Social Media Training Course: You’re invited…

SMBR feb for blog 150 x 150 Social Media Training Course: Youre invited...I’m speaking at SMBR (Social Media for Business Results) happening this February on the 24th in Auckland and I’d love you to join me.

During this half day training course you’ll get the proven techniques, ideas, inspiration and confidence to succeed with social media using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging plus you’ll get $140 value for just $90 when you attend.

Being able to do everything yourself and knowing what to do (and what not to do!) will save you time, improve your results and save you thousands compared to paying a social media company or employing a staff member to do it for you. (more…)

Twitter Statistics – Updated stats for 2011

twitter birds speech bubbles Twitter Statistics – Updated stats for 2011Twitter officially launched in 2006 and started its meteoric growth around January 2009, so how’s everything tracking in 2011? Let’s take a look at who’s doing what and how much of it they’re doing in these updated Twitter stats for 2011(more…)

21 Ways to Get More Followers on Twitter

cranes 21 Ways to Get More Followers on TwitterThe title says it all really, so let’s just get straight to the tips! Some of these you can do the moment you finish this article, some will take you a little more time or effort, but all of them are free to implement yourself.

Oh, and just before you get started, please click here to follow me on Twitter and I’ll follow you back :) (more…)

11 business benefits of blogging … are you missing out?

blocks sml 11 business benefits of blogging … are you missing out?Usually I spend ages writing a catchy introduction to our blog articles on Marketing Gum, but this time the first point is so powerful I don’t need to…

# 1 – 126% More Leads

In a January 2010 study of 2,300 businesses by inbound marketing gurus HubSpot, it was found that businesses that blog experienced 126% higher lead growth than businesses who did not blog. Check out the research here. Now if that alone isn’t reason enough, here are 10 more business benefits you’re missing out on by not having a blog (and a valuable bonus tip at the end as well) … (more…)

Twitter Statistics – finally! New stats for 2010

Twitter Stats Twitter Statistics – finally! New stats for 2010There had always been a surprising and frustrating lack of stats about Twitter compared to many other social media tools; so when I discovered a veritable cornucopia of statistics I was so shocked I just had to combine them all into 1 handy resource for you (and if you think I’m exaggerating about my excitement, think again, I’m writing this at 10pm on a Sunday night). (more…)

6 strategies for using Twitter for your business (chart)

Twitter bird 6 strategies for using Twitter for your business (chart)Following is a superb chart created by Ogilvy’s 360 Degree Digital Influence group.

It provides a simple ‘how to’ overview for using Twitter depending on your strategy, including:

- Customer relations
- Crisis management
- Corporate reputation management
- Event coverage
- Product Promotion & Sales
- Issue Advocacy (more…)

Choosing the right Social Media tools for your target market

bob the builder tools Choosing the right Social Media tools for your target marketWith so many social media tools out there, how do you choose the right ones for your business?

Start by working backwards. Define your target market then use their favourite social media tools.

When it comes to target markets, 3 of the biggest groups who are the easiest to reach via social media are baby boomers, mums and teenagers.

Let’s take a look at the tools favoured by these 3 groups. (more…)

The best time of day to tweet & how often to post to Twitter

twitter birds speech bubbles The best time of day to tweet & how often to post to TwitterAfter finding out the ideal number of tweets per day is a lot higher than I would have guessed (more about that in a moment), I was curious to find out the ideal times to tweet.

That’s what led me to discover the 2 ‘sweet spots’ for Twitter – the best time of day and the ideal number of tweets per day.

I admit that I jumped on board the Twitter train a little early. Having been a Facebook fan for a long time I just didn’t ‘get’ Twitter at first, so I took the ‘wait and see’ approach instead (which I still highly recommend by the way). (more…)

Social media for newbies: Getting started fast and free

SocialMedia Social media for newbies: Getting started fast and freeYou wouldn’t consider running a business without email and a phone number to keep in touch with customers, yet the majority of New Zealand businesses still have Social Media sitting in the ‘too hard’ basket.

You may prefer your customers to phone you or visit your physical premises, but more and more of your potential customers have embraced engaging with companies via Social Media.

Like ignoring a ringing phone, if you’re not there when they want to start a relationship with you, you’re giving new business to your competitors.
(more…)