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8 Ways To Gain More Followers On Facebook And Keep Them Interacting

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According to many of the top SEO companies that study social impact, the two things that matter most when using Facebook to gain authority within the search engines is:

1. The number of Facebook shares you have

2. The authority of your sharers

Which means if you want to rank well under your keywords and search terms, Facebook can help you do so… if you understand how to use Facebook. Its more than adding a few posts here and there. Facebook offers a wide array of tools that help you build your authority and get people interacting as well.

1. Implement the Facebook Like buttons

To make your blog posts more shareable, make sure you add the Facebook plugin to implement Like buttons both at the top and the bottom of each post. While the standard Facebook icon is acceptable, look into newer options as well. You can now incorporate other options into your Like options, including:

  • Versions that show thumbnails of friends
  • Widgets that allow people to add comments both to your blog and to Facebook

Make sure you put Like buttons both at the beginning and the end of your posts, and also include it next to highly visual content, such as videos and photographs. People are more likely to click the Like button if you give them a reason to do so.

2. Add a Facebook comments plugin

If you are a regular on any blog, you know one of the benefits of blogging is the ability to have comments at the end of each post. They allow interaction amongst your visitors and can really help you educate your readers just be carrying on normal conversations.

Blog comments are great to help you grow your blog, yet they do little for external growth. By incorporating a Facebook comments plugin into your blog, you can allow the interaction to flow between platforms. [Read more...]

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How To Use The New Facebook Timeline

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Facebook has announced that profiles will soon be disappearing, being replaced by Facebook Timeline. It’s a new interface equipped with multiple features, all of which are supposed to make your experience on Facebook easier and more beneficial for you and your friends.

Facebook is implementing it on a rollout schedule. Depending on what part of the world you are in, you may have already converted. If not, it will happen soon – they are hoping to have rollout completed in the next few weeks.

When you login, you will be notified you now have Timeline and will have seven days to complete it the way you choose before it goes live for your friends to see ( you can publish it earlier if you have it complete). Keep in mind Timeline is the new Profile – you won’t be able to go back and Profiles will disappear whether you convert or not.

While Timeline will not affect your Pages, it is important to keep in mind that when people look for you personally, your Timeline is what they will see. Choose what you want to show and what you want to hide – here are some tips for understanding the new Timeline.

1. Start With The Introduction

The quickest way to learn about Facebook Timeline is to head over and read through the Introduction feature. You’ll find a quick help section that will show you the new features and give you some tips to use on your own design.

[Read more...]

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Your Photography As We Know It Is Dying

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10 years ago the term “social media” had a completely different meaning then it does today.

Facebook? Twitter? What?

10 years ago things were changing – and they were changing rapidly. That much we knew.

But we had no idea how fast things would continue to change as we moved into a new era.

AOL had a huge market share. No more.

So did Microsoft. And General Motors. And Kodak.

But in every case we look at, something changed. Or in many cases, it didn’t change.

If we look at Google today, the reason it has become a huge player in the industry is because it never stops changing. It stays with its most successful product – a search engine – and continues to morph in all directions.

Facebook of six months ago is completely different than it is today. I know. I teach a Facebook class here at a local community college three to four times per year. Every time I begin the class I have to update it, and in some cases I have to completely rework my recommendations. It’s a never-ending evolution of growth and change – just like it should be.

The people at Google and at Facebook know the world is changing rapidly. And if they sit still too long, someone else will jump in and take their places. They are constantly moving, changing and morphing into the next phase of business.

And while its easy to see with companies in the technical sector, people tend to ignore the same changes in other industries and expect things to remain the same. Like photography for instance.

When digital first jumped into the scene, many photographers swore they would never make the change – they would retire long before they were ever required to pick up a digital camera or use a computer to manipulate an image.

And they were right. If you didn’t make the change and jump into it, life passed you by. They were forced to “retire” because they simply couldn’t keep up with what was happening – and expected – within the industry.

So the question for all of us now is

Who do you want to be? Do you want to be the AOL? Or do you want to be Facebook?

Are you ready to jump in and give things a try? Are you willing to test to find out what works and what doesn’t?

Not everything you do will win. Facebook tries many things, tests them for a while, and redesigns based on their findings. You may buy equipment, software, or online programs, only to find out they were a complete waste of time.

That’s okay. Because you learned something along the way. It made you focus in on your photography in a different way, learn something new, and apply it to the future of your business. Whether you continue using it or not, it will always be there guiding your future decisions.

Every step you take may not bring in a profit. But it will guide you towards success. The “wrong” moves teach you just as much as the right ones. But only if you apply it in the right way and use it to move you forward.

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: , , , , ,

4 Easy Ways To Lose More Than You Make With Groupon

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Its hard to imagine a world without coupon sites anymore. You can buy everything from dinner reservations to hotel reservations, and everything in between. I’ve talked quite a lot about coupon sites here on Virtual and have read a variety of opinions on the subject – are they good for business or bad?

Dig Deeper: The Pros and Cons of Using Groupon

Dig Deeper: Using Social Media Coupons To Bring In More Business

Yet no matter what side of the fence you are on, one thing is for sure. They will not go away anytime soon.

If you are looking for new ways to bring in traffic this year, coupon sites may be a great way to get more people in the door. Keep in mind there is a right way to it … and a wrong way. If you learn how NOT to use coupon sites, you’ll have a greater chance at using them successfully.

Money Losing Strategy #1 – Sell Your Basic or Most Popular Product

Groupon and other social coupon sites are designed to introduce you to new customers, bring existing customers back in, and build up a new revenue stream. If you use it to connect up with your regular customers and offer them a discount on what they already buy on a regular basis, you’ll be severely cutting into your expected profit margins. Instead, think of Groupon as a way to test out new ideas. If you are a wedding photographer, maybe you would love to get into Trash The Dress sessions after the big day is over, or Love Portrait sessions taken of happy couples throughout your community. Invent something new and make an offer. This will bring in new clients for your new idea, and give you a way of building up an entire new area within your existing business.

Money Losing Strategy #2 – Sell Long Term Products and Services

Groupon works best when you sell today and bring the people in tomorrow; not next week or next month. The goal is not to have offers trickling in over many months down the road. Instead you want to find something that immediately brings people in to connect with you. The longer they wait, the less chance you have of making a connection. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , ,

How To Boost Your Photography Business With Pinterest

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It was bound to happen sooner or later. Facebook and Twitter have been the social phenomena for many months now, so eventually some other site had to come along and see what they could do to gain traction.

It may be with a site called Pinterest. Pinterest is a social site that calls themselves a virtual pinboard. It allows you to organize and share all of the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, organize their wardrobe/closet, and find favorite recipes. Yep, if that sounds like a place the female population would love, you’re right. Its heavily weighted towards female users who love sharing and commenting on everything fun.

While Pinterest is simply a pinboard, meaning there is no true way of selling or getting people to buy your products, it is a popular way to showcase images with links back to the original source.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Pinterest yet, now is the time. Use these ideas to set up and draw attention to your photography.

Spend the time

Pinterest is just like the other social sites in use today – you get out of it what you put into it. Find the movers and shakers of Pinterest and build relationships with those who are known for quality “pins”. Once they recognize you, they are more likely to post about your photography. [Read more...]

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An Advanced Guide To Using LinkedIn

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Like all of the other social media tools out there, LinkedIn is a way of creating and nurturing relationships. It’s a way of allowing you to be approachable, visible and helpful to those in your circle of influence.

With more than 135 million people and over 7 million companies, there is definitely potential. But like any other social site, you have to use it to gain potential.

As a photographer, its easy to write off LinkedIn as a business site – how can it help you reach consumers? Yet that’s the wrong approach.

Think of LinkedIn as your base or foundation, and build from there.

It’s a great way of having content about you and your business, make it findable in Google, and then build from there.

To start, you have to have a great profile and a great company page. Don’t just build them like you would a resume or a business summary. Instead focus in on keywords and how you will be findable in the search engines.

Dig Deeper: 3 Ways To Make Your LinkedIn Profile More Powerful

LinkedIn isn’t about “chit chat” and conversations. Instead it’s a place for research, learning, and finding out who your viable prospects are. It’s a place to do research and learn more about the people you would like to do business with. [Read more...]

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10 Holiday Apps You Just Gotta Try

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Tis the season you’re trying to finish up last minute business items – and trying to handle all of your holiday plans too. Why do it alone? Check out these handy apps that can help you all through the season.

Packing

The Packing app is a great way to get organized when you’re heading out of town. Whether for the holidays in your hometown, or a wedding in a far away land, this app can be your friendly reminder as you remember things when you’re out and about.

Simple Soiree Party Planner

Planning an event? From a simple family dinner to a large networking event for your business, this handy app can keep you on track from beginning to end.

[Read more...]

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10 WordPress Themes Perfect For Today’s Photographer

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Do your New Year’s goals include building a new website? If so, WordPress is the perfect option for you.

Dig Deeper: The 10 Advantages of WordPress For Designing Your Photography Site

And while WordPress offers a ton of options to help you customize and create content to reach out to your clientele, it’s also great at “plug and play” technology. Because WordPress is so popular, with 1 in 5 sites now being built on a WordPress platform, there are many themes you can purchase that give you instant access to a professional look and feel. And the best thing about it is all of these themes are priced under $100, so they are perfect no matter if you are a start up, or a seasoned professional. Check out these 10 WordPress themes perfect for photographers.

Photopassion

Photopassion is a WordPress gallery theme that offers  unique photo viewers, sliders and sidebar managers, a horizontal gallery slider, and 5 color variations.

Karma

Karma is a beautiful WordPress template that provides a ton of opportunity. It features a 3D slider that makes your photography pop, and comes with a ton of options for page layouts, color options and more.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: , , , , ,

5 Tips To Make You Better At Blogging

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I was talking with a friend this week who started asking me about my blogging habits. She was wondering how I create new content almost every day, and how I can stay with it month after month. Do I really have that much to say, or am I just filling up my site with content?

I’ve been to a lot of sites that simply fill up their blog with content, and really don’t care what they put in each post. They focus in on keywords, and add the content just to have something there.

I take a different approach. If I don’t have something to say, I skip a day.

Yep, there are always days when I wake up, search the ‘net, and can’t think of a thing to write about. Or I’m out of the office, traveling, or focusing on something else, and I simply don’t get to my writing for the day. That leads me to my first tip.

Tip #1 Make Your Content Valuable

I’ve been listening to a variety of training seminars over the past few weeks. And one of the teleseminars I listened to talked about a new approach to getting content in the system. Instead of choosing one niche and focusing on creating valuable content, his approach was to blast it out. Find dozens of niches, with hundreds of keywords. Create a little bit of content on each and throw it out there to see what sticks. Then choose those that have the most potential to focus in and create more valuable content.

It sounds like a great strategy. But what I can’t agree with is the cluttering up of sites with content that basically “sucks”. If something has my name on it, it has to be quality. Otherwise its not worth writing at all.

I suggest you take that same philosophy with what you do. With everything you write, everything you create, is it strong enough that you will be proud to have your name on it? If not, rethink it. If you don’t think you’ll be proud of the same content five years from now, don’t do it at all. [Read more...]

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Do You Make These 7 Mistakes When You Blog?

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This past week I’ve been teaching classes on blogging and becoming web savvy with your marketing. And the questions students asked reminded me of some of the top mistakes bloggers make with their blogs, especially if you’re new to blogging and haven’t really cracked the code of increasing traffic enough to bring in new clients.

After blogging for years, and writing well in excess of 1,000 posts, I have made most of the mistakes top bloggers make  – numerous times. And whether you are new to blogging or have done it for years, you can learn from these mistakes, and change the way you approach your own blog.

Mistake #1 You don’t post enough

How often do you post? If you haven’t seen the results yet, chances are you’re not blogging enough. If you’re not posting at least once per week at the bare minimum, you’re probably losing momentum. Frequency is what keeps people interested, and keeps them coming back. The more you post, the more traffic you’ll see. Commit to your frequency, and make sure you do it every week.

Mistake #2 You don’t write to engage your reader

After you’ve written a post, step back and read it one more time. Will people have a reason to comment on it? Did you ask questions? Is there something a little controversial? If not, go back and add a sentence or two that gives people a reason to comment. I love to ask questions along the way, and ask people what their opinions are. Make sure they have a reason to connect with you. [Read more...]

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