Baby Step number two with Twitter. If you have a blog, integrate it with Twitter to automatically post when you blog.

How?

With WordPress you’ll need Twitter Tools, it creates a two way street between Twitter and your blog.

If you use Blogger, add a widget

Again, why do you do this? it is to streamline your process and take you less time in putting information about you on the web of course, putting you on multiple platforms in minimal time…but ultimately you do this because…..

People will research you when considering using your product or service. Giving them things to learn about you (ie your brand) helps them to make the decision of whether or not to trust you as a vendor. They’re getting a sense of who you are.

And remember…If you write everything in GeekSpeak, using your technical jargon for your particular field, you might miss folks who need you, simply because they cannot understand what you’re saying. Put yourself out there, but also remember to speak to people who might know nothing about your products or services, speaking as simply and as plainly as possible. Never assume.

Okay, I’m taking my own baby step with this post and since I already integrated Twitter with Facebook, this one blog post will show up in both other places.

Cool.

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Yeah, it figures that if I make a plan to regularly write about my own baby steps with social media, the sky will fall. It did. I’m back.

Okay. So…how to integrate Twitter into your life so you’re not pulling your hair out. Part One. This guy said it well, I’ll just point you to him.

Integrate Twitter to Facebook

More to follow.

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I’m running into clients these days with no/little ad budget because of the downturn in the economy. They’re looking for solutions, need to get the word out, have no idea where to start.

My answer to them is …social media. By that I mean Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Ning, Xing, LinkedIn, But you have to do it right. And it will take time… if you’re not spending money, you’ll need to spend some time. You can’t just hop on, tweet a little and expect a huge return … it takes strategy. It takes perseverance. It only takes a few minutes a day though.

Pick a platform to focus on

If you’re not a power user, and by that I mean that you have no idea what an RSS feed is, you think Digg is a person’s screen name, the idea of blogging is scary and this whole process seems a little overwhelming? Then pick one platform. You can integrate your blog with your Facebook with your Twitter account with your Delicious account when you’re more familiar with it all. Start somewhere. One place.

If you don’t have a lot of time, skip Facebook, it is best for personal use. The business pages can be a swell tool to use, but if you’re never on Facebook and do not have a lot of time to devote, start elsewhere. You won’t waste time with old high school acquaintances and games when you need to be selling.

MySpace is kind of last year. You can use it, but it is really best for promoting musicians. If you’re not a musician or a teenager, then pass.

YouTube can be an -awesome- tool for any business. It requires a bit more work so it can be overlooked. You need something to capture video and a concept. That’s it. You can use a cell phone. Seriously. Create a funny, inspiring, silly piece, do a regular video blog or invite others to submit their videos and voila, instant buzz. It has to be unique, it has to be honest and it has to be either informative or fun.

A pool and patio store could start a video blog on home Pool and Spa care with 5 minute clips. The presenter should be likable and the directions simple.

A florist could ask for Video Valentine submissions with the winner receiving a bouquet. They could advertise and get traffic to see the submissions.

A real estate agent could do a weekly “Cribs” style guide in a specific neighborhood complete with do’s and don’t when looking for a house in that neighborhood.

The point is, when people hear about you, they will search for you and decide if they like and trust you before they decide to enter into a purchasing relationship. You give them tools with social media to help them make their decision, going after the relational buyers (people who purchase based on the relationship they have with you) and not transactional buyers (people who are looking for a cheap bargain) and you’ll increase your sales and loyal customer following.

Other tools….

Ning lets you create a social network for your industry and passion.

Basically, you create your own, branded, facebook-like community. Free. Yeah, free. Learn more about using Ning in your small business here

If you’re a B2B business or service provider, then Xing and LinkedIn will be really important to you. Pick one and spend 5 minutes a day for a week working on your profile.

and finally there is Twitter, your best choice when you’re pressed for time. How should you get started?

1. Sign up on Twitter.
2. Follow anyone you know and like.
3. Follow 3 people you’re curious about
4. Follow 3 people from your field
5. Use NearBy Tweets to find local folks to follow, follow three of them
   
6. Tweet once a day, something you think is funny, interesting or profound. Don’t overthink it, be honest
7. Answer your @yourname messages that you find by clicking the @yourname link in your Twitter sidebar
8. Answer your direct messages
9. Read your tweetstream for 5 minutes a day
10. Retweet what others have to say if it’s fun, helpful, or interesting.

There are plenty of promotions, contests, giveaways and other tools you can implement using Twitter, but get your feet wet first.

Use every tool you have (and many of these are free) but get out there and start. Do something.

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