Blog Archives
20 Places You and Your Business Should Be Listed On The Web In 2011
Earlier this year I wrote a blog about sprouting legs so Google can find you and if you haven’t read it, please do so here. The point of that blog and this blog for that matter is to help you get noticed by Google. SEO practices, pictures and videos, and good content help Google, or new customers, to find you but you also need to be everywhere you possibly can be. While most businesses may have a website and hopefully have a Facebook page, that is only a couple of places for Google to reach out and find you. However, if you are listed in 20 different places, guess who begins to rank higher on Google? You, hence the term web crawling! It’s no secret what these sites are, you just have to look for them, but they can be a bit time consuming. That’s where I step in. One of the services I offer to business owners is a set up package which sets them up on about 15+ different online platforms. But today the list will be given to you FREE OF CHARGE, you just have to invest your time. 
Have fun! Now go sprout some legs and start running…you never know who is chasing you!
- Facebook Business Page – Make sure you set this up correctly and NOT as a personal profile page for your business
- Twitter Account - Yes, it’s a must.
- Yelp.com – A user review site
- LinkedIn – A social place for business, upload your resume, make business contacts, and post your bio
- Blog – WordPress is the best. You don’t need to be a writer to blog, but use it for informational purposes, write articles, etc.
- Four Square – A geolocation service that uses the GPS system in your phone to tell where you are located (store, restaurant, movies, etc) and you “check in” at these locations. Foursquare will post this info on your Facebook and Twitter accounts. This is FREE advertising for these businesses if used properly.
- Website – Everyone in business needs a website
- YouTube – Never thought your small business could afford a commercial? Create your own commercials with a video camera, upload it to your own YouTube channel and ‘Broadcast Yourself’. You can also start your own vlog!
- Flickr – A social site to share pictures and videos
- Yellow Book Pages – Directory
- Google Places – Directory
- DMOZ – Directory
- Yahoo City Local – Directory
- Manta – Directory
- Bing - Directory
- About.Me
- Empire Avenue - Buy stock in yourself and others, all for fun!
- Google + - Google’s answer to Facebook
- Letslunch.com – Great face-to-face networking tool still in the infant stages
- Pinterest – A virtual pin board that is the 3rd largest social media site to date!
How To Get A Job Using LinkedIn
LinkedIn. What the heck is that? That, my friends is how you get a job these days. It has been reported that about 80% of major companies use LinkedIn to hire and/or research new and future employees. Many of us signed on to LinkedIn a couple of years ago and never went back thinking, “what was the point of that”? If you have been back recently, you will have seen a big difference. It’s kind of like a professional Facebook, where you can post your resume, skills, specialties, a bio, and status updates. But it’s even more than that. You can incorporate your blog, Twitter feed, join groups, add a calendar and many other widgets. Then there is the meat and potatoes of LinkedIn…the people. You can of course search for your friends but more importantly, you can search for specific businesses, gatekeepers, CEO’s, VP’s, upper management, stockholders, investors, franchisees, and so on. LinkedIn will allow for others to write and post recommendations of your work which can be very valuable. You can also see who has been looking at your profile and how many people searched for you. And one of the best features are the job listings. Why aren’t you on LinkedIn yet?
OK, let me break it down for you.
#1 Joe Schmo needs a job in the construction industry…what should Joe do?
1) Upload his resume to LinkedIn
2) Check the job listings
3) Search for local construction companies he knows of in his area
4) Connect with any and all employees on LinkedIn with that company
5) Send the gatekeepers (HR managers, supervisors, General Contractors, etc) your LinkedIn profile/resume
6) Get ready for employment! (Not guaranteed obviously, but I am ever optimistic
#2 John Smith owns a pest control company and is trying to break into the hospitality industry in a new city…what should John do?
1) Upload his resume to LinkedIn
2) Connect his pest control blog to his profile to show off his wealth of knowledge in
the industry.
3) Search for local hotels in the area
4) Connect with the owners, managers, HR people etc who work for this company
5) Send them a proposal/letter explaining who you are, what you can do for them, why you are different, and why they should give you a chance along with some referrals.
6) Have fun in the hospitality industry!
#3 Jane Doe is in sales, has a job, but is always looking for a better opportunity…What should Jane do?
1) Upload her resume to LinkedIn
2) Search local businesses she would like to work for and connect to every employee she can find
3) Search for others in the sales and marketing industry and connect with them
4) Search for the sales directors, sales managers, regional managers, and VP’s and connect with them.
5) Send all connections in the industry you connect with, your profile/resume
**Sales people are always needed/wanted, the turnover rate is high, and the chance to get in/recommended by someone is more likely than not if your resume is good. This is why I recommend connecting with everyone in sales and sending out your resume to them all, because they are always looking.
By the way…LinkedIn is FREE. Happy hunting!
Are You Hiding Behind The Avatar…
What is the point of social media? To advertise your business? Talk to your friends? Reach the top of Google? Yes, yes, and yes. But there really is so much more to it. The point of social media is to connect. Connect on some level, whether that may be talking to your old high school friends, networking with like minded people in your city or your office, or engaging your audience on your Facebook business page. People are still people and people want to talk to each other. When it comes to using social media for business, connecting with people is key.
I spoke with a good friend of mine today, Mark, who told me about a recent meeting he went to called a “TweetUp”. This was basically a networking meeting for Twitter followers (friends, tweeps, twibes, whatever you want to call them) to get together and discover who is behind the Avatar. I personally found this to be a brilliant concept! Most of us out there have friends on Facebook and Twitter who we really don’t know but maybe would like to get to know better or maybe we already have developed a relationship with this person and we want to meet face to face. (And no, I’m not talking about dating). Think about it in a business sense…Wouldn’t you really like to know who is the “voice and face” behind your favorite business page?
As a business owner, we have the opportunity to be that transparent. We have the opportunity to connect with our fans, followers, and customers in a way never before! We have the opportunity to provide the kind of customer experience that we all want from other businesses.
Talk to your followers. Engage your audience. Listen to their wants and needs. Create an emotional connection. Build relationships.
Don’t hide behind the avatar. You created this business and gained those customers…now go talk to them!
Will The Real You Please Stand Up?
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- Twitter Avatar
