Twit or Tweet - All About Twitter

Blogging has been around for awhile, but a new phenomena has arisen recently on the net. It is called microblogging. Microblogging is a way to connect with the outside world in short phrases or sentences without the time required for a traditional blog post.

Twitter is the most popular site in this category. Users have the opportunity to write a message up to 140 characters. These messages get seen several ways. First, an individual can have followers who when they log into their account can see all the messages their followees have posted recently. Second, your message gets placed in the long list of all messages that are on the site.

Twitter users can send in messages using their phones so it is not necessary to always be connected to a computer. Users can respond to a particular message by using the "@" key and sending a reply to a question or make a comment on a particular post. The system even has a function to send a private message to a user if the sender doesn't want the message to be seen by everyone.

For small business owners this is just another way to be in contact with current and potential customers. Perhaps an owner announces she has just updated her shop or perhaps she comments on how her day is going in general. Each message is a way to reach out and bring some personality and warmth into the technological framework.

The rise and continued evolution of social media on the internet supports the known fact that humans are social creatures. Brick and mortar places of business provide contact in a physical sense. Sites like Twitter allow for contact in a virtual sense and attempt to compensate for the separation created when a person uses a screen and a keyboard.

del.icio.us --- Google --- reddit --- StumbleUpon --- Yahoo MyWeb ---

Social Bookmarking

Having advertising on your blog

Using a blog as a revenue stream is a decision that every small business owner who blogs must evaluate. For myself, I (obviously) have decided to use this model to increase income for my business as a whole along with the sales from my products.

Recently, I became aware of a new advertising service called Scratchback. The owner's see this service as a "fancy smancy" tipping jar which is similar to the idea of the Tipjar which I discussed previously here.

The company markets its product by explaining that when a person "tips" a blog or website, the tipper is then given the opportunity to leave behind a text link or banner (in my case) that links back to the tipper's website. In my mind, this is really an advertising program that is simple and straight forward. The tipper / advertiser pays a nominal fee of $5 dollars and is then guaranteed to have her banner up on the site for 30 days.

For those interested in advertising with 3 Bags Full, I am growing my readership daily. I am employing multiple marketing and search engine optimization techniques to promote the blog and thus, the ads on the blog as well. I have also dedicated the time and effort to post a minimum of 3 relevant posts per week with a stretch goal of 5 posts. Posts will continue to offer advice and suggestions for small business owners (the majority assumed to be in the crafting business but not solely) to grow their sales and profitability.

I have just begun using the Scratchback widget and will post later on the results of selecting them as an advertising partner.

Stumble It!

Bookmark this on Delicious

del.icio.us --- Google --- reddit --- StumbleUpon --- Yahoo MyWeb ---

Social Bookmarking

We'll Take Your Comments at the End

There is a strategy that many successful bloggers adhere to and use every single day. By commenting regularly on a variety of blogs, business owners can market themselves and their products to wide number of potential buyers. This unusual form of marketing can lead to profitable sales.

Here is why:

1. Comments increase the spokes in the blog wheel

Business bloggers use their blogs to attract customers to their sites. The more links on other blogs and websites the better. The higher the number of links (or spokes) connecting back to the e-commerce site, the higher the possibility for a sale. Business owners do not need to rely on other blog owners to mention them in a post or include them in a blogroll. Instead, owners make their own spokes via their comments.

2. Blog readers read comments

The structure of a blog is unusual because unlike print articles, readers can post a reply immediately after reading an entry. The days of writing a letter to the editor and hoping it gets published are long gone. Readers like to read comments left by others if only to see what others thought about the original post. Sometimes they will even leave a comment about another comment instead of the article itself. Commenting has almost taken on a life of its own in some blogging arenas. It is not uncommon to see "one-up-manship" where commenters try to out-do one another by leaving a whittier comment than the last.

3. Commenters can brand themselves with a user name and leave a link to their website or blog

Not only can a reader view a comment, she can click on a commentor's link. That is the ultimate goal when using commenting as a marketing strategy. Getting guests to visit a site means one more opportunity to make a sale. Leaving a thoughtful, funny, or even contradictory comment on a post might be just enough for a curious reader to find out more about the commentor. However, owners should not overuse this technique. Appearing "spammy" is a sure way to lose a click.

4. Commenting regularly on small and large blogs can drive sales

Business owners should subscribe to blogs they like via RSS feeds (my subscription options are on the left column) or email. This puts blog postings at a marketer's fingertips and lessens the amount of time spent on commenting. Owners should select blogs that are in their field as well as in areas of real interest. This helps make commenting easier. The pool of potential customers grows as the mix of subscribed blogs grow and change. Different blog topics attract a different readership base and demographic. Owners should always look for new markets to tap and target. Also, owners can strategically put their products in front of a large group of customers by commenting on popular blogs with high readerships.

del.icio.us --- Google --- reddit --- StumbleUpon --- Yahoo MyWeb ---

Social Bookmarking

Why you should claim your blog at Technorati

Blogging has been around for some time, but more and more crafting business owners are realizing it is a must-have part of their marketing initiative. Blogs can be personal, professional or a bit of both. Computer and internet technology can make building personal selling relationships difficult. A blog can tear down some of the "impersonal" walls by allowing customers and readers to get to know the products and owner better. The more comfortable and interested the customer is, the higher the likelihood that he or she will purchase and ultimately, return to purchase again.

Bloggers have many things to do to maintain a rich and viable blog. Readership is a key indicator of blog success and in turn should lead to higher sales. One goal a blogger should strive for is to have as many links to the blog as possible. Those links are like invisible spokes that spread out in every direction all over the world wide web. The blog is the hub. Technorati is a sure fire way to get more spokes in your blog wheel.

Technorati was originally developed to track blogs and give a single portal where anyone could go and find out who was active in the blogosphere. It also developed a method to rank the importance of the blog. It is quite an achievement to be ranked in the top 100 of all blogs on the internet. Technorati's focus has spread to cover many elements of the web, but tracking blogs is still its main activity.

Having a business's blog included in Technorati's blog roll can lead to increased recognition and acknowledgement. This will grow readership. The business owner will more than likely reach a new audience that he or she would never have reached under current activities such as posting in the forums at Etsy or including the website on business cards picked up at craft shows. The buyer pool will naturally expand.

Technorati will begin ranking the blog in two ways. The first is by establishing authority. Every time the blog is mentioned on another blog or website, the authority number increases. This can be done by having other bloggers put your link in a "recommended blogs" area and develop a blog links exchange. The second is by establishing favorites. Technorati members can "favorite" blogs that they deem important. These two factors are combined and determine a blog's ranking.

For those who have advertisers or are hoping to one day to seek advertisers, joining Technorati will provide valuable statistics that potential advertisers will require.

So, if you regularly blog and want to expand your marketing efforts, join Technorati today. Once the account has been established, you will be able to very easily "claim your blog" by creating a post using html that is provided. You will then "ping" (give a signal) to the site that the blog is ready to be tracked. Once the process has been complete, the post can be removed.

Finally, copy and paste the html widget (seen on the lefthand side of this blog), so readers can easily favorite your blog without having to leave your site to go to Technorati.

del.icio.us --- Google --- reddit --- StumbleUpon --- Yahoo MyWeb ---

Social Bookmarking