Social Traffic Intelligence

Twitter is growing at an astronomical rate, so fast that it experiences growing pains on a regular basis.

OK we all know that; I mean how could we not! You would have to be living on a deserted island under a rock with no access to the Internet, newspapers or radio to not know something about twitter. Everybody knows that Barack Obama used it during his election campaign

As twitter continues to expand at a phenomenal rate, the million dollar question that is on the lips of business owners is "Can Twitter be used to build businesses" The answer is YES! Switched on businesses are already using twitter as a terrific business building tool. These businesses know that twitter is a FREE, no-cost way of marketing, but best of all its is viral.

So how do these businesses use twitter? Its all in the posting (tweets). Twitter provides a public forum, and each post (tweet) a business makes becomes a form of promotion as other users, follow the businesses posts(tweets). Over a period of time these tweets build a reputation for the business as people can visit and look at your Web site and the quality of your content. The business becomes part of the community. But wait theres more, business owners can also use Twitter for market research and to keep an eye on customer service issues.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone says businesses "that are not quite big enough to make an impact on the Web, or to spend resources there," have been some of the earliest users of twitter. Some San Francisco-based coffee shops and bakeries have sent tweets to tell their customers about specials or products they may be out of that day. "Businesses use this as a hybrid between marketing and customer service," says Stone. "They use the Twitter Search to track mentions of their products and services and as a way to begin a conversation."

To summarize, twitter can be used by businesses to;
1. build a reputation and brand
2. market products
3. achieve viral marketing
4. conduct market research
5. monitor customer service
6. develop relationships with other twitterites
7. participate in the twitter community

Twitter seems Terrific for building businesses doesn't it? But hang on a minute, before you rush off and start using it today, its worth noting that like any online forum, Twitter may not be for everyone. It can be a time waster and for some people addictive. Having said that if you own a business its definitely worth a look and even a try before you decide whether twitter is terrific for building your business.

YouTube - thats the site that has the funny videos right? Yes! YouTube has funny videos but thats not all YouTube can be used for. The website averages nearly 20 million visitors per month. I'm sure that you can recognize the traffic generation potential of YouTube. Marketing your product through videos made by you on YouTube is one of the most effective ways of advertising your product to potential customers.

How to do you get started on YouTube? We are glad you asked! Heres 7 Amazing YouTube tips to get you moving.

1. Make Your Own Video
Yep thats right make your own video... you don't need to hire a professional. All you need to do is to make sure your videos are interesting and unique while allowing your personality or brand to shine through. Remember to put yourself in the viewers shoes and include things that you yourself would probably want to see. Don't hesitate to inject some humour into the video. Be realistic you will probably have to do a couple of takes, dont expect to get it perfect the first time.

2. Keep it Short
How short should a YouTube video be? Recently we had the privelege of talking to Ross Goldberg aka Mr Traffic, Frank Sousa and Darren LeCroix. All of these Internet marketing experts agreed that your video should be precise in its content. The viewer doesnt want to know what you had for breakfast, they just want to know what you are giving them. As a guideline your video should be at least 2 minutes but less than 5 minutes.

3.Have A Plan
Think about the audience you want to target. You might be tempted to copy the popular internet marketers, but try to resist since their style may not be your style. As Dr Phil says keep it real, YouTube is has millions of videos containing lots of different styles and niches. Take the time to create a draft script that contains what you want to say and how you want to say it. Practice a couple of times before you try to record the video. Saying the words out loud will tell you whether the collection of words you have chosen flow and make sense to the listener.

4. YouTube Video SEO
OK so you have made the video now you need to promote it. We all know it's no use having it on YouTube if nobody finds it. There is a reason why YouTube has tags, text decriptions and categories for each video that is uploaded. The only way most people are going to find your videos is by searching. This means the words you use for tags, descriptions and categorization are extremely important. They need to match the content of your video.and target the audience you want to attract. You need to make the text description for your video accurate and interesting. Its important to use descriptive keywords and also the language that people will use when they search for videos like yours.

5. One Video Is Not Enough
You might think that once you have made a video and uploaded it then jobs done. Think again! I am sure that you have been on YouTube and already know that the Internet Marketing Experts like Ross Goldberg and Micheal Chaney have a lot more than one video. The Internet Marketing Experts build a series of similar videos. For starters we recommend that you build at least 10 videos, and then add more videos on a regular basis. We know that 10 videos might seem a daunting task, just remember they dont have to be perfect and they only need to be 2 minutes in length.

6.Go Viral
The ultimate prize for every internet marketer is to have their YouTube videos go viral. Make no mistake this won't just happen, you will need to take action and promote the videos. The best way to promote these videos is to use other Social Media sites such as twitter, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, and so on. But don't panic it is really easy to post a youtube video on Social Media sites or at the very least to include a link. If you share your video with as many people as you can and they like it they will share it with others....hey presto your videos go viral.

7. Experiment To See What Works
The Internet Marketing Experts are always testing and tweaking their campaigns. Make use of statistics to identity how many people visit your video, how may people visit your product and how many people purchase your product. Its important to create a number of campaigns and see what works. Its similar to a singer writing a number of songs before they find that elusive hit.

Podcasting has emerged from the shadows and is becoming integrated into everyday life. TV shows such as the Bold and the Beautiful have used podcasting in their storylines. What is podcasting? It can be defined as a series of digital media files, usually digital audio or video, that is made available for download via Web syndication.Basically, in podcasting, you create audio files that are available on your website, which people can then download to their iPods or MP3 players and listen to."Podcasts" are delivered through RSS feeds; users subscribe to various podcasts. The widespread adoption of iPods and MP3 players, means that the potential traffic that podcasting can generate is growing all the time. If you have a product or business and you want FREE targeted traffic then you shouldn't ignore the potent power of podcasting.

So how do you make a killer podcast? Stay tuned we are going to share 5 Podcasting Power tips that you can start using today.

1. Original Interesting Content.
If you want to attract and maintain an audience, you will need to share original content, or at the very least, present the content in an original way. Think about how you can differentiate yourself from others. Develop a long term strategy that allows you to create a brand that will distinguish your podcast from others.

2. Good Sound Quality
Quality Podcasts have quality sound. You will need a microphone that will not include sounds that will distract your listeners from listening to you. What's a good microphone? If you are podcasting from a home office you will generally need a large-diaphragm, cardioid condenser microphone.

3. Microphone Technique
Spend time in the podcasting forums and you will hear the phrase proper microphone technique. People often say you either have proper microphone technique or you don't. Good microphone technique is a blend of many aspects such as physical microphone positioning, diction, speed, mouth form, and presence. The optimum position for your microphone is usually about a hand's width away from the microphone. The other aspects such as diction, speed, mouth form, and presence are usually improved by practice and time. We recommend that you record your voice, listen to the recording and identify the aspects you need to improve. This is one practical way you can develop good microphone technique.

4. Develop A Plan
Once you have decide to Podcast, you will need to consider the following aspects. How much time will the podcast production take? How will the podcasting fit into your a current schedule? How frequently will you podcast? How will the hosting of podcasting files be handled? If the podcast is popular, will you ask your listeners for a fee that can be used to cover hosting costs? What is your podcasting theme? How will the theme connect all the podcasts? You get the picture ...you will need to develop a plan for your Podcasting.

5. The Point.
Get to the point of the podcast, don't bore your listeners with a lot of fluff about nothing. Talking is a favorite past time for some people but dont let it hide the quality content you have in your podcast. Listeners won't wste their time listening to rampant rambling. If you have a point to make, make it in a reasonable amount of time. Take Micheal Chaney's approach..minimize the fluff and focus on quality content.