This is a guest post by Allison Boyer, Community Outreach Coordinator and regular blogger for BlogWorld.

Is your Pinterest profile optimized so you’re found and followed by other users, repinned as much as possible, and sending tons of traffic back to your site? For most users, the answer is no, unfortunately. Don’t worry: Pinterest is still a very new social media site and we’re all still learning! If you have five minutes, though, you can totally improve your Pinterest profile with just five easy steps:

Step One: Categorize all of your boards.

When you create a board on the fly (i.e., you’re pinning something and decide to create a new board rather than pinning to an existing board), no category is associated with that board. Most users never think to go back into their profile and categorize. However, if you don’t, you won’t show up when users browse the site by category, which is a heavily used function. That means you’re missing out on a ton of potential eyeballs from people who aren’t already following you!

To categorize, simple go to your profile and click “edit” on any board you haven’t categorized already. Sometimes boards fit into more than one category, but since Pinterest only allows you to choose one, make sure you choose the category where you most want your pins to show up.

Categorizing does not guarantee you’ll show up when someone is browsing by category. If you aren’t categorized, though, you definitely won’t have your pins displayed.

Step Two: Add a description to all of your boards.

This is another thing most users neglect: adding a description. Again, when you create a board on the fly, it doesn’t ask you to create a description and most pinners forget to go back into their profile and add them. A good description can help you get more followers, since it is clear what kind of content you’ll be pinning to each board. Don’t be afraid to inject a little personality that helps people connect with your brand. For example, on my own Pinterest account, I try to make my descriptions funny.

If you add some keywords, it will also help you show up when users search for those keywords. Right now, Pinterest is still growing, so people are exploiting the ability to show in search results using keywords. I suggest avoiding this, since Pinterest will very likely tweak their search algorithm to prevent keyword-stuffing in the future. Make sure your keyword is present, but be natural about it.

You can add a description the same way you added categories. In fact, if you’re editing your Pinterest profile, I suggest doing these two steps together.

Step Three: Edit the cover for each board.

A relatively new Pinterest feature is the ability to edit the “cover” (large picture) that represents each board. By default, this picture is the most recent thing you’ve posted, but this can be a problem because sometimes the last thing you pinned is cool, but not the most visually attractive or not the best representation of what the board is about. You can make your profile more visually attractive, and thus get more followers, if you choose a pin instead.

Like the current default? Keep in mind that unless you click “edit” and manually re-choose that pin, it will change as soon as you pin something new to that board. If you want the best profile possible, you need to choose each cover, even if it means your choice is the last thing you pinned.

Step Four: Optimize the text part of your profile.

People may search for you on Pinterest, so make sure your site or company is listed in the text. I also recommend using this text to tell people what you’ll be pinning. Don’t leave this part blank! Again, it’s important to avoid keyword stuffing. Even though there might be benefits right now, I predict that will change soon as Pinterest continues to evolve.

Along with the text, don’t forget to link your profile with your other social media accounts, as well as to your blog or website. This allows other users to easily find you elsewhere and also creates that link for search engines. Some people avoid linking to Twitter and Facebook simply because they do not want to update these accounts with pins, but you don’t have to send pins to either. It is just an option. You can pick and choose when you want to post a pin on other social media sites too.

Step Five: Move your best boards to the top row.

Depending on the screen, the top row or two of boards will be all users can see on your profile without scrolling. People make snap decisions, so in order to get more followers, move your best boards to this top row. The “best” boards are your boards that represent what you pin most often, what you want your brand to be known for, and what will be most popular with your audience. Choose boards for these slots well. And of course, think about this when editing the cover images. Your entire goal is to gain followers who will see all of the content you’re pinning (including your own content, affiliate links, etc.), so if you immediately look really interesting, people will be more likely to click that follow button. At the very least, make sure that you don’t have empty boards at the top of your profile.

Want more Pinterest tips? If you’re willing to put in a bit more time, you’re in luck – BlogWorld & New Media Expo just launched a completely free eBook called The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Your Blog, Podcast, or Videos with Pinterest written by yours truly that shares more secrets to improving your Pinterest profile, especially if you’re an online content creator.

Ps. Discounted registration prices for BlogWorld Expo & New Media Expo in New York this June ends today at midnight PST. Be sure to register now (aff link) and use the discount code KRISTI10 for an additional 10% off. Virtual tickets also available if you can’t make it to NY!

You're reading 5 Steps to Improve Your Pinterest Profile in Five Minutes, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• It’s Not Just Pinterest RE: Copyright & Legal Issues
• Facebook Applications Adding Embarrassing Content to Your Profile
• What I Like About the New Facebook Timeline Profile, Privacy Settings, and News Feed
• 3 Steps to a Productive Life on Twitter as a Blogger Using Buffer

This is a guest post by Justin McGill.

When it comes to your social media routine keep it simple. There is too much information floating around out there on social media to consider it all. Bottom line, if how you’re using social media isn’t helping you meet your goals, DON’T DO IT!

Photo Credit: Mark Biddle

Developing Your Routine

The following will help you get on the right path for developing a social media management routine.

1. Start by getting tools that make your social routine easier. Consider tools like TweetDeck and Hootsuite that allow you to incorporate Twitter and Facebook into one platform in which you can find friends and followers, monitor your newsfeeds and search for what people are talking about.

2. Be sure to make your messages count. Don’t overpopulate newsfeeds with constant updates. Instead, send out a few powerful, all-inclusive messages that entice readers enough to want to share your posts. Three posts a day, per network is a good routine to follow.

3. Stick to what works. Test the waters with each social network. Determine which work and stick with those. The only networks you should use are ones that help you reach your goals and objectives. Staples for most businesses are Facebook and Twitter.

4. Quality over quantity. If you gain the type of social media following you’re hoping for, it will be impossible to keep up with all your social groupies. While you should address all your followers through general posts, you’ll only be able to maintain extended relationships with some.

5. Have a social media schedule. Unless your full time job is being a social media guru, set aside two to three times a day to do social networking. Consider the morning, lunch and before you leave for the day or when there are lulls in your schedule. During “social media time” avoid doing anything else.

6. Use your social breaks to develop powerful message as described early. Trying to multi-task while Facebooking, tweeting or YouTubing can lead to inaccurate posts. Stay focused.

7. Avoid social media as a distraction. Stumbling Upon websites, watching funny YouTube videos and reading celebrity gossip on Twitter is a great way to get way through the day, but it’s also a way to get absolutely nothing done. Avoid social media demise by adhering to the following tips.

8. Close your Twitter tabs and apps. When you’re writing a document or crafting a presentation, there is no need to have your browser open. So when you need to concentrate, X out of Internet Explorer.

9. Put them to work when they’re not busy. Employees love lull times because it opens the door to social media breaks. Only allow social media use at work as it relates to job duties and company social releases. Instituting a clearly-defined social media policy will assist with this.

Tips for Managing Multiple Profiles

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube… Oh my! Between various passwords, email addresses and inboxes, managing multiple profiles can be overwhelming. In addition to struggling with profile management, keeping your messaging, content and images consistent across every channel also presents a challenge, as does keeping these items unfailingly fresh. Thankfully, managing multiple profiles can be simpler with a little organization prior to executing your social media campaigns.

1. Make an excel spreadsheet of all your social media usernames and passwords. Store this in an easily accessible place.

2. Sign-up for every social network you think you may use in order to reserve your desired username. Be sure to record these usernames and passwords in your spreadsheet.

3. Organize your email. Create folders for each of the social networks you plan on using. Use these folders to filter and store updates and emails you receive from these networks.

4. Make sure your profiles are consistent. Keep your logo, about us, website, hours and location consistent across all profiles.

5. Make sure your profiles link to one another. Most social networks provide areas to link your other social accounts. On YouTube for example, there is an area to link to your Twitter and Facebook pages. Check each network and see where you can integrate links to your other profiles.

6. Consider a one-stop shop. Tools like HootSuite.com allow you to update multiple profiles at once. Consider using a service like this. Remember however that messaging can be different across channels. On LinkedIn, for instance, you’ll have a more formal tone, whereas on Twitter you may be more casual. So be mindful if you use a multi-network updater.

At the end of the day, the hardest part is actually just getting started. This all becomes second nature over time and is not difficult. When clients come to us for their social media marketing needs, we try and help them to do it first by leveraging what we call their “couch time.” Watching a game or a television show? Put some postings together during commercials! There’s always time for social media – you just have to make it!

What is your social media management routine? Please share in the comments!

You're reading How To Develop a Routine to Manage Social Media, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• Social Media Marketing Best Practice
• SEO and Social Media
• 8 Ways Businesses Should Use Social Media
• Top 5 Social Media No-No’s To Get Away From
• 25 Guest Posts on Blogging, SEO and Social Media

Because Pinterest is the hot topic of social media, it has come under a lot of scrutiny. First about the use of affiliate links, and now about copyright issues in relation to items saved (or “pinned”) by users. Essentially, people are freaking out and removing their Pinterest content because they fear the legal repercussions. But is Pinterest the first to do this? Not by a long shot.

Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer. I’m not even really that good at reading Terms of Service agreements. Please don’t sue me if I don’t explain things correctly or if your image happens to be in one of my screenshots.

Why Pinterest is Getting Flack?

From what I can tell, it can be summarized like this. When you add an image to a pin board on Pinterest, Pinterest stores a full-resolution image on their own server. In their Terms of Service, although you or the original source of the image still maintains ownership of it, Pinterest can still use it any way they please.

By making available any Member Content through the Site, Application or Services, you hereby grant to Cold Brew Labs a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to use, copy, adapt, modify, distribute, license, sell, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, stream, broadcast, access, view, and otherwise exploit such Member Content only on, through or by means of the Site, Application or Services.

As far as network usage, you agree not to…

Post, upload, publish, submit, provide access to or transmit any Content that: (i) infringes, misappropriates or violates a third party’s patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, moral rights or other intellectual property rights, or rights of publicity or privacy;…

Because if you do…

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES AND SITE CONTENT REMAINS WITH YOU.

What About Delicious?

Delicious is one of my favorite all time social bookmarking sites. They recently added a new feature called Stacks where you can put a bunch of bookmarks together on one page. Unlike their regular bookmarks, these come with the option of including a larger image or video from the page. While the videos are embedded via their YouTube or other video network code, the full sized images from these pages are saved to Delicious’ servers. And in their Terms of Service, you will find the following.

Your Member Content is yours; AVOS does not claim any ownership rights in your Member Content. By posting, submitting or transmitting any Member Content on or through the Service, you grant us and our third party service providers and partners a worldwide, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, adapt, modify, distribute, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, broadcast, access, view and otherwise exploit such Member Content in any and all media or distribution channels (now known or hereafter created).

If anything legal should arise from content you put on their network…

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER AVOS NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING THE SERVICE OR SERVICE CONTENT WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES,…

What About Quora?

Quora, one of my favorite Q&A networks, has also added a new feature that allows you to add content to boards. When you add a website page to your board, Quora lets you choose an image to go with it. Quora stores that image, in full resolution, on their servers. Then, in their Terms of Service, you will find.

By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through the Service, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed).

And then…

You also represent, warrant and agree that you have not and will not contribute any Content that (a) infringes, violates or otherwise interferes with any copyright or trademark of another party, (b) reveals any trade secret, unless the trade secret belongs to you or you have the owner’s permission to disclose it, (c) infringes any intellectual property right of another or the privacy or publicity rights of another,…

And finally…

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, QUORA AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, PARTNERS AND LICENSORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, GOOD-WILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM (i) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE;…

What About (Insert Network Name Here)?

I would guess that just about every social network has similar coverage in their terms of service that you or the original source content still owns it, but they can use it and you will be held responsible. It’s not just Pinterest. Pinterest is just on the hot seat right now.

What Can You Do?

For starters, start reading the terms of service for every social network you share content upon. Pinterest is not the only network with these kinds of terms. Or you can wait and see if anyone does get into legal trouble for content they post on Pinterest or similar networks. As far as your own content, you can enjoy the traffic benefits or opt-out.

How are you responding to the possible legal implications of using Pinterest or similar networks? How do you feel about your content being added to these networks? Please share in the comments!

You're reading It’s Not Just Pinterest RE: Copyright & Legal Issues, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• 5 Steps to Improve Your Pinterest Profile in Five Minutes

Need more info? Be sure to check out 28 Things You Need to Know About the New Facebook Pages! This post includes additional and new details about the Timeline design for Facebook Pages.

Last night, I decided to try out the New Facebook Pages with Timeline for my freelance writing page. Facebook plans to change things over on March 30th anyway, so you might as well prepare early for what’s coming, and for pages, there are lots of preparations to be made. Here are some of my initial observations about how Timeline affects our favorite Facebook fan page features.

Pros: More About Space & Direct Link to Your Website

Probably one of my favorite changes that comes along with Timeline is the easier to find About information.

This means you can squeeze in more details about your page, brand, or business. Keep it around 165 characters if you don’t want anything important to get cut off, and be sure to include your links for a possible increase in click-through rates to your website from your Facebook page.

The only down side is if you set your Facebook fan page up as a local business. Instead of your About information with website links showing, your contact details will show instead. If you want your website link in this area, the tradeoff is you have to remove your phone number. This is what I had to do with my husband’s Facebook page for his new business as a Arizona wedding photographer.

It’s just a matter of deciding whether your Facebook visitors are more likely to want to visit your website or contact you by phone. I countered that by using the Pagemodo Contact Us app (aff link) which makes it easy to find additional contact information.

Pros: The Timeline Cover

Forget the 540 x 180 pixel banner. Now you can have a Timeline cover photo size that is 850 x 315 pixels. I went with minimalism using this shot taken by my husband, Jason Hines.

As you can see, Timeline covers for Facebook Pages is going to be huge for graphic designers, photographers, and anyone who can create a good image for their page, brand, or business. Just be sure that your Timeline cover photo does not include any of the following, as stated in the Facebook Pages guidelines.

• Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
• Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
• References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
• Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

They also say…

This space is not meant for promotions, coupons, or advertisements. Your cover photo should not be primarily text-based or infringe on anyone else’s copyright.

Sadly, this means you can’t replace your lost default landing tab fan gate or promotions with a fan gate or promotional Timeline cover photo.

Pros: Highlighted Items

Just like you can on your personal Timeline profile, you can now highlight important stories on your Facebook Page’s wall by clicking on the Highlight star.

This is a great way to make your most important updates stand out. There’s also an option to pin updates to the top of your Facebook Page’s Timeline.

You can pin one update to the top at a time, but unfortunately you cannot also make it a highlighted update which seems to take away from its ability to stand out.

Pros: Build Audience Options

Remember the option to share your page with your friends? It seems to be back again under your new Admin Panel > Build Audience > Invite Friends. You can choose friends based on recent interactions, locations, groups, or friends lists.

Suggesting your page will make it show up in your friend’s notifications.

Other options to build your page’s fan base include inviting email contacts, sharing the page on your personal profile, or creating an ad.

Pros: At a Glance Insights

The new Admin Panel makes things simple by showing you everything you need to know at a glance including notifications, new people who have liked your page, overall insights, and messages to your page.

Speaking of Insights, you can now see page insights in relation to when you made a post on your Facebook page. Beneath that, you can also see detailed insights about your individual posts including reach, engaged users, users who have interacted (liked, commented, etc.) with your post, and virality.

Each column can be sorted so you can see which posts on your Facebook page are most popular. This will give you a better idea of what posts are best for your audience.

Pros: Private Messaging to Pages

As mentioned above, people can now privately message your page using the prominently displayed Message button, and you (as your page) can respond privately to those who contact you. This might be a good thing for online reputation management as some people may use the private messaging system to discuss issues they are having rather than post them publicly on the page itself.

Cons: Lack of Recent Activity Looks Really Bad

The Timeline design makes lack of recent activity on your Facebook page stand out. A lot.

This means that you must start updating your page before your page is converted to the new design. But don’t do it with only third-party apps because…

Cons: Status Updates by Third-Party Apps Don’t Stand Out

Unlike posts made directly to your Facebook page on Facebook, posts made by some third-party apps will look like this.

Above, you can see recent updates made by the NetworkedBlogs app vs. a link I posted directly on my Facebook photography page. When you are looking to increase click-through rates to your website, posting directly on Facebook will make a big impact.

Cons: No More Default Landing Tab

This one is really getting people up in arms – the loss of the default landing tab. No more putting promotions, fan gates, or other customization elements first by default. You can, however, go to your landing tab on your Facebook page, copy the URL, and then link to that URL so people do go to the specified tab.

This would only work if are not using a Facebook plugin like the Like Box which cannot be linked to a specific tab on your Facebook page. The official plugins will only link to the main page itself, aka your Timeline.

Cons: Only Three Obvious Custom Tabs

With the new design, you can only have three of your custom applications / landing tabs prominently featured on your Facebook page. Additional apps / tabs will be hidden unless a visitor to your page clicks on the down arrow.

The Photos cannot be moved, however the number of Likes to your page can be swapped with your other apps.

This could be a good things for people who want to put less focus on a low amount of likes to their page and more focus on their custom apps / tabs. If you do want to display your number of likes, then you can only have two prominently featured custom apps / tabs. Choose wisely!

Ps. Speaking of custom tabs, these are now 810 pixels wide. Design accordingly.

Cons: No More Featured Likes

One of my Facebook marketing suggestions has always been to like your other Facebook pages with your Facebook pages and make them Featured Likes so visitors to one Facebook fan page will see your other fan pages as well.

Featured Likes are now placed on your Timeline. Depending on your amount of activity, that could mean they are buried pretty far down.

Cons: Recent Posts by Others Are (Sometimes) Not Featured

This is a con depending on how you look at it, but posts by others (such as when someone writes on your wall or tags your page in their status update) are sometimes not prominently featured on your Timeline.

I’m not sure if the difference is due to the fact that Brankica’s link was to a her new Facebook page and the others were links to other websites or just comments. But for those who like having other’s posts display on their Facebook wall, they will be missing it in the new Facebook page Timeline design.

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite and least favorite things about the New Facebook Pages with Timeline Design? Have you switched over yet? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Need more info? Be sure to check out 28 Things You Need to Know About the New Facebook Pages! This post includes additional and new details about the Timeline design for Facebook Pages.

You're reading New Facebook Pages with Timeline Design, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• What I Like About the New Facebook Timeline Profile, Privacy Settings, and News Feed
• 2010 Social Media Wishlist – New Features for Facebook, StumbleUpon, & Twitter
• Tips for Starting a New Facebook Fan Page
• Facebook Applications Adding Embarrassing Content to Your Profile
• How to Keep Fans and Influence People on Facebook

This is a guest post by Kevin Lau.

It’s still the early days for Google+ and plenty of people are getting to grips with the various tools this social platform has. This is even truer for business users, who have only recently been able to set up business pages to help promote their work.

One of the main features Google+ has to offer is Google+ Hangouts. Google+ Hangouts enable you to initiate video chats with other Google+ users who are in your Circles who also have access to a video camera.

So how can you use Google+ Hangouts to benefit your business?

Let’s face it most business users with Google+ business pages are looking to drive more traffic to these pages. Hangouts can certainly help you do this, and there are a number of methods you can use.

Create Specific “Get Togethers” for Specific Reasons

A lot of Google+ users will hook up with friends and family members on Hangouts, just so they can chat with them and catch up. That’s all well and good but it doesn’t really help when it comes to using it for business purposes.

Clearly you have to have a specific purpose for starting a Hangout if you’re using the social media site for business purposes. For example some business users are setting up Hangouts to provide information on specific topics. Someone who offers SEO services might set up a Hangout to teach the basics in SEO to a select few people over the course of a half hour. This might lead to new business in the future, and if they like what they see they’ll certainly share your generosity with others by recommending you. Suddenly you’ll see your popularity on Google+ rising.

Add Up to Date Information to Your Google+ Page & Mention It During Your Hangouts

Now this has to be done carefully. If you initiate a Hangout and then use the whole time to mention your business and how great it is, it obviously isn’t going to work. Hangouts should be used very carefully and not simply for promotion.

But if you are holding a Hangout on a particular topic – let’s follow the SEO example given above – you could direct people wanting more information back to your Google+ business page. Of course for this to work you have to populate that page with good advice and information – some of which might lead off to your actual website – on a regular basis. Don’t do it for the sake of the Hangouts alone.

Launch Into Video Conferencing to Make Stronger Business Connections in Your Circles

Think of this as the ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ technique. You’ll probably be beefing up your Circles by adding all the business contacts you already know that have also joined Google+.

Hangouts are a great way to get to know some of these contacts even better. Just make sure you have a good reason to request a Hangout with someone. The truth is that if you use Hangouts in this way, you’ll strengthen your relationships with the people you already have in your business Circles. This in turn lets them get to know more about you, and you’ll both find you recommend each other to your wider Circles – all as a result of using Hangouts. This should lead to more people discovering your business page.

Start Creating a Series of Podcasts & Promote Them on Your Google+ Page

It didn’t take long for the business users among us to start thinking of more creative ways to use Hangouts to further our traffic generation efforts. Some are already using Hangouts to create short podcasts, interacting with a small audience for each one as a result.

Just be sure that if you go down this route, you create a strong and focused idea for each podcast. You can record them as you go along and save them to share later on. If you become known for engaging and interesting podcasts you’ll soon see a splurge of traffic hitting your business page. What’s more, even though you are limited to ten people engaging in a Hangout, more can watch as it takes place if you set it to public viewing.

So you can see there is plenty to do on Google+ when it comes to driving traffic to your business page. You just have to be a little bit creative with your Hangouts to get the most out of them.

Have you used Google+ Hangouts to get more exposure for your Google+ profile or page? Please share your experiences in the comments!

You're reading Using Google+ Hangouts to Get More Exposure for Your Google+ Business Page, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• Tips for Starting a New Facebook Fan Page
• How to Promote Your Business, Blog or Website on Twitter
• 560 Resources for Blogging, Online Marketing, and Starting a Business
• 5 Ways To Drive Quality Traffic To Your Website From Google+
• 6 Reasons Why I Like Google+

This is a guest post by Kevin Lau.

Google+ may have had a shaky start but lots of people are using it to help build up a new traffic stream to their website. If you are among them, you might be wondering how you can start getting the results you want. In truth you have to focus on a few different areas to start seeing some good results. A few small actions put together can create a much bigger end result – and a bigger stream of traffic – than one big promotion in one direction.

Let’s check out five ways to increase your flow of traffic from Google+ to your website, starting today.

Update Your Stream on a Regular Basis

The most obvious thing to do here is to provide a link to every new blog post you write on your personal profile. But there are other things you can do too. Simply updating your stream regularly will tell people you are serious about using Google+. If you make yourself worth following you will build a bigger audience and that audience is then more likely to follow you off site to your own website.

Create New Circles and Populate Them with People You Know

Google+ sure looks lonely without anyone in your Circles. So start populating them. You get a few Circles set up ready for use but you can create other more relevant ones as well. For example you can set up ones for clients or customers, depending on your needs. Just make sure you choose your Circles wisely, otherwise they could end up becoming unwieldy.

The main thing to remember here is that you should share appropriate messages with the right group of people. For example clients might benefit from a very different message to the one you’d send to fellow workers in your line of work. This is one of the benefits of using Circles – once you know how.

Stick to Your Area of Expertise

Don’t share everything on Google+. Remember you are using it to enhance the traffic flow to your website, so everything you share should be related to your expertise.

Let’s say you own a cupcake business. Stick to news, views and information about cupcakes. You will find plenty to talk about and share, but stick to cupcakes because that is your area of expertise. As soon as you stray off topic you run the risk of losing the interest of your audience. The more relevant you are the more chance there is of people heading off to look at your website as well.

Become an Expert in Your Niche by Initiating Hangouts

We talked about expertise above but you can go further than this. Your target should be to become known as an expert. You could be just anyone making cupcakes. But if you share your knowledge and provide information and advice people can rely on, you’ll see just how important it is to become an expert.

You see, if someone on Google+ wants to find a cupcake expert, they should be able to look for one and find you. Alternatively if they are already in your Circles (and you are in theirs) and they want to find out more information on cupcakes, they’ll almost certainly visit your site because they know you’ve got the knowledge they need.

Fill Out Your Profile Completely

This might sound like the most basic thing to say, and it is. But it is surprising how many people miss this out. Your profile on your Google+ business page is the most important thing – it is the cornerstone of your efforts on there. Sure you can get good results by doing all manner of things on Google+, but if you don’t have a profile you won’t have any information people can look at. If someone lands on your profile they’re not doing so to get a message telling them you haven’t filled it out yet. They’re doing so to find out more about you, so make sure they get the information they need – including your website address.

You can see that it is highly important to make sure you can employ more than one way of getting a new stream of traffic to your website through Google+. If you’re still new to the social media site don’t worry if you find it difficult to get to grips with at first. You’ll probably find you get used to it over time – and your website will benefit from a trickle of extra traffic that could turn into a flood too.

What do you do to drive traffic from Google+ to your website or blog, and what other tips would you suggest for those looking to increase their Google+ traffic?

You're reading 5 Ways To Drive Quality Traffic To Your Website From Google+, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• Prepare Your Website for Geolocation with WordPress
• How to Promote Your Business, Blog or Website on Twitter
• Using Google+ Hangouts to Get More Exposure for Your Google+ Business Page
• 8 Ways Businesses Should Use Social Media
• 9 Ways to Use Social Networking for Blog Promotion

This year, along with my Fetching Friday weekly roundups, I compiled several major resource collections for a variety of topics. As 2011 comes to an end, I thought I would share my 10 favorite list posts for anyone ready to learn more about analytics, conversions, email marketing, engagement, link building, keyword research, social media, starting their own business, usability testing, and WordPress. I hope you enjoy them!

• 50 Google Analytics Resources – 50 resources to help you get to know Google Analytics inside and out, from the new version, latest updates, social engagement tracking, advanced hacks, and much more!
• 50 Awesome Posts on Conversions – Are you ready to learn more about conversions, but not sure where to begin? Catch up on the latest and greatest information in this list. There’s something for everyone, from blogging to social media, landing pages to squeeze pages, increasing conversions vs. conversion killers, design, and more!
• 50 Awesome Posts on Email Marketing – Learn the ins and outs of email marketing, including building your email list, crafting the best email content, email newsletter design, and more in this list of 50 awesome posts on email marketing.
• 50 Posts on Engagement for Bloggers, Businesses, and Social Media Enthusiasts – Ready to start increasing your engagement in 2012? Find out the best strategies for blogging, business, and social media engagement from these awesome posts!
• 79 Link Building Resources – The latest, most up to date resources when it comes to link building including general information, tools, and where to look for links.
• 40 Top Keyword Research Posts of 2011 – This list will guide you to even more keyword research tools, strategies, and keyword optimization. Mix and match strategies for the best keyword discovery and analysis for your business and clients.
• Top 25 Social Media Blogs For Businesses – Want to learn more about social media for marketing your business? Then you’ve come to the right place – the following are the top authorities in social media and online marketing.
• 101 Resources for First Time Entrepreneurs – 101 resources that will help you learn more about entrepreneurship, startups, small business, and much more.
• 45 Awesome Posts on A/B, Multivariate, and Usability Testing – These 45 posts will teach you all you need to know about A/B testing, multivariate testing, and usability testing for copy, design, landing pages, PPC, and much more.
• 70+ Resources on How to Start a WordPress Blog – The following are resources for starting your own blog on WordPress including choosing a domain name, purchasing your domain, hosting, WordPress installation, themes, plugins, settings, essential pages, backups, updates, and more!

What were your favorite list posts in 2011? Please share them in the comments! Also, I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

Photo Credit: KTVee

You're reading 560 Resources for Blogging, Online Marketing, and Starting a Business, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• How to Become a Local Business Marketing Expert as a Blogger
• Unlock Your Marketing Genius to Make Money Online
• Make Blogging Work for Business
• The Pros and Cons a Home Based Blogging Business
• How to Make Money Online Through Blogging and Writing

One of the things many people struggle with in social media are identity issues, and I am no different. Up until yesterday, my main Facebook entities included my personal profile and my fan page for Kikolani. While I love both of these, I found some problems with sharing links to posts I’ve done elsewhere. Specifically…

• Links I’ve posted to my personal profile lately haven’t gotten that much attention compared to plain status updates or photos.
• The fan page for this blog is focused on posts from this blog only. Fans didn’t sign up for posts from elsewhere.

So the solution was creating a new Facebook page. This page is specifically focused on my freelance writing and blogging as a whole so it can be a platform where I can share links to anything I have written anywhere.

It took under two hours to set up, and since it’s been a while since I’ve set up a Facebook fan page, I thought I’d share some things I learned along the way.

Research Pages in Your Industry

I started by looking up fan pages by other freelance writers to see how they had theirs set up. I was looking specifically for what category they chose for their page and how they titled it for personal and professional branding.

The first page that jumped out was my friend Harleena Singh. I found some great pages for my own page to like in her page’s likes.

After some browsing of some awesome freelance writers’ fan pages, I decided to name mine with the title Freelance Writer & Blogger.

Fill in Your Basic Information (with Links)

Think you can just get a link in your About information and the designated website area?

Be sure to fill out your Personal Interests section carefully. I found out the first time I shared my page’s link on Google+ and Facebook that field was used as the description for your fan page.

Take Advantage of the Get Started Options

When you first create your fan page, you have some sharing options that will be lost once your fan page is more established.

The most important one is the Suggest to Friends option that allows you to recommend your new page to your friends.

This is a great way to get new fans for your page, but be warned it disappears pretty quickly, so suggest your new page to the people you think will be most likely to be interested, then continue through your friends list.

There is another option to Tell Your Fans about your page using your Skype and email contacts, but this options is also available through your Resources section when you click the Edit Page button.

Featured Likes & Admin

The Featured settings is not to be missed. After you create your page, click on the Use Facebook as Your Page link in the right hand sidebar.

Now go and like all of your own pages as well as other pages that fit your new page’s niche / industry. Then click the Edit Page button, and under Featured, select five featured likes (be sure to include your other pages) and a page owner.

This way, even if people leave your fan page, they will hopefully be on the move to your other Facebook pages or profile.

Custom Content

One of the best things about Facebook pages over Google+ pages for the moment is the ability to add custom content including welcome, opt-in, and contact form tabs. When I started thinking about doing at least one custom content tab, I remembered the great tutorial by Francisco Rosales on building a Facebook landing page with iFrames. It is really all the tutorial you need if you want to custom code and design your own landing page.

Unfortunately, I’m not much of a designer and to top it off, it was nearing midnight and I just wanted something quick and easy. While perusing other freelancer’s pages, I found one by James Cardigan that had a customized Welcome tab. At the bottom of it was a badge saying it was created with the free version of Pagemodo (aff link).

About half an hour later, I ended up with this sweet contact form on my new fan page.

The free version of Pagemodo allows you to have one custom tab on one fan page. I went with the basic ($6.25 per month) plan as I want to add more than just one custom tab, and I might upgrade to the pro ($13.25 per month) plan to do the same for my other fan pages.

Did the contact form pay off? Absolutely. I received two inquiries within an hour of announcing my page!

Announcing Your New Page

Once your page is ready to go, be sure to announce it everywhere. This includes using the Get Started tab mentioned earlier to suggest it to friends and then sharing it with your Facebook friends, Google+ followers, Twitter Followers, and any other social networks you have a nice size audience on.

Also think of anywhere you can link to it. I updated my WiseStamp (aff link) email signature, a few forum profiles, and my freelance portfolio.

Taking Advantage of the Like Button

Don’t forget to make liking your page easy by implementing the Like Button…

or the Like Box for your new page on your website.

Educational Resources

If you’re just getting started with Facebook fan pages for yourself or your business, or you want to learn more ways to get your fan page more community, fans, and engagement, be sure to check out these resources. Both are affiliate links to great products!

• Facebook Marketing All in One for Dummies – Dummies books are not just for dummies. They can be the most comprehensive and easy to follow books out on the market. This one is the most recent, published in August 2011, and is authored by Facebook experts Amy Porterfield, Andrea Vahl, and Phillis Khare. It covers everything about Facebook pages from setup to engagement and even advertising.
• FB Influence – If you would rather watch than read, then the FB Influence course is the way to go. Led by Amy Porterfield and recommended by Michael Stelzner and Mari Smith, this course has four modules with 20 videos covering everything from the core rules of Facebook marketing to building an online store for your Facebook fan page. There are over 50 links to informative articles, measurement tools, and custom content applications as well as some sweet bonuses.

Your Facebook Fan Page Tips & Resources

Now it’s your turn.

• Who still finds Facebook fan pages more powerful than Google+?
• What tips would you have to offer someone just starting out or looking to get more out of their Facebook fan page.
• What are some of the best fan pages you have seen in the writing and blogging industry?
• What is your fan page’s best feature? Please include a link!

Please share your thoughts on these questions in the comments and be sure to scroll up and use the Like Button or Box to become a fan of my new Facebook Page.

You're reading Tips for Starting a New Facebook Fan Page, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• Twitter Lingo & Tips For New Twitter & Facebook Users
• 560 Resources for Blogging, Online Marketing, and Starting a Business
• Using Google+ Hangouts to Get More Exposure for Your Google+ Business Page
• New Facebook Pages with Timeline Design
• Facebook Applications Adding Embarrassing Content to Your Profile

As I recently mentioned in my BlogWorld recap, I met Leo Widrich, one of the guys behind the Buffer App for Twitter sharing.

Now as many of you might know, I’m a huge fan of HootSuite for my Twitter management needs. For the longest time, I have heard people raving about Buffer, but I figured I didn’t need another app to schedule tweets since I could already schedule tweets in HootSuite.

What I didn’t realize is how much simpler Buffer really is. Let me demonstrate.

Before I begin, as a disclaimer, I didn’t get any freebies, payment, sponsorship, etc. from Buffer for writing this post. If you choose to use my referral URL to sign up for Buffer, I don’t get paid – I simply get extra Buffer scheduling space.

Tweet Scheduling in HootSuite

The simplest way to schedule tweets in HootSuite is by using the bookmarklet which you can find in your HootSuite dashboard when you hover over the Tools menu.

Once you drag the Hootlet to your bookmarks bar on any browser, you can click on it while viewing a page you want to share. Then you’ll see a popup allowing you to choose the social profile to share it with along with the option to send the tweet now or schedule it for later using the calendar.

If you need to remember what scheduled tweets you have in the system, you can go to your Publisher menu to see your scheduled tweets.

Now as you can see, I made an oops and scheduled two tweets to go out at the same time. To change that, edit the text, or reorganize the tweets, you have to edit them individually using the same scheduling calendar.

Faster Tweet Scheduling in Buffer

Now, let’s take a look at the Buffer difference. When you setup your account, you start by entering your preferred tweeting schedule. I like to send my posts at five minutes after the hour. This means that my tweet will come across someone’s feed after all of the automated Twitterfeeds that usually happen right at the top of the hour.

For easy Buffer sharing, you can grab the Buffer bookmarklet for any browser’s bookmarks bar or install the browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Then, when you’re reading an article you want to share, you click on the Buffer bookmarklet or button installed by the extension (I use the one for Chrome) and get the following scheduling popup.

Here you can select your preferred profiles to share the tweet with and edit it as you so choose. Then you can post now or add to Buffer. To see your pending tweets, you just go to your Buffer dashboard.

Since you set your preferred tweeting schedule, you can’t accidentally set two at the same time. To edit the text, simply click on the pencil to edit. If you do notice you want to rearrange, you can simply use the Drag to Reorder to move them around.

Additional Buffer Sharing Options

If the bookmarklet isn’t enough, you can also use Buffer directly in Twitter using the Chrome extension. This will put a Buffer call right in your Twitter stream when you’re looking at your home feed, someone’s profile, Twitter lists, or any other tweets.

When you click on it, you get your usual Buffer popup with the RT @username text with the option to edit the tweet, post now, or add to Buffer.

You can also follow these directions for adding Buffer to your Google Reader. Then you can share posts you are reading in Google Reader to your Buffer.

Considering the way I use Google Reader, this is a definite plus.

For mobile users, there is a Buffer Android app and a way to email to your Buffer using a customized email address from mobile apps on tablets and other smartphones.

The New Buffer Button

Last but not least, you might have noticed a new button in my social sharing strip at the top of the post.

The Buffer button allows users to easily add your post to Buffer. No more copying & pasting long URLs from the Twitter button to your Twitter management tool of choice (although it is still an option for those who directly tweet)!

Analytics in HootSuite vs. Buffer

For statistics junkies, here are your analytics options.

In HootSuite, you can create reports or see quick stats about any ow.ly shortened URLs.

Or you can see individual stats of your ow.ly shortened tweets.

In Buffer, you can see an overview of your sent tweets and their retweets, clicks, and overall estimated reach based on your audience plus the audience that retweeted the Buffered tweet.

Pricing for HootSuite vs. Buffer

Both HootSuite and Buffer are freemium applications meaning that there is a free structure vs. a paid structure. In HootSuite, if you have no more than five accounts to manage and don’t really care about enhanced analytics, you can use the free version. Otherwise, it is $5.99 per month, which is the plan I use because I have a ridiculous amount of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other accounts.

In Buffer, if you have only one persona to manage (one Twitter and one Facebook) and only need to store 10 scheduled posts at a time, you can use the free version. Otherwise, there are two plans – the pro plan for $10.00 per month (which is the plan I use) for up to 5 social media accounts and 50 posts in your Buffer. There’s also a super premium plan for $99.00 per month for unlimited social accounts and posts in buffer.

My Twitter Strategy

My Twitter strategy involves using HootSuite for monitoring all of my Twitter accounts’ mentions, direct messages, Twitter lists, and keyword searches in easy to follow streams. Then I use Buffer App for tweet scheduling. I also use Formulists for creating awesome, automatically updated Twitter lists (more on that in an upcoming post). Together, I can efficiently interact with my followers and find new followers while sharing great posts with everyone. So if you don’t use them already, try them out – even just using the free accounts with your priority social profiles could make a huge difference!

Your Favorite Time Saving Twitter Tools

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite Twitter management applications and time saving tools? Do you use HootSuite and Buffer? Please share your thoughts, tips, and experiences in the comments, and happy tweeting!

You're reading Buffer Review – My Favorite Time Saving Twitter Tool, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• 3 Steps to a Productive Life on Twitter as a Blogger Using Buffer
• Get More from Twitter – Twitter Marketing eBook Review
• Twitter Lingo & Tips For New Twitter & Facebook Users
• My Favorite 2010 Search & Social Awards Nominees
• HootSuite for Blogging – Twitter Management for Bloggers

This is a guest post by Leo Widrich.

It was less than 6 months ago that I decided to fully start out on Twitter. I soon got sucked in to a fantastic environment of helpful and knowledgeable tweeps.

I was blogging for a while before. Vividly I applied some key lessons I learnt and my experience was that it worked extremely well on Twitter too.

The most important part was that it came naturally because I was already used to these techniques.

1.) Don’t Rant – Copy Counts

Fortunately the time when Twitter was a ranting tool you would use to put your thoughts out to no one and anyone is gone.

I like to see Twitter as a microblogging tool in the literal sense. Creating compelling copy that is both attractive to click through and carrying an honest and sincere message is key. Make your Tweets great.

One thing I did right from the start is always write my own tweets. After all my Twitter stream is like my stream of blogposts. Giving them a personal voice is key to create a genuine appearance. What I means I that whenever I am reading a great article I would change the headline so it would suit my voice.

2.) Every Single Comment – Every Single @Mention & RT

When you start out Dino Dogan, a blogger I truly appreciate for his honesty in blogging, taught me that no matter what, replying to each and every comment is key. After all it means people have taken the time to go beyond reading and taken out extra time to expand on your discussion.

In a similar way I try going about any mentions or retweets I receive. Showing gratitude for each and every time someone interacts with you is the least thing I can do if someone is interested.

This leads to an incredible amount of more interactions and helped me immensely to reach my own goals.

3.) It’s Not About the “Me, Me, Me”

What blogging taught me right from the start was that I had to lose the self-centered attitude. Listening to others, learning from others and contributing to other’s sites in forms of comments and guestposts is absolute key to reach any measure of success.

In a similar manner the only way to move forward on Twitter centers around Zig Ziglars

“You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”

Promoting others as often as possible is crucial I found. Retweet others sincerely, give credit to the author for tweeting posts or simply write tweets of appreciation.

And yes, like magic this leads to you achieving your own goals all by yourself.

4.) Leave Your Home Turf

Building a community and enlarging your readership doesn’t come by staying in your own home all day. Yes, it can be a tricky process to keep up the care for existing people you interact with, whilst you are out making new connections. Yet, it is the only way to move forward.

In a similar manner you have to move out of the safety of your own community on Twitter and make an effort in finding new friends. On Twitter there thankfully exist a ton of valuable directories, such as Twellow and Wefollow, helping me to do that.

Balancing out on these two activities has helped me greatly to continually drive new conversations, especially by making use of mentioned directories.

5.) Consistency is Key

Consistency in blogging is the lifeline to success I believe. If it wasn’t for the advice I read to create editorial calendars, schedule blogposts and learn to find my own zone to create the way would have been a lot harder.

Twitter is one ongoing conversation and I found largely a similar pattern applies. Providing an ongoing stream of high quality content is absolutely key. Making use of scheduling tweets, which are of course still your genuine own ones is one part that helps me greatly. Another point that helped me greatly to start out is to assign writing times to tweets in the same way I did to posts.

Now some of these things might change over time. As you continue to grow, you might not need to leave your home turf that aggressively any more.

Or you just can’t find the time to reply to all tweets anymore. Yet, in order to get things going and to focus on the interaction, these 5 lessons helped me a great deal.

I am sure you too have come across many things in life where you could apply lessons learnt in one area to a new one.

How about blogging and Twitter? Do you think there is something we can apply in both areas?

I would love to hear your views below.

Photo Credit

You're reading 5 Things Blogging Taught Me About Tweeting, originally posted on Kikolani and copyrighted by Kristi Hines, freelance writer and professional blogger. Be sure to follow Kristi on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

• Blogging and Social Media Goals for 2010
• HootSuite for Blogging – Twitter Management for Bloggers
• Best of #SMAZ – Blogging Tips, Social Media ROI, & SEO
• Top 25 Blogging and Social Media Posts on Kikolani
• 560 Resources for Blogging, Online Marketing, and Starting a Business