Beginning Blogging Classes Closing Soon

Just wanted to give you a quick reminder to let
you know that you still have some time to get
in the Blogging Classes taking place on
May 2nd.

http://bit.ly/PZaJy

This step by step blogging training will help you
get a blog up and running in one afternoon.


Remember, the doors are closing very soon in
just over 72 hours so make sure you secure
your seat and let me and the whole Team
lead you to building your brand identity
online GUARANTEED, or your money back.

Not sure if we can do it? Go to Google and check
out the instructors of the course.

Type in each of the following searches:

Carla Clayton Marketing Consultant
Bill Reichart Social Media
Diane Campbell Multitasking Moms

Each of these searches results in the
majority of results on the first page of Google.

Can you say that for
your brand?

Grab your spot today by clicking here:
http://bit.ly/PZaJy

Carla, we had an offer from the biggest company in our industry! Negotiations are still in the works. People should recognize the potential for opportunities when you have a presence online. Patti R., recent student.

How Do I Shorten Links for Twitter and Track Clicks?

I've been using Twitter for awhile now, but just discovered a really cool tool that is so easy to use that a blonde like me could figure it out!

Shortening Links
Since you are limited to 140 characters on Twitter, why would you want to use so many characters on the URL of the link you are sharing? That's what I said. So I noticed a lot of people were using tinyurl.com. I used that for several months, but then I discovered bit.ly.

Tracking Links
And that is where it is happening! I mean you can not only shorten the link, but you can watch in real time and see how many clicks you are getting and from where they come. I mean it will tell you what country they are from and if it is from Twitter, Facebook, or Friendfeed.

Getting Started
Anyway, here's how easy it is to use. Open an account at bit.ly. Enter your Twitter address and password so you can Tweet it directly from bit.ly. Then, enter you long link and press shorten. It automatically goes into the Tweet box and you can write your text before or after it. Press "Send" and out it goes it into the Twitterverse. Now, scroll down the page and click on "info" beside your link which will now have a screen shot of your web page you linked to. Now, watch as your audience clicks!

I was amazed that I averaged 20 clicks per link I posted on Twitter. It really made me feel better about the amount of time I have spent on Twitter.

For the first time, I can track the effectiveness of Twitter for # of clicks per link posted. I can track my ROI.

Other Uses
But that is not all. You can also copy and paste the shortened URL and insert it in your emails, on your webpages, etc. and track them too. As a matter of fact, I will now shorten my bit.ly links posted here and track them!

So pull down a new tab in your brower, and get started at bit.ly.

How to Use Twitter for Your Business

Recently, Twitter has been getting a lot of publicity. A day doesn't go by that we don't hear about Twitter on the Radio, TV, or see it in our magazines. All the big businesses seem to be getting on Twitter.

The question I'm being asked is, "How do I use Twitter for MY small business?" It's really not an easy answer because we are still on the cutting edge of Twitter. We are just now seeing Twitter move from the "early adopters" to the the mainstream.

But, it is time to get started even if you don't see immediate results. It's time to claim your brand on Twitter and learn as you go.

Be sure to read the Twitter Guide for Small Businesses.

At Twittip.com I found a really good slideshow that explains Twitter for Business. Watch it and get started with your own business and personal Twitter accounts. (By the way, I found this article in my Twitter Stream. A classic example of how Twitter is helping me in my business in finding relevant information I can use in my business.)

Tweeting For Business

View more presentations from redkitedesign.

Free Twitter Training Available by Video

Mike Klingler of Renegade University has just released his NEW Step by Step Video Training for Twitter.

• How to Set Up Your Twitter Account
• An Introduction to Twitter
  
• Leveraging the Popularity of Twitter

Click Here to access the FREE Twitter Training.

What is Ping.fm and How Can it Save You Time?

Today I opened my Ping.fm account to help me save time. Ping.fm is a service to help you update all your social networks in one posting. It was so easy to do that a blonde like me could do it. I simply entered all of my favorite social media sites like Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, Blogger, and Delicious.

Now whenever I want to update a status or let everyone know about a new post I've written or if I want to share an article I've read, I can post it to Ping.fm and it will send it to all of my social media sites.

There's a learning curve of course. Like I just posted that I was testing Ping.fm and now my blog has a post on it with that one sentence. That's when its obvious that I'm blonde.

So, Ping.fm is a website dedicated to helping you save time in letting the world know what you are doing. Give it a go and let me know how it works out for you.

I got the idea to try Ping.fm after reading Ben Parr's article, "How to Manage Multiple Social Media Profiles."

How to Twitter a Message with Your Cell Phone

I've been on Twitter now for over 6 months, and I'm just now learning to use it with my phone. Now you can see why this site is called Internet Marketing for Blondes, right?

It is really easy to do, but frankly I didn't want to be bothered with text messages all day from my Twitter friends (sorry peeps, but I do work full time outside of my internet marketing.)

Anyway, about two weeks ago, my husband asked me to teach him to Twitter so he could follow Lance Armstrong. I helped him set up his account and the first thing he does is figure out how to get messages on his cell phone from Lance Armstrong. Then, he's telling me that Shaq O'Neal is twittering and telling folks to find him at the mall or on the street corner and he'll give them Laker tickets. Well, it just sounded like my husband was having too much fun!

So I asked him that burning question: "If you are following a hundred people, how in the world can you get anything done in the day?" He told me you can select which people you follow by phone and you don't have to follow them all. Plus you can turn it off at anytime.

DUH? Why didn't anyone tell me this???

Well now I know.

So I set up my cell phone today on Twitter. I hope I don't regret this.

Here's how you can set up Twitter to send and receive messages by text on your cell phone:

Step 1: Log in to Twitter.com and log in.

Step 2: Click on the tab, "settings."

Step 3: Click on the tab, "devices."

Step 4: Enter +1 and then your phone number (if US)

Step 5: Set up Twitter as a contact in your cell phone and enter the number (they call it a code.) This is the number you will dial to send messages from your phone.

Step 6: From your phone dial Twitter (the code you just entered) and text the other code (the green one) to Twitter. You will get a text message from Twitter confirming your connection.

Step 7: In Twitter, go to the contacts you are following and turn on the device for each person you want to receive Twitter messages by phone.

Step 8: Send messages to Twitter just like a text to a friend.

That's all. So easy a blonde can do it!

Setting Up Your Small Business with Social Media Marketing

Today I've been busy setting up my husband's chiropractic business with Social Media to help him market his practice more efficiently.

As a busy doctor, he doesn't want to sit at home or in the office in front of the computer for hours at a time. He is willing to text for hours at a time and says he feels connected to the universe. Whatever! So, I accepted his challenge to create a simple marketing plan that he can use via his phone in as little as 10 minutes as day.

If this blonde with a techno challenged husband can do it, so can YOU!

Follow me as I set up his business in 3 easy steps:

Step 1: Establish a online brand identity. (I am a big fan of Dan Schawbel, a leading personal branding expert and have learned many helpful concepts on his blog.)

I opened 3 tabs in my firefox browser to do some research for his brand. I went to GoDaddy.com, Twitter.com, and Gmail.com. At each of these locations, I checked the availability of his name. I was unable to get a domain in his name. So, I tried adding "Dr" in front of his name. At Gmail and GoDaddy, I was able to secure DrRichardClayton at gmail.com as his e-mail and DrRichardClayton.com as his new web site.. At Twitter, I was limited by characters, so I chose http://twitter.com/DrRickClayton. These are similar enough to not cause branding confusion. And, it is much better than his current Twitter name of Captain Snack (twitter him and ask him the story from the old Air Force days. When he told me today that he was going to put his Captain Snack Twitter Address on his business cards, that's what sent me on this immediate and desperate task of setting up a professional brand for his office.

Having grabbed the Online Real Estate with his brand name, I moved along.

Step 2: Create a Blog

My husband recently relocated his office to a new location in Peachtree City, Georgia, so I had previously set up a simple blog with his new address and hours. I used Wordpress because I have advanced a bit in my blogging knowledge, but I recommend starting out with Blogger.com initially because it is so easy. You can follow my step by step video tutorials called "Setting Up a Blogger Blog in 2 Minutes" by clicking here.

Next, I went to my GoDaddy.com account to the area called, "Manage domains." Here I set up the domain to forward to the current blog address I am using. If you are using Blogger.com, your forwarding address will be http://(your blogger address).blogspot.com.

Step 3: Set Up Your Profiles

Next, I will set up his profiles with his branding image (no snacks allowed) using keywords that identify with his target market. I will take a photo of him that will be used on his gmail, twitter, and blog. I'll update when I have completed this part.

If you have any questions, please email me at blonde.affiliates at gmail dot com. (Why did I write it that way? To prevent robots from picking up my email address and spamming me. Simple tip you should begin using when posting your email on a website.)