Seven Questions Answered

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Seven Questions Answered

This post is in my Twelve Days of Christmas series.

I mentioned yesterday that I hosted a Q&A on online marketing on Twitter earlier this month. Thank you all for your questions. Here are just seven of them, with my responses in slightly more than 140 characters this time! You'll notice I'm using Twitter Blackbird Pie, which I mentioned in Tuesday's post, to embed the tweeted questions.

Look out for more Q&As next year!

Q1

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@getuptospeed What are your top tips for widening your networks & reach on social media? #askjon December 10, 2010 11:23 pm via Twitter for iPhone Amy_Joyner
Amy Joyner

Update your content regularly
Have a presence on several different social networks
Link between your networks
Give it time – it can take while to build up your numbers of followers, fans listeners, readers etc.

Q2

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@getuptospeed How simple is it 4 absolute beginners to get started in online marketing, how important are domain names & usernames? #askjon December 10, 2010 6:29 pm via webFrugaldom
NYK Media

It's really very easy to get started: Facebook pages and Twitter accounts are very quick and easy to set up, and you cane be up and running with a WordPress.com blog in minutes. However, it is important to be clear about your goals at the outset. Your marketing aims and objectives should come before the tools you use.

The important thing about domain names and usernames is to choose ones that reflect what people are likely to search for to find you. Often you will be constrained by your business name, but choose names with search terms in mind where you can. For example, if you do a search for 'publishing' on Twitter, my @publishingtalk account will show up in the people results – a new Twitter feature in 2010. The increased visibility on Twitter this gives has also contributed to a doubling in follower numbers this year. The same principle applies when choosing names for Facebook pages, YouTube accounts and so on.

Q3

#bbpBox_13300074670989312{background:#2e0903 url(http://a3.twimg.com/profile_backgroun...) no-repeat !important;padding:20px;}#bbpBox_13300074670989312 p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px !important;margin:0 !important;min-height:48px;color:#8f8f8f !important;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px}#bbpBox_13300074670989312 p.bbpTweet a {color:#2088f7 !important}#bbpBox_13300074670989312 p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px !important;padding-top:12px !important;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6}#bbpBox_13300074670989312 p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px}#bbpBox_13300074670989312 p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0px 0px !important;width:38px;height:38px;padding:0 !important;border:none !important;}#bbpBox_13300074670989312 p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}#bbpBox_13300074670989312 p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

@getuptospeed can you recommended any beginners resources / guides for using Google analytics effectively? #askjon December 10, 2010 6:32 pm via webJonSlack
Jon Slack

Some of Google's video tutorials are quite useful to find your way around and get set up initially – such as this one:

Q4

#bbpBox_13299959705112576{background:#cfc3ba url(http://a1.twimg.com/profile_backgroun...) !important;padding:20px;}#bbpBox_13299959705112576 p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px !important;margin:0 !important;min-height:48px;color:#dab9c4 !important;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px}#bbpBox_13299959705112576 p.bbpTweet a {color:#d4a78c !important}#bbpBox_13299959705112576 p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px !important;padding-top:12px !important;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6}#bbpBox_13299959705112576 p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px}#bbpBox_13299959705112576 p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0px 0px !important;width:38px;height:38px;padding:0 !important;border:none !important;}#bbpBox_13299959705112576 p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}#bbpBox_13299959705112576 p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

@getuptospeed what are some good tools for monitoring your company's presence on the web? #askjon December 10, 2010 6:32 pm via webkellykirkbride
Kelly Kirkbride

Many companies use radian6 for monitoring social media mentions etc. A newer, cheaper alternative is uberVU – definitely worth a look.

Q5

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@getuptospeed Who or what is your favourite example of really effective social media marketing? #askjon December 10, 2010 6:31 pm via HootSuite mafunyane
Anna Faherty

One of my favourite examples from this year was Shoes of Prey, an Australian online shoe retailer who tripled sales by engaging an 'influencer' on YouTube – and maintained their 300% sales uplift.

Q6

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@getuptospeed #askjon what are your recommendations for updating all social networks at same time?December 10, 2010 6:23 pm via Twitter for iPad samatlounge
Sam Missingham

Updating multiple accounts at same time can be a great way to reduce the workload.For example, you can make your tweets automatically become your Facebook status and LinkedIn status. However, it is important to be aware that your audiences may be subtly different on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – for example Twitter is better for real time information, news and links; Facebook tends to be more personal, since it is a more closed network than Twitter (for profiles if not pages); LinkedIn is a more professional audience. It can therefore be inappropriate or annoying to make the same status appear everywhere at the same time all the time.

You can push tweets through to Facebook and LinkedIn selectively using #fb or #in hashtags at the end of your tweets. Only those tweets that end in the appropriate hashtag will then become your Facebook or LinkedIn status. To set this up, install the Selective Tweet Status app in Facebook, and adjust your settings in the LinkedIn Tweets app.

Q7

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@getuptospeed how on earth do you keep up with it all? New networks, changes to fb, developments?December 10, 2010 6:22 pm via u00dcberTwitter SuzanneCollier
Suzanne Collier

Following social media people & blogs on Twitter helps, e.g. @mashable. I also attend conferences and events, and read books and blogs on online marketing, all of which helps keep up with latest developments. As well as simply using social media, of course – a lot!

Look our for more Q&As in 2011 – and feel free to send me your online marketing questions in the meantime!