1. Do interview your existing clients and see what blogs they read. Start reading and commenting in those blogs.
2. Do not write meaningless comments just to get your Web site link attached. Do lend your expertise.
3. Do start blogging with relevant content.
4. Do not be inconsistent once you start blogging. Keep it up!
5. Do find out whether your customers Facebook, Twitter, or use some other social media platform. Open accounts and participate.
6. Do not Tweet or Facebook off topic. Your potential customers do not care that you are off to bed. They do care if you are testing a new and improved solution to their problem.
7. Do submit your news releases to Digg, Delicious, and a newswire (paid or free).
8. Do add RSS feeds to the content on your Web site and blog.
9. Don’t ignore negative comments about your company or product in social media.
10. Do address negative comments and see whether you can help solve the problem.

11. Do cross market your organization using many different media formats. After you write your blog, turn it into a video, a Podcast, and a slideshow.
12. Do submit your blogs and video blogs to a variety of directories.
13. Do ask your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and business contacts to take a look and your blog and leave a comment or rating.
14. Don’t use someone else’s material and “forget” to give them credit. First, it’s stealing. Second, you miss the opportunity for a link! (FYI, this list is compiled from helpful blog posts and Tweets I’ve learned from over the months, plus some life lessons I’ve figured out on my own!)
15. Do Tweet the praises of others.
16. Do check your social media writing for typos and grammar before you post.
17. Do use your own voice in social media.
18. Don’t forget about search engine optimization in social media.
19. Do look for tools to help your social media efforts. Many are free.
20. Don’t use foul or raunchy language when socializing online. You never know whom you might offend.
21. Do remember social media postings are long-lasting and far-reaching.
22. Don’t diss a customer, business associate, co-worker, boss, or competitor in social media. It will come back to haunt you.
23. Do use social media to share your expertise with others.
24. Don’t use social media to overtly sell your product or service. Social media is social!

What do’s and don’ts do you follow? Add your own do’s and don’ts and together we can build the social media list of all lists!

It happens. You make a short-tempered comment with your outside voice, wishing at once you had kept that statement to yourself. Yes, perhaps the auto mechanic is an idiot, or the cable company customer service rep should solve your problem sooner. But I know your mother taught you long ago, as did mine, take the higher road and never lower yourself. You’re better than that, right?

Your Tweet IS your outside voice. In fact, it’s louder and never fades away with the breeze. The Internet’s ability to remember is eternal. Like those dead sea scrolls, people can dig up your Tweets and anything else you write online for posterity.

Tweet responsibly. The New York Times recently reported that author Roberta Silman, upset by a negitive Boston Globe book review, Tweeted her displeasure and even posted the reviewer’s phone number and email, asking fans to “Tell her what you think of snarky critics.” Silman later issued a statement through her publisher, explaining “… in the heat of the moment I responded strongly and I wish I hadn’t. I’m sorry if I offened anyone.” She reportedly terminated her Twitter account.

CareerBuilder.com writer Rachel Zupek highlights a number of workplace firings that recently occurred as a direct result of Tweets and Facebook postings that the author forgot the reach of social media.

Remember to use your grown-up filter when you participate in the world of social media. Think of it as a face-to-face conversation with your most valued customer, future employer, and mom all wrapped up in one. Tweet with dignity and respect!

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internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations
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Twitter icon courtesy of Productive Dreams.

It takes some commitment, but Twittering is fun and educational. You can benefit from an endless stream of resources, and better yet, set yourself up as a credible resource within your area of expertise.

(Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. A “Tweet” is the mini blog entry you type, in 140 characters or less.)

When you type “Twitter for Beginners” into a search engine, a long list of results reveals blog posts and articles to get started; however I found many of the postings do not necessarily mean the true “I don’t know where to start” beginner. In this post I assume you are a true newbie just as I was a few months ago. Read these step-by-step instructions to create your Twitter account today!

Step 1
Link to Twitter’s sign-up page.
Keep a few things in mind when you create an account.

Your username is what people see when they read your Tweets. If you plan to use your Twitter account for business, you might want to use your business name. If your business is large and several employees Twitter for work too, then you might use your own name or one related to your business. Try not to use a stream of nonsense letters because your Twitter name is part of your brand or identity.

Step 2
Once you create your account, select settings and personalize your Twitter account for your identity.

Step 3
The first tab under settings, account, includes fields such as your user name, email address, time zone, location, and language. You can also enter a one line bio. This bio should include the words you want people to use to find you, so if you plan to Twitter about your association’s mission of saving the world from the passive voice in writing, then include that in your bio. When potential followers type “passive writing” into search, your profile appears.

Step 4
The password tab allows you to change your password. Self-explanatory, right!

Step 5
Devices
The devices tab is where you enter your mobile phone number so you can Twitter from your cell phone, iPhone, Blackberry, etc.

Step 6
Notices is the tab where you make selections for which items get emailed to your account. If you want to receive notification of new followers, direct messages, and @replies, make the appropriate selections here.

Step 7
The picture tab is where you upload your photo, logo, or icon that represents your Twitter profile. I use my own picture for my personal profile and the NetStrategies logo for our company profile. This again is part of your branding and I suggest you use a distinctive photo.

Step 8
The final tab in the settings section is design. Twitter offers a variety of free sample designs. Most Twitter aficionados recommend you upload your own background design. Create your own by uploading a digital image. You could tile it, which is what I did. Get as creative as you like. Some folks even hire a designer. This again is part of your branding. Play around with a few to see what works. Keep in mind that the stream of Twitter updates blocks a significant portion of the screen.

Step 9
You can now begin to Tweet! Take a few days to add posts for practice. Look around within Twitter to investigate the search function (found at the very bottom of the page), blog (bottom of page), and find people feature. Once you have a rhythm, take advantage of the many applications available to manage your Twittering.

Twitter just posted their own Twitter 101 Guide for Beginners!

Next week learn about a few Twitter applications I use to find followers, track and measure keywords, manage accounts simultaneously, and schedule Tweets.

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internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations

If you read blogs, you know that any blogger worth her salt (his too!) includes an occasional Top 10 list. There are Web sites like Toptenz dedicated to Top 10 lists and even solicit for your ideas on what lists they can compile. David Letterman capitalizes on the public’s fascination with all things Top 10. You can watch those segments dating back to August 1993 on the CBS Late Night Web site.

Here are 10 ways you can come up with a Top 10 list to write your next blog!

1. Use your social media network to solicit answers to your topic. Post a Tweet asking, “What feature do you like best about our Web site?” (Remember to include your URL.) Or post questions through LinkedIn or Facebook. Compile your responses by popularity, and wham, you have a list!
2. If your business solicits customer comments, review that feedback and look for trends. Customers love to be heard. Turning their feedback into a blog entry is a great way to deepen their relationship with your organization.
3. Read someone else’s article for ideas, then add your own research and spin. It is important to give credit to the originator of that idea in your blog.
4. Read a great book lately? Chronicle the Top 10 things you learned from it. The author will appreciate the love and your readers can read the book for a more complete picture of the topic.
5. Ask your co-workers for input. You are surrounded by experts in your industry. Tap into them as a resource.
6. Google it. Search engines open the world to researching a topic at your fingertips. Simply type your question into a search engine and follow the results.
7. Explore your industry Wiki for trends and answers.
8. Register for online research. I use Forrester to substantiate writing on Internet marketing topics for our company, NetStrategies. Forrester allows limited access to registered non-paying customers and greater access for paying ones.
9. Phew, coming up with 10 is harder than I thought… This is not a way to generate ideas, but important blog content nonetheless. Remember to incorporate your keywords into your Top 10 list. For instance, writing, Web content, NetStrategies, and Laurie Dunlop are some of my keywords. I want to make sure some or all of them are included (in a clever and meaningful way) near the top of my list.
10. Ask your blog readers! If they already read your content, invite them to comment on your proposed topic. Once again, this helps develop that two-way conversation with your stakeholders. So, what do you think? How do you come up with a Top 10 list for your blog? Please share your tips with us all!

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internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations

Notice my headline reads “solid writing” and not perfect, fancy, or academic writing. Most public relations efforts involve the written word. Whether you compose a blog, Web page, news release, or video script, pay close attention to the words you choose and how you use them.

I believe solid writing is direct, active, and descriptive. If you see the word “be” in your sentence, remove it and find a better way to write your sentence. A passive voice is no way to convince your reader to take action.

For example: (A) I am trying to be a better writer by using a direct approach. (B) My writing improves when I use a direct approach.

The second sentence is active.

I attended a conference back in the ’90s and the speaker made two valuable writing recommendations that I took to heart and put to use.

First, he suggested we read The New York Times every day. His argument was NYTimes reporters write rich openings and that reading good writing makes better writers. Whether or not you agree with the paper’s editorial slant, the writing is very good. Read these two examples from April 10′s online edition:

Laurence Ulrich wrote, “If you listen closely at the New York auto show, you can almost hear the pent-up pressure beneath the optimistic speeches and aspirational displays of gleaming sheet metal: it is the sound of an industry holding its collective breath.”

Bill Pennington wrote, “It was said, over and over before the 2009 Masters began, that the green coat power brokers of the Augusta National Golf Club had ruined a stirring golf course by making it too long, too narrow, too hard and too dull. Approaching most Masters tournaments, people usually natter themselves silly in their admiration of the place’s unmatched traditions, but earlier this week all anyone wanted to talk about were the changes to Bobby Jones’s revered layout.” (I love that word “natter!”)

His second bit of advice was to take words ending in “ly” out of your writing. Get rid of the adverbs and find a better way to describe the action.

For example: (A) He silently walked across the room. (B) He crept from one side of the room to the other, not making a sound.

Use your thesaurus and select verbs that enrich your content. Do you mean walked or crept? Other choices are tiptoe, sneak, skulk, steal, and slink.

So sorry Shakespeare, the question is not “To be, or not to be,” but rather, is it, or isn’t it?

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internet marketing, public relations, NetStrategies, Woodbridge, social media, internet optimization

The Internet marketing gurus say blog. It makes perfect sense. If you’re an expert in your field, who better to share that knowledge, that passion, but you? In theory you can write a few blog entries a week, engaging your readers (hopefully your customers) in conversation, educating them about your industry, your business, your specialty. OK, perhaps it is not so easy to get started, but I got my feet wet commenting in other blogs for a few months, so here I go! 

My specialty is public relations. My career started back in the 1980s when I learned the nuts and bolts of traditional PR while attending Marywood University (then a women’s college) in Scranton, Pa. (Maybe that’s why I love The Office!) Since then I practiced my trade in eight different states and two European countries for numerous businesses ranging from non-profits, like the American Cancer Society, to U.S. Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. I provided media relations, served as a public affairs officer, publicity director, newsletter editor… the full spectrum in traditional PR.

But in 20 years, the world changed, my hair grayed, and the field of public relations transformed, too. As I adapt my traditional PR practices to today’s more targeted approach, I want to convert you, too. Read our company blog, as well as follow me on Twitter to learn how to drive key audiences to your Web site, where I hope you can turn visitors into customers.

I work for NetStrategies as a Web content writer. Learn how we can help you drive measurable results when you visit our Web site.

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