Keenpath

Twitter Lists Cartoon

After creating a post about Twitter Lists to follow, this fun cartoon came to fruition courtesy of Geek and Poke.

Twitter Lists to Follow by Topic

One of the best aspects of Twitter is the wealth of information available in real-time. When Twitter introduced Lists in 2009, it was obvious the feature would become a winner. The lists range in a wide variety from funny people to economic news.

Chris Brogan made a suggestion on Twitter to consider creating a blog post with your Twitter follow suggestions, rather than the run of the mill #FollowFriday tweets. It does a couple things, increases traffic to your blog, while creating a semi-static place for your suggestions.

My take on this is to use Twitter Lists. You spend time building them, hand picking the best to be added, and should share them.

Below are a few of the lists we’ve created that are useful for organizations to learn about the latest trends, business resources, media and connect with others trying to make a difference in the world by working smarter and being innovative.

The lists by topic

• Entrepreneurship – Entrepreneurs, innovators, startups, CEOs, business owners
• Business Resources – Resources for business both big and small
• Marketing – Marketing freelancers, agencies, innovators
• Creatives – Graphic designers, photographers, writers and artists
• Developers – Developers, programmers, optimizers
• News Media – Old school and new school news media entities

Tell a Story Your Customers Will Repeat

People like to be told stories. It doesn’t matter if you are 8 or 88, a story of interest is always appealing, has the power to draw in, and creates an interest in the story teller and who they are. An individual or company aiming to brand themselves need to tell a story.

In a recent discussion with a client in the real estate industry, we discussed ways to truly make their website a hub of useful information to current and prospective customers. At the top of the list was creating genuinely interesting content on their website’s blog. This ranges from telling stories about the local history of the area, highlighting some of the fun things to do, including pictures.

Become a master story teller

Whether speaking or writing on behalf of a small or large business, the end desired impact and hope is the same. To extend the value and importance of your brand. Extended reach can be accomplished with a wide network, whether offline or online. Not only from a public relations perspective, but also a relationship building perspective.

Do you like to be talked at, or conversed with? Its no different with Internet marketing and social media marketing strategy. I was listening to a very interesting webinar featuring Gary Vaynerchuk talking about passion inspired video and creative content, and something that he zeroed in on caught my attention. He said real relationships are key, not the tools.

Business and Consumer Whac-a-Mole

The cycle of word of mouth is intriguing. Don’t view business to consumer and business to business in the traditional sense. Your story, product, service will get sent through the channel of B2B, B2C, BCB, and so forth. Yes that’s right, BCB: Business Consumer Business. How about Consumer Business Consumer. Is that possible? Break the molds, tell the story to your target audience.

(Image credit: Colin Brough)

Importance of Online and Offline Networking In A Connected World

At a recent meeting I had with some associates, I was talking to a guy who has become a closer friend, and we like to bounce ideas off each other. I had sent him a LinkedIn invite to connect and reap the benefits of that dimension of an online relationship, however, he told me that at this time he isn’t going to sign up, that he prefers face to face.

I respect that. But at the same time, you can have it both ways. For the sake of time, I didn’t have the opportunity to explain why its important, particular in the industry of business he is working in, however, it got my wheels spinning and I have a few thoughts as to why it is so important to connect online and offline.

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Social Media for Business Presentation

Workshop presented in Great Falls, MT

In October 2009, I co-presented a workshop titled Social Media 101 for Business, with Jeff Mangan, a friend, colleague, and owner of Fat Moose Media. Our purpose was to get local Montana organizations and business owners excited about social media and social networking, as well as to educate them on best practice and strategy. We had a great turn out, filled the room to capacity and had lots of participation.

Below, embedded is my slide deck, in which my focus was on LinkedIn, and a general overview of inter-mingling your social networks and existing web sites and blogs.

3 Tips on Using LinkedIn for Business

Networking is important for business and organizations. Personal brand aficionados also point out the value for the individual as well.  The blending of online and offline contacts in a social network is key to good networking.

LinkedIn, the niche business networking social network site, focuses on building detailed and valuable profiles, connections, and groups to help collaboration and increase the level of communication.

Here are three tips to help you and your organization to get the most out of LinkedIn:

1. Connect with the people you know – use the import contacts feature to quickly find out who you know that already has a LinkedIn profile, and optionally invite those that don’t.
2. Make sure your profile is filled out in detail and accurate – Write a short power statement to place in the Summary on your profile and catch people’s attention. Remember that the key words on your profile help you get found in the People search feature, which is used frequently.
3. Join industry or professional groups - Find a group of your interest; alumni, organization, industry focus. Join, and participate in the conversations, read through the news articles that are shared, and submit anything you find interesting.

Using LinkedIn as a resource and guide to your online professional social networking will help you leverage a powerful, well-connected network of individuals, companies, clients and prospects to maximize your value.