I have been getting requests via email on how to do this so I went ahead and created a tutorial for you guys to follow below. There are so many things you should be doing to promote your blog post after you have created it. Posting them on Twitter is one of them. Promoting your blog post on Facebook is also a great way to get social media traffic as well. If you could automate some of these processes required to promote your blog posts i’m sure life would be sweet!

I now I sometimes get lazy after creating a post and hold off promoting it until the following day. Not a good habit to get into especially if you know you are not disciplined enough to do it. But if you can automate a few promotional techniques that will help you drive traffic to your blog post where all you have to do is set it and forget it then its all good. Now what I am about to show you will help you do just that. Every time you create a blog post it will drip to your Twitter account helping you save time of posting it manually. This is a very super easy process that I am about to show you right now.

STEP #1 Go to Twitter Feed (www.twitterfeed.com) sign up and create an account. Once you have done that you can begin to create your new feed.

STEP #2 Enter the name of your feed and the url of your blog RSS feed.

STEP #3 Here you can customize the frequency of  your feed update, the post title and description perferences, which url shorten link to use, and etc.

STEP #4 Your feed is completed. You have the option of including other feeds like Facebook, Ping.Fm, or another Twitter account.

STEP #5 Congratulations! Your new feed is active. You have officially set it and forget it. Rinse and repeat to add your other blog feeds.

That’s all there is to it. Simple isn’t it? Hope this helps you out. If it did please let me know by commenting below. If you like it re-tweet and bookmark it. Thanks!

Popularity: 22% [?]

Just wanted to share with you guys something I did over this past weekend that increased my Twitter followers within a few minutes of doing it. That was submitting my Twitter information to the Twitter directories. Twitter directories are a powerful tool to increase the number of your followers. Didn’t realize this until I saw the influx of followers following me.

I decided to post the 10 directories I submitted my Twitter info to that gave me an immediate surge in Twitter followers. These directories are normally broken into categories, locations, tags, or a combination of all and you can add yourself in the sections that match your profile.

Once you do that, when others search for users in that category – your name will appear, and they can follow you. In effect, this is a good meeting place for Tweeters with similar interests and backgrounds.

Here is a list of 10 Twitter directories I have had success with:

JustTweetIt.com: You can register in this directory, create a bio for yourself, and then select up to three categories in which you can submit your listing. Whenever someone searches for users in that category – your name will appear.

Twellow.com: Twellow is like the Yellow Pages of Twitter. You can do a search for “small businesses”, and it will search through profiles and provide you results. You can register there and create an extended bio and profile. This increases the chances of someone following you looking for similar interests.

TwitDir.com: If you don’t have a protected Twitter account your name should already be in this directory. It has got a handy list of Top 100 followed, Top 100 updaters, Top 100 favorites and Top 100 followers which can be used to find popular people.

Wefollow.com: This is another directory where you can add yourself and create a profile by adding your interests. People can search based on keywords or they can browse through entire categories like “Writer” to follow people who are writers.

Twibs.com: Twibs is unique in the sense that it is dedicated to businesses and helps people find businesses on Twitter. You can add your business on Twibs and create a profile which can be found on Twibs.

GeoFollow.com: As the name suggests this is a location based Twitter directory. You need to register to start showing up in the directory. You can then tag yourself by location or by interest. It has a cool feature that allows you to use Google Maps while creating a profile. This is a good tool for local business trying to find Tweeples in a particular location.

TweetFind.com:  On top of having a free registration, this directory also has a paid option, where they will promote your profile at a monthly price of $49.95. Other than that this is similar to other directories.

TweeterTags.com: This directory is in public beta currently and allows you to add a tag to yourself and be found by others who are looking for people with matching interests.

TweetWorks.com: You can log into Tweetworks by using your Twitter login information and engage in discussion with other people. Tweetworks offers threaded conversations so it helps to keep a track of what the discussion is all about and it also gives you an option to keep your discussions to a private group.

LoadedWeb.com: LoadedWeb is a location based Twitter directory tool and you need to register to start showing up in their results. Also another great directory to have your Twitter profile in.

If you add yourself to these directories now you will notice a slight surge in your Twitter followers. In addition, you will increase your chances of having targeted individuals with similar interest  wanting to connect with you as well. I hope this helps you out. Please Tweet it or  social bookmark it if you like it. Otherwise you can leave your comments below.

Popularity: 24% [?]

I wanted to share with you guys something I learned recently. I wanted to drip feed my blog content to my FaceBook Fan page without having to do it manually. So I did a search on the web and didn’t find much but bits and pieces. It reminded me of when I tried to figure out how to add an Aweber opt-in form to my FaceBook Fan Page. So I took the bits and pieces that I found and put them together to create this tutorial for you.

This tutorial is very similar to the recent post I did where I showed you how to create a FaceBook Fan Page. Below I will show you step by step how to auto-magically drip feed your blog content into your FaceBook Fan Page. So everytime you create a blog post your FaceBook Fan Page will be updated with the latest content from your blog. Really cool! So let’s get started!

1. Go to your FaceBook Fan Page and find the notes tab at the top of the navigation menu.
If you don’t see it there, it maybe hidden in the (+) menu button.

2. Next look for the tab that says “write a new note” and click on it.

3. On the top right where it says “edit” look for the notes icon button and select it.

5. Enter your blog RSS feed and then click on the “Start importing your blog” button.

6. Preview your imported blog content before pressing the confirm button on the upper right side.

7. You will now see your most recent blog post content imported to your FaceBook Fan Page.

8. As you make posts to your blog it will auto-magically drip to your Fan Page Wall.

Thats how you do it folks! Go ahead and try it out. If you get stuck leave a comment below and I will help you out. If you like this post please tweet it on Twitter, Digg it, Stumble it, or make it Del.icio.us so everyone else can benefit. Thanks!

Popularity: 39% [?]

I recently have been taking on some coaching clients and notice that their landing pages were not optimized for keyword search. That’s a problem because no one will be able to find you! The landing page for your product or service is the most important page on your website. It is the page that will either lead to a sale or a lost customer. But in order to get a potential customer to reach your landing page you need to optimize it with relevant keywords first.

You need to know what keywords your users will use to search your products or services on the web and then use those keywords in your landing page. This is the first step towards making a sale or increasing visitor traffic to your landing page. Without optimizing your landing page for keywords you will not have anyone find you at all.

The second step in making the sale or bringing in more visitors is to relate to the person who reached your site. Here again, optimizing your landing page for keywords is important, but in a slightly different manner. Here, you want to speak to your visitors in their language and make them aware of your product or service. Maybe you want them to opt in to a list. You need to connect with them emotionally and the only way to do that is by doing some research on trigger keywords that tell the kind of problems your visitor is having. Then on your landing page you need to express to them how you can help them solve those problems.

Really focus on them and use their language to convey that focus.

Here are some tips I recommend for optimizing your landing page:

1. Testimonials: People feel reassured if they know others have done the same thing. They feel even better if others are praising what they are about to use. Lightly pepper your landing page with REAL testimonials and let your visitors know the experience others have had using your product or service.




2. Call to action: This is very important – you should sprinkle your text with verbs and call to actions. The tone of your landing page should be clear and positive in telling them what action should be taken. If you don’t your visitors will not know what to do and back out of your website.




3. Core Value Proposition: There should be a single value proposition ( we call it an ethical bribe ) that you offer your site visitors, and it should be reinforced throughout your landing page. Don’t try to be all things to all people. It will only end up confusing your audience. Focus on one thing and make it clear to your audience that they will get it by using your product or service.

Here are some no no’s I have seen  my clients do and things you should avoid on your landing page.

1. Long Winded Stories: While you should have testimonials don’t overdo it. If you write long winded stories about how great your product is your prospects may lose interest and even begin to doubt their validity. Keep it short and simple.




2. Overdo Graphics: A picture is worth a thousand words but if it takes a hundred seconds to load your visitors are going to exit your page before seeing any of what you have to say. Use graphics, but not the heavy ones, and always ensure that they don’t come in the way of the page loading fast. Make sure to optimize your images for keyword search also. Lots of online users search images and this will eventually bring them to a website. Not many people do this technique and they are losing traffic because of it.




3. Long Forms: There is not one person in this whole world who loves filling forms. So keep your forms as short as possible. You don’t want your site visitors to lose interest halfway filling up your forms and then leave. That would hurt! Keep it short and simple if you can. Name and email works best!

Follow these tips when optimizing your landing pages and you should be off to a good start. Hopefully you will begin to create effective and successful landing pages that will always bring you site visitors or sales to your products or services.

If you have any questions please leave your comments below. If you would like me to help you optimize your landing page, please take a look at the services I offer. If you like this post please bookmark it or tweet it on Twitter.

Thanks!

Popularity: 16% [?]

In this video tutorial I discuss how to brand multiple Paypal checkout pages with your own header image for different products or services you may have. If you like this video tutorial please re-tweet it on Twitter or bookmark it to one of your favorite social bookmarks or networks like FaceBook. Thanks!

Popularity: 16% [?]

This is a quick video of me in the Dominican Republic on vacation taking a little break before going back into the water to scuba dive.  Prior to this trip, I was terrified of being out in the open sea water. I’m not a good swimmer and I can’t float ( still learning). However I did not want to pass the chance up on being a wannabe navy seal for a few days. I thought it would be a great experience for me to go scuba diving and a way to challenge myself, which I don’t do often with adventurous stuff like this.

I had a great time learning and just living in the moment ! Underwater life is amazing to see up close! Except for those pesky sharks! Got to stay away from them. I was able to get certified as an open water diver in the whole process. So now I can take what I learned through my experiences and dive in other locations to appreciate other types of exotic underwater life. Most importantly with no fears of being out in open water..

The take home lesson for me was to embrace my fears and stand up to tall challenges. Either it be personal, spiritual, or financial.  In other words I need to suck it up and step up to the plate more often. What about you? Have you had any opportunities in life that you were to scared to take advantage of because of fear? How were you able to embrace and conquer them ? Would like to know.

If you like the vid please leave comments, re-tweet, or bookmark. Thanks!

Popularity: 15% [?]

 

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In this podcast I interview Jon Shugart creator of Keyword Rockstar. Keyword Rockstar is an automated search based keyword tool and more. This thing is the creme de la creme of keyword tools. Now if you dislike doing keyword research like me or just have trouble finding good keywords that convert for your campaigns then you really need to listen to this interview. Jon tells how his software if used right can make you some serious cash.

In this Interview We Discussed The Following:

• What Keyword Rockstar is and how you can use it to automate your ad campaigns?
• How Keyword Rockstar is able to do much of the keyword research for you and make you look like a star in your  pay per click campaigns.
• How this tool will change how you view pay per click marketing and keyword research.
• The importance of testing your researched keywords, text ads, image ads, before launching a full blown ppc campaign.
• Do you really have to throw a lot of money into the bucket  with adwords to find the right data from the keywords you select?
• The difference in choosing keywords for your search vs content network campaigns.
• What the future holds for Keyword Rockstar? Third party intergration with blogs, social media, and other apps?

Overall this was a great interview. It was great tapping Jon’s brain on keyword research and how the process of setting up ppc campaigns can become automated using his software.  I know using his tool will put the fun back in doing keyword research and setting up pay per click campaigns again. You guys definitely need to try it out to see what I’m talking about.

If you are interested in taking a look at this automated search based keyword tool then visit the Keyword Rockstar website and sign up. Jon has some great tutorials on how to use the program. In addition just know that he always over delivers to his customers with a quality product and great customer service.

Hope you enjoy the podcast. Please re-tweet this interview if you liked it or leave your comments below.

Popularity: 33% [?]

 

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I interviewed the Travel Pro, Doug Bauknight, in an amazing podcast.

Over time Doug has taken what was once a hobby and turned it into a successful business. Known for being an avid ““Cruise-a-holic”, Doug blogs about his travel exeperiences, being a home based travel agent, and the company that has changed his life, YTB International. You can sense his passion for travel through his blog posts and his unique writing style which really commands your attention.

If you Google his name right now you will find a plethora of travel articles he has written about his travel experiences and the travel industry itself. A self made travel authority, readers nationwide and abroad read his blog to get a pulse on travel related information and gauge travel destinations through his experiences.

Listen to this interview with Doug Bauknight and you will learn -

• How Doug got started in the travel niche
• How to be viewed as an authority in your niche
• How to have readers hungry for your content
• Using relevant social media tools at appropiate times to connect with your readers
• Silencing your toughest critics and getting them to send you traffic
• Remaining the Top Dog in your niche and maintaing your readership

After listening to the podcast, if what Doug talks about resonates with you, you can visit his blog or follow him on Twitter with the links below:

Doug’s Blog -> Just Picture It Now

Follow Doug Bauknight Travel Pro On Twitter

Enjoy!

Popularity: 15% [?]

In this video tutorial, I show you how to place an Aweber opt in form on your FaceBook Fan Page. This is a great way to get opt-ins especially if you have a FaceBook Fan page that has a good community of people. Below I will highlight the steps to make this happen.

1. Make sure you have a FaceBook Fan page set-up. You can visit my previous post where I talk about how to create a FaceBook Fan Page.

2. You will also need a autoresponder service like Aweber to have an opt-in form to place in your FaceBook Fan page wall.

3. In your Facebook Fan Page, go to the top left hand corner and click on the edit page link. Then scroll down to where it says “More Applications” and click on the edit icon. Scroll down and select “Browse More”.

4. Then do a search for Static FBML. When you find it click on it and select “Add to my page”. Make sure you are logged into your Fan Page so the application can be applied to it.

5. Go back to your FaceBook Fan page in the edit section.  Look for the app we just added (Static FBML). Then select the edit icon on the right and scroll down to the edit link.

6. Enter the box title  and then go to the FBML form section below. Go to your Aweber account and select the opt-in form code you want to use to place in the FBML form box. After you are done select save changes.

7.  You may need to make size adjustments to your opt-in form to fit seamlessly with the size of the Fan Page box. If you need help with this send me a shout on Twitter @samthaman

8. Visit your FaceBook Fan page and check to see if you see your opt-in form on the main page of your wall. It will be located on the bottom left hand of your screen. You can move the boxes around in the wall main page to place the box where you like it. If you don’t see your opt-in form check the boxes tab at the top of your Fan Page. If you don’t want your opt-in form there you can click on the edit icon on the box and select move to wall.

9. And your done!

Hopefull you should get that done without any major hiccups. If you need my assistance contact me on Twitter

If you like this post please help me re-tweet with the icon above. If you really like it you can social bookmark it also. You can leave me any comments below.

Popularity: 40% [?]

If you are anything like me and don’t want to mix your personal interactions with your business interactions on FaceBook, then a FaceBook Fan Page may be just what you need. FaceBook offers many ways of interacting with your online prospects and customers and one of the most innovative ways I have learned to do this is by creating a FaceBook Fan Page. This Fan Page will be strictly for your online business and it will keep your interactions geared towards your business contacts. Below I give some ways to use the FaceBook Fan page to grow your business.

1. Integrate with RSS.
You can integrate this fan page with the RSS feed on your website and ensure that it has a steady stream of content.

2. Build Custom Applications:
You can build custom applications for this page based on your business and needs of your customers.

3. Announce Events:
If you are having a free give-away or are going to review a new product, then you can announce that event on your fan page and create anticipation for it.

4. Explain You’re Business:
A lot of webmasters use the fan page to include graphics about the sections of their websites and how various users can use them. This serves as a good tool to introduce people to sections of your website that they might be interested in.

5. Interact:
When your fan page reaches a critical mass of fans – you will find that they are interacting with each other and giving you great feedback and word of mouth advertising. This is invaluable and although it takes a little time to build, once done – it is the greatest asset you can have.

Now that you know the benefits of creating a Fan Page, let’s look at the tutorial below to create your own.

Steps to create a Facebook Fan Page

1. Go to the page that is used for creating a fan page. Click here to go to that page. The url is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

2. You will see three categories:

a. Local

b. Brand, Product or Organization

c. Artist, Band or Public Figure

Select the category that is right for you. For example, if you are a website owner, select “b” and then from the drop down menu select Website.

3. Type in the name of your business

4. Check the box that says: “I am authorized to create this page” and type in your name in the “Electronic Signature” text box area underneath it.

5. Now, you will be taken to a page which will have tabs for “Wall”, “Info”, “Photo” and “Discussions”. It will also have a place for you to upload a picture. Upload the logo of your business.

6. You will also see an alert on this page which says: “This page has not been published. To make this Page public, click on the link that says “publish this page”.  Click on this and make your page go live. It is that simple. It’s also a good idea to be a fan of your own page. Once you are done, you can send this page to friends on your list and ask them to do the same.

Online social networking is the future and FaceBook is on the cutting edge of this media. There is a reason why FaceBook is valued at 10 billion dollars even in the recession, so start taking advantage of this great social networking tool and grow your online business today!

If you have any questions about this tutorial please leave your comments below. If you like this post please retweet it with the tweet icon at the top left of this post. Thanks!

Popularity: 100% [?]