If you’re having trouble with your recording volume, I recommend you install Garageband for iPad ($5) and boost the microphone input level. Then when you switch to other recording apps, the mic is noticeably  louder. This worked for me.

Here’s a screenshot from Garageband that shows the Input Level slider. Turn it all the way up if necessary.

This podcast episode was recorded on my iPad and automatically uploaded to this website and iTunes using the Mobile Podcaster plugin.  For more information visit http://www.mobilepodcaster.com

Related posts:

1. Garageband for the iPad – Mobile Podcasting Getting Easier
2. Podcasting 101: Realities of Creating and Editing your First Podcast Episode
3. Why podcasting is such a valuable marketing channel
4. Audio and Video: How to podcast from your iPad or iPhone and publish on WordPress and iTunes
5. Part IV – How to Podcast from Your Mac (iWeb and iTunes)

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Writing and Blogging

So the first thing I want to say is that you need to publish content online if you are serious about internet marketing. If you are serious about marketing your business online, content is key. You can’t just get on social media networks and chat with people and share others’ links all day. You eventually, at some point, need to start creating, publishing and sharing content.

That content can come in various forms. The most obvious form is written content … using words, whether it’s a blog or through your social media. I prefer using a blog to publish content. You might put a twist on that and create some PDF documents that people can download and that’s another form of content. Again, mostly words.

You might want to repurpose some of your existing content. Maybe you already have some content on your website or some marketing material, some brochures or content of that nature that you can reformat and put into a blog post or like I said, a downloadable PDF.

And maybe it’s not just a simple one or two page PDF. Maybe you put together a bunch of content around a specific topic in a mini-series and create a 10-page PDF that somebody can download so that they can really wrap their head around what you have to offer and what kind of knowledge you want to transfer to somebody online.

Writing and creating written content is very powerful. Obviously, one of the key benefits of writing content is that it’s indexable by search engines. The words that you use, the phrases, and the keywords are all are indexable by various search engines.

Images and Pictures

So maybe you are not comfortable with writing or you are bored with writing or you don’t have time to write – another form of content you could share are images. Based on your industry, images can mean a lot. For example, if you are in the fashion or interior design industries or you have a product where images really lend themselves to sharing your content online, that’s a very popular format.

Pinterest, an application that’s very popular right now is centered around image sharing and that trend has really taken off in the past few months. It’s likely to continue over the next couple of years.

When you look on Facebook, people are sharing a lot of pictures. Besides video, pictures are the most widely shared content on Facebook and they draw a lot of attention. So pictures can be really powerful. I encourage you to get out your camera. If you have a Smartphone, get in the habit of taking a lot of pictures because it is a powerful way to share your story and engage your market.

If you are blogging you can put pictures into your blog post and optimize them with title, description and alt tags to help drive some search engine traffic. You can post them on Flickr.com which is the most popular photo sharing site on the internet, and maybe you could even take your pictures and create a little slide show animation or video and put it on YouTube.

So you can do a lot with pictures and it’s just a great way to share information with your market without using any words – I won’t get any cliches but obviously pictures are pretty powerful.

Video

Another logical form of content that might be useful for you is video. It is just so easy to shoot video these days, whether using your webcam on your computer. Most laptops come with a camera built in.

You can use your Smartphone or buy a relativity inexpensive Flipcam, Kodak ZI8 or Sony Bloggie camera. These produce beautiful video in high definition. I would encourage you to get one that has a microphone-in jack so that you can use a lapel mic or an external microphone to get the best audio.

Don’t over-think your video. You don’t have to create commercial quality video. People are receptive to casual video as long as you are sharing some knowledge with them, you are adding value and the audio quality is good. Most people will tune out if the audio quality is bad, so focus on getting good audio.

Maybe you could interview somebody, either one of your customers or your partners or somebody on your staff. If you are not comfortable putting yourself on screen, you can do what’s called a screencast.

You can use software like Screenr.com, free screen capture software that allows you to capture a five-minute video of whatever is on your computer screen. You could record a PowerPoint presentation, something you see on a website, or anything on your computer screen at the moment. You can add narration and create a great video to share on YouTube or download. Now put your video in an email newsletter, on your website on your Facebook Page.

YouTube obviously is the most popular video showing site so you want to use that if you can. I also recommend using Tubemogul.com. Basically you can upload a video once to TubeMogul and it will get distributed to dozens of the top video-sharing sites. There’s more than just YouTube, so this is a great way to get your message in front of a new audience.

Video is very powerful and more people are considering video now than ever. People are watching it on their phones, on their computers, on their TV’s and just about everywhere. If you want to differentiate your business, get your voice out there and get your message across in new and different and much more compelling way, video is awesome.

Audio and Podcasting

Another option is audio or podcasting. Given the popularity of iPhones and MP3 players and Smartphones that can allow people to listen to music and podcasts in particular, audio is a fantastic medium for you again to get your voice out there in a new and different way.

If you are not comfortable with video then audio is the second best choice because like I am doing right now, you can just speak freely and let your voice be heard. You can do it in small increments. You can create three to five minute podcast episodes or you could get a guest on the phone with Skype and record your conversation.

I prefer to use WordPress as a platform to host my podcast along with one of several different podcasting plugins such as Podcasting by TSG. These plugins allow you to setup your podcast and then have it published on iTunes, which is the #1 music download site in the world, so you immediately have exposure to millions and millions of people who use their Apple iOS products to listen to podcasts. Combined with Mobile Podcaster, I can podcast from my iPad or iPhone and publish to iTunes whenever I want without ever touching my computer.

Audio is fantastic and I really encourage you to consider it as part of your content marketing mix.

***********************

Hopefully this gives you some ideas to consider when publishing content online. Like I said earlier, it’s important that if you want to be heard, if you want to differentiate yourself from the market and you are serious about marketing online, you have to be able to create high quality content rapidly in a variety of formats.

Related posts:

1. Repurposing existing content for an additional boost to your online marketing and communications strategy
2. Video: Episode 5 Blogging for Business – Content Creation
3. 3 Reasons to Consider Video Marketing for Your Business
4. Social Media for Business and Sporting Events Marketing
5. Video: A few words on the importance of video as a marketing channel for your business

I think most people shy away from podcasting because they don’t understand the potential reach. The tools are not as well understood as blogging, so that is probably another reason that it’s not as widely used by marketers.

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This podcast episode was recorded on my iPhone and automatically uploaded to this website and iTunes using the Mobile Podcaster plugin.  For more information visit http://www.mobilepodcaster.com

Related posts:

1. Thoughts on Podcasting
2. New Audio: Podcasting from my iPad again with AudioBoo
3. Podcasting 101: Tips To Create Your Own Podcast
4. Podcasting 101: Realities of Creating and Editing your First Podcast Episode
5. Podcasting Equipment and Tools

In my daily routine, I scan all of the blogs that I subscribe to in Google Reader. My goal is to choose three blog posts that I find interesting and leave my comment. I find that this gives me exposure to readers on that website, and often drives traffic back my website.

Do you comment on blogs on a regular basis?  I’d love to hear your feedback.

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Related posts:

1. 30DTC – Commenting on Other Blogs to Drive Traffic to My Website
2. Differentiate Yourself And Your Business For Online Market Leadership
3. 3 Reasons to Comment on 5 Blog Posts Per Day
4. 3 SEO Strategies You Can Execute Right Now
5. 4 ways to use Google Reader to track your industry, engage your market and monitor your brand

… thus, I am sharing them with you!

Listen as I explain this year’s lineup … 

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This year’s list covers a broad range of leading products and services, including keyword research, email newsletter management, file storage, website hosting, contact management, image capture, video capture, mind mapping, social media, WordPress custom themes, online lead generation, membership site management and webinar hosting.

After 15 years of marketing online, it is clear to me that there is more than one way to get things accomplished. In the early days, I relied heavily on free tools and my own programming & marketing skills to make things happen. In almost every case, there is an alternative route, tool, application or service that is equally capable of getting the job done. Trust me, I’ve tried a lot of tools over the years!

Related posts:

1. GoToWebinar: #12 Essential Online Marketing Tool for 2012
2. Aweber: #2 Essential Online Marketing Tool for 2012
3. Hootsuite: #4 Essential Online Marketing Tool for 2012
4. WishList Member: #5 Essential Online Marketing Tool for 2012
5. MindNode: #8 Essential Online Marketing Tool for 2012

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money online. Today we’ll discuss Linkshare and how you can get started.

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I started exploring affiliate marketing in 2005 after blogging about the Olympics since 2001. I had a steading flow of traffic to my sites and wanted to monetize them somehow. I tried Adsense but that didn’t seem too promising.

I did some research and discovered a few leading affiliate programs: Linkshare, ShareaSale and Commission Junction. These sites basically serve as the middleman between you and the merchant.

Basic Steps to Get Started with an Affiliate Marketing Site

1. Before you get started with affiliate marketing, you need a website. The fastest way to do this is get hosting at Bluehost and do an auto install of WordPress. There are tons of great free themes or for a more sophisticated set of customization options check out the Catalyst WordPress Theme.
2. Once you’ve registered your website, visit the affiliate program sites (Linkshare, etc) and sign up for an account. There you’ll find dozens of categories and 1,000 of merchants with millions of products you can promote on your website. It’s easy to search and find the right products that match your niche.
3. Once you find a a few good merchants, apply to become an affiliate for their program. Some programs will approve your application immediately, while it may take a day or two for others to let you in or reject you based on a number of potential reasons.
4. Upon approval, you’ll have access to a plethora of links for each merchant. You’ll see text links, banner links, individual product links and some customizable links. Most affiliate programs also have a feed that you can subscribe to or download so that you no longer have to manually login to see what’s new. It’s really pretty amazing how quickly you can start grabbing HTML code for these links and build out your new website.
5. Put the links on your site and once someone purchases something a record of the transaction will appear in your affiliate program account. Depending on the program you’ve chosen, you can expect to get a check for your commissions within 30-60 after your total reaches a set minimum. Payouts usually come in the form of check, direct deposit or PayPal.

Have you tried affiliate marketing? What’s worked for you?

Related posts:

1. How Do I Get Started with Affiliate Marketing?
2. Introduction to the Most Popular Affiliate Programs
3. Affiliate Marketing Field Guide by Steinar M. Knutsen (Free iPad Download from iTunes)
4. How to Make Money Online with the Linkshare Affiliate Marketing Program
5. How to Make Money Online with the ShareASale Affiliate Marketing Program

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1) Join Google Plus

Social media is obviously playing an increasingly important  role in how people find information online and connect with brands in a meaningful way. Search engines recognize this and have, therefore, changed their algorithms to put social media in the spotlight.

The most recent evidence of this is the launch of Google Plus, an 80 million member strong social media platform run by Google. In the past it was common to find Facebook and Twitter content in Google search results, but in 2011 Google scrapped those relationships and now shows Google Plus content instead.

To take advantage of this I encourage you to set up a Google Plus account. Complete your profile as well as possible including information about you, locations you’ve lived, where you work, what you do, links to other online profiles & websites and your profile picture. Add a few new posts, including one to your website. Upload a few images and videos if you can. You want to send a signal to Google that your onboard and ready to participate.

Of course, the real power of Google Plus is the community, so start adding people to Circles. Comment on their posts, +1 their content and share their posts to your Circles. Mention them in you posts too. If you have a business, setup a Google Plus Page and repeat the steps above.

This entire process should take no more than about an hour and will establish a great baseline for you and your new relationship with Google. The key is to get your profile setup now, so that your “start date” is locked in. Google tends to place importance on the age of domains and other online assets, so consider this your first warning to get things rolling early.

2) Write Great Content

Writing unique content on your blog has and always will be a valuable method for driving search engine traffic to your site. Blogging on a regular basis sends a signal to Google that your website is relevant, among other things.

Personally, I like blogging because it forces me to really dive into important issues within my industry and provide additional clarity to my customers so they can make sense of what’s happening online. The more I blog about current events and trends within my industry, the more traffic I get from visitors looking for help on those topics. The same is true in any niche, so think about your market and what’s happening today. Pick a specific topic and write a couple blog posts that provide guidance for those looking for help.

If your nervous about blogging or have trouble getting started, I recommend that you just start writing without editing at first. You don’t want editing to get in the way of your stream of thought. Rather, get the ideas down on paper, and then go back later and edit for proper grammar and markup such as bold and italicizing.  For example, I write this blog post using Siri – a voice to text dictation application on the iPhone.  It took me just a few minutes to talk and the results was nearly 1000 words.

With every blog post that you write I also recommend you include categories and relevant tags. In WordPress, for example, you can choose these options when publishing each blog post. This creates additional pages within your site that Google can index and also provides helpful navigation for your users to discover content across your site.

When you finally publish your blog pos, share the link to your content on popular social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Plus. Soon, you’ll see traffic coming to your site that may otherwise have gone to the competition. Of course, use Google Analytics to see exactly how these people are finding your site and what keywords they used when they searched on search engines.

3) Comment on other Blogs

I’ve written about commenting on other blogs previously so I won’t get into too much detail here, but this remains a very powerful method for driving traffic to your website.

When you comment on other blogs or websites there are a few things that happen.

• First, it forces you to really read the article, form your own opinion about the subject and then add value to the conversation.
• The second thing that happens is that people that read that article will see your comment and your name.  If you comment often, they will identify you as a thought leader within your niche. Furthermore, if you leave good comments, readers will click through to visit your website and learn more about you.
• In some cases, search engines will also be indexing your comments – buildings backlinks that drive search engine optimization for your site over the long-run.

I hope you find these three strategies helpful. Obviously, as the search engines continues to evolve and new online platforms appear these strategies will change over time.

What is your favorite strategy for driving traffic to your website?

Related posts:

1. Product Creation Strategies to Monetize Your Blog
2. Two killer Facebook Page strategies to target specific users. This is good stuff!!!
3. Video: Episode 4 Blogging for Business – Intro to Search Engine Optimization
4. 3 Reasons Why WordPress Blog Post Tags Are Important
5. 3 Reasons Why You Should Blog

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Here are 3 Advantages of Using Plus for Business (vs. Facebook and Twitter)

1. Google Hangouts is a fantastic new way to conduct a video conference online for free.  You can invite up to 10 people including yourself and keep the meeting going for hours without cost.  Whomever is talking gets their video showcased in the conference call while other participants are shown in a row along the bottom of the screen.  The system is very responsive and the audio video quality is fine.
2. Google Circles allows you to categorize people that follow you on Google Plus into groups called Circles.  You could have Circles for friends, coworkers, customers, business partners, prospects, pundits, and so on.  Once established, you can select which Circle(s) can see your individual posts.  For example, you might want to share a new product feature with prospects and a customer service announcement with current customers.
3. Google Pages were announced in November and allow Google Plus users to set up a special Google Plus Page for their business.  Since we are already seeing Google Plus content in Google search results, this is a great way to get your brand in front of general Google Search users.  Functionally speaking Google Plus user Profiles and Pages are very similar.  You cannot, however, put people in your Google Page Circles until they first connect with your business Page.  I’m sure this will all change over time.

I encourage businesses to get on Google Plus now to secure their start date.  Google usually uses domain age as a variable in Google Page Rank and it’s to your benefit to get in early.

What do you think about Google Plus?  I love it – here’s a link to my Google Plus Profile.

Related posts:

1. Social Media Expands with Launch of Google Plus Pages for Business
2. How to Find and Add Local Google Plus Users to your Circles and Grow your Social Network
3. Facebook is More Like Google and Why Your Business Needs a FaceBook Page
4. Google PageRank Checker – Check Google Page Rank of any Web Page
5. Video: Episode 4 Blogging for Business – Intro to Search Engine Optimization

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Second, if enabled, your link on someone else’s blog post can be indexed by Google. By default most blogs use a no-follow rule which means that your link will not be indexed; however, with the help of Market Samurai I can find blogs that have this option set up to allow search engines to index my link. This creates a backlink to my website, which is one of the leading variables to determine how my site ranks on search engine results.

Third, leaving comments on other peopl’s blog posts forces me to keep on top of the latest trends, strategies and tactics others are using within my niche. In my case, I’m going to comment on blog posts that have to do with driving traffic to your website. I not only get to learn about what others are doing, but I get to use this information as inspiration for some of my upcoming blog posts.

For me, commenting on at least three blog posts per day is a reasonable frequency and pace that I can maintain over the course of 30 days. There is a ton of information on the Internet about driving traffic to your website so I feel like there will be no shortage of blog posts to find and comment on. This may or may not be the case for you depending on your niche.

A best practice when commenting on other people’s blog posts is to add insightful information to the original blog post. There’s nothing worse than leaving a boring comment with a link to your website. This adds no value and can ultimately hurt your search engine optimization. It can also hurt your reputation.

On the other hand, leaving an insightful comment that adds value to the conversation will draw additional comments and can help build your reputation overtime. You may even find some new people to follow online and build mutually beneficial relationships.

That’s it for now. I have some comments to leave. Do you regularly leave comments on other blogs? Why or why not?

Sent from my iPhone 4S

Related posts:

1. Commenting on Blogs for Knowledge, Brand Building and Market Leadership
2. Current Website Unique Visitors and 30 Day Traffic Challenge Goal
3. 30DTC – Using Market Samurai to Identify Keyword Phrases and Drive Targeted Web Traffic
4. 30DTC – Driving Targeted Web Traffic with Long-Tail Keyword Research
5. 18 Inbound Marketing Tactics to Drive Website Traffic and Search Engine Rank

UPDATE: Here’s my new intro.

Some of these are better than others, but at the end of the day they provided me with some useful inspiration for my own podcast.

Enjoy!

• Smart Passive Income Podcast
• Affiliate Marketing Today
• I Love Marketing
• Duct Tape Marketing
• SEO Podcast Unknown Secrets of Internet Marketing
• Internet Marketing for Smart People Radio
• Guerilla Marketing Radio
• Small Business Marketing Ideas Podcast
• Internet Marketing Mogul
• Internet Business Mastery
• Internet Marketing This Week

These intros aren’t that difficult to create.  You could easily create your own in Garageband with some simple sound bites mixed with some of the built in musical effects.

You could also use a sight such as fiverr.com.  There are dozens of voice specialists that will create a killer podcast intro for only $5.  Well worth $20 to get 4 versions put together, right?

Are you podcasting?  How’s that going?

Related posts:

1. Part IV – How to Podcast from Your Mac (iWeb and iTunes)
2. What materials or applications would you recommend for producing podcasts and YouTube videos?
3. Audio and Video: How to podcast from your iPad or iPhone and publish on WordPress and iTunes
4. Setting SMART Goals for your 2012 Internet Marketing Strategy
5. Setting SMART Goals for your 2011 Internet Marketing Strategy

In this episode Mike and I discuss a few applications to record and edit your podcast.

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Producing and editing your podcast can seem daunting at first.  You may not feel comfortable putting your voice out there, but with practice and the right tools this may be overcome with time.  Editing can be a rather technical process as well, so be prepared to either learn how to do it your self or hire someone to help.

Here are two great podcasting tools to get you on the right path:

1) GarageBand for the Mac.  This audio software comes with every Mac and provides professional level editing tools to capture, enhance and out put your recording as an MP3.

2) Audacity for both Mac and Windows.  Audacity has been around for years and is an excellent, free application to record and edit your podcast.

Feel free to contact me or email Mike Bisceglia at cvillepodcast@gmail.com for more information!

1. 12 Essential Online Marketing Tools for 2012
2. Create a Website in Minutes with a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog
3. How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing for Passive Income
4. Someone Else Wrote Your Blog Last Year
5. How to Build a Website to Host Your Podcast

As you know, podcasting is a great channel to leverage the 100 million+ Apple devices out there not to mention the millions of other devices capable of subscribing and listening to your show.

In this episode we lay the groundwork with some basic tips and essential tools you can use to create your own podcast! Want to have your own show? We’ll discuss options to do-it-yourself or work with Mike in the radio production studio for a professional recording, editing and publishing experience.

Feel free to contact me or email Mike Bisceglia at cvillepodcast@gmail.com for more information!

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P.S. – It took some real guts to include this picture of me wearing that awful headset

P.S.S. – You can subscribe to my blog’s podcast via iTunes here

Related posts:

1. Podcasting 101: Realities of Creating and Editing your First Podcast Episode
2. Thoughts on Podcasting
3. Podcasting Equipment and Tools
4. New Audio: Podcasting from my iPad again with AudioBoo
5. What is Podcasting and Why Is It Important for Your Business

The main takeaway is that there are several different approaches to podcasting either from the web, your Mac or PC, your phone and even the web.

This audio was recorded using the VR+ recording app available on iTunes for $1.99 and I am writing this text using the WordPress iPhone app. No longer are we tied to the expensive tools that once served as a barrier to effective podcasting.

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What are your thoughts on podcasting? Have you considered it in your marketing mix?

1. 12 Essential Online Marketing Tools for 2012
2. Create a Website in Minutes with a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog
3. How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing for Passive Income
4. Someone Else Wrote Your Blog Last Year
5. How to Build a Website to Host Your Podcast

Garageband is loved by both musicians and podcasters because of its simplistic user interface, yet advanced capabilities. Want to burn a single track and email to your friend – no problem. Want to record 8-tracks with both live and MIDI instruments with complex effects and save to your iPad? No problem.

The beauty of Garageband on the iPad is that you’ll now be able to do all of this on the go, with great battery life and the ability for sync your GB file tracks back to your Mac for editing and final mixdown. That’s pretty appealing.

The latest version of Garageband now let’s you export your recordings to Facebook and SoundCloud – two potential opportunities for podcasters. Of course, neither of these solutions publishes to the public iTunes feed, but it’s a step in the right direction.

So if you want to podcast, I suppose you could setup a SoundCloud account and use Garageband to do that. Personally, I like my podcasts on iTunes so people can subscribe to them. That’s why I created Mobile Podcaster. If you have an iPad or iPhone, you should check that out.

1. 12 Essential Online Marketing Tools for 2012
2. Create a Website in Minutes with a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog
3. How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing for Passive Income
4. Someone Else Wrote Your Blog Last Year
5. How to Build a Website to Host Your Podcast

Once you have 25 fans on your Page go to facebook.com/username to select your custom URL. Please note that once you select a name it can never be changed, so please take a minute to choose wisely. Now when you advertise your Page you can use the custom URL rather than just saying “Find us on Facebook.”

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Use the new custom URL in print, business cards and your email signature. Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Easily Create Custom Facebook Page FBML Layouts with the 520 Grid System
2. How to login and use Facebook as a Page
3. Check it out – new Facebook Page Tabs are basically mini websites
4. Two killer Facebook Page strategies to target specific users. This is good stuff!!!
5. 5 Tips for a Better Facebook Page

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The “Press This” function allows quick publishing with a special web browser bookmarklet. You can create a post by quoting some text, images, and videos on any web page.

via Press This « WordPress Codex.

Press This comes loaded with every WordPress installation and can easily be added as a link in your browser toolbar by going to your WP administration dashboard. From the dashboard go to the tools menu on the left hand side and you will see the Press This tool listed. Use your mouse and click to drag the Press This link from the page up into you your browser toolbar.

Now when you visit a website and would like to quote something from that site just click on the Press This link in your browser toolbar and a new WordPress post window will open up.

It’s as easy as that.

Related posts:

1. How to Add the WordPress “Press This” Bookmarklet Link to Your Browser Toolbar
2. Episode 6 – Blogging for Business: Using WordPress as Your Blogging Platform
3. Create a Blogging Editorial Calendar for Consistent Content Creation (template included)
4. How to start a podcast quickly, easily and without spending a fortune
5. Why should I use WordPress as a content management system (CMS) for my blog?

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3 Reasons WordPress Tags are Important

1. Tags are similar to the index at the end of a book. They help the reader find specific keywords hidden through your blog. Even better, they help readers find all the posts that are related to a particular Tag.
2. Tags are great for search engine optimization, since every tag creates a new url or page within your site that Google and other search engines may index.
3. Tags are also good for creating sub-categories around a niche topic. For example you may have a cooking category and several posts tagged as “breakfast”. Each tag has it’s own RSS feed, so you could use this to either target subscribers or submit your RSS feed to niche 3rd party sites.

How are you using tags?

Related posts:

1. 30DTC – Why are WordPress Tags Important?
2. 13 Steps to Make Every Blog Post More SEO Friendly
3. Top 5 Reasons to use the Catalyst WordPress Theme Framework for your Blog
4. How to Create a Different Sidebar for a Specific Blog Post with Catalyst WordPress Theme Template
5. 3 Reasons Why You Should Blog

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Mentions in Facebook Page Updates

Mentioning others in your Facebook Page updates is a great way to gain significant exposure for  your page.  If the other Page’s setting include “Others” then your update will appear on their Page.  Why is this so special?  Because most folks don’t know this is possible and simply put comments on other Pages’ Walls using their personal profile – not good if your running a business Facebook Page marketing campaign.

1. Become a Fan or Like another page in which you would like to get some exposure

2. In your Facebook Page update use the “@” symbol and pick the name of that Page (or individual) from the dropdown menu that appears

3. Write something flattering or worthy of sharing.  You do not want to spam the other Page.  If you write something nice that their followers find valuable then it’s a win-win situation.

4. Depending on the setup used by the target Page, your update will either appear directly on their Wall or in a hidden portion of their Wall.  To see posts by “others” click on the “filter” link at the top of the Wall.

Geo-targeting in Facebook Page Updates

Geo-targeting is great if you have a broad audience but would only like to speak to a specific portion.  For example, you may have a shipping offer only good in the US or a discount only for Chicago residents.  Facebook lets you specify who will see you update based on location and language.  Very powerful stuff!

To do this simply select the “Custom”  link in the lower right hand corner of the update field next to the Share button.  Input your Location and/or Language criteria and that’s it.  Enjoy!

Any other tips you have for targeting specific users with Facebook Pages?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

Related posts:

1. Check it out – new Facebook Page Tabs are basically mini websites
2. Why Would I Want a Facebook Page for my Business?
3. How to login and use Facebook as a Page
4. How to post status updates to your Facebook Page
5. Video: how to connect with and engage other businesses on Facebook with your Facebook Page

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Related posts:

1. How to post mobile friendly audio to wordpress from iPhone using one application (Audio)
2. 3 Reasons Why WordPress Blog Post Tags Are Important
3. New Audio: Podcasting from my iPad again with AudioBoo
4. Leveraging events to drive SEO traffic to your blog (Audio)
5. Getting funny looks when you mention Twitter. We can all relate. (Audio)

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Related posts:

1. Audio and Video: How to podcast from your iPad or iPhone and publish on WordPress and iTunes
2. How to post mobile friendly audio to wordpress from iPhone using one application (Audio)
3. Thoughts on Podcasting
4. Leveraging events to drive SEO traffic to your blog (Audio)
5. Getting funny looks when you mention Twitter. We can all relate. (Audio)

MOBILE PODCASTER USER GUIDE: I’m also going to let you download the complete instructions for Mobile Podcaster so you can see exactly how it works.

WORDPRESS INSTALLATION GUIDE: One more thing … here are complete instructions to install WordPress to host your podcast.

Audio and Video Description of Recording and Creating a Podcast on my iPad with Audioboo

The process I’ve outlined below with Audioboo is also perfectly good, but Audioboo is limited to 5 minutes, so keep that in mind.

The iPad serves many purposes, but for me it’s about marketing and finding new and different ways to leverage mobile technology to grow my business and engage my market online. New media has been especially interesting and I’ve confirmed the iPad is great for recording audio to create podcast episodes which can translate into new WordPress blog posts.

Audio is a great format to communicate with your readers for several reasons:

• audio blog posts are much faster to produce
• audio blog posts do not require extensive editing
• you can easily set up a separate RSS feed for audio posts and let readers subscribe via iTunes (see my sidebar)
• audio blog posts can be created while driving – much like talking on the phone
• audio blog posts are great for interviewing people
• audio blog posts are a great way to differentiate your blog and add variety

My solution satisfies the following criteria:

• post audio to WordPress from my iPhone without logging into WordPress
• blog posts must contain a flash audio player that is user friendly for desktop users
• blog posts must contain a direct link to the raw mp3 file so that audio is mobile friendly
• audio posts must publish automatically without any further editing or logging into WordPress
• Any social networking notifications stem from my blog and direct users to my site, not some 3rd party site.

Installation and Setup

Here are the steps to post audio directly to WordPress from your iPhone:

1. Install the AudioBoo app on your iPhone (Audiobook is limited to 5 minutes.  For longer recordings, check out Mobile Podcaster)
2. Install WP-o-Matic plugin on your WordPress blog
3. Install Podcasting plugin on your WordPress blog

AudioBoo

No custom settings are required.  Just set up an account, go to My Boos, and copy the RSS feed address from the Address Bar.

WP-o-Matic

1. Set up a new Campaign
2. In the Basic tab, give your campaign a name, activate it, and provide a slug.  I use “audio.”
3. In the Feed tab insert the RSS feed address from AudioBoo
   
4. In the Categories tab, indicate your preferred category.  I use “podcast.”
5. Leave Rewrite tab blank
6. In the Option tab create a custom post template with the code below.
   
   - Set Frequency at no less than 1 per hour to determine when new feeds should be checked.
   - Select Published when you’re ready to go live.  Choose Private or Draft while testing.
   - For Max Items, I select one(1) since I do not want more than one audio post per day.  You could do more if you like.
7. In the Tools tab, do nothing.

Podcasting Plugin

The only option I recommend you modify is the Player Width under Audio Player Options so that it fits horizontally within your post appropriately.  I use 480px on my site for example.

How to Use

1. Open the AudioBoo app on your iPhone
2. Record your audio, give it a title, and publish
3. Your MP3 will now appear as a new post, based on the frequency you selected in WP-o-Matic Options.
4. After post has published you may add text to the post.  If you want the ability to add text prior to publishing, change the WP-o-Matic Options back to “Draft,” but this defeats the purpose for me – the ability to publish audio to my blog without logging into WordPress at all.

What do you think?  Does this work for you?  There are other solutions – what are you using?

Related posts:

1. Publish audio to WordPress post with iPhone via email (Audio)
2. How to post mobile friendly audio to wordpress from iPhone using one application (Audio)
3. New Audio: Podcasting from my iPad again with AudioBoo
4. How to post audio directly to WordPress from iPhone
5. Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)

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Four advantages of Google Reader

1. Ability to track your industry by subscribing to popular blogs or RSS feeds that contain the latest news, trends and product information
2. Ability to share information with your social network via share button, shared custom Google Reader RSS feed or email link
3. Ability to save searches from Twitter to easily identify opportunity to engage with people asking for help on topics you understand
4. Ability to track mentions of you, your company, your brand or your products and service so you can jump in the conversation early and often.

How do you use Google Reader?  What other online tools do you use to accomplish these or similar tasks?

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2. Commenting on Blogs for Knowledge, Brand Building and Market Leadership
3. Seven Elements of an Effective Blog to Drive Traffic, Engage Customers and Stay Organized (Video)
4. 9 Ways to Find New Content Ideas for Your Blog, Podcast or Videos
5. Engage with Your Customers using Social Media

Setting SMART goals is a proven approach to achieving success more quickly.  As 2009 winds down, this is the perfect opportunity to examine your goals for 2010 and apply the SMART mnemonic or acronym to increase the likelihood your goals are met.

SMART stands for:

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Realistic
T – Timely

Free Template Downloads:

• Apple Numbers Goal Setting Template
• Microsoft Excel Goal Setting Template

Specific

You want to clearly define your goals to articulate specifically what you are trying to achieve.  The question is what, how and why are you striving toward this goal?

• What are you going to do?  Use action words, such as create, sell, manage, or grow, etc. to bring a sense of energy to your goals.
• Why are you doing this?  What is the ultimate outcome?  Why is this important and what impact will this have on you, your business, or your customers?
• How are you going to do this?  What are the sub-goals or action steps that will enable you to achieve your goal

The more specific you are, the greater your ability to identify success when it occurs.  For example, “I will write and publish 21 blog posts (250-400 words) about skydiving equipment by March 1, 2010.“  In this example I used action words “write and publish”, specified the number, length, and topic of the blog posts and put a date on it.  As we’ll discuss next, this goal is also measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.

Measurable

If you cannot measure your goals then you cannot manage your progress.  Furthermore, it is far more difficult to achieve your objectives if a) you do not measure your progress or b) you do not measure the appropriate metrics.  In some cases a progress chart, table or simple checklist might help.

For example, you might be trying to improve visitor conversion rates.  Using a web statistics tool, such as Google Analytics, can help track vital statistics but make sure you understand and pick the right metric that defines success.  You can get 1,000 visitors a day, but if no one buys, that metric is meaningless.  Don’t get caught up trying to move the wrong target.

Attainable

Is your goal possible?  Is it limited by your resources or require more time to achieve?  I encourage you to set stretch goals for yourself to push your limits, but keep them within reach.  The benefit is that you’ll see real progress toward success.  The risk is that you do not achieve your goals and lose momentum or hope.

For example, you may have just launched a new blog and you want 20% of your visitors to sign up for your newsletter out of the gate.  While this is a realistic rate that you could eventually achieve, it is unlikely to happen right away.  A more attainable goal would be to grow your newsletter list by 5% each month.

Realistic

Is your goal realistic?  You might want 5,000 newsletter subscribers, which is attainable, but is it realistic to achieve this goal by within 2 weeks?  Maybe not.  Be honest with yourself and your business when setting goals by keeping them realistic or you risk disappointment.

Timely

When is the deadline to achieve your goal?  Next week, 3 months, by year end?  Setting a specific date will help you identify your tactical sub-goals and action steps to achieve your goal within a given deadline.  Map out these deadlines or milestones on a calendar.  Plan rewards for yourself when you cross each line.

A common mistake is to generalize about timing.  For example, avoid using descriptions such as “this year, next quarter, in the next two weeks.”  Without a specific date, these deadlines will slip away.

In my experience, SMART goals help you reach your objectives more quickly with a defined path for success.  I recommend writing them down and revisiting them frequently to check progress and adapt to changing circumstances.  In most cases, you will over-achieve — either beating a deadline or delivering something of greater value.

What’s your experience setting goals for the new year?  Do you use the SMART mnemonic?

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2. Create a Website in Minutes with a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog
3. How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing for Passive Income
4. Someone Else Wrote Your Blog Last Year
5. How to Build a Website to Host Your Podcast

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Starting a podcast is easier than ever these days.  You can use some of the free tools that come with virtually every computer these days or make a few modest purchases to improve the quality of your podcast.  I recommend you focus on content creation before buying a bunch of unnecessary equipment.

Here’s are some of the basic elements to consider when launching a podcast for the first time:

What is a podcast? There’s some argument over where the term came from and who produced the first podcast, but i use the definition: audio & video “portable on demand”.  Essentially, this includes new media content that’s available for consumption in iTunes (or another leading podcast hub), directly on your website, or via a mobile device, such as the iPhone.

What microphone should I use for my podcast? Since a podcast obviously involves audio communication, I recommend you use the best quality microphone you can afford or one that at least offers a level of quality your listeners will find acceptable.  I’ve done podcast episodes using my Mac internal mic and my iphone, but when I’m in the office I use the Samson CO1U USB Condenser Mic.(aff)

Where should I deliver my podcast? Any website or blog can have its own podcast.  By definition, a podcast doesn’t need to be on iTunes so don’t let that misconception stop you from publishing audio content.  For example, sign up with AudioBoo and record a show – then paste the html or script into a blog post or a web page.  This is an example of a very simple approach.  You could also set up a WordPress blog, install one of many podcast plugings, and upload audio files from your computer.  I prefer to use the Podcasting plugin, but there are several other WordPress plugins available.

What should I say on my podcast? All of us have something to say; however, podcasting is not for everyone.  My suggestion is that you find a subject you are passionate about and make a list of potential topics you could discuss.  What are the top 5 questions people ask you about your topic?  What are the top 5 questions they should be asking?  There’s content for 10 episodes right there.

Should I do all the talking on my podcast? Some podcasts are run by a single person who does all the talking, while others are two or more people engaged in a conversation.  Some are discussion style, while others are more of an interview.  It really depends on your subject, what you have to share personally and who else you know that can help liven up the discussion.  Ask your listeners what’s working for them and change as needed.

Is there a show format I should follow? I recommend you establish a consistent format or ageneda for your podcast episodes or shows.  The reason is that a consistent format puts the listeners at ease and builds a certain level of expectation over time.  For example: 1)intro music 2) introduction 3) topic one 4) topic two 5) pick of the week 6) closing remarks with call to action and 7)closing music.  That’s just an example — the possibilities are unlimited.

What file format should I use for my podcast? MP3 is the most widely accepted audio file format, but most podcasting hosts will accept a variety of file formats.

How do I get my podcast on iTunes and how much does it cost? Podcast distribution on iTunes is free.  Just be sure you’re using the correct RSS format.  To learn more open iTunes and go to Store>Podcasts>Submit a Podcast.  You may also have readers subscribe to you podcast through iTunes without actually publishing to iTunes.  Of course, this does not make your podcast available to the general public but is a convenience.

How to Podcast with Garageband and Publish on iTunes

Are you thinking of starting a podcast?  What’s holding you back?  Is there something I can help clarify to get you started?

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In this audio I post I discuss the challenge of managing multiple day-to-day responsibilities vs. the opportunity to create unique and compelling content for your readers.  The realty is that created content should be your #1 priority in terms of Internet Marketing.  Everything else is secondary – not becuase it’s not important, but simply because content is proven as the leading tactic to engage your audience online.

The challenge is to find a schedule with which to post new content on a regular basis.  It’s easier than ever these days to quickly produce and publish audio, video, images and text-based blog posts, but many folks simply can’t find the time or don’t have the right tools to make it easy and effective.

For me, it’s about publishing at least one blog post everyday and allocating a few hours once a week to tweak my site.  What’s your strategy?  What’s working for you?

Related posts:

1. Create a Blogging Editorial Calendar for Consistent Content Creation (template included)
2. How do you post audio to your website – some questions to ask before you start (Audio)
3. Video: Episode 5 Blogging for Business – Content Creation
4. Publish audio to WordPress post with iPhone via email (Audio)
5. Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)

Upcoming events are a great opportunity for you to leverage keywords related to that event and drive SEO traffic to your blog.

If you can, research an event within your niche and identify 2-3 long-tail keyword phrases that a potential reader might use to search for information on Google.  Write a few blog posts about the event and use these keywords in your title, post text, meta keywords, and meta description.  Follow up your post with a link in Twitter, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon and your other favorite social media and bookmarking sites.

In my experience, if there is little competition for the event I can usually score a top 3 position in Google if I choose my keywords correctly.  There are several tools to conduct keyword research, but I suggest starting with Google Keyword Tool to familiarize yourself on the topic.

Although events come and go, the benefit of optimizing for them is the ability to attract new followers within your niche.  Give it a try – it’s actually a bit fun.

What’s your experience leveraging events to drive SEO traffic to your blog?  Any success or other tips to share?

Related posts:

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2. 30DTC – Driving Targeted Web Traffic with Long-Tail Keyword Research
3. 30DTC – Using Market Samurai to Identify Keyword Phrases and Drive Targeted Web Traffic
4. Year-to-Date Blog Traffic Sources Analysis Illustrates Content Distribution Strategy
5. Social Media for Business and Sporting Events Marketing

In this audio post I discuss Ustream.tv and the new opportunities available to reach your market in a new and exciting way through video.

Ustream has been around for years but many businesses have yet to grasp the potential.  Basically, Ustream offers the ability to broadcast live video over the Internet in a controlled, yet open platform.  Viewers may interact through a closed chat feature or through the new built-in Twitter feed.  Live broadcasts may be recorded and saved for future playback.

Obviously, the implications of this are huge in terms of market reach and differentiation for your business.  Consumers are ready for this new media and comfortable consuming content in this manner – think of it as a real-time version of YouTube.  Of course, if you’re not comfortable creating video in the first place, this may be quite a leap in terms of confidence and risk.  The key is to get started today and practice.  It will get easier – trust me.

I’ll leave with the final thought.  Video creates a personal touch with your market.  If any of you have ever “finally met someone in real-life” after chatting with them on Twitter, then you can appreciate this.  People want to see, talk and interact with others beyond text based methods.  If that makes sense to you, then I encourage you to push your comfort zone and leverage Ustream (or YouTube) to take things to the next level.  You’ll be glad you did.

What are your thoughts?  Is streaming video something that would help you communicate with your market?  Are consumers ready for this?

Related posts:

1. Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)
2. Audio and Video: How to podcast from your iPad or iPhone and publish on WordPress and iTunes
3. Publish audio to WordPress post with iPhone via email (Audio)
4. How do you post audio to your website – some questions to ask before you start (Audio)
5. New Audio: Podcasting from my iPad again with AudioBoo

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The fact is, many business owners still do not understand the power of social media and Twitter in particular. Those active in social media marketing can easily point to at least one if not several businesses that have derived some benefit as a result of their engagement.

Related posts:

1. Publish audio to WordPress post with iPhone via email (Audio)
2. Aggregate multiple Twitter search rss feeds to answer questions within your niche (Audio)
3. What does your Twitter psychological profile say about you?
4. Use Twitter and Facebook to Market and Grow Your Business (Video)
5. Leveraging events to drive SEO traffic to your blog (Audio)

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3. How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing for Passive Income
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5. How to Build a Website to Host Your Podcast

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2. Getting funny looks when you mention Twitter. We can all relate. (Audio)
3. How do you post audio to your website – some questions to ask before you start (Audio)
4. New Audio: Podcasting from my iPad again with AudioBoo
5. Use Twitter and Facebook to Market and Grow Your Business (Video)

How do you come up with topics to blog about?  What’s holding you back from blogging?

Related posts:

1. Can You Avoid Copywriting Problems with Audio Blog Posts? (Audio)
2. Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)
3. How do you post audio to your website – some questions to ask before you start (Audio)
4. Blogging – Tools, Topics and Traffic (Audio)
5. Publish audio to WordPress post with iPhone via email (Audio)

Advantages of Audio Blogging
•    Quicker to record and post
•    Fewer tools required
•    Faster download
•    Greater reach with MP3 players

Advantages of Video Blogging
•    Great to put a face with your name and voice
•    Good for presentations or tutorials
•    Good to leverage YouTube channel network
•    Most engaging web content according to studies

In either case, audio and video both add color to the standard text based blog, much like photos make your posts pop.  Experiment with both and find which works best for you.  You may find that video works in some cases, while audio is better for others.

What are your thoughts?  Are you finding success with audio and/or video.  Which seems to work best given the topic or situation?

1. 12 Essential Online Marketing Tools for 2012
2. Create a Website in Minutes with a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog
3. How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing for Passive Income
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5. How to Build a Website to Host Your Podcast

Topics Covered:
• Creating unique and compelling content
• Search Engine Optimization and long-tail keywords
• Commenting on third-party websites
• Leveraging Social Media

How are you attracting more readers? Which tactics are getting the best results?

Related posts:

1. Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)
2. Leverage Online Video to Engage Readers, Drive Website Traffic and Differentiate Your Business (Video)
3. Leveraging events to drive SEO traffic to your blog (Audio)
4. Seven Elements of an Effective Blog to Drive Traffic, Engage Customers and Stay Organized (Video)
5. Engage your readers with mini-series of blog posts

What are your thoughts?  Is audio an effective method for blogging.  Should you mix audio and text posts?

Related posts:

1. Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)
2. Drive More Traffic to Your Blog and Engage Readers (Audio)
3. Get Over It and Start Blogging (Audio)
4. How do you post audio to your website – some questions to ask before you start (Audio)
5. Publish audio to WordPress post with iPhone via email (Audio)

Topics Discussed:

• What are some of the tools I can use to get started?
• What do I blog about – what should I say?
• How do I drive traffic and more readers?
• What are the benefits of blogging?

Tools Covered:

• WordPress.com and WordPress.org
• Blogger.com
• Bluehost.com, godaddy.com

What are your thoughts? What tools are you using and what makes blogging easier for you?

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1. Drive More Traffic to Your Blog and Engage Readers (Audio)
2. Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)
3. Get Over It and Start Blogging (Audio)
4. How to Start an Effective Blog for Free (Video)
5. Can You Avoid Copywriting Problems with Audio Blog Posts? (Audio)

I’m looking into it, but in the meantime enjoy this great video from Eric Qualman on Social Media.

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2. Create a Website in Minutes with a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog
3. How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing for Passive Income
4. Someone Else Wrote Your Blog Last Year
5. How to Build a Website to Host Your Podcast