Whether you are selling a product or service, there are four powerful marketing principles that are essential to your success. Although these marketing principles are fairly simple, once applied they can be incredibly powerful tools for building your small business.

Most beginning marketers make the mistake of overcomplicating the process of marketing. Consequentially, their results are poor at best. In order to attain a positive return on your marketing investment (whether that investment is time or money), the four basic principles described below are the basic building blocks of marketing success:

1. Understand Your Target Market. It’s impossible to market your product or service if you don’t know who you are selling to and what motivates them to buy. Are your potential clients and customers male or female? What is their typical education level? Are they first time buyers or frequent buyers? What kind of cars do they drive? Are they married or single?  The more information that you are able to gather about your audience, the more targeted and applicable your marketing campaign will be.

2. Nurture Your Relationships. Once you begin identifying potential clients and customers, it’s mandatory to begin developing a relationship with them. Research suggests that your target market needs to be exposed to your company and offer between seven and twelve times before they take action. This is best accomplished by educating them continually about your product and services. You can accomplish this by sending your prospects’ educational articles, informational podcasts, free reports, downloadable ebooks and inviting them to webinars or live seminars. If you are able to effectively educate your prospects as to why they need your product or service, they are much more likely to make a purchase.

3. Deliver An Irresistible Offer. In direct marketing, research suggests that your results are 40% dependent on your list, 40% dependent on your offer and 20% dependent upon the creativity involved. It’s no different for email marketing, ezine marketing, google adwords, etc. It’s important to continually test various offers to your prospects.  Eventually, you will be able to pinpoint an offer that outperforms all the rest and that your prospects find utterly irresistible. If your offer provides a satisfactory solution to your target market, at the right time and the right price, your sales could increase by up to 400%.

4. Communicate a Powerful Message. Once you understand your audience and have identified problems that they are facing within your industry, you will be able to craft a message that succinctly solves their problem. Your marketing message should also differentiate your product or service from your competition. It’s also important that you focus on the benefits of your product or service as opposed to the features. If your marketing message is compelling enough, it will undoubtedly move your prospects to take action.

The next time you are putting together a marketing campaign, apply these four marketing principles. Understanding your target market, nurturing your relationships, delivering an irresistible offer and communicating to them effectively are the essential foundations for any marketing campaign to attain favorable results.

Whether you are writing ad-copy for a sales brochure, website or email campaign, it’s essential that you have four key elements in place. Although these four elements are fundamentally different, when combined, they produce a highly effective marketing message. Once you are able to master these important techniques, you will have the recipe to create ads that sell.

Good marketing is based on psychology. It’s your job to convince your prospects that your product or service is distinct, unique and first in its class. In addition, you must create a base need for what you sell.

One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is through the AIDA method, which is the basis of all good ad-copy. In fact, it’s an age-old formula that has been used by copy-writers for years. The concept is fairly simple. You are going to move your prospects through the sales process by:

A (Attention)

I (Interest)

D (Desire)

A (Action)

To focus on each of these actions specifically:

Attention: You have about three short seconds to capture your prospect’s attention. You can accomplish this with a compelling headline or a riveting graphic, photo or video. The truth of the matter is that if you’re headline isn’t show-stopping, you’ve lost your prospect for good.
On the other hand, if you are able to command your prospect’s attention, through a headline that generates emotion, addresses a base fear or concern, or pinpoints a specific benefit, your prospect is hooked.

Interest: Once you have captured the attention of your prospect, they will be interested in what more you have to say. Your headline has created intrigue and will push your prospect to continue reading. This is where you can further peak their interest by focusing on a specific problem that they are facing.
Your goal is to create a scenario in which your prospect is able to identify closely with the problems you have outlined.

Desire. Obviously, once you have showcased the problems that your prospects face, you will need to convince them that you can offer them a solution. This is how you create a strong desire for your product or service. Show them, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that your company can solve their problems and improve their life. Build your case with specific examples, testimonials and benefits.

Action. Finally, you must tell your prospects what to do. Now that you have taken them this far, it’s imperative that you tell them exactly what action to take.

A few ways to create action with your copy are:

1) Offer a Bonus: Order Now To Receive Your Free Report!

2) Provide a Discount: When You Order Before Midnight, You’ll Receive 50% Off!

3) Create Scarcity: Only The First 15 People Will Receive This Special Offer, So Act Now!

4) Showcase The Consequences: If You Don’t Act Today, Your Business Will Never Change…

5) Create Motivation: Act Today and Stop Smoking Tomorrow!

6) Appeal To Emotions: Call Us Today…Your Financial Security Depends On It!

Obviously, it’s not a simple task to create powerful ads. However, always remember that “getting back to the basics” can be the best way to create magical and powerful ads that sell.

I have a very strange question to ask you. Do you believe in dating someone before you get married? My guess is that you’re rolling your eyes and saying, “Of course, you should date before you get married! Are you crazy?”

The reason I’m asking this crazy question is because many small business owners expect their prospects to commit to a serious relationship with them before they even know them. Think about it for a minute.

Most small business owners put up their company website and wait for the prospects to start pouring in the door. If prospects land on the website, that same small business owner expects the customer to simply shell over their hard-earned money instantly.

The problem is that it just doesn’t work like that. Customers want to get to know you before they commit. They need to trust you, like you and understand you. It’s really no different than marriage.

Research suggests that customers need to connect with you an average of seven to twelve times before they are ready to take out their wallet and spend money to do business with you. In all reality, your customer is going to do business with you when they are ready to do business with you.

That means that we need strategies to connect with our prospects in a multiple of different ways. We want to be a constant reminder to our customers that when they are ready to buy, we are there to support them. The only way this can be accomplished is by continuing to build a meaningful relationship with our prospects.

The good news is that this doesn’t need to an overwhelmeing task. In fact, much of the connections with your prospects can be accomplished through the power of automation.

Here’s an example of how I “woo” my prospects and develop a serious relationship with them.

First of all, through my various marketing efforts, they arrive at my landing page. My landing page is designed with one purpose in mind. Mainly, I want my prospect to feel safe, secure and begin the process of “getting to know me.” I’m not expecting a sale on the first encounter.

In addition, I offer my prospects free and valuable information that allows them to get to know me. If my prospect feels comfortable with my landing  page, they supply me with their name and email. This is where the relationship begins and the real automation kicks in.

Once I have a prospect’s information, I connect with them in a number of ways:

•    Email autoresponder messages that are sent out automatically;

•    Videos for my prospect to watch;

•    Podcasts and audio reports to listen to;

•    Special reports that I have written that highlight my industry;

•    A chance to subscribe to my blog and learn more about shoestring marketing;

•    Invitations to special webinars or teleseminars that I host.

Naturally, there are dozens of other ways that you can connect with your prospects and begin to build powerful relationships. Let your imagination be your guide.

Most importantly, you must give your prospects many different ways to connect with you and to begin building that incredibly valuable relationship. Because once they feel a strong connection with you, they usually end up making that commitment.

One of the most common problems for small business owners is managing their time when using free marketing strategies. Many individuals feel that free marketing, specifically social media marketing (Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, etc), is too time-consuming and overwhelming.

Individuals aren’t sure what to focus on, where to spend their time and how to balance all of their varying marketing platforms.  As a result, many individuals end up spending hours and hours every day marketing their business.

Believe me, it doesn’t need to be this way! Of course, free marketing is going to take some time and energy every day but, it should only take you between one and two hours if you work smart and strategically.

Here are 7 time management strategies to help you work smarter, as opposed to harder.

1) Narrow Your Focus

There are hundreds of free marketing platforms to choose from. You can’t possibly market on all of them. My rule of thumb is to pick five free platforms and focus your marketing efforts there.

You will never succeed if you try to conquer too much. Remember, you do not want to be a “Jack of all Trades, Master of None!” You want to master a few marketing strategies well.

2) Spend Time Each Day on “Creation” and “Maintenance”

Every day you should “create” new information. This can be accomplished by writing an article, shooting a video, creating a group (FaceBook, LinkedIn), etc. The new information that you create doesn’t have to be long and time-consuming. For instance, you can shoot and 3-minute video and upload it into YouTube all under fifteen minutes time.
In addition to creating information, you should spend time each day maintaining your sites. This can be accomplished by making MySpace friend requests, writing on Facebook walls, adding LinkedIn connections, posting to Twitter, etc.

If you divide your time between creating information and maintenance, you will be working smarter.

3) Set an allotted amount of time for marketing each day.

You want to approach your marketing with a plan. And that includes a plan for how much time you will devote each day to marketing your business.

If you simply “start marketing” without any sense of how much time you will devote, you will be extremely non-productive.

I generally recommend spending 1-2 hours every day actively marketing your business.

However, you also do not want to spend more time than necessary on marketing. If you log into Facebook and begin “to market” without a plan of action, you might still be there six hours later.  So, decide how much time you will spend on marketing and stick to it.

4) Use a Timer

Using a timer might sound silly, but it is certainly a trick that I have always relied on. When I am writing an article, I set my timer for 30 minutes. I give myself exactly 30 minutes to write my article.  If I don’t finish, then I will have to finish tomorrow.

You’d be surprised how much more efficient you are when there is a timer clicking away in the background.

5) Connect Your Accounts

Make sure that you connect all of your social media and information accounts that you can connect.

As an example, you can add your Twitter account to your EzineArticles account. Then, whenever you publish an article, your Twitter account will be automatically updated with your newest article.

Again, you can add Twitter to your FaceBook account, so that your “Twitters” appear on your FaceBook profile. Take some time to investigate all the ways that you can integrate and connect your accounts together. This will save you valuable time in the long-run.

6) Recycle Your Efforts

Whenever I write an article, I reuse it in many different ways. Here is an example:

Imagine that I write an article titled, “7 Ways To Market On FaceBook.” I, of course, publish that article in multiple article directories.

However, it doesn’t stop there. Then, I post that same article to my blog. After that I use the basic concept from my article for a YouTube video. After that, I Twitter about that concept as well.

The point is that when I have a new concept, I reuse that concept as many times as possible.

7) Track What Works and Focus Your Efforts There

You will soon find that when it comes to free marketing and social networking that it’s often difficult to accurately track your marketing statistics. For instance, when using PPC (pay-per-click) it is simple to add a code to your website and find out exactly how many people are visiting your website, opting-in to your form and making purchases.

This isn’t as simple when it comes to social marketing.

However, there are activities that you will notice add to your business success and activities that don’t do a thing for your business.

As an example, I found that managing all the “application requests” from FaceBook was becoming quite a chore. So, I decided that I just couldn’t take the time to respond to every Christmas ornament, Starfish, etc. that I received. I had to begin to “ignore” those application requests.

You will need to make the same decisions.

Remember, free marketing work.  In fact, I truly believe that free marketing often works better than paid marketing.

However, if you are going to optimize your free marketing plan make sure to implement these seven tips to help you effectively manage your time and energy.

Most likely you’ve heard the idea that you are only removed by any other person in the world by “six degrees of separation.” The theory (made popular by Stanley Milgram), suggests that  “if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is only six steps away from any other person on Earth.”

Interestingly enough, this very theory can be applied to your small business. If you need to contact a boss, colleague, consultant or prospective customer, client or employer, it’s obvious to tap into your own network of connections.

But, what if there was a way to tap into the connections of the people that they know, and the connections of people that they know, and so on? Most likely, you wouldn’t have to go through more than 4-6 connections to find the exact person that you are looking for.

So how can you tap into a network that allows you to leverage the power of your connections quickly and efficiently?  That network is called LinkedIn.
What Is LinkedIn?

Once you have registered for a free account through LinkedIn, you are able to invite others to “connect” with you through the site.
Once you begin connecting with others, you are able to ask them to connect you with their network. (The entire system is built on referrals, so there is a good amount of quality control already built in.)

LinkedIn  (much like any networking site) works best when you apply simple and strategic marketing strategies to boost its effectiveness.

Here Are Ten Tips For Making LinkedIn Work For You and Your Small Business:

1. Complete Your Profile. It’s important that you add as much important and relevant information about your small business as possible. Your profile is the first impression that you make upon your prospects and business partners. Make sure to include a picture, past job experiences, current job experience and personal information. The more information people are able to take away from your profile, the better connection they will have with you.

2. Keep Your Profile Fresh And Up To Date. Don’t make the mistake of creating a LinkedIn profile only to let it stack up with dust. Make sure that as you change jobs or achieve business recognition that you update your profile to reflect this.

3. Connect With Clients, Customers, Co-workers and Colleagues. It’s important to connect with past and current individuals in your field. However, it’s also a wonderful way to find new clients and learn about exciting new job opportunities in your field. Remember, that the main purpose of LinkedIn is to create a giant network of possibilities for you and your small business.

4. Use LinkedIn To Research Prospective Business Partners or Prospect. Before you contact a new business partner or prospective client, make sure to research them through LinkedIn. Their LinkedIn profile functions much like a resume and will provide you with insight about their potential strengths and/or weaknesses.

5. Get Recommendations. It’s fairly simple to gather recommendations from individuals in your LinkedIn network, In fact, all you need to do is click a link. Of course, the more professionals that are able to vouch for your products and services, the better your business will appear to others.

6. Use LinkedIn to search for consultants and contractors. There is a great component in LinkedIn called the “Service Provider” feature. It allows you to pre-screen and research independent business people.

7. Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups. As you become involved in LinkedIn, it is in your best interest to join groups that are relevant to your particular field or industry. There are thousands of LinkedIn groups and you can find even more connections by becoming an active participant in several of these groups.

8. Create a LinkedIn Group. If you are interested in being perceived as an expert, then you will want to create your own LinkedIn Group that you personally manage. Once you create the group, you can invite others in your network to join. If you promote your group effectively, you can eventually have hundreds, even thousands of members that you are able to communicate with on a consistent basis.

9. Tap Into The “Question and Answers” Feature. One immense bonus of LinkedIn is the fact that you are able to ask thousands of business professionals important questions, receive immediate answers at no cost to you. In addition, you can answer other business professionals questions and, again, position yourself as an expert in your industry.

10. Respect The Network. Always remember that your LinkedIn connections must be treated with the utmost respect. Answer your emails, respond to questions and give appropriate recommendations. If you are going to be a part of the LinkedIn community then you need to be involved and active in order to find success.  The good news is that it only takes a few minutes every day to reap the rewards.

If used correctly and consistently, LinkedIn can be a powerful networking tool for the small business owner. To learn more about LinkedIn go to: www.LinkedIn.com.

Last week I was a lucky audience member at an Oprah taping. (And, if you know anything about me, you know that I am a die-hard Oprah fanatic.)

I had purchased the tickets at an auction a few months back and when I called the reservation line, I was given a choice of a few different dates. However, I wasn’t given any information about who would be on the show or what the show was about, so I simply picked the date that fit best with my schedule.

My sister, Alicia, and I drove down to the city, got in line and soon found out that the guest on the show was none other than Adam Lampert. Now, I hate to show my age (and my obvious cluelessness about the world of entertainment), but I really had NO idea who Adam Lampert was.

Of course, the twenty-year old, Adam Lampert groupie standing in line in front of us, was clearly appalled at our lack of education.  Much to her dismay she had to explain to my sister and me that Adam was the Runner-up from the last season of American Idol. She proceeded to show me her T-shirt imprinted with a picture of Adam with his jet-black, wild hair, black eyeliner and unmistaken “glam” look.

Now, I like to think of myself as pretty hip and accepting but, this Adam Lambert was definitely not my style. I think that the black nail polish just threw me for a loop.
Fast forward a few hours later and Oprah calls Adam out to the stage for an interview before he sings his first song.

Well, what can I say? He was absolutely adorable, charming, articulate and incredibly likable. In fact, I really, really LIKED Adam Lambert. Not only that, but when he performed, I was dancing and singing along with the best of the hard-core Adam fans.

After we left the show, my sister and I played his CD on full blast and, I must admit, we’re now big fans. (i.e. if I didn’t have kids, I’d be touring his band.)

The whole, crazy experience made me realize that as much as we avoid “judging a book by its cover,” it happens all the time.

It’s not fair, but prospects are going to make snap judgments the minute they encounter you and your small business. They may judge you on your looks; they may judge you on your gender; they may judge you based on the name of your company.  Your prospects make their judgments based on their own personal interactions with the world, so it’s impossible to determine how each prospect will judge you when they first encounter you. However, you can rest assured that you will be judged.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink states, “Our first impressions are generated by our experiences and our environment, which means that we can change our first impressions . . . by changing the experiences that comprise those impressions.”

The bottom line is that it’s imperative for small business owners to discover a way for prospects to get to know them beyond that first impression. Fortunately, with the vast array of marketing tools available, this isn’t a difficult task to accomplish.

In today’s competitive environment, small business owners who realize that marketing is about cultivating relationships, building trust and remaining transparent are the winners.

If you’re a car sales-person, you’ve certainly run across many individuals who have deep-seeded beliefs about your integrity. As Gladwell suggests, these prospects have developed their impression based on their own experiences and the experiences that they have heard from others.

However, you have the ability to change your prospects’ experiences. It’s within your power to create a brand new, positive experience for your prospect. Obviously, you need to educate, offer value and show your prospects, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are a truthful and honest car sales-person. Because, if you can show them a new reality, they will change their minds.

One of your jobs, as a small business owner, is to continually educate your prospects beyond their initial judgments. You need to showcase your personality and your own unique qualities. This doesn’t mean that you have to put together a slick presentation of your tap-dance skills. You simply need to be you.

Too many small business owners are so wrapped up in “professionalism” that they’re afraid to let their prospects know who they really are; this is a huge mistake.  Talk to your prospects; engage them; develop a relationship with them. This is how the new Fortune 500 companies are being built – one relationship at a time.

And remember, as you read this article, I just may be touring with Adam Lampert. He changed my reality – who would have guessed?

If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably aware that social media marketing is all the rage right now. Not only is it popular for personal use, but also for savvy business owners looking for ways to market their businesses efficiently and economically.

But, if find yourself tentative about jumping into the social media marketing scene, you’re not alone. Marketing through social media platforms is an entirely different experience for most business owners. And, of course, “different” always causes hesitation.

Interestingly enough, walking into the social media scene is much like walking into a huge cocktail party. In both instances you are going to meet people of all shapes and sizes.

Here are the ways that I often categorize social media types:

1) Shy and Awkward. This person lurks in the shadows and is afraid to interact with anyone. They stand on the sidelines listening and observing, but are too afraid to step into the party and start meeting people. Unfortunately, by remaining in the background, they will never understand the entire experience.

2) Loud and Obnoxious. You know this one! You can hear their voice booming from miles away. They talk too loud, too much and monopolize the conversations. No one can get a word in edgewise.

3) Life Of the Party. These are the people that make you laugh. They have funny stories to tell, positive comments to make and just make the party more fun. You always look forward to talking with them again. They may get a bit goofy and dance with a lampshade on their head, but you must admit that they always add that extra spice.

4) Know-It-All. You are going to meet at least one person who seems to have all the answers. In addition, they aren’t afraid to tell you what you are doing wrong, how to do it right and why you should listen to them. Always remember that the know-it-all usually doesn’t know-it-all.

5) The Bore. We have all been stuck in the corner, at one time or another, with the person who drones on and on about their “Aunt Mary’s blood pressure medication.”  Since there doesn’t seem to be any easy escape, you end up nodding in agreement at their mind-numbing stories for hours on end.

6) The No-Show. There’s always someone who doesn’t show up. They say that they will be there, but “something always comes up!” They RSVP, have the best of intentions, but just never quite get there.

7) Friendly Interactor. This is what the party is all about. The friendly people who ask questions, make you smile, share fun stories and remind you that coming to the party was worth it after all (even if you did have to suffer through a few obnoxious, boring, know-it-alls in the process)!

So, in my own experience social media mimics the real world. You just need to decide how you want to be perceived, the type of people you want to gather around and, of course, the type of people you want to avoid.

So, get into that party and meet all the different varieties of people. In the end, you’ll be glad that you did.

If there’s one piece of advice that outshines and outperforms time and time again, it’s the idea of offering free materials and resources to your prospective clients and customers.

In my opinion, there is nothing that you can do to catapult your business more quickly to the top.

The first reason is that marketing has changed dramatically in the past few years. People are sick of interruptive ads and hate being sold. The consumer is becoming more immune to the old ways of advertising and is looking for ways to interact with the companies that they do business with.

Today’s marketplace wants to develop relationship with companies before they make a purchase. So, it’s your job to make sure that there are plenty of different ways for the customer to get to know you.

The second reason is that by offering your prospects a free sample of your product or service, it allows them to get a taste for who you are and what you represent.

Your local grocery store has been using this exact concept for years. While you are strolling the aisles, they offer you a free sample of a tasty food item. You probably wouldn’t have purchased that item until you tasted it. Now, you’ve sampled it and you’re hooked!

It’s really no different with your prospects. Once they have sampled your wares, they are much more likely to make a purchase. Especially in today’s overcrowded marketplace, if you aren’t doing anything to separate yourself from your competition, your prospective clients and customers will simply ignore you.

The third reason is that when you offer your prospects free resources, it automatically positions you as an expert in your particular industry. If your free product/resource is high quality (and it must be high quality!) then, your prospects will automatically trust your authority in this particular field.

The best news is that developing free offers and resources doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task.  The most important factor when creating your free resource is to make sure that it’s not a sales pitch. It needs to be educational, informative and essentially solve a problem that your prospects are facing.

If you are able to create an instructional free offer that teaches your prospect something that they didn’t know before, the long-term benefits are priceless.

There are dozens of examples including:

- Downloadable e-books

- Downloadable audio classes

- Articles

- E-Courses

- Ezine or Newsletter Subscriptions

- Special Reports

- Videos

- CD’s

- DVD’s

- Free Webinars/Teleseminars

- Complimentary Coaching Sessions

- Free Local Seminars

Obviously the sky is the limit and creativity helps. If you are able to write or produce the material yourself, that’s wonderful. If you need to hire an inexpensive “ghost-writer” go to: www.guru.com and describe your project in detail. You will soon have dozens of people who will bid on your project for a very reasonable amount.

When clients access free material that you have developed, they will intrinsically view you as an expert in your industry. They will get to know you and your business style and begin to trust you.  Of course, trust is a key component to building a lasting business relationship.

Perhaps you have just launched a new product in your business. Or you may have fresh, innovative news to share with your customers and target market. One way to get the word to the masses is to create an online press release.

Online press releases are a powerful tool for the small business owner operating on a shoestring budget. Obviously, press releases alert the media about your newsworthy event, product or service, but they also can provide SEO benefits, allowing your target market to learn about you as well.

However, if you want to truly reap the vast rewards of writing and distributing a press release, it’s essential that you understand how to write a press release that commands attention.

Unfortunately, because of the obvious SEO benefits of press release distribution sites, they are frequented by spammers who are only interested in outbound links for their own websites.  They produce poor-quality news releases that are empty of information or newsworthy topics.

It’s important that you don’t fall into the trap of creating generic press releases that offer little to no value to your readers. Your press release shouldn’t be an advertisement. Press releases are a public relations tool. They are not designed to advertise your product or service or create a hard sell. They are solely for the purpose of sharing news with the public.

Five Ways To Create A Powerful Press Release

1. Learn How To Write a Press Release Correctly.

Of course, press releases will vary in their basic writing style and voice; however there are basic guidelines that you should keep in mind. Most press releases follow the Associated Press (AP) style guidelines.  Of course, you should check your press release for grammatical and spelling errors before you distribute it.

In addition, your press release should read like a newspaper story and use third person (she, he) as opposed to the first person (I, we or you). It should also contain a catchy title that uses specific keywords that are relevant to your story.

You should always provide contact information so that the press can contact you immediately if they have any questions.

2.  Write News-Worthy Stories.

One of the most important aspects of your press release is to make sure your release is timely and relevant.  It’s crucial that your press release is newsworthy and would be of interest to the media and your target market. Make sure to include the who, what, when, where, and why of your angle throughout the body of your press release.

3. Combine Free PR Distribution With Manual Distribution

Choose 3-5 free press release distribution sites and focus your attention there. It’s completely unnecessary and counterproductive to submit your release to dozens of sites at once. In addition, you should begin to compile a list of media contacts in your own niche or industry. Each time that you create a press release, you should also manually submit the release to this list. Combining free online distribution with manual distribution will maximize your efforts and leverage the power of your press release.

4. Use The Power Of Social Media Tools.

If possible, choose online distribution sites that allow you to tag your release with related keywords and social bookmarking options. This will help the media and your prospects find you based upon specific keywords that are related to your story. In addition, post your release on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and any other social networks that you are involved with.

5. Publish Your Release On Your Own Website.

As soon as you write your press release, make sure to publish it on your own website as well.  One of the main perks of this strategy is that you create a timeline of the newsworthy events related to your company. If the media does visit your website for more information, they will be able to browse your archives and ascertain additional information about your small business.

Press releases can be a very powerful tool for your small business; however, if you want your press release to attract hundreds, even thousands of visitors to your website, then it’s important to ensure that you understand the basics behind writing, releasing and publishing a well-crafted press release.

I truly love Twitter. Without question, Twitter had increased my visibility, created thousands of leads for my small business and produced dozens of sales for my products and services.

And every single day of the week, I run into quite a few self-proclaimed “Twitter-Experts.” 

Of course, as with any industry, I find that all of the soapbox experts fall into one of three main Twitter categories: 

1) The “Twitter Virtuoso” with interesting and often remarkable advice;

2) The “Quasi-Twitter Expert” who has an average suggestion here or there;

3) The “Twittering Fool” who shouldn’t even be on Twitter in the first place.

There are hundreds of great tips and strategies that come from experienced individuals who are truly boosting their income through the power of Twitter. However, beware of those crows who are masquerading as eagles. If you listen to them, your Twitter days will be incredibly disappointing.

Here are the five worst tips I have personally received regarding marketing on Twitter:

1) Don’t Promote Yourself. This is bad advice on so many different levels. Obviously, any savvy marketer understands that you don’t jump on Twitter and start tweeting “Check out my product…it’s really the best one in the world!” This just goes without saying.

However, if you are using Twitter as a marketing tool you need to do a bit of balanced marketing. There are only so many Tweets in which you can tell your followers what you are having for dinner until people start to unfollow you.

Twitter is a two-way street. Of course you are there to ask questions, listen and interact with your followers. But, you also need to let your followers know about blog posts, articles and press releases that highlight you and your business. Don’t be afraid to do a bit of self-promoting.

2) Don’t Autofollow. I absolutely disagree with this advice. I use www.SocialOomph.com to automatically follow everyone who follows me. I then get to know whom I am following through their Tweets. If I find they are annoying, rude or inappropriate, I unfollow them.  But, how can I make a decision to follow someone based on a 140-word profile?  For all I know, this person could be the next Faulkner with some of the most profound Tweets known to mankind.

I can only decide if someone is worth following AFTER I am following them and reading their Tweets. I truly believe that it is in good taste to follow everyone who follows you and then unfollow those who are not compatible with you. Not to mention that it takes too much time to manually decide whom to follow and whom to ignore.

3) Don’t Use Automated Software For Posts. There are some individuals that believe that automated posts (posts that you preschedule through a service like www.socialoomph.com) are too impersonal. However, I preload helpful marketing and small business quotes into socialoomph.com and auto-send them out throughout the day to my followers. Many of my followers love these quotes and actually look forward to them. Plus, it keeps my small business in front of my followers as much as possible.

Of course, I also log into Twitter every day and interact personally with my followers as well. I believe that if you combine auto-posts with personal interaction, you will leverage the power of Twitter in a much more meaningful way.

4) Keep Daily Stats On How Many People Unfollow You.  This is one of the strangest tips that I have received. First of all, who has time for this? And second, I really don’t care who unfollows me. Really. If someone doesn’t like my Tweets, then they SHOULD unfollow me. I am not on Twitter to make sure that everything I say appeals to every single person. I am on Twitter to connect with interesting and like-minded people.

5) Your Tweets Should Always Be Witty, Educational or Profound. Obviously, in the ideal world this would be the case. But, the last time I checked, most people on Twitter are not professional writers, bloggers, and word-smiths. They are just regular people making connections. Of course, you should strive to add value and interact with people. But, don’t worry so much that every Tweet is a witty comedy sketch. Just be yourself and have fun.

Twitter is an amazing and powerful marketing tool. However, besides spamming and other illicit behaviors, there are not many “rules” that you must follow in order to be a part of Twitter.

In my opinion, Twitter is mainly about using common sense.  Interact, be nice, ask questions, listen, and add value.  And of course, just be yourself and have a little fun.