The 8 Types of People That Belong on Twitter

Check out this neat article from Inc.com - The 8 Types of People that Belong on Twitter

So which one are you?  Customer Service Rep?  Brand Watchdog?  Conversationalist?

For questions on Twitter, social media or anything marketing, contact us.  We'd love to have a conversation.

Your On-Line Reputation: 3 Things You Need to Remember

Your Online Reputation: Three Things You Need To Remember

So you’ve read all our articles here at Brand-Yourself.com about how essential it is to maintain your online reputation and personal brand identity. You’ve successfully set up your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, emphasizing your individuality, visibility, consistency, and desirability as an employee.

The battle doesn’t end there, however. Maintaining a personal brand is continuous work and will continue for the remainder of your working life – perhaps even beyond retirement.

In order to cultivate your identity and your online reputation, keep three things in mind:

Be smart, not paranoid.
This is the age of the World Wide Web and, although you should exercise basic common sense and abstain from releasing information like your social security number to the general masses, there is no need to be paranoid about your information being online. Visibility is key, and it is up to you to take advantage of the accessibility of the Internet. Although you obviously shouldn’t provide, say, a blueprint and a detailed aerial shot of your home, don’t make it difficult for interested employers to contact you, either.

Use your name as often as [logically] possible.
Look at your various websites and social networking profiles as web footprints. Your online personality should be unique to you, but a clever, intelligent website means nothing if people have no idea who owns it. It is crucial that your name be prominent on any work you post online – not only in titles and bylines, but also headings, URLs, etc. – so that there will be a higher chance of your page[s] receiving hits. Exercise discretion, however. Sprinkling your name unnecessarily will look cheap and desperate, but thoroughly linking your work with your name shows that you are proud of what you can accomplish.

OWN YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION.
It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to own your personal brand identity. If you haven’t already, do a quick search of your name and see what the Web says about you. If you find there are people who share a similar name, you must work hard to differentiate yourself from those people. Always keep in mind all those professional and personal traits that make you desirable to prospective employers, and protect this image with everything you’ve got.

Remember, your work isn’t finished once you’ve established a personal brand identity. You must also work hard to regularly manage the impression you make on the rest of the world, ensuring now only that you remain individual but also that your brand remains true to who you are. Your online reputation is how people will differentiate you from the masses.

–

Gabrielle is a recent graduate from Syracuse University, where she studied fashion design and fashion communications. She occupies her time with photography and creating her own comic book, and she plans to return to Syracuse in 2010 to pursue her Master’s Degree in art journalism.

www.brand-yourself.com

10 Ways to Jump Start Your Social Media Thinking

It seems as if there are thousands of articles out there advising you how to effectively incorporate social media into your marketing plan. In reality, what is the next step after you've created a Twitter, Facebook, and a blog? Here are 10 way to jump start your social media thinking and take your company's presence to the next level.

Please visit http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2009/07/22/10-ways-to-jump-start-your-social-media-thinking/

20 Reasons to use Social Media Marketing

Today the importance of a TV commercial or newspaper ad is dwarfed in comparison to that of social media marketing. If I had a dime for every time I heard, "Follow us on Twitter!" in the past 12 months I would be rich. While interactive media powerhouses like Facebook and Twitter may seem like a fad or downright annoying, in reality they are excellent resources to communicate your brand to the consumer. They are efficient, low-cost, and easy to manage. At Asterisk Creative we stress the importance of using media resources like these. The more your company is mentioned, the more potential clients you reach.

Still not convinced? Here are 20 reasons that will change your mind.
Visit http://www.examiner.com/x-8160-San-Diego-Social-Media-Marketing-Examiner~y2009m6d25-The-Top-20-Business-Reasons-To-Use-Social-Media-Marketing

Getting your Brand out there in the "Twittisphere"

Twitter has become all the rage recently when it comes to social media marketing. But lets be honest, there are millions of people tweeting everyday - how do you get the right people to follow your brand and remain dedicated? The key is syndication. When you syndicate your content you'll get Twitter followers who want your information, knowledge, know how, style, and sense of humor. At Asterisk Creative we have a huge respect for not only the power of social media marketing but also those who can utilize it to the best of their ability.

Check it out at http://www.examiner.com/x-977-SF-Marketing--PR-Examiner~y2009m7d4-Grow-Your-Twitter-Following-Free-branding--promotion-on-Twitter

What's All The Tweeting About?

What's All The Tweeting About?
Twitter Offers A Unique Platform For Communication

Twitter is a "microblog". Think of it like a blog, only smaller... in fact you only have 140 characters (not words, characters) to communicate a message, so what you say has to be short, concise and of interest.

Twitter is simply a means to communicate with an audience of people who want to hear what you have to say. It's two way communication with your customers and prospects. And it's free!

Using Twitter is very easy - you sign up for a Twitter account and then start posting the 140 character messages, known as 'tweets', immediately. Once you've posted a tweet, it goes into your Twitter feed. Anybody who is following your tweets will then see your update within their own Twitter account - similar to how a blog's RSS feed communicates with RSS readers.

Of course, if your 'followers' are subscribed to hundreds of people, you may only have exposure on the main page of their account for just a few seconds, which is one of the reasons that people Twitter so much - so they can stay top of mind.

By default, Twitter feeds are set to public. This means that you can search for anybody who uses Twitter and see all of their past tweets.

So, what's all the fuss about this tool. And, how can you as marketer think about using it? Try these ideas:

· Extending the reach for those individuals or companies that already have a blogging strategy in place, and want to deepen or further ties. Good examples: Carnival Cruise Lines. The ScienceNewsBlog's weather tracking updates. Andy Carvin's PBS blog on education and technology.

· Retailers announcing sales and deals. Good example: Deals on Dells. Blue-light specials at Amazon.

· Increasing the ability for frequent updates to blogs or web sites or news. Examples: The NY Times, CNN, BBC, Adrants, and those of us here at MarketingProfs.

· Building consensus or a community of supporters. President Obama's successful campaign can be tied directly to his use of Twitter and Obama News Updates.

· Building buzz. Example: Sneak previews for followers.

· Updating breaking news at conferences or events. Share your experience with your followers presents you as a thought leader.

· Updating your network to shape your own personal branding: What's going in your life and your business.

So, is this hype or the next thing? Probably somewhere in between. Social media continues it's evolution and Twitter represents the latest platform breaking down the walls of communication as we've know it.

Sources: Marketing Profs, Web Profits