For example, you can post one message to: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all at once! They also have integration with MySpace, Google+, and Foursquare, plus a suite of social content apps for YouTube, Flickr, Tumblr and more.

Launched in Dec. 2008, HootSuite has over 3 million users including: The White House, Martha Stewart Living, Omnimedia, SXSW, and Zappos.

While most users access HootSuite via an Internet Browser they have apps for iPad®, BlackBerry®, Android™, and iPhone®:

Plus they provide stellar analytics:

But hands down, my favorite tool is the calendar publisher, which allows me to pre-post event reminders, quotes, and other announcements.

HootSuite has a free version, which gives you 5 Social Profiles, but I upgraded to HootSuite Pro ($5.99/month) last year and gained unlimited Social Profiles, Google Analytics Integration, Facebook Insights Integration, and best of all no ads.

If you are looking for an easy to use social media dashboard to help you get the most out of your Social Media Marketing, give HootSuite a try!

Are you overwhelmed with the amount of work required to maintain a successful Social Media Marketing Plan?

Don’t worry – you are not alone! With out a strategic implementation plan, and someone to help you execute the plan, your social media efforts aren’t likely to provide the ROI you are looking for. Here is a list of the top seven social media tasks to outsource:

1. Social Media Strategy, Planning & Set up
2. Social Network Research (Finding targeted followers, friends & a targeted fan base)
3. Social Media Submission (Informational status updates, events, blog posts, industry trends, etc.)
4. Social Network Integration (Ex: linking blog to Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter)
5. Social Media Monitoring & Measurement (ORM, tracking & analytics)
6. Social Media Optimization (Keeping your message on track!)
7. Social Networking Site Adoption (vetting new social networks to determine if they are a “good fit” for your business.)

A

There are three major social media sites, and dozens of minor social media sites, in use today. The three major sites are: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

• Facebook is a social networking website. It is primarily social (as opposed to professional) in nature although they do offer “pages” for professional organizations and “pay per click” style advertising that is highly targeted and relatively inexpensive. >500 million active users worldwide.
• Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service used to send and receive text-based posts of up to 140 characters. >175 million registered users worldwide
• LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site mainly used for professional networking. >80 million users worldwide

Collectively this represents over 700 million “eyeballs” or opportunities to connect with potential and current suppliers, customers, government agents and the public at large. Did I mention membership for these three sites is FREE?

In terms of public relations, maintaining a presence on social media sites is an extremely effective and cost-efficient form of PR and advertising.

In order for social media marketing to be beneficial organizations need clearly defined messages and goals. These messages and goals in turn define an organizations social media strategy.

As an Internet Marketing Consultant I help clients with the following:

1. Define internet marketing goals
2. Develop a series of monthly (12) marketing messages to be disseminated on-line
3. Choose an appropriate combination of online media outlets, like the three referenced above but also blogging and email marketing, that reach the organization’s target audience
4. Assist with the dissemination of the monthly marketing messages, OR
5. Train organizational representatives how to disseminate the monthly marketing messages…and in some cases do it for them
6. But, most importantly, I help my clients interact with their customers in a meaningful and authentic way.

Setting up a social media program usually takes between 5 and 10 hours, depending on the scope of the organization’s goals. On-going monthly maintenance takes between 1 and 5 hours, again dependent on the scope of the projects. If you are interested in learning more about social media marketing and how it can help your organization, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Bigger Business Blogs Better Lead Bringers.

Business blogs begin generating significantly more leads when they have a median of 24 or more articles posted, according to research by internet marketing firm Hubspot. Businesses with blog article numbers above this critical threshold are likely to have enough content to make a significant impact on search engines through additional indexed pages and new keywords with which to associate. In addition, other sites are more likely to link to a blog that offers a steady stream of content. Businesses with blogs of 24-plus articles are more likely to be committed to updating their blog frequently and, thus, are likely to generate more traffic from referring sites.

Not sure what to write about?

How about any advise have you given clients this week (check your sent mail box for inspiration!). Share relevant information about your industry or your company. Your potential clients want to know that you know your stuff! Then don’t forget to push out that post to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and most importantly your email marketing distribution list.

1. See which profile has the greater number of RECOMMENDATIONS, CONTACTS, and even old email addresses. Choose to keep the profile that has the greater number of contacts/recommendations/email addresses; everything except old email addresses on the profile portion can be updated. This is completely a judgment call – you must decide which content is most important to you. You can ask people to reconnect and even to resubmit a recommendation but you cannot add an old email address back in.
2. Review the profile you want to delete (Profile X) and note all of your contacts and their email addresses. TIP: This can be exported from “Connections” into a .csv file.
3. Note any other info you want saved to your preferred profile (Profile A). TIP: Print the profile.
4. Update Profile A: Current summary, experience, education, websites, groups, applications, etc.
5. Compare your contacts from Profile X to contacts in Profile A. List who is missing from Profile A.
6. Invite those missing contacts to join your professional network on Profile A. TIP: Politely explain that your are merging two profiles.
7. If you are also asking a contact to resubmit a recommendation please make the process easy on them – have it typed so they can easily copy/paste. Only do this with very close friends, or you are likely to loose the recommendation altogether.
8. At this point you can go into Account & Settings/Personal Information/Close Your Account. You might choose to keep it live and redirect people to your new profile, but I think that might be irritation for you and the person who is trying to connect with you.

Yet another Facebook worm!

(ABC News report from 9/26: Facebook users warned of wall worm)

Many of the worms, trojans, and malware spread to PCs come from people taking Facebook POLLS and playing Facebook GAMES.

My husband is a computer tech who spends a lot of time cleaning up infected PCs and he tells me they are not only vectors for malware but also a privacy risk.

Bottom line: don’t play games on Facebook and when it’s time to upgrade your computer consider buying a Mac.

Facebook in particular is a SOCIAL venue. Think of it as a party, or better yet, the office water cooler. How long would you stand around talking with someone who 1) only discussed himself or herself, and 2) refused to carry on a conversation with anyone else? Not long!

LinkedIn, on the other hand, actually asks you to tell visitors what you are working on, and Twitter is a mixed bag – IMHO the true value of Twitter is the accessibility it gives you to your client base.

Bottom line: if you want to market yourself and your business spend time on LinkedIn. If you want to connect with family and friends, socialize on Facebook. And if you want to know what people are saying about your business do a Twitter search.