» An Insiders Guide to Using Twitter for Business

In recent years, Twitter has exploded climbing from 50 million daily tweets last year to 140 million last month. Using Twitter for business purposes is becoming extremely common, if not essential. The value of Twitter is obvious immediately from a business standpoint. It is a tool that is free and gives the user the opportunity to reach large numbers of potential clients all over the world. Some reasons to use this powerful means of communication include:

• Learning From Others – You are able to follow the leaders in your field and in business. Twitter offers a free, simple and very quick way to learn best practices and gain knowledge from the top influences.
• Networking/Relationship Building – This is truly the main purpose of social media. Businesses and individuals talk to each other, share ideas and support each other
• Visibility – Twitter is a quick, simple way of getting your business known and talked about. Attach your URL on your Twitter profile and you never know where your next customer might come from.
• Branding – You don’t have to be a major brand to make an impact. Everyone wants to connect with a person and you can tell your story.
• Follow the Buzz – You need to stay on top of your industry to be successful. You also can discover opportunities or get buzz on potential clients.
• Finding Clients – Numerous businesses both small and large post on Twitter with job or contract opportunities. Building strategic partnerships is the start to a great business relationship.
• Direct Sales – It is possible to sell via Twitter by tweeting advertising sales and promotions with directions to your website, blog or physical business.
• Impress Your Clients – You can follow your clients and prospective clients. Learn about their businesses and follow the conversations they’re having with their clients, partners and even employees. You can share this knowledge with your clients and even tap into it in building out proposals or offering solutions.
• Marketing – Start following prospective clients and they will follow you. Stand out as a thought leader in your field. Utilize special offers and coupons and tweet them to all.
• Communicating with Employees – Twitter is a great collaboration tool. In fact, that’s why it was first created.
• Share Your Business Information – Tell your Twitter followers what they need to know, about you, your business and your products. Tell them about offers, promotions and new products.
• Provide a forum for customer feedback – You can engage in an immediate conversation with your customers. Just remember to stay on your toes with excellent customer service, as you will hear the pros and the cons from your customers. Invest tem in your business by giving them opportunities to offer opinions.
• Finding or Posting a Job – Recruiters and seekers are utilizing Twitter to post about jobs wanted or job openings.

If all this sounds complicated and you feel that you just don’t have the time or expertise there are companies who can do the work for you. Find someone with experience in setting up accounts, building followers and creating content. Give them some basic information about your company and leave them to what they do best while you get on with running your business.

» Understanding Facebook Promotion

For anyone new to Facebook and social media in general, getting started can be a daunting task. If you take it step by step, it can be a rewarding and lucrative practice. These simple strategies will start you on the road to success.

• Invest Your Time – The difference between Facebook and other more traditional promotional channels is that the small business owner needs to invest some of their own time to develop a message and a strategy. The extra effort will be well worth it as customers begin to provide feedback and communicate directly with you. So how much time do you need to be spending? Not hours a day! Although given the addictive nature of this social medium, that may happen. You can put several hours a week into Facebook and see solid results.
• Hang in for the Long-Term – Be patient, like all good things in life, Facebook takes time and investment. Rather than expecting an instantaneous return, look at it as a long-term educational and marketing experience. As you improve your strategy, you’ll attract more fans and more feedback. It definitely takes time to master Facebook promotion and time to reap the rewards but the payoff is well worth it. Stay with it for the long haul.
• Limit Your Advertising Budget but Maintain One – Remember the simple golden rule…. more dollars on advertising does not always mean more revenue. Start off with a few dollars a day to test out Facebook’s advertising system. As you decide out which ads work most effectively you can begin to steadily increase your ad spending. Start with a few hundred-dollar investment. Remember, this is an educational process and with so many resources on the Internet, learning has never been cheaper and neither has gaining friends and fans.
• Take Advantage of Promotional Opportunities – Your Facebook Page is launched, your ads are running, and you have a few fans of your Facebook Page. Now what? In addition to engaging users on Facebook, you also want to get them making purchases. Now is the time to start to use creative incentives to drive people back to your page and to your business so test out different strategies and see which work best.
• Keep Your Fans Engaged and Returning for More – Share company news, interesting quotes, humorous anecdotes, industry happenings and ways to save. Share yourself but also become an interesting place to return again and again for information.

The secret to understanding Facebook is to just begin. Every small business can take advantage of the many free promotional opportunities that Facebook presents as well as advertising for a reasonable cost. There are numerous strategies to help increase the number of fans you have on the site. The best thing to do is to get started and figure it out from there!

» Did You Know?

We are ready to handle all of your social media needs. We will start with a social media strategy to make sure you have an organized and thoughtful plan. Then we will set up your components, write the pieces and manage the flow of information. Call us at 978-951-9077 or contact us here.

» Obama’s Social Media Outposts Join the Campaign

Reaching out once again to the young technically savvy voters who helped him get elected, President Obama has officially moved his Facebook page and his Twitter account, @BarackObama, into campaign mode.

Mr. Obama has more than 8.6 million followers on Twitter, and more than 21.6 million Facebook “fans.” Among potential and actual Republican candidates for president, former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska has the largest social media fan base with 565,000 followers on Twitter and 3.1 million fans on Facebook.

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» 50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs a Presence on

If your business limits its online presence to advertising banners and blogging, it’s missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow users to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more. Take advantage of these tools by asserting your company’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees.

See the complete list

» Did You Know?

We are ready to handle all of your social media needs. We will start with a social media strategy to make sure you have an organized and thoughtful plan. Then we will set up your components, write the pieces and manage the flow of information. Call us at 978-951-9077 or email jkennedy@mbateam.com.

» Social Media Join Toolkit for Hunters of Disease

On a chilly February night in Los Angeles, attendees at the DomainFest Global Conference crushed together in a tent at the Playboy Mansion for cocktails and dancing. Two days later, Nico Zeifang, a 28-year-old Internet entrepreneur from Germany, woke up with chest pains, chills and a soaring fever.

So he did what any young techie would: He logged on to Facebook and posted a status update. “Domainerflu count,” it said. “Who else caught the disease at D.F.G.?”

Los Angeles County health authorities and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stepped in to investigate a few days later. By that time, victims from across the globe already had arrived at their own diagnosis – legionellosis – and had posted their own Wikipedia entry on the outbreak.

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» Free Social Networking site helps Baby-Boomer Golfers Locate Extra Players

Golfers in the Houston Metro area have a new tool at their disposal to help them track down additional players, thanks to ActiveEmptyNesters.com, a new social networking site aimed at helping Baby Boomers lead an active lifestyle.

ActiveEmptyNesters has added two new “interest groups” to their social networking site that will make it much simpler for members to find extra players with similar handicaps and for lone players to locate foursomes seeking additional players.

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» Getting to Know Wishpond

A new shopping engine to search local stores and find the best deals in town. You can Make a Wish on a product you like, and Wishpond will alert you when the price drops, find similar products that match your desired price and send you personalized deals from nearby stores that will match that price.

Go Shopping!

» Did You Know?

We are ready to handle all of your social media needs. We will start with a social media strategy to make sure you have an organized and thoughtful plan. Then we will set up your components, write the pieces and manage the flow of information. Call us at 978-951-9077 or contact us here.

» Did You Know?

We are ready to handle all of your social media needs. We will start with a social media strategy to make sure you have an organized and thoughtful plan. Then we will set up your components, write the pieces and manage the flow of information. Call us at 978-951-9077 or contact us here.

» 6 Ways to Communicate with Impact using Social Media

What is the number one reason people will do business with you over others? Is it price? Is it quality? Is it convenience? The answer might surprise you because it is none of these three.

In fact, the number one reason people will do business with you is confidence. They must have confidence that what you say is true and what you offer will help them reach or exceed their goals.

The six communication keys below will help you build a loyal following and earn the kind of confidence that can grow a lucrative business:

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» How Social Media Can Help Your Business

Since Facebook has reached over 500 million active users it is no wonder why social media has become the topic of conversation in the business world. Businesses of all sizes are trying to decide on the correct strategy for a social media presence and if it worth the time and effort. For those trying to decide whether or not to move forward, we can assure you that a social media campaign will help your business to stand out.

Social media allows businesses to create a personal connection with their fans. By updating your site frequently, you can showcase your personality. Social media also lets you connect to your customers with ease and widens your sphere of influence. Best of all establishing a social media presence can be done effectively on a budget.

» Did You Know?

We are ready to handle all of your social media needs. We will start with a social media strategy to make sure you have an organized and thoughtful plan. Then we will set up your components, write the pieces and manage the flow of information. Call us at 978-951-9077 or contact us here.