if people can’t find it.  Good marketing and PR strategies are indispensable to make your content findable.  My recommendation of reading: The New Rules of Marketing & PR

7. You must monetize your sites in an early stage

Monetization may be a good motivational factor for people to own a website, but monetizing your site too early may actually backfire.  Here is why. Monetization only works when your site has a good amount of traffic.  Most sites won’t have a lot of traffic at the beginning stage.  Even worse, too many banner ads may turn your visitors off.  Some of them will never return again.

8. Social media is all you need for your marketing strategies

This one is the worst mistake.  It has the most devastating consequences.  Social media never equals marketing.  Period. It is just a good and cheap tool to facilitate your marketing department to increase it target market reach.  Every company needs to have a budget for marketing campaigns and other advertising needs.  If you use Google Adwords, that’s even more costs you should take into account.

9. The YouTube Myth

Do you have to make a YouTube video and make it go viral?  Absolutely not.  The truth is most videos ever created and uploaded to YouTube never surpass 100 views.  The videos you watch daily on YouTube are those outliers that have made its presence to YouTube’s “front page”.  Depending on the nature of your business and the resources you possess, video marketing can be something optional.

10. The Twitter Myth

Twitter is the latest buzz word in social media.  I’ve read many articles that claim the essential role that Twitter plays in our daily life.  Yes, it is powerful.  This has proven to be true given my own example.  My blog and networking website couldn’t have gained so much traffic without my presence on Twitter.  But, is Twitter for everybody?  Perhaps not.  Twitter is a microblogging tool that requires you update your status daily, sometimes even multiple times a day in order to build relationships with your followers.  That said, if you don’t think this is something you can commit your time to, don’t even start in the first place.

Please feel free to let us know your opinions on these ten myths.  Do you have any new ones to add?

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If you have been following WebStudio13 for the last year, you probably already know that I organize a business networking group in NYC called NY Entrepreneurs Business Network (NYEBN).  Not only do we organize quality/free networking events for all NYEBN members, we also give seminars intended to educate entrepreneurs on how to leverage social media and other technology tools.  To my surprise, the group has been going through a major expansion in the past 8 months.  Now we have attracted over 3,200 entrepreneurs representative of a variety of industries.  In 2010, we’ve decided to implement an array of new programs to make NYEBN even a better place for all entrepreneurs and business owners.  Primarily, here are the 5 things we plan on implementing for our group in 2010:

1.  Stick to 2 networking events per month

Our networking events generally have a turnout between 300 and 600 people.  We do networking events biweekly at different high-end NYC venues.  The venues that we feature are typically made available for us exclusively from 6-10 PM on a weekday night.  Check out the last event at 230 Fifth rooftop where we had the largest turnout (about 622 confirmed RSVPs) since the start of the group.

2. Give More Seminars Related to Social Media and Technology

Last year, we had featured all types of speakers from a variety of industries, including personal development, sales, marketing, etc. Given the importance of modern technology, we decide to do more seminars in the social media and technology fields.  Check out our next startup event at Microsoft where a dozen of tech startups will give their best pitch in front of a panel of VCs.  Also I will interview the Meetup founder Scott Heiferman on the 3rd week of February.  Check it out here.

3. Reward NYEBN Members for Bringing in New Members

We’ve launched an affiliate program starting from 1/1/2010.   By actively participating in the affiliate program, there are quite a few benefits NYEBN members are able to enjoy:

• Network with a bigger pool of business professionals and build relationships with them;
• Gain more exposure in the local market for your own business;
• More opportunities to learn in a diversified entrepreneurial environment;
• More ability to attract highly qualified sponsors and partners to offer incentives for our group members and back up NYEBN so it continually provides free networking opportunities;
• etc…

4. Develop More Opportunities for NYEBN Members to Stay Connected

NYEBN now has developed several powerful alternative networks where its members can bond and stay connected.  Here are three examples:

• NYEBN on Meetup
• NYEBN on Facebook
• NYEBN on Twitter

More NYEBN networks will be formed in the future.  For now, if you wish to attend NYEBN’s free events, this one is a must to sign up for.

5. Create More NYEBN Branded Products So Our Members Have A Sense of Belonging

At NYEBN, we are always trying to create something beyond the average.  I am very proactive when it comes to creativity.  For our members, here are two NYEBN-branded products that I have created in the past.  More to come in the future.

I. NYEBN Slideshow Video

II. NYEBN Photostream on Flickr

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This Week in Startups

If you are a podcast fan, you probably have heard of This Week in Startups (a.k.a. TWiST), hosted by Jason Calacanis.  I first heard of TWiST on Leo Laporte’s This Week in Tech.  After watching the 1st episode, I just got hooked on it.  This Week in Startups has great value for entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses.

For each episode, Jason interviews a CEO of a startup, or other Internet celebrities.  If you have a startup or try to raise funds for your company, this is a great show you wouldn’t want to miss.  Plus, Jason is a great entrepreneur from New York, which is probably another reason why I keep watching the show.  Having watched certain episodes repeatedly, I want to share 6 classic TWiST episodes with WebStudio13 readers. Here are the names of the guests appearing in each of these 7 episodes. You can click on the link to read more about each guest.

• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Matt Mullenweg
• Garry Tan
• Annie Duke
• Lockhart Steele
• Ryan Block and Peter Rojas

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Keys to Entrepreneurial Success

As a budding entrepreneur, I certainly enjoy the freedom of doing the things I like with maximum productivity. Although people have different perceptions about what makes a successful entrepreneur, the key to entrepreneurial success, by my definition, has always been the same, which is to fully utilize the resources available and create something from nothing through hard work.  Especially in the digital age, there are 10 important components that determine the success of any given entrepreneurs.  Let’s walk through them one by one in this article.

1. Get Connected through Social Networks

Becoming a social connector in the Web 2.0 era means more trusts and more credibility.  Chris Brogan has fully illustrated this concept in his book “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust.”  If you have a business in certain niche area, you should be using social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, to educate your target market why what you offer is valuable and why they should trust you.  In general, contemporary entrepreneurs would succeed much faster if they knew how to gain leverage through various social networks which are, more often than not, freely made available for everybody.

2. Read Blogs

No one knows everything.  We are often hurt by what we don’t know.  Information is crucial in the 21st century.  One great way to keep yourself up-to-date with the buzz is by reading blogs.  There are a few reasons why this appears to be important for entrepreneurs.  To name a few:

• Blogs are updated often and on time
• Blogs are free to read (You need the Internet access)
• Blogs allow comments, which, in turn, offer you free feedback

To find out what blogs I recommend for entrepreneurs, click here.

3. Read Books

Reading blogs is not a complete replacement for reading books yet.  Amazon is still one of my favorite places to purchase books.  Check out following articles for books I recommend for entrepreneurs:

• 10 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read
• Top 10 Web 2.0 Guide Books You Do Not Want to Miss on Amazon

4. Use Google Tools

Google is, no doubt, one of the greatest Web 2.0 companies in history.  As an entrepreneur, you have to know how to use a variety of Google tools to manage your tasks (Google Doc & Google Calendar), monitor your reputation (Google Alert), better communicate with others (Google Voice), etc.  I am a fan of Google’s products (who isn’t?).  Check out this article to find out more efficiency-boosting Google tools.

5. Become a Networking Expert

The more contacts you know in your industry, the more options you have.  Attending high quality networking events is a must for all entrepreneurs if you want to get connected.  I know this fact because I have been organizing events for the past year and so.  I’ve witnessed in person how the right person at the right time can save a company and turn it around sometimes.  When it comes to finding high quality events, no places are better than Meetup.  Check out your local meetup groups.  I am sure you can find something you like.

6. Attend Conferences/Seminars/Workshops

Just like reading books, attending conferences or seminars gives you the opportunity to interact with experts in your field personally. You also have a good chance to meet other peers attending the events and bounce off a few ideas with them.  Most importantly, a conference/seminar environment forces you to learn in a way you otherwise would have set yourself loose if you were by yourself.

7. Use Different Publishing Platforms

Learn how to use blogs and Twitter to write and share your thoughts.  Nobody should expect to sell directly to their target market audience by using these tools.  What they can use it for is to cultivate meaningful relationships which eventually lead to trust.  And as we know, trust sells.

8. Do Press Releases

Nowadays, as long as you have something newsworthy, anybody can do press releases.  As an entrepreneur, it makes sense for you to do PR to get more exposure for your business.  There is a very well-written article on Entrepreneur.com that reveals some simple how-tos when it comes to constructing an attention getting press release.

9. Get Feedback

Nobody can succeed the first time they do something.  Especially for entrepreneurs, it’s a trial and error process.  During this process, you must have a mechanism of getting repeat feedback from your target market audience.  As an example, I receive many different comments from my entrepreneur group members every time I finished organizing an event.  Their comments and ratings may not always be accurate, but they can offer some good hints for how to organize the next event differently.  On my blog, there will be people commenting on my articles from time to time, both positively and negatively.  From my perspective, all these messages serve for a simple yet common purpose, which is to make me do better next time.

10. Online Resources

There are tons of other resources online via which you can learn more about entrepreneurship.  Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know.  This is a self-discovery process.  You must be able to explore different resources on a daily basis to make yourself a stronger entrepreneur.  Here are a couple of resources I have to share:

• 10 of the Best Social Media Tools for Entrepreneurs
• A Dozen of the Best Start Up Pitches on the Web
• Essential Online Tools for Your Startup
• Young Entrepreneur Resources

Let us know if these tips are helpful in your entrepreneurial journey.  We always appreciate your feedback.

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How to Use Twitter for Your Business

Twitter experienced a spike in its growth in 2009.  In 2010, its momentum shows no signs of slowing down.  Have you thought of your business strategies you should implement on Twitter?  If you believe in the power of social media marketing and happen to have a business, perhaps this post is the right one to read in order to set your game right for 2010.  People give their pitches and affiliate linkson Twitter all the time. While this spamming behavior is considered wrong by most of us, what can we do to effectively build relationships on Twitter? Here are my 30 techniques to help you take your business to the next level with Twitter.

1. Use your business name, instead of your own name, to register your Twitter account for branding purposes.

2. Write informative and educational blog posts about your products/services, and then tweet the links.

3. Use Twitter search to detect what other people are saying about your business.

4. Check Twitter “Trending Topics” regularly and possibly adopt your short term business strategies according to what’s popular now.

5. Use Twitter to “listen” to what your potential prospects are interested in.

6. Be helpful, and share daily tips on how your products/services supposedly make others’ lives easier.

7. Follow influential people in your industry and be in the known for the game.

8. Retweet what’s the latest  in your industry and keep your audience up-to-date.

9. Give advice regularly to show you are caring and you are knowledgeable in your niche.

10. Integrate your Twitter feeds into your Facebook Fan page (for your business) to increase your reach whenever you tweet.

11. Share tips about how to balance your business and your personal life.

12. Tweet links to articles posted elsewhere that can help your followers understand the industry better.

13. Be real, share your own thoughts and comments about industry news and events.

14. Create a Twitter list, summarizing the most impactful powerhouses in your industry your target audience should follow on Twitter.

15. Tweet regularly and slightly more often during regular business hours.

16. Redirect people to a tutorial on your blog or website when answering questions addressed to you on Twitter.

17. Share your company’s culture and the human side of your business.

18. Do not tweet affiliate links or make direct sales pitch (annoying).

19. Do not automate your direct messages to send your business info to every person that follows you, because most people hate automated DMs.

20. Share your customers’ testimonials on Twitter.

21. Separate your followers into different categories according to how well they fit into your target market and treat them accordingly.

22. Use certain hashtags that are common in your industry so your tweets are easier to find.

23. Be positive and motivate your followers daily (i.e., borrow good quotes).

24. Share success stories from your clients and encourage your followers to follow them on Twitter.

25. Follow your heart and ignore the negative tweets you receive.  Some people just don’t get it.

26. Integrate URL shortners in your tweets so you can leave more space for your own comments.

27. Design an appealing Twitter background picture using whatever is relevant to your business.

28. Be informative and concise when filling out your business profile info.

29. Use Twitter to gather opinions people hold about your business or industry (opinion poll).

30. Use Twitter as a customer service tool to answer questions and address concerns.

Do you implement Twitter in your business strategies?  If so, how do you use it to increase your business exposure and your customer reach?

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