Archive for Merchant Tools
Managing multiple social media accounts
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I received a note from the CEO of Postling (David Lifson) this morning via Linked In, inviting me to check out Postling as a means to manage my multiple Social Media accounts. At a quick glance Postling appears to be similar to Ping FM. The concept of Postling was born in June 2009 and the service is relatively new.
P{ostling is incredibly user friendly. The service is designed for those of us who may not be techy geeks but need a way to save the time of having to log onto five or more social media sites each day. The dashboard is clean and easy to navigate.
Postling allows you to;
- update your social media ’statuses’
- create a Blog Post
- upload an Image
- or share a link.
These are the four main actions of managing a Social Media account and for a small business owner really the only tools you need to jump into Social Media.
At this time Postling only allows you to link up the following Social Media accounts:
Facebook
Twitter
Blogs
Wordpress
Blogger
Tumblr
Typepad
Squarespace
Drupal
Photos
Flickr
I am hoping they will add bitly support and more of the social media networks I use on a regular basis. Especially Linked In (as it is an important network for small business owners), plurk, and indent.ca.
Try managing your social media accounts for free at Postling. Click Here
Before you pay a PR consultant
Posted by: | CommentsAs a blogger (yes, I have a ‘mom blog’) I receive daily ‘PR pitches’ from pr companies whose clients have paid them to promote their service to the Mom Blogger community. I decided to blog this afternoon to express a growing concern I have with PR companies offering their services online to promote a product or service online.
I can not help but wonder how some of these smaller PR firms stay in business. Their email write ups are fine, but they are agreeing to take money from a client whose Internet presence is well – horrid. Step 6 before steps 1-5 are done.
PR is about a clients reputation and sending out news releases to promote a site that looks as though it was created in 1999, does not brand the client in a positive way.
I feel the purpose of hiring New Media PR company is to help a client build their reputation online. A important part of that would be providing the feedback for necessary changes to their online presence before you launch any PR strategies.
Today I received a pitch for a children’s holiday book. The pitch was written and sent by a PR company for authors.
You have to remember that this pitch is being sent to a list of Internet Savvy mom bloggers who understand web 2.0 (they are bloggers!) From the email they are directed to a website that looks like it may have been put together by my 7 year old son in his elementary school computer center (which is NOT an exaggeration.)
I then went to the PR companies site and again saw a site that would have been a candidate for my webinar ‘Is your website a web 1.0 dinosaur’.
So here are some tips for PR people who may not be all that Internet saavy.
Before you start promoting a client online;
1) ensure they have an up to date website. Wordpress is free and a well designed SEO business site can be completed for about $500.
2) Ensure your clients are up to date on social media concepts and using social media. $300 US will get them up and launched across over 200 social media sites.
3) Launch your PR strategies to point back to landing page on your clients site -(or your website) specific to the offer you are promoting. Include an online form for more details, a place to download creative, press releases, media tools (including HIGH res images) and your full contact details as the PR rep.
If you need help finding affordable Social media consultants or Wordpress Design, please ask me and I will provide you with some names.
But for the love of all things on this planet. PLEASE update your websites and STOP all promotion online until it is done.
Twitter Tool for Bloggers
Posted by: | CommentsAnother handy Twitter tool for bloggers and affiliates. Twit Stamp .
“TwitStamp allows you to use your current Twitter status anywhere – in the form of an image. This means you can post your status on blogs, forums, websites… wherever you want!” -Twit Stamp Website
I stumbled across the Twitter tool while viewing the Attic Girl blog.The service is still in beta and it looks like they are open to feedback.
There are four options: Latest Tweet (as seen in @atticgirls sample), Single, Search (the latest tweet of a search term you select), and Twit Card.
Looks like a great way to display a twitter chat Hash Tag on your blog.
Before you go – Did you know Her Affiliate Manager is looking for new blogger and affiliate partners ? Check it out
Getting Started with Affiliate Management
Posted by: | CommentsAffiliate programs seem like a win win for most Internet Entrepreneurs but like any great marketing strategy they don’t work without planning. Starting your affiliate program takes time, recruiting affiliates is an ongoing process as is managing the affiliate relationships you already have.
The ABC’s of Affiliate Marketing podcast
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If you are a merchant considering an affiliate program as a part of your marketing program or a publisher considering a way to optimize your revenue potential you won’t want to miss Aunesty Janssen and Shawna Fennell talk about affiliate programs on WSRadio.com ’s Yahoo Store Power Hour.
According to Aunesty merchants should be ready to spend 20-25% of their revenue on their affiliate program. You will need to know your numbers and your profit management. And expect 6- 12 months before you start seeing results.
Learn what an affiliate program is, how to start one, and how to run your affiliate program.
This affiliate marketing podcast is like having an affiliate coach in your back pocket. Listen to one of the internet’s top affiliate managers and learn the information you need to know before you launch your affiliate program.
