ThePodcastSisters

Twitter Hall Of Fame

As you know, you'll find Anna and I on Twitter.

I've seen a steady increase of entrepreneurs, media companies and corporates start to join the Twitter community over the recent months.

Twitter has become a place to research, build friendships and even promote your business. But I don't recommend jumping in to the Twitterverse without doing a little research first.

Yes you can microblog and each microblog post is only 140 characters maximum. But remember that each Tweet that you make is indexed in Google and will come up in Google searches and Google Alerts- so be careful what you Tweet.

As part of your research, why not take a look at this article from InsideCRM called the 'Twitter Hall of Shame' which shares 50 notable Tweets covering information from business to political Tweets, and from marriage proposals to wine tasting parties on Twitter.

And if you are on Twitter, don't be shy about connecting to Anna and I.

What stories do you have to share about the difference Twitter and microblogging has made to you?

Attribution: Thanks to Fiona King of InsideCRM for sharing the 'Twitter Hall of Shame' article with me.

iQ Content Online Marketing Bootcamp: Dublin 22 - 24 April 2008

As I mentioned on The Podcast Sisters show we recorded this evening, if you are in the Dublin area between the 22-24 April 2008, I highly recommend that you check out the details of the forthcoming Online Marketing Bootcamp being hosted by iQ Content. Read on to find out how to avail of a 10% discount on the registration fee.

The online marketing bootcamp includes workshops on the following areas:

• Search engine marketing 202: More advanced techniques for enhancing your website's search engine visibility
• Content strategy: Getting your content mix right to drive traffic, engage customers and increase conversions
• Writing for the web 101: Creating great content – the fundamental techniques
• Writing for the web 202: Beyond the basics – writing to convert and persuade
• Accessibility for web managers: Planning, procuring, delivering and maintaining an accessible website
• Information architecture that works: Essential techniques for structuring and organising your website
• Killer web applications: Designing usable and effective web applications
• Personas – Getting into the head of your customers: Tools and techniques for understanding your customers
• Practical user testing: Planning, conducting and reporting on user tests
• Web analytics 101: Fundamental techniques for measuring the success of your website
• Web analytics 202: More advanced techniques for measuring the effectiveness of your website
• Website healthcheck: How to evaluate the effectiveness of your website and benchmark it against your competitors
• Kick-start your web strategy: Defining and implementing an effective online strategy
• Web governance: Getting your organisation organised – people, teams and processes
• Web project management: How to deliver a successful web project
• Email marketing: Planning, creating and delivering effective email newsletters
• Online advertising: Conceiving, creating, implementing and measuring an effective online advertising campaign
• Search engine marketing 101: Driving more traffic to your website – the fundamental techniques.

You can attend for 1 day, 2 days or 3 days and as I'm speaking at the event, you can use the special code I've been given by the event organisers and can therefore avail of a 10% discount - please note this is not an affiliate link - I asked the organisers if my community of readers could benefit in some way and am delighted that they made this discount available.

All you need to do is put in the code 'speaker' when making your booking.

I'm speaking at the session on the Wednesday afternoon - the iQ FutureNow Seminar where we'll be covering emerging trends and technologies that you need to start thinking about. Do let me know if you plan to be there won't you. I'm trying to clear my calendar as much as I can as  know the content that will be covered at the online marketing bootcamp will be outstanding.

Podcasting In Business In Ireland

As I've spoken about on The Podcast Sisters previously, the businesses that have been early adopters of podcasting here in Ireland have primarily been the guys in the area of technology with a few notable exceptions of a few business podcasts.

So it was great to get a call from a journalist recently who was researching for an article about podcasting in business in Ireland.

The article appeared in the Irish Independent today and you can access a copy of the article online here.

Thanks to Niall Byrne the journalist for the article. And watch out on my new Biz Growth Podcast that I have just launched to accompany my main blog as I'm going to post a podcast specifically about business podcasting in Ireland to give you a deeper insight into the information I shared with Niall.

Customer Collaboration at it's Best

Heather who is part of The Podcast Sisters lives and breathes social media and Web 2.0. She runs  small business called Wiggly Wigglers that helps people, like me, who have busy hectic lives, to create a sustainable living lifestyle.
I unashamedly love the company simply because it makes non gardeners like me find easy ways of making my environment better -oh and try their goat socks they are fab! Cannot find them on the website but you can request a cataolgue here

Heather runs her company as a mail order business and for this latest catalogue she has produced it WITH customers through social media...Karen the Wiggly Blogger explains

"The Wiggly Wigglers catalogue is absolutely stuffed with new products and is bigger and better than ever before. In addition to the new goodies, there are personal stories from contributors such as members of staff, customers and bloggers, which makes it feel more like a book than a catalogue."

They used Facebook, the blog, wiki's to bring this project together....but key is that it was produced with customers not just for customers. I have just got my copy and it does not feel like a catalogue, it feels like a Wiggly storybook...I suppose I should say well done Heather on being brave enough to use this approach but also well done customers!

Entrepreneur Success Stories and Tips

At The Podcast Sisters we try and inspire you on your journey to building a successful small business, we try and help you understand internet marketing and the Web 2.0 terminology. So each month we gather articles that will help entrepreneurs - here is this months

GreatManagement presents Great Successful People Extracts - Real Practical Tips posted at The GreatManagement Blog, saying, "Numerous tips from top successful individuals sharing ideas on being a new manager, building relationships, how to have a successful career, how to manage your boss, public speaking, job hunting, leaving college. And All profits are going to the Breast Cancer Care Charity."

Anna presents Being Extraordinary Means Being Ordinary posted at The Engaging Brand

James D. Brausch presents Another Resolution posted at Internet Business Blog.

Carol Bentley presents Saying thanks. . . posted at Carol Bentley.

CMOE presents Strategic Planning for Small Businesses posted at Teamwork, saying, "Tells how small businesses need to have a detailed plan of attack."

American Entrepreneur presents Are You Ready to Manage Your Small Business? posted at American Small Business News.

Vahid Chaychi presents 5 Small Business Opportunities for 2008 posted at Weboma.com, saying, "Think about 5 small business opportunities to start for 2008: Home protection, At-home Services, Outsourcing Services, Videoconferencing and Teeny Luxuries."

Dr. Joe Capista presents What can a dentist teach me about business, life and success? posted at The Success Triangle, saying, "Building a successful business takes more than a business or marketing plan. It takes effective and efficient systems. The daily challenges of running a business can be overwhelming without appropriate systems in place; systems that allow you to create a life of Total Success.  Building a successful business also means having success in your personal life. The kind of success many people want and few achieve. Learn proven insights from a wildly successful dentist who understands the relationship between one’s personal and professional life to create Total Success."

Wolf Halton presents Starbucks’ Howard on the Hotseat posted at Business is Personal, saying, "Being customer-focused"

Anya presents How To Upsell And Cross-Sell To Achieve Rapid Sales Growth posted at Gavin Ingham.

Kenton Newby presents 10 Ways Article Writing Can Stack the Deck in Your Favor posted at KentonNewby.com.

Ron Ruiz presents Farms Open Doors to Tourists posted at The Business Ideas-Making Money Blog.

Jay M presents Role of entrepreneurship in conceptual economy posted at 4 entrepreneur, saying, "What is the role of entrepreneurship in conceptual economy?"

WebSiteWerx presents Email Marketing for Ecommerce - Part I: What Is It?  Why Do It? posted at WebSite Werx, saying, "Email marketing for ecommerce.  What it is and why you should be doing it."

Ask Matt presents Using Stumbleupon To Bring Visitors to Your Blog posted at BlogTactics.com, saying, "Using Stumbleupon to bring visitors to your blog."

Raymond presents Cheap and Affordable Ways To Create A Virtual Office For Your Small Home Business posted at Money Blue Book.

Niharika presents 101 Unconventional Sources for Entrepreneurial Funding posted at Virtual Hosting.

Dave Origano presents The Growth Stages Of My Online Business posted at Online Marketing & Exponential Business Growth Blog.

Chris Raymond presents Making Money Online  - The Car Guy Entrepreneur posted at The Car Guy Entrepreneur, saying, "How car guys are making money online."

Adrian presents How to Successfully Advertise Your Blog posted at Path to Your Destiny, saying, "Many people who start an online home business do so on the internet. My post is a comprehensive listing of methods to primarily advertise a blog online; however, the methods can be used to advertise any type of website. Enjoy!"

That concludes this edition.  Submit your blog article to the next edition of entrepreneur success stories using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Internet Marketing - What Customers Look For From a Website

Your website is your shop window and part of the brand experience for your customer. Getting the right feel can be difficult so I wanted to share with you an article over at Marketing Vox that says

"A study by Forrester Research presents the results of 5,000 online consumers that were asked content and functionality they look for in a site, reports Research Recap.

The study was conducted in light of consumers' increasing preference for online content versus traditional media.

• User ratings and reviews topped the list, with 64 percent of consumers requesting the function.
• Special offers and coupons came second with 61 percent, followed by product or price comparison tools.
• Near the bottom of the list was games and questionnaires (29 percent). And while customers love to read user reviews, only 23 percent wanted the ability to upload or view their own content.

There were significant differences among age groups. Gen Y (18 to 27) liked games, questionnaires, and the ability to share content more than other generations.

Gen X (28 to 41) liked discussion boards and the ability to create a profile more than older consumers.

Younger boomers liked user ratings and price-focused offerings, while seniors were the least likely to want additional content and functionality on sites.

All age groups agreed that ease of use should be a top priority for a site."

26 Week Internet Marketing Learning

Many of small business owners want to know more about internet marketing, but budget is a problem. Well a couple of weeks ago I received a trial pack from Purple Marketing which looks like a great tool for someone wanting to know more about social media. I think this could be a good addition once launched...

The 26 Week Internet Marketing Plan, is an audio-visual training course from Edinburgh-based Purple Internet Marketing, a consulting firm that helps businesses design and implement their own internet marketing campaigns.

The pack has CD's, DVD's and I even got the T Shirt!

I am only half way through the program but thought I would post about my initial view - it looks like a great starter for companies who want to understand how the technology can be used for internet marketing. The sessions are short so for someone like me that keeps my interest high! The content is good, and assumes no knowledge for newbies to this area.
I wasn't too sure about some of the camera work - sometimes they drop in a black and white image which for me doesn't fit, but I forgave them because of the content. You could go through these lessons quite quickly. The presenter is good - for me could be a little more energetic and enthusiastic but again that is probably just a style issue for me.
I will write again once I have finished the full deck but for anyone looking at a cost effective way of introducing social media inside the firm it could well worth a look.

Social media experts share their personal success stories

This week on The Podcast Sisters, we will be talking about using video online in your blogs and on your websites.

Earlier this week, Sherman Hu, who is fantastic at online video, and some of the speakers from the forthcoming Social Media Telesummit (that Anna and I are both speaking at) did a preview call with Leesa Barnes for the programme. Leesa turned the tables on us and wanted to hear about our success stories.

Details of the social media training programme can be found here - make sure you check out the special offer too.

What I did not anticipate is that Sherman recorded a video of the live event - so as we will be talking about video this week I thought it would be interesting for you to see one example of video in practice.

Sherman posted the video's on Blip.tv, however as with all the best social media marketing sites, you can access the code and add it to your own blog or podcast - which I have done below.

(If you prefer to access the audio of the social media training call preview, you can do so here.)

So get ready to hear about the successes (what's also interestng is that we define success differently)that some of the worlds experts in social media have attained for themselves:

- Sherman Hu talks about how he uses social media to fit work into his family life (and not the other way around)

- Darren Barefoot shares how he has been able to move from Canada to europe and still serve his clients

- Paul Colligan shares his strategies for affiliate marketing using social media and how he rises above the crowd in the search engines

- Krishna De (me) shares how social media has ensured she gets onto the first page of Google when her name has 11,300,000 entries for it - all of which means she has been able to attract the attention of main stream media and more clients (if you are interested in my success with social media, then go straight to the begining of part 3)

- Karen Hoegh shares how children are benefiting from her social media tool and the great career she has been able to create.

Part 1 of the social media training programme preview

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Part 2 of the social media training programme preview

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Part 3 of the social media training programme preview

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Part 4 of the social media training programme preview

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What's Your Story?

Have you ever listened to a podcast or read a blog post where the speaker or author has been so magnetic that you are able to retain and recite what you learned to others?

The chances are that the facilitator or speaker used stories in sharing their tips and advice with you. Story telling in building your corporate brand, your employer brand, your internal brand or your personal brand is a great way to facilitate engagement with your brand.

I am delighted that Kevin Kelly, author and speaker on the subjects of leadership and motivation will be joining me on Monday 11 February 2008 at 1pm ET/ 6pm Ireland and the UK to discuss with me the art of story telling.

We will be covering how to get clear about your personal story that supports you in building your personal brand and reputation so that you can attract more clients and the career opportunities you are looking for.

You can join me by registering at Biz Growth Live - it is free to attend and I will be podcasting an extract of the conversation in a few weeks time (the full recording is only available to members of our membership programme the Biz Growth Gym launching this Spring).

If you have a question about how to develop your brand story, you can leave your questions here, email me or post your questions to our Biz Growth Live question desk.

Trip Advisor Example of How to Use Widgets

We recently did a couple of podcasts on Widgets on the Evolution of Web Marketing and the World of Widgets showing how people are using widgets to increase brand awareness and how they can be used to create consumer engagement.

Well I came across a great widget from Trip Advisor which is fun, informative and yes, engaging! I thought it was a good example for people who were still confused following our description...

For anyone who would like to know I got 164,000, which no doubt is useless!