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

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

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

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!

Recently I had a conversation with someone and did my best to explain what Twitter is. I thought I was clear in my explanation, but apparently I was unable to really explain it properly.

Then, I found this amazing video called “Twitter in Plain English”. I was impressed by the simplicity and clarity of the video (and ended up purchasing a site license as a result.)

Twitter in Plain English is a video that explains what Twitter is, how it works and what you can use it for. The video is 2 minutes, 10 seconds. Then, after you watch it, please be sure to post your comments/thoughts – and please let me know if it helped to gain clarity as to what Twitter is all about!

Don’t forget, please post your comments.  Was this video helpful?  Would you like to see more videos posted on my blog?  What topics would you like to learn more about?  Thanks for visiting…

I just found this great article called “15 Innovative Uses for Twitter (That You Probably Haven’t Thought Of) on SiteProNews.com, written by Kalena Jordon.  Great info that I wanted to share with you.  Here goes:

“I recently saw this comment on a blog: “I’ve been tweeting but… from what I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, it’s either a ‘look at me’ or a ‘look at this’ arena.”

Sure Twitter is a great communication channel and as such, you do find a lot of self-promotion and name dropping. But there is so much more to Twitter. The comment got me thinking, would the critics feel the same if they could see more innovative ways to use it?

1) Community Help Desk – I’ve already used Twitter several times to investigate an issue I’ve been having with my computer, or a problem one of my clients has come across. Just yesterday I was able to pinpoint the source of a domain redirect issue because my followers in other countries could reach the site even though I was being redirected.

2) Write a Collaborative Book – you and a bunch of your favorite Tweeps could write a novel, one sentence (tweet) at a time. The results could range from hilarious to Shakespearean. I thought of this while reading about the popularity of Japanese novels composed via mobile text messages, but it turns out that some attempts have been made at this already e.g. 140 Novel and Good Captain. You could do a similar thing with song lyrics.

3) Live Webinars/Tutorials – you could create a new Twitter account with protected updates and ask invitation-only participants to follow you. Then you could hold a *closed* webinar at a pre-arranged time using Twitter for delivery instead of expensive webinar solutions. Twitter allows you to live chat, post links, photos, videos, audio files and text so there is no need for any plug-ins. You could even use a Twitter buffer like Twuffer to space out the content of the webinar via tweets over a specific timeframe.

4) Free Market Research – Who needs to pay expensive market research companies to learn stuff about your latest product? Just send a link, a free sample or a short survey to your followers and watch the feedback flow in.

5) Online Reputation Management – Twitter is ideal for tracking what people are saying about you, your company or your product. You can use Twitter Search to enter keywords or hash tags. Or you can use purpose-built widgets such as TweetBeep which work just like Google Alerts and send you regular emails containing any discussions involving your chosen Twitter accounts or hash tags. These work well for competitor tracking too.

6) Laugh a Day / Therapy – I’m consistently amazed how many long-term Twitter users fail to use the favorites option to bookmark tweets that they like. Whenever I read a tweet that makes me laugh out loud, I favorite it immediately. Then, whenever I am feeling a bit flat, stressed or sense a bad mood coming on, I turn to my favorites list knowing I will be giggling in no time. You can also rely on your followers to sense when you’re down and cheer you up.

7) Competitions – Companies like Zappos and Hand Bag Heaven have been holding competitions on Twitter for a while now. You basically elicit a response from your followers in exchange for the chance to win something. You could ask a question about one of your products or ask followers to find something on your site to win a gift certificate. But with a bit of ingenuity, you can be even more inventive.

DVDQuotes posts questions starting with WMITF, (which stands for Which Movie Is This From?) and gives away random DVDs to the Twitter user with the first correct tweet. Actor and Comedian Stephen Fry declared December 1 to be Oscar Wilde Day and asked his 30,000 plus followers to post Wildesque tweets using the hash tag #oscarwildeday for a chance to win downloads of his audio book. The competition took on a viral quality and earned the comedian at least 2,000 new followers within 48 hours.

Virtual Alarm Clock – Did you know you can use Twitter to set appointment reminders for yourself or others? You can use tools such as the Retweet Timer and Twittercal to tweet events from your Google Calendar as @replies to your Twitter profile at pre-set dates and times.

9) Idea Sharing / Community Mind Mapping – So this amazing business idea comes to you in the shower and you are busting to make it happen. But you want to be sure that your stroke of brilliance is fabulous and not folly. This is where your Twitter followers come in. Whether you tweet publicly or DM only your most trusted followers to keep it under wraps, you’ll get unbiased and practically instantaneous feedback on your big plans. Would you use it? Could it work? How much would you pay for it? What features should it have? Tapping into the combined brain power of your Twitter community is a great way to flesh out a business plan.

10) Competitor Tracking – You can use Twitter to monitor the activities of your enemi… er competitors without alerting them. Simply create an anonymous Twitter account and start following them. If they bad-mouth your company, or tweet about a product that may threaten your market share, you’ll know immediately.

11) Bug Testing – Along the same lines as 4), you can use your Twitter followers as live BETA testers when you roll out a new product or software version. Your followers will often report bugs faster than paid customers because they *know* you and want you to succeed.

12) Become Your Favorite Character – Ever idolize a particular movie star or TV character? Why not create an account for them and tweet in character? A few tweeps have done this already, with hilarious results e.g. Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie and wheelchair-bound Andy from Little Britain. Just make sure you don’t step on the toes of the official sites representing the character in question.

13) Sport / Treasure Hunt Aid – With it’s 140 character limit, Twitter is the perfect medium to deliver clues for online and offline scavenger hunts and popular sports such as geocaching .

14) Live Presentation Aid – Presenting at a conference or other event with Internet access from your laptop? You can tweet on the big screen to a) make a point b) elicit a response from Tweeps in the audience c) conduct live research d) gain instant feedback on a topic or question. I’ve used Twitter this way in the past and not only is it entertaining for the audience, but it’s also a great way to overcome stage fright.

15) Build a Twitter Application – Despite not being monetized yet, Twitter’s phenomenal growth has spurred the development of hundreds of applications that make money from Twitter either via advertising or donations. Why not build your own application around Twitter and make your fortune?

About The Author
Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College – an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter Today!

Twitter is addicting.  The more you use it, the more you want to use it.  Just checkout my new Adam Ginsberg Twitter page!

It’s important to get a handle on how much time you’re spending on twitter.

Twitter can be an incredible asset to your business, just like email can be.  But (just like email), it can also be a huge time-waster and can suck hours out of your day without you even noticing.  You get on Twitter and then the next time you look up it’s an hour later!

A portion of self-control is important for any business person.  If you are self-employed, it becomes even more important!   Wasting time is wasting money.

Wasting time on Twitter is like sitting around the water cooler and chatting with coworkers about last night’s American Idol segment – it might be fun, and it passes the time, but it wasted time that could have been used to make money.

Here are some tips on how to keep your Twitter time under control:

1.  Schedule a time for Twitter.  Just like you can spend hours online checking emails and just surfing the ‘Net, getting on Twitter 10 times a day doesn’t help you at all.  Schedule two Twitter times per day – once in the morning and once in the evening – and then stick to it.  Your Twitter buddies can survive without knowing your entire itinerary for the day.

2.  Decide the purpose for your visit before getting on Twitter.  Are you sending a tweet about your latest blog post?  Are you trying to find local business people to network with?  Deciding what you want to do before you log on is a big time saver.

3.  Jot down notes during the day for your Twitter time.  It doesn’t have to be anything long or fancy.  A sticky note will do.  Just keep track of your thoughts so when you get on Twitter you can accomplish what you want and then leave the site.

4.  Do not tweet about every single thing you do.  No one cares if you are going to the store.  They don’t agonize over the fact that your hamster ate too much.  Keep your tweets limited to important stuff.

If you take control of your Twitter time, you can take control of how well it works for you.  Be strong.

With that being said…it’s the holidays so why not spend some time on Twitter – have some fun – enjoy yourself – and while you’re at it…follow me here:  Adam Ginsberg On Twitter

http://twitter.com/adamginsberg

Adam Ginsberg Asks: Can your Online Business Profit from Twitter?

Twitter is a hot social networking tool, but can online business owners really profit from it, or is it just a way to pass the time?

Yes, it can help!  Twitter is fast, free and simple way to get immediate results for your online business.  You can increase your traffic today, and reap the benefits quickly.

Here are some ways your business can profit from Twitter:

1.  Find local people you can network with or find local events to meet local customers.  Use the search feature (www.search.twitter.com) to find people who are near you, then follow them.  Many times they will follow you back (and be sure to thank them when they do).

2.  Get great quality traffic by sending messages (“tweets”) that are meaningful and helpful.  Twitter users come from many walks of life and income levels, so build a relationship with them to get the best results.

3.  Remember the old saying, “It’s not what you know but who you know that counts”?  That is true on Twitter, as well.  If you need a favor, send out a tweet – you never know who can help (or who knows someone who can help).

4.  Know the power of the “re-tweet,” which is what it is called when someone takes a message (“tweet”) you send and then sends it to their followers.  It is sort of like the way a forwarded email works.  Send a quality tweet to your followers and see how it gets passed along to others.

5.  Use the search feature to find like-minded people across the world.  Use it to find people who may not possess the same talents as you, but complement your talents.

Twitter is a great way to find what people need, and then help fill that need.

Twitter is an excellent tool for building your online business.  If it is used properly, it is a free asset to your Internet marketing plan.

Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter Here!

1.  Grouptweet.com: Do you have a team of people who are all on Twitter, but you don’t want the info you tweet to be sent out for all to see?  Grouptweet.com lets you send a tweet to a select group of people and keeps it from prying eyes.

2.  Twittermoms.com: This site lets you connect with thousands of moms on Twitter.  This is great if you are a mom, but it can also be great if you have a product or service that benefits moms (but just make sure your Tweets aren’t spammy, or you will quickly get the boot).

3.  Tweetbeep.com: This tool is like having Google Alerts for Twitter.  You can have alerts set up for your name, company, product, service, or anything else.  If someone tweets about it, you get notified.  (Kind of like how your earn burn when someone talks about you, but high-tech and a lot better!)

4.  Twitzer (Firefox addon): Normally, Twitter tweets are limited to only 140 characters.  This nifty little gizmo lets you post more than that.

5.  Twitterfeed.com: This gadget will feed your blog posts to your Twitter account.  You can choose the frequency of the tweets.

6.  Strawpollnow.com: Create a poll on Twitter with this fun tool.  It appears to allow comments, as well.  It is great for getting your followers to interact with a tweet of yours.

7.  Twitturly.com: This tool lets you keep track of what URL’s are talked about on Twitter.

These tools can help you bring your business to the next level by keeping you informed, connected and up-to-date.

To follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter, Click Here!