Community sells. Members discuss shared interests – hobbies, travel, politics, medical conditions, favorite foods, you name it. They create their own buzz and ‘user-generated’ content about their favorite products and services. They recommend things to one another – everything from the cars they drive and the restaurants they frequent to the places they travel for vacation. Think about it: Are you more likely to purchase something based on the recommendation of a salesperson or a family member or friend?

You belong to communities already – your family and friends, your neighborhood, perhaps a school or church or a professional organization. All of these communities can help you research popular products and services and spread the word about what you do and the products and services you sell.

You can tap the full potential of these communities, extend them, access different communities, and even create new communities online via social media sites, including two of the most popular: Facebook and Twitter.

Getting Connected on Facebook

Facebook was created for college students to keep in touch but has expanded to serve a variety of communities – from extended families to alumni groups, fan clubs, advocacy organizations, and everything in between.

After you join Facebook (membership is free) and create a personal profile, you can then invite people to become your “friends.” Other members can invite you to become their friends or request to be your friend, but both members must consent. Only friends have access to one another’s profiles and other content they choose to share. As soon as you have a few friends, you can communicate with them in the following ways:

• Post a message on your “wall” for all your friends to see. Messages can include text, photos, links, video clips, or birthday wish lists.
• Join or create a “group” and share content with members of that group. Groups may include thousands of members.
• Email friends for more private discussions.

Tip: If you must sell, soft-sell. Facebook is a social site, not a sales site. Posting a short message about a product or service you like (and perhaps have for sale) is acceptable, as long as you don’t abuse the privilege. If you wouldn’t do it at a family or class reunion, don’t do it on Facebook.

Facebook is good for:

• Getting a better feel for popular trends
• Identifying potential opportunities
• Promoting items for sale (soft-sell only)
• Letting friends know about your website or blog
• Notifying your friends of a new post on your blog
• Connecting with people who share your interests

Facebook is not good for:

• Hard-sell advertising
• Sales pitches

Keeping in Touch with Twitter

On Twitter, the question of the day, every day, 24 hours a day is this: What are you doing? And on Twitter, millions of members are constantly in the process of updating that question and reading other people’s answers.

Each Twitter update is considered a “tweet” and is limited to 140 characters. Members can post messages using an Internet-enabled computer or via cell phone or a third-party application. Messages tend to be simple and direct, and conversations move along quickly.

You can also send private, “direct” messages when you don’t want to share with the entire Twitter community. For example, if a person has a public question about a business, and you did not want to share your answer with the whole world, you can reply directly so that it would be seen only by that individual.

Spotting Popular Topics and Trends

Tweets are archived, and you can search them at www.search.twitter.com. This is a great way to identify popular topics, market trends, and individuals who are most actively involved in various topics of interest.

Attracting Your Own Following

When people find someone interesting on Twitter, they “follow” the individual. Typically, your “followers” can see all the tweets you create instantly – if they are either at their computer or they have their cell phones or third-party Web applications set to receive your messages. If not, your messages get buried by newer tweets.

By looking at a Twitter user’s profile, you can see all the people they follow and all of their followers.

You can tag your account with up to three terms that describe your interests. To tag your account and find others who share your interests, visit www.wefollow.com.

Tip: One way to grow your list of followers is to put a Twitter badge on your website. Twitter supplies the code, so you can install it yourself. The badge shows visitors your latest messages and lets them see you are involved and current. It also gives them a way to follow you in the future.

Many Twitter users feel it’s polite to follow anyone who follows them. Some automate the process by using a free service such as TweetLater (www.tweetlater.com). If you follow a large number of people, a large percentage of them will auto-follow you, increasing your list of followers.

Recognizing Tweeter’s Marketing Limitations

Marketers have yet to figure out a way to successfully monetize Twitter. Some say if you have a huge list of followers, you can tweet about your business and drive sales. While there are some success stories, they are the exception. Consider using Twitter more for eavesdropping on discussions to find out what’s hot and what’s not.

Twitter is good for:

• Spotting trends
• Connecting with trendsetters and keeping up with their latest activities
• Notifying people of a new item for sale or post on your blog
• Getting quick answers to questions through informal polls
• Maintaining contact with people in your field of interest

Twitter is not good for:

• Driving substantial sales although it can be used to drive traffic which in turn can become huge sales
• Replacing a website or blog
• Developing loyal customers and solid business relationships
• Creating lasting content that people will read in the future

Learn more about twitter here:  http://adamginsbergblog.com/category/twitter/

Supplements, Not Replacements

Both Facebook and Twitter should be considered helpful tools to supplement your current business. Neither of them can replace your website or blog. They can however, increase awareness, drive traffic to your website or blog, and establish you as a credible source of information in a particular subject area (if what you’re sharing is credible).

Facebook and Twitter are free and relatively easy to use. Take some time to sign up, create your profile, and get connected. In time, you too will gather many friends and followers and have a community in place to clue you in on what’s popular and do some of your sales and marketing for you.

Find Adam Ginsberg on Facebook Here: http://facebook.com/adamginsberg.com

Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter Here: http://twitter.com/adamginsberg

We know that Google is the #1 search engine in the world - but where are people going for real time, up to date information on every day updates?  Twitter.  Just take a look at twitter and you’ll see - on the right side of the page - what people are talking about “Right Now”.

A few weeks ago I learned that Danny Gans had died because “Danny Gans” was one of the most talked about keywords on Twitter. Then, we had an earthquake in Los Angeles and immediately (literally within moments) there were updates on Twitter…Whether it’s a sporting event or a news update, you can get the most current, up to date news on Twitter with real people reporting real results.

CNN is now reporting that people in Iran are posting updates on Twitter with crucial information - and this is particularly important since Iranian authorities have banned Western journalists from covering political rallies. Even though websites and newspapers have been closed by Iranian officials, people are still able to spread the word of what’s going on via Twitter.

Although officials would not say whether they were communicating with Iranians directly, one noted that the United States is learning about certain people being picked up for questioning by authorities through posts on Twitter.

“It is a very good example of where technology is helping,” the official said.

Senior officials say the State Department is working with Twitter and other social networking sites to ensure Iranians are able to continue to communicate to each other and the outside world.

At a briefing with reporters Tuesday, spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States was monitoring the situation in Iran through a number of media, including social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, but deflected questions about the State Department talks with Twitter.

“We’ve highlighted to them the importance of these social media,” Kelly said of the conversations with Twitter executives. “This is about the Iranian people. This is about the giving their voices a chance to be heard. One of the ways that their voices are heard are through new media.”

For example, senior officials say the State Department asked Twitter to refrain for going down for periodic scheduled maintenance at this crucial time to ensure that the site continues to operate.

“They announced they were going to shut down their system for maintenance, and we asked them not to,” one official said, adding that the discussions were meant to “highlight to [Twitter] that this was an important means of communication, not with us but horizontally in Iran.”

The situation in Iran is a real-world example of the State Department’s efforts to increase use of technology in diplomacy, including social networking sites, Web video and text messages to reach large numbers of people who would otherwise be difficult to reach.

It’s uncertain what the long term prognosis of Twitter will be, but one thing we know for certain is that the “word of mouth” impact of people and the ability for their message to be spread instantly to people around the world via the Internet, is here to stay.  And by the looks of it, Twitter - in one form or another - might be the leading catalyst.

For more information on how to best use Twitter in your online activities, visit http://adamginsbergblog.com/category/twitter

In this article, Adam Ginsberg shows you how to use Twitter to increase your eBay sales.

Today, more than ever, selling on eBay is competitive. One key to your success will be the number of visitors you get to your listings.  In theory, the more visitors to your listings, the more items you’ll sell.

Most eBay sellers simply put items for sale and then wait for people on eBay to find these listings.  It used to be that all items for sale would end up on the front page of eBay as the default search results on eBay was based on time ending soonest.  This changed when eBay changed its default search results to be based on their “best match” algorythm.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, which are free to use, can be a valuable source of additional traffic to your listings - resulting in more viewers, more bids and ultimately more sales.

Twitter, the fastest growing social networking site on the internet, is a site that can help you get more people to your auctions resulting in an increase in your income. Of course, whether or not that person bids is a different story…but the first step in selling on eBay is to get visitors to your listings.

What exactly is Twitter anyway?

Twitter has become a cultural phenomenon. Everyone is using it, from internet marketing to celebrities.  Twitter.com is a social networking site that allows users to post short, 140-character max, messages almost like like mini-blog posts. Users sign up for a free account and can begin posting immediately.

Unlike Facebook.com, and other such sites, people can become your Twitter “Follower” when they see something from you that piques their interest. You can also follow other people when they post something that interests you. You don’t need prior knowledge of the person or some sort of prior relationship.

How to effectively use Twitter to promote your eBay listings.

First, you should post a tweet (twitter blurb) about once a week to a listing or your eBay store.  Don’t comment more than that or people will either un-follow you or stop reading your posts.

Second, use Tweetburner.com to shorten long url links in teach Twitter post. This is very important very important when you only have 140 characters per Twitter post - and eBay links can be very long.  As well, you can track traffic to each post. Tweetburner calls each shortened url a “twurl.” I’ve made more than 200 twurls and have generated more than 16,000 hits bo my websites, etc.  which is an average of almost 80 visitors per Twitter post. The more followers you have on Twitter the better this ratio will become - as of the writing of this article I have more than 16,000 followers on Twitter.

If you use Twitter effectively you can easily drive traffic to your eBay listings - or any other site you want to promote.  I reached 16,000 followers in less than 5 months.  Oprah reach 1,000,000 followers in 30 days.

In Summary, here are 4 steps to use Twitter to increase your sales on eBay.

Step 1: Twitter is a social networking site where you post comments about what you are doing throughout your day - either in your business life, personal life or both.  You can register for a free account here: Twitter.com . It’s fast and it’s easy to register. Tip:  Create your twitter account using the same name as your userID on eBay. This will help people recognize your auctions and your store.

Step 2: Once you’ve registered your account on Twitter.com, it’s now time to follow Tweeters (other Twitter members) to follow. You want to build a variety of followers and get lots of different people viewing your auctions. Use this link to find other tweeters: http://search.twitter.com. Here you can type in a word or phrase and find people who are talking about that phrase. You can open their profile and use the Follow button on the left top side of the screen. Remember the more people you follow the more people who will follow you.

Step 3: Now that you have followers it’s time to send tweets (twitter messages). You should only sent 1 post to an auction/eBay store for every 15-20 non-promotional related tweets. Once you’ve updated your account with 10 to 15 tweets, then post your first update promoting an item for sale on eBay. Make sure to use Tweetburner.com to shorten the link to the eBay listing (or any url you might want to promote). Remember, you only have 140 characters so use your words wisely.

Step 4: Remember, one key element to making money on eBay is to get people to your auctions.  This will result in higher bids and more sales.

Use Twitter and other social networking sites to promote your eBay listings for an increase in online sales results.

Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter here: Adam Ginsberg Twitter

I’ve been using twitter actively for approximately 4 1/2 month and I now have more than 14,000 followers! Thank you to everyone who is following me on twitter and, if you’re not following Adam Ginsberg on Twitter yet, you can follow me by clicking this link: Adam Ginsberg Twitter

If you’re new to Twitter or wanting to learn the best way to use it, check out the Adam Ginsberg Twitter Library - it’s all free information.

So, how many people are following you on twitter?  Ashton Kutcher became the first person to reach 1,000,000 followers and now he’s well on his way to the 2 million person mark.

Oprah joined twitter last month and had both Ashton and the founder of Twitter on her show.  Since then, she has become the 8th person in Twitter history to achieve the milestone of 1,000,000+ followers.  As with many celebrities, they have only a handful of people they actually follow.  In Oprah’s case it’s only 11.  And, as of this posting, she has just 46 total tweet updates.

Would you like to follow the celebrities (including President Obama) as well as see where you rank in the Twittersphere?  You can check out two sites that can show you.  The first is Twittercounter.com and the second is Twitterholic.com

Get on the Twitter bandwagon today - it’s certainly what everyone is talking about!

When it comes to marketing online, Twitter quickly becoming an invaluable tool.  It’s a great resource - in part due to one of it’s best features - the search field.

Here are 6 ways to use the search tool to help increase your sales and market yourself (and your business) effectively on Twitter:

1.  Search for your name. If someone is talking about you, you need to know it!  People will often send a tweet such as, “Does anyone know James Smith?” or “Has anyone done business with Michael James?”

If someone is talking about you, they might certainly be a great potential customer.  If someone asks, “Do you know of a great content writer?” and someone mentions your name, then that is a great lead for a client!

2.  Search for your company. If you have a search for Mike Smith Marketing Company and find out that someone is discussing your company, that can be a great lead for business or it can give you an early warning if there is a problem.

3.  Search for your product. If you sell Miracle Widgets and someone is searching for that term, then you certainly have a potential lead.  Or it can give you some insight to your competition.  Either way, it is good to know.

4.  Search for your competitor’s name, company or products. This can give you an idea of what people are saying about him and give you a leg up on the competition.

5.  Search for like-minded people. This can be for local people or anywhere.  Networking with others gives you a whole new circle of business contacts.  You can search for terms like your city, state, niche, or anything else that might help you find people to follow that could work with you.

6.  Search for people who can complement what you offer. If you are great at building websites, but cannot write worth a hoot, then search for writers that might want to partner with you.

These tips will help you focus your search and find the best people to build your customer base and maximize your profits.

Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter - Click Here!

How are you using Twitter to market your self online?  Please post your comments below!