Get With the Social Network

Humboldt County draws a lot of traffic, physically and digitally. We have a new crop of students moving in every year to attend HSU and CR, with a lot of them settling in locally after graduation. You better call ahead to get a table at Lost Coast Brewery during the touristy travel months of June through August, and in 2011 persons under the age of 18 represented over 20 percent of the Humboldt County population. And they are all sharing.

With some help of a good friend, we compiled a list of businesses in Humboldt County that are using Facebook. This list shows the current number of fans for each. For a numbers-in-marketing geek like me it was exciting to see where everyone ranks. But I was also a little disheartened. I believe technology and communications can be one of Humboldt County's biggest assets. But from what I can tell from the FB, we have some more work ahead of us.

The good news is the fix isn't a difficult one, and many of you have already found it. Facebook is very specific in their terms of service that businesses sign up as "Pages" and not as "Profiles." They can nix your account for violating those terms at any time. The major differences between a Profile and a Page are people use Profiles, businesses use Pages. Businesses do not go to Humboldt State University, live in Eureka or have relationships that are "it's complicated." As it turns out, there are also a lot of Humboldt businesses in "open relationships," however I must assume those owners are just being funny. It was funny.

Profiles also top out at 5,000 friends while a Page supports unlimited fans. More than a few popular local businesses have exceeded 5,000 fans and dominate the top of the list, but we also have a number of local businesses stuck at 4,999 friends because of this error. They could be one of the top contenders but there is no way for their fans to support them. Facebook has set up a tool that will convert your Profile into a Page and you get to keep all of your friends! You may lose some posts and uploaded photos but you will be spared the daunting task of trying to individually convince each and every one of your current followers to "like" you a second time. Just do a quick Google search for "convert profile to page."

Now you have your business Page converted and ready to go, let's get to posting and let all of your fans know how great you are and what you have on sale! Please don't, for two reasons. As a fan I know you are great, that is why I am following you but please do not cover my Wall with your advertisements. I support local business and I "like" a lot of things, do not compete with my nieces for Wall space, you will lose. That means limiting the amount of posts you make as well as what you are saying and how you are saying it. A general rule of thumb is to not post more than a couple times a day, maybe less. More than three and that third one better be something your fans can't live without.

When you do post, be you. Do not talk like a salesman on Facebook, there is a place for that on the right hand side of the screen. On your Wall post things that your fans are interested in, Facebook is not for selling your product; it is for selling you, your brand and building a closer relationship with your fans. I was sharing a local beer with the owner of a popular local insurance company. She had good reason to think she didn't need a Facebook page because people do not want to hear about boring insurance stuff. She is right, they don't and I would "unlike" her business if that showed up on my Wall any time of day. But check this out, she represents a large number of Harley Davidson motorcycles in Humboldt County, think Harley riders don't FB? As of this writing they are playing host to 3.2 million fans on Facebook. So what should she be posting? Post about Sturgis, the Redwood Run and Sons of Anarchy. Post about the new bikes that come out every year and new technology. When they catch a glimpse from your post and check out that bike, they already have you in mind when they make the purchase; add another bike to the account. Facebook for business is not about what you are selling, it is about who you are and what you represent but most importantly it is about your fans.

That being said, this stuff is always evolving. A great place for information is mashable.com. They have a plethora of information to help businesses of all sizes succeed in social media. Below you will see the businesses that topped the list. If we missed you, get with the social.

Lost Coast Brewery: 29,003 fans; Humboldt State: 10,484 fans; Pacific Outfitters: 13,413; and Los Bagels: 7,893

Why A Business Should Have Access To Social Media At All Times   Social Internet Marketing The Right Way   Why Social Media Is Like a Muscle   Youths And Social Networking   

Social Media Is the Ultimate List Building Activity

Social media is the ultimate list building activity. In fact, it is not a stretch to say that social media and list building are actually the same activity. Social media and list building have so Many Things in Common That a Person Would Not Know the Difference between the Two when presented with the definitions of both activities side-by-side. Therefore, someone who wants to get good at Internet marketing might want to start with social media because that will teach them how to generate audience that is interested in what they have to say before they take that skill out to other traffic generator methods such as SEO or pay per click.

It is also not a stretch to say that a company that understands how to build a list is a company that can do well in almost any space. The only caveat to this one skill is that the market has to actually exist and they have to have money to spend on a solution. Too many entrepreneurs spend their time in a campaign that will not make money because they love a niche that will not generate traffic or conversions. This is the death of many good entrepreneurs and it forces them back to 9-to-5 jobs which they do not want to do.

However, the fix for this is to find out if a niche has people who are willing to buy inside of it. The fastest way to do this is to use the social media systems to try to find audiences that will buy. If that is unsuccessful then the entrepreneur can easily leave the system and find a new place to do business that will make the money.

This is not to say that and entrepreneur should totally give up on the market place. This is to say that an entrepreneur should find a marketplace where they can make money so they can go back to the business where there may not be as much money but they truly love the topic. What is always important is to pay the bills therefore it is important to find a niche where a person to make money so that they can spend all their time doing what they really want to do.

Therefore, because social media and list building are so similar it makes sense for the business owner or marketer to use this traffic generation method to hone their skills down before having to use the skill anywhere else. This also gives them the added benefit of having a captive audience that is listening to them and has already bought into the USP (which, by the way, is most of what selling is about anyway.) A lot of selling is about finding people who will buy into your USP and then selling them products and services. These people are predisposed to doing business with the business in general and these are the people that a business should focus on getting more of because they are good clients whereas other people may not be good clients because they do not understand processes that the business uses to achieve success.

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What Does It Take to Get to the Instagram "Most Popular" List?

No doubt, the most effective way of gaining tremendous and quick social recognition in Instagram is to appear in the "Most Popular" list.

Imagine the Instagram team sends you a congratulation message and soon after that your number of followers rapidly increases. The feeling of making it to the "Most Popular" list in Instagram will be quite exciting.

You might be wondering how to make it to Instagram's "most popular" list.

If you want to become a "most popular" in Instagram, then you should consider the following strategies.

What is the Secret Formula to Become an Instagram "Most Popular" Member?

Instagram's "Most Populars" algorithm is not really known although the amount of "likes" seems to be an important factor. Your chances of appearing in the "Most Popular" will increase the more likes you get as quickly as possible.

You will most likely become a part of this valued chart once you receive lots of "Likes".

This means that the most fundamental and important criterion is the number of followers. Nonetheless, it is also equally important that you work on your profile with genuine interest.

Just like Twitter, following a lot of people on Instagram is the easiest way of having "followers" and in return, a certain number of them will add to you too. Nonetheless, keep in mind that doing good work, being constant and patient is the most natural way of getting new followers.

How to promote your Instagram profile excellently?

1. Who you are

Use your original name and nickname, which are easy to mention and remember.

2. Your profile picture

If you are not an extremely handsome guy or a good-looking girl, there are still a few tricks you can use to make your profile picture stand out.

3. Some other elements that you promote your profile include humanity, humility and humor.

Boost yourself to the "Most Populars"

1. Picture quality

Be creative, original and spend time editing.

2. Picture information

Give your pictures a human touch, titles and use effects.

3. Where is it?

Link Instagram account to Foursquare and Geo-Tag your pictures.

4. Transmit knowledge to your users

Add value to the lives of your users and they will follow you with more interest.

5. Put interest in your users

If you want a bigger group of friends, be ready to spend more time communicating with your community.

6. Be original by using emoticons in your comments and nicks.

7. Organize original contests

It's good but can take lots of time.

8. "Hits" are worth celebrating! Never forget to thank and congratulate your followers.

Remember there are over one million Instagramers in the world. Do not forget, Instagram is a global app and your location is very important in your attempt to become the most popular on Instagram.

If you are from a country like Japan or USA, where Instagram is massively used, you will have higher chances of entering the "Most Populars" ranking. Along with location, the time you post is equally important to get followers. Soon enough, Instagram might also start taking different countries, different thematics, and more local factors into consideration when creating a "Most Popular" ranking. This might not have happened yet, but can be expected in the near future.

If you want local followers from your time zone, then you should post in the morning while they are awake but still in bed, and/or at night when they are headed to bed. Users tend to check their Instagram account and other social network profiles at these times. Then again, if you want to make it to the "Most Populars" list, you will also have to focus on followers from all around the world.

Good photos and patience!

If you want one of your photos to appear in the Instagram "most popular" list, then you will have to work hard and be patient. Patience is not just a virtue but will turn out to become the key to being rated "Most Popular".

To be patient you will also have to learn to be dedicated as well. To become "most popular" on Instagram, you will also have to start thinking and helping others as well. You cannot create a network in just a single shot!

Being ranked into the "Most Popular" list on Instagram is certainly an accomplishment worth bragging, but to get there you will have to make quite an effort, and it will take time.

Why A Business Should Have Access To Social Media At All Times   Social Internet Marketing The Right Way   Why Social Media Is Like a Muscle   Youths And Social Networking   Why Privacy Is the Key Against Social Bullies and Identity Thieves   

How Social Networking For Business Makes A Great Gift

A properly networked social profile can be one of the best gifts that a business can bestow on another business. It is hard work getting a social profile to be seen as a relevant source of information about a keyword or topic. What would be even better is if another business would do the work that was needed before the target business had to lift a finger. However, this is an unlikely scenario, but it would be a great gift for any business.

1. A properly built social campaign is worth its weight in gold

A properly built social network campaign for business is very valuable. This is because it is a list of people who are predisposed to buying a product or service. These people have been cultivated in a way that makes them more responsive to any marketing message that passes their news feed because the trust and authority of the message giver has already been established. There are many companies that would pay thousands of dollars to have access to the list. In fact, one of the best uses of time for any business is the generation and cultivation of this list.

2. It takes time to become skilled in the social networking platforms

A business is usually not skilled at generating the list when they are new. A more established company may have more skill at discerning who to follow and who to ignore in certain niches. This skill and knowledge will allow that business to build a list that is more receptive than those businesses that are just beginning to use social media. A list from a skilled list building company is far more valuable than the lists of those companies who have just entered the social networking world. It is this skill level that separates the people who make money in the social networking platforms from those people who do not make money in the social media platforms. This is where the science of marketing comes into play. Any company that can take advantage of other companies skill at doing social networking should do so immediately.

3. Discovering the right keyword and following the right people is a job in itself

As stated before, finding the right people to follow and the right keyword are also tough decisions when a person does not understand how social media works in business contexts. There are plenty of programs that are designed to handle social media that look like real users to the naked eye. However, following these "people" is a total waste of time and energy. These "people" are actually programs designed to fool people into following them and listening to their marketing messages. It takes a skilled eye (or a certain amount of time) before a person realizes that they are not talking to a real person.

Selecting the right keyword is also a major factor in both SEO (search engine optimization) and social networking. Every keyword is a different conversation in the prospect's mind and must be talked about differently. The same message may or may not (most likely the latter) be useful in every situation. It takes a skilled social networker to figure out what message works and where.

The best gift that a business could give another business is a highly relevant list of people who are predisposed to buying their solution. There is no other gift that can bring higher revenues or scores of loyal buyers to a business. Even though, it is a farfetched idea, there is no reason that a company should not build this list themselves. There are many internet-marketing gurus who say that the money is in the list, and they are absolutely right. Every company should begin to develop their list today.

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How the Etiquette For Business Social Networking Came To Be

Social networking for business was mostly influenced by the way that the social networks were already being used. The truth about most social networks is that they were developed by college students who were looking to communicate with each other more effectively and quickly. This lead to technology that was not optimal for business use. Therefore, the business owners who were early adopters followed the pattern that had already existed on the networks and tried to use the format for business success. However, any system not generated for business success is doomed to fail when used for business purposes.

Businesses were forced to share information across the social network in non-secure ways. In the early days of social media (and this still exists on most sites) a business could not pick and choose who could see a message and who could not. This leads to sharing of secrets that a business would normally try to hide (if the business was not careful). It can also lead to the inability to communicate effectively with their peers or business associates. Either one of these problems caused most businesses not to adopt social media systems in their businesses. They were just too risky to be used inside business systems.

Sharing important information was too easy to push down with other content. Most of the people on the social networks are individuals and not businesses. This means that content from a business can be easily pushed down by random chatter from the lists. This means that sales messages and business information that may be pertinent is lost to the influx of general information about another person's life. This made businesses far less likely to use the system, or to use the system like other people who were already using the system (which is ineffective for business purposes).

A lot of innovations inside the system did not appear until much later. This is especially true from business owners or business people, most people tried to swim with the tide instead of testing how different actions affected the tide. Most businesses tried to enter the status quo and talk like the users did (who were not using the system for business purposes). It was not until much later when businesses tried to optimize their profiles for search engines. This is a practice that is just in its infant stages on the social networking platforms. The truth is that most businesses are too willing to swim with the tide than to try different approaches to using the tide. This is all because of the original users of the system who set the precedent for those who followed them.

Most of the business practices that exist on the social networks were developed by people who were not business owners. These people set the etiquette for the users a very long time ago and most business people have not bothered to question why things are done the way they are on the social networks. When a business enters the social networking world, they need to look at the practices that are being used on those platforms. A plan must be generated and if a new technique is better suited for business than the existing practice then it must be tested and implemented.

Why A Business Should Have Access To Social Media At All Times   Social Internet Marketing The Right Way   Why Social Media Is Like a Muscle   Youths And Social Networking   Why Privacy Is the Key Against Social Bullies and Identity Thieves   

How to Become Successful in Marketing Your Business With Social Networking

Make connections with more new people who are looking in the market place for what you sell. There are many ways to expose your business on the internet, whether it's local or actually global. There are ways to target your market to pin point on the net. Targeting your market is one of the most important factors when it comes to promoting something online.

Social networking is one of the best and newest ways that you can tell people about yourself and your business. With so many different types of social media that business owners are able to choose from, you will find that the possibilities are endless. Here are some tips that you can use in order to help your social media marketing to be a success and to make people want to come back again and again to see what you have to offer.

· Keep current content - Frequently update your social site page to remain credible. This will also keep people coming back to your site.

· Select the best ones for you - You don't have to get an account on every social media site. Find the site or sites that are best for you.

· Simply do it - Go and test the site yourself first. Stay there for 30 days before creating a business account there. This will give you an idea of the feel of it.

· Mingle - Instead of simply feeding information to people, talk to people. Ask them how they are doing and reply to their posts.

· Post pictures - Don't forget to put pictures up on your social sites pages. These are going to tell people a lot about your business.

· Be friendly - You want to be sure that you are friendly to the people who visit your social media page so that they know that you are pleased to talk to them. When you connect with people and show that you are a nice person, they are going to tell others about your business.

· Make people want to participate - Networking through social web sites is a great outlet for things like contests and other reasons why someone will want to come and see what is going on.

· Don't just sell - People don't want to come to your page simply to be sold to. Give the information that they want to read about and some tips that they can use. They will then be more likely to buy from you when you do advertise.

· Start right in - Don't wait to get started with things. The sooner that you are posting the sooner people are going to learn about your business.

· Become creative - The more creative you are with social networking and other things, the more likely people are going to be to come to your social media site.

These are just a few of the things that you can do in order to make more people repeatedly want to come to your web site. Those businesses that are successful are the ones who use social media as part of their marketing campaign. It allows you to connect with your customers and prospective customers on a personal level, much more than any other type of marketing.

Why A Business Should Have Access To Social Media At All Times   Social Internet Marketing The Right Way   Why Social Media Is Like a Muscle   Youths And Social Networking   Why Privacy Is the Key Against Social Bullies and Identity Thieves