Many presenters have approached me for suggestions on how to blog, yet nobody has mentioned to me why I should have a blog. Without the why being answered, I slowly found myself falling asleep during the presentation and leaving confused.

To define the reasons why we blog, we need to look into the past. Wikipedia reports that a blog is a web log. It is a website that is maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other materials such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

The fact that Google purchased blogger.com in February 2003 tells us that blogging must definitely be rising in popularity. There are now international blog expo’s and there must be a reason for all this media attention. TV shows are now being produced that talk about blogs, i.e. TV shows like Ugly Betty and movies like Julie & Julia.

The reasons why we blog are as follows:

To be used as websites;

To be used as online diaries;

To provide the possibility to leave comments;

To create podcasts;

To display one’s products and services;

To show one’s articles;

To advertise one’s books;

To interact with one’s audience;

To rank higher in search engines; and

To test products.

One of the reasons why blogs have become so popular is that they can be maintained by individuals with limited html skills. As a customer, you need less technical skills. Businesses can just login and make changes to the pages themselves without a monthly fee. You are provided with free or paid templates. They can be hosted by the blog company or you can host them yourself on your server.

You are able to respond to comments and build relationships. Individual’s comments provide insight and give feedback in regards to potential products or services you may be selling. They are definitely a test market so to speak. Blogs are a quick way for media to search for much needed contents. As a writer, you can see if your idea generates interest.

Are you a beginner and would you like to learn how to blog? Watch my video Blogging for Smarties Part 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFqLQKPM4B4

Facebook has become a way to keep in touch with people you meet and may not see on a regular basis. Ten Top reasons to use Facebook are the following:

1. You can invite your friends to your business events you are holding or attending.
2. Once your friends are invited you can see who is attending your event.
3. You can stay in touch even after a networking event by using the Chat option.
4. Facebook is like a brochure, flyer or billboard. You can advertise your products or services and give your contact information.
5. Your followers can join your mailing list or purchase your products without visiting your website.
6. You can advertise and increase traffic to your blog, articles or website.
7. Bring increased traffic to your videos or use the video application to advertise your products/services on Facebook.
8. Using applications like polls promotes interactive communication among followers and other Facebook users.
9. Advertise your promotions.
10. Create or join groups that are in your chosen target market.

Do you need help setting up your social media profile? Are you thinking of calling Facebook 911? Would you like to learn more about how to use Facebook?

Watch my Podcast Video Facebook For Beginners.

Watch me on itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=309214867

Do you need assistance with maintenance or set-up of your Facebook profile or Fanpage? Let me do it for you visit http://theyppublishing.com

Six Top Ways to Use Audio

1. Authors use audio to prepare their manuscript. The Authors thoughts can be recorded and then later they can be transcribed to manuscript format.
2. Pick your favourite photos add your recorded audio and now you have a video.
3. Audio can be added onto your PowerPoint presentations for audience viewing.
4. To assist with scheduling yourself as a friendly reminder.
5. Placed on your website as an easy way for your audience to be provided with your information about your product or service.
6. To cater to an audience that is on the go by creating podcasts, audio books or creating an audio show.

Do you want to know how to download a Free Audio Recorder onto your computer? This audio can be played on your computer time and time again. Download my

How to Record Yourself for free podcast and receive step by step instruction.

URL:

Watch my podcast from itunes,  please leave us 5 stars and a kickass review

Video is a way to educate your audience more quickly about your services for less cost.  Video captures the attention of your chosen audience.  Search Engines love video, it’s faster to get indexed than article marketing and people just love watching videos. Videos generate traffic to your site therefore increase sales.

Some popular video sites are YouTube, Google, Yahoo, Social Media Sites.

How to use Video

Make your videos You can use a digital camera, video cameras, web-cams, cell-phones etc (anything that records video) Keep it under 100mb so you can upload it. You may also need video software to transfer your raw data to the right type of file.

Stay on Topic. Always put your web address in the video. Videos are just another form of marketing and communicating your value to your market. It’s no different than writing a sales letter on a website.

Provide product-related information to aid use of your product or service.

Offer Sponsorship. Sponsors who may have similar products or complimentary products may want to pay to advertise or for you to advertise them.

Connect with people internationally or customers living in remote locations.

Why Every Business should have a Video on there website

Have you ever been at an event and listened intently to someone speaking only to say to the person beside you what did he say? Have you been at a social gathering in which you only had a few moments to talk about yourself and your business only to hear your audience say “What did he say?” or “What does he do?”

With video there are no other distractions like there are in person. You can rewind and fast forward if you do not understand or you are interrupted. You can replay anytime and any hour of the day. You can even press stop!

Do you find yourself spending more time on the internet then you do watching TV? Video watchers are TV watchers. Pew Research Center reports that Online news consumption continues to grow, and substantial minorities of Americans are now taking advantage of specialized web-based and digital tools to get the news.

Videos can be viewed anywhere on phones and on your website. You can add your video as an attachment on your email. Videos can be watched on subways, walking your dog and during your lunch hour.

Videos increase traffic, is less costly then a TV advertisement and much like a sales page or a TV commercial it is a way for you to advertise your site.

Let me know how Video has worked for you!

Do you need a Video on your website or would you like me to submit your video to directories such as YouTube?

Request a Phone Consultation

View my video’s on YouTube YouTube Videos

Its simple now to purchase popular books that fit in your pocket.  Download your books right from your ipod onto your library.

There is now software such as eReader a Barnes and Nobile company that can be installed onto your iphone,  ipod touch, blackberry, Palm OS, Pocket PC, Windows mobile Smartphone, your PC and Laptop. This tool allows you to purchase and download ebooks. There is no cost presently for the basic version of this download.

For your Blackberry, you must install eReader directly from your device’s built-in browser. For your convenience, you can copy and paste this web address in an email and open it on your Blackberry.
www.ereader.com/bb

To purchase books for your ipod or iphone go to your iTunes store on your pc or laptop. The iTunes store will offer a selection for download. You can download audio books, podcasts, music videos, movies and apps.

Go to apps, select Stanza or eReader, under applications you will be given a choice of book apps to choose from. Choose the eReader that works best for you; follow the instructions and download.

As an Author what does this technology mean to you? You are expanding your market share to our green consumers. You are also attracting the consumer who is on the go and may not normally have the time to sit down and read a book. There is no more waiting for a book to be instock and shipped out.

Born between 1979 and 1994, these Generation Y kids are significantly more concerned about the environment than their parents are but have a strong influence over there parents purchases. This generation is not only using the latest technology but is showing their parents how to text message, fix there computers and install there software.

Where are these eco-friendly consumers found? These readers are no longer confined to the large bookstores to browse and read. You can see them reading in line-ups, waiting for appointments, sitting in malls, having coffee, on the bus, living in rural areas and sitting in stopped traffic.

Do you need assistance with publishing and promoting your book? Learn more about our Author Assistant Services .

New Media Podcasting

 Are you looking to expand your demographic reach?  There is a huge untapped market that you need to reach. Owners of iPods and iPhones. This is a huge market with such technology savy kids as Generation We also known as Generation Y.   This generation is born 1982 on, when you target this generation you are targeting adults as well as youth.   This generation has a strong influence over the Baby Buster and the Baby Boomer generation.

Podcasts are being viewed on subways, in cars, while standing in lineups, on the bus, libraries, on motorcycles, lunch breaks and in restaurants. They are becoming an alternative to reading the newspaper. Podcasts are like a mini TV they can be viewed on the go and they fit in the palm of your hand.  

Worries are increasing daily about our environment and our excessive use of paper. Will podcasts replace magazines and newspapers?

Need a podcast? visit http://theyppublishing.com/Services.html .

Online Surveys have become a popular tool to determine such things as customer satisfaction, learning about the demographics and psychographics of your customers, determining your audience interest in your new product, how your brand is perceived and determining what media is most effective. Surveys are a primary form of research that provides information that should help marketers to better solve marketing problems.

Surveys address the following issues:
Usage and attitude
Segmentation studies
Advertising Research
Name testing
Brand Research

1. State the marketing problem eg. Sales are not going up

2. State the factual information implied in the marketing problem

3.  State possible causes that might have led to this problem

4. List what you would like to know about the market.

 Interpretation of research is usually done using quantitative techniques. Quantitative studies use large numbers of respondents, questions allow one to two word answers rather then several sentences. The interpretation of the results is based more on the numbers obtained.
Quantitative studies are used for investigating and exploring.

 Respondents to Surveys

 When targeting respondents to your survey you must first define the population you are targeting eg. Adults 19 and over. Your respondents can be obtained from many sources such as various types of lists, computer records, telephone directories, associations and census. 

  Finding Information 

To avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation, listed below are things to avoid when designing a questionnaire: 

Avoid instances of two questions presented as one using the word “or”

Using wording that is too complex

Questions that conclude with a qualifying clause or phrase

Questions with multiple subjects

Questions that contain too many instructions

Questions with a negative element

Questions that include the term “if any” or “if at all”

Questions that are very long .

Want to know more about your customers demographics and psychographics? Let me assist you by developing your online survey.

Visit The YP Publishing info@theyppublishing.com
http://theyppublishing.com
     

Why do we use Social Forums for business?

  Social Forums are a great way to to meet people, share interests, find your niche market and advertise your business. The old term “Word of Mouth” still applies, both  in face to face contacts as well as in internet social forums.  Listed below are the pros and cons to the most popular social forums.  Please feel free to add your comments on what you think of the Social Forums listed below.

Twitter

Twitter is a great way to expand your online reach.   Twitter.com is a great site to use for expanding your online reach.  Twitter is like a online business card. You can use twitter to advertise new services that your company may have, advertise your blogs and create awareness of services you offer. Twitter is also very resourceful in assisting you in targeting your target market. Your followers can be individuals that you can learn from. Your profile can be customized with various backgrounds and you can summarize your available services on your profile. This is definitely a modern word of mouth tool.

Have you tried Twitterbeep? Twitterbeep will track conversations, Plug in a keyword about your book if you are a Author or about the type of service you provide. Twitterbeep will match you with perspective customers who may be looking or talking about that service or product.

There is not much that I would like to see changed when using Twitter except that when typing a message you are limited in the amount of words you can use. This sometimes prevents communication via Twitter. If you are a Twitter fan checkout Bubbletweet,  Twitxr, TwitPic, Twtqpon, Tweepler, TwitterFox,Tweetburner, Twit This, HelloTxt and FutureTweets .

MySpace

MySpace is a great place to meet and business network. If your target market is people working in Creative industries such as Entertainers and Authors MySpace.com is the place to be. Finding friends seems to be the main way to connect with people who work in industries that may need your services now or in the future and make them aware of your service offering. Your Myspace profile is a advertisement of your business.  Compared to other social media, MySpace allows for more creative control of the design elements of there profile. MySpace also has some great online job advertisements. Unfortunately MySpace group selection is limited and so is its blog utility.    

Linked In

The biggest disadvantage of Linked In is the profile. You are very limited in the information that you can provide in your profile. The template offered is very plain. Linked in’s security restrictions make it very hard to network with new people who could share a common interest. Many times the security settings want you to know the potential contacts email address. The opportunity to comment is a great way to build relationships with other business owners. There are some wonderful groups to join. This makes it simple to meet your specific target market. Once you comment the chance to connect with this person and add them as a contact becomes greater.  

 Facebook

Facebook.com started out as a social networking website for students. Facebook is a entrepreneurs dream. Facebook is an excellent place to post your blog. Your blog can quickly be picked up by the search engines and be listed under your company name. Facebook is a great way of advertising events. This allows the opportunity of meeting individuals in your target market face to face. This feature replaces the old fashion joining of business networking groups in your area.  You can join the groups that have interests that match the services you provide.   

Building relationships offline and online is still paramount to your business success.  Social media helps you to gain an insight to know various individuals  business, learn about their struggles, and through these observations  you can learn their needs and therefore provide them with a much needed product or service. Please provide feedback about your favourite Social Forum on my survey page .  

 Do you need a custom twitter background? To learn more visit http://theyppublishing.com/Services.html