Use SpeakPipe To Keep The Conversation Going With Your Audience

SpeakPipe is an online service that allows podcasters to get voice mail feedback from their audience. It's a handy online tool that works in one of two ways. 

1. You can add a snippet of code to your website or blog which will display a widget
2. You can send listeners to your custom SpeakPipe homepage

In this episode of the podcast I play a question that was left for me using SpeakPipe.
The question came in from Ron Hitson and he wants to know how I would send traffic to a squeeze page without using my blog.

Many professional podcasters are using SpeakPipe to connect with their audience by allowing them an easy way to leave a voice mail using their built-in computer mic or smartphone.  When I listen to podcasts I enjoy hearing the playback of questions left by by podcast listeners like myself.

Podcasters Who Are Using SpeakPipe

Here are a just a few examples of podcasters who are using SpeakPipe to turn listener feedback into content for their shows:

• James Schramko dedicated six episodes of his Super Fast Business Podcast (so far) to Listener Comments. 
• Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast features the SpeakPipe widget prominently on his contact page along with his phone number and additional points of contact. 
• Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting gets tons of feedback through SpeakPipe that he often plays on his show. Here's a great example of a message left by your's truly.

SpeakPipe Plans and Pricing

VIEW THE SPEAKPIPE PRESENTATION

SpeakPipe Keeps The Conversation Going from Ileane Smith

Promoting Squeeze Pages

To respond to Ron's question about Squeeze pages I talked about how there are many marketers using YouTube videos to promote their offerings.

I gave three examples of marketers who are using YouTube videos to effectively drive traffic to their landing pages.

• Amy Porterfield
• James Wedmore
• Clay Collins from LeadPages

LeadPages is the number one solution for creating landing pages and squeeze pages. I'm using LeadPages to grow my email list and the folks from LeadPages have a long list of options for you to choose from. Another thing I love about them is that they are masters when it comes to split-testing conversions. They test colors, images, copy - you name it - if there is any aspect of an offer that they can test, they will do it and share the results with all of their customers.

PS: Don't forget to leave a rating and review for the show over in iTunes! 

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Hot Tips for Using Facebook and Tracking Your Social Proof

Facebook Marketing Can be a Complicated Beast!

There are so many aspects to running a successful Facebook Page that at times it can be overwhelming. On top of that, Facebook often makes changes to the platform and even after you get it all figured out, they go and change it again! But because of the massive amount of people who are constantly checking in with their friends and family and following their interests on the platform, it simply can not be ignored. 

Believe it or not, you can score a win on Facebook and in this episode I offer some advice to help you get started. Start by keeping your goals in mind and you can use some subtle techniques to drive traffic off of Facebook and back to your blog.

Link Your Profile To Your Page

This is one super simple strategy and I'm willing to bet 80% or more, of Facebook Page owners miss out on this one.

Create a link from your profile to your Page. All you need to do is add your page as your employer and that will generate the link. If you tried to do this already and it didn't create the link, you might need to change your page to a "company or business". You can watch this YouTube video and you'll see exactly how to set it up.

Add Your Facebook Page Link on Your Profile

Ditch The Fake Like Button!

Facebook changed the layout of our pages over a year ago to a format that is referred to as the Timeline. At the top, there is a huge cover image and under that image, over on the right-hand side you'll see four Facebook apps. One of those shows a preview of the latest photos that you posted or that someone has tagged your page in. That is the only app that will always show on your page and you can't remove it. But the good thing about it is that it's constantly being updated with all the awesome pictures that your posting on your wall. 

There is another app, that can be moved down, but by default it appears to be a Like button. This app shows the number of people who have liked your page, but it's a little misleading. You might think that when someone clicks that button they are liking your page also, but actually they aren't. They are taken to a completely different page that shows some of your Facebook analytics - which you might not even want people to see! 

THE "FAKE" LIKE BUTTON

I just grabbed this screenshot from the Panera Bread Facebook page and although they have millions of Likes, you might not be so lucky! So don't let people get distracted by all those charts and stats about your page. Use that little pull down menu on the right (where I have the arrow pointing to) and change that app! This is taking up valuable real estate on your Facebook page and you want to have something like an lead generation form from LeadPages or a YouTube channel app there instead.  

Hey you can even embed your blog in a Facebook app, like a did with this blog. If you click the "Podcast" app on the Basic Blog Tips Facebook page, you'll see this blog and how you can listen to the podcast right inside of Facebook. I used Thunder Penny, and you can get the instructions for installing Thunder Penny right here. Just use the "Like to Download" option below. 

Powered by Like to Download

Tracking Your Social Proof

Since the ultimate goal of your activity on Facebook is building your authority and sending traffic to your blog the question remains, how can you track the fruits of your efforts? 

One way you can find the amount of traffic coming to your blog from Facebook is in your Google Analytics reports. Here is a video tutorial that shows you how to set up Goals so you can see how much traffic is coming from Facebook and the other social networks

Track Social Media Conversions in Google Analytics by Ileane Smith

Klout Moments

Another way to get insights to the effectiveness of your Facebook activity is by checking your Klout profile and looking at Klout Moments.

I added my Facebook page to the Klout account connected to my Basic Blog Tips and right away I can see that recent activity I posted had engagement with 17 of my fans.

Klout Moments

Facebook Power Editor and More!

The Power Editor lets you upload your email list so that you can target your subscribers with ads, and take things to the next level by creating "look a like" audiences, based on specific interests and recent purchases people have made! That's a really intense strategy and I'll tell you more about it once I've had to chance to get some real practice using the Power Editor.

Resources mentioned

If you think you're ready for some advanced training now, than be sure to check out this interview with Amy Porterfield and Jon Loomer on Jon's Social Media Pubcast:

Secrets, Strategies and Sales with Amy Porterfield

Next you should check out Facebook Timeline Slicer Pro by Joey Kissimmee. I wrote about this on my other blog in this post which also includes a video so you can see it in action:

Introducing Facebook Timeline Slicer Pro

Last but certainly not least, I have to mention two absolute icons in the world of Facebook and all things related to social media Mari Smith and Mike Stelzner. Mari has just a fantastic email that goes out every week called The Social Scoop, and Mike heads up the staff over at Social Media Examiner and here's a link to his latest interview with Mari.

New Facebook Features: What Marketers Need To Know

Additional Resources and Tracking Tools:

• Wisemetrics - "Enterprise-class Facebook Analytics made easier and free"
• Cyfe - Watch my video review of Cyfe for tracking Facebook and YouTube
• Post Planner - Get proven, engaging status ideas with the click of a button
• Like Button Generator - Choose from a variety of Like Buttons to install on your blog

If you have any questions for me about this episode, please leave them in the comments section. Also, please share some of your favorite tips for Facebook Marketing success!

PS: Don't forget to leave a rating and review for the show over in iTunes! 

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The Positives and the Perils of Monitoring Your Brand on the Internet

The Importance of Monitoring Your Brand

As we continue along on our journey to building a successful blog, we've learned a lot along the way. In past episodes we talked about things like developing our content strategy, tracking the source of our traffic, connecting with influencers, building an email list, promoting our content through social media and we even discussed how to use images and post titles to be more memorable and make a deeper connection with our readers. 

Now you're at the point in your blog's growth were you need to be mindful and pay attention to what others are saying about you. You need to know who and when people are linking to your content. Find out who your fans and supporters are. On the other hand, it's important to know when and if something negative is being said about you so that you can react and respond quickly.  

What Tracking Tools Can I Use

Whenever people talk about brand monitoring they will always recommend using Google Alerts. It's easy to sign up for Google Alerts, just enter your email address, and your name or keywords that you want to monitor and you'll start getting email notifications when Google detects the link or the mention. The problem with this is that Google Alerts aren't as accurate as they used to be. There is a ton of stuff getting past the radar and you'll find out when you sign up for this next service I'm going to recommend. 

TalkWalker Alerts

I'm getting a whole lot more notifications from TalkWalker Alerts these days than I get from Google Alerts. Here are a few examples:

+Ana Hoffman from Traffic Generation Cafe linked to my blog in a post about on page SEO.

+Daniel Tan issued a News Release about SEOPressor and mentioned my popular tutorial on the topic

Fellow named blogger Karmarka mentioned me in a comment on +Lisa Irby's blog!

Then there is also a down side to monitoring your brand. By that I'm referring to the time when you find something that doesn't exactly make you smile - like people scraping your content! This one is coming directly from my RSS feed. I can tell because it starts off with "New on Basic Blog Tips:" which is the phrase I added to FeedBurner...

Be sure to sign up for TalkWalker Alerts in addition to Google Alerts.

Google Analytics Trackbacks

Go to your Google Analytics reports (read this if you need help setting up Google Analytics) and under Traffic > Social > Trackbacks, take a look at these reports. Here's a screenshot from mine where I found two pleasant surprises from +Sharon Hurley Hall and +Timo Kiander 

Click to enlarge image

What other tools are you using to keep track of people mentioning your brand and your keywords? Let me know in the comments. 

Please stop by iTunes and give the podcast a review and rating or subscribe on Stitcher and I'll speak to you soon! 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Shout out to +Justin Germino from DragonBlogger
• CommentLuv
• Crazy Egg Blog
• Pick the Brain Blog
• Basic Blog Tips on Scoop.it or YouTube Tips and Tutorials
• Podcaster's Daily on Paper.li

Bonus video Monitoring @ Mentions in HootSuite, Twitter and NutShellMail

How To Use Images and Titles To Connect With Your Audience More Effectively

Using Good Images Helps You Connect With Your Blog's Readers

The effective use of images can evoke an emotional response from your audience. With the right image you can tug at the heart strings of people visiting your blog. Images can also make your blog posts more memorable and leave a lasting impression that compels people to interact with you and share your content. Keep in mind that before you embed those high quality images in our blog posts you need to have the rites and permissions to do so. That's why it gives me great pleasure to announce that:

Today's Sponsor for the Show is Depositphotos

Visit the homepage of Pinterest and as you scroll down the page you will be taken on a roller coaster ride of emotional highs and lows. You can go through a range of emotions that span from mouth watering hunger to the warm and fuzzy comfort of cute puppies or small children.

Facebook is another site that is very image focused. Posting great photos on Facebook is a strategy often recommended by top marketers as a means to increase your EdgeRank on Facebook. Google search is another area where images are vital. Especially now that the profile images of those who have claimed their Google Authorship, makes their listing on the SERP's stand out and more clickable.

Viral Content Buzz adds Pinterest

Viral Content Buzz is a social sharing service from +Ann Smarty and +Gerald Weber that will make it easier for you to promote your blog posts, but they have also included a Pinterest sharing component to the site now.

Take part in the Grand Viral Marketing Contest at Viral Content Buzz, by joining the site and submitting your article and images to be shared within the community.  [Contest ends July 12th 2013]

Tools for Taking Screenshots

Since I create a lot of tutorials and instructional material I often use screenshots to illustrate my point. There are two Chrome extensions that I recommend using:

• Awesome Screenshot Extension for Chrome
• LightShot Extension for Google Chrome Tutorial

I also like to take screenshots when I'm not on the internet and I need to demonstrate offline tasks and activity and for that I use Screencast-o-matic. It allows us to add annotations and draw arrows if we need to point something out.

Enhancing Images with PicMonkey

PicMonkey is an online image editing service that integrates very nicely with Google Drive (watch the tutorial below for complete instructions). You can do basic editing, for example you can crop, resize, recolor, rotate, etc. But you can also use PicMonkey to enhance your photos with borders, special effects, overlays, text and so much more. Take a look at the image that I used for this post. I got a "phun" stock photo from Depositphotos and used PicMonkey to add a drop shadow, a border, a picture frame and the colored text caption beneath the image. You can have a lot of fun with PicMonkey so be sure to watch the video for some additional tips and tricks.

Podcasters are increasingly making use of blogs and I'd like to encourage those of you who are podcasting to make good use of imagery as well. Recently got a chance to chat with +Daniel J. Lewis from The Audacity to Podcast and we talked about how important it is for podcasters to have a blog. You can listen to that interview here: The Audacity to Podcast Episode 129

Blog Post Titles Take The Connection a Step Further

During that interview with Daniel, I was really pleased that he mentioned the effectiveness of the blog post titles that I use on Basic Blog Tips. The fact that he mentioned the titles meant a lot to me because I put a great deal of effort into crafting those titles so that they are attractive. Good post titles are another way that we can get an emotional reaction from our audience and grab their attention.

One example that I refer to here is a post I did on Basic Blog Tips. Be sure to listen in and pay close attention to how I combined imagery and the post title to make a lasting impact on my blog's visitors and commenters.

Other links and resources mentioned in this episode:

Shout out to Justin Germino from DragonBlogger for a cool introduction

Viral Content Buzz
Follow me on Pinterest
+Cynthia Sanchez from Oh So Pinteresting
Udemy
+Daniel J. Lewis
The Audacity to Podcast Episode 129
Google+ Comments
+Chris Lang
If You Wait for Perfection You Might Miss the Boat!


Watch this tutorial for enhancing images: PicMonkey Tutorial With Google Drive Integration

What's your experience with using images? Do you think using great images and titles makes your audience return to your blog faithfully?

5 Incredible Ways To Increase Your Presence on Social Media

5 Ways to Increase Your Presence on Social Media

Be Yourself!

We all know that the road to success online depends on getting people to know, like and trust you. Make connections with people by showing your personal side so that people can get to know you. Stop with the constant promotions that fill your stream with nothing more that post after post or Tweet after Tweet of links to your blog posts.

I’m not saying that you need to share what you had for dinner everyday but share something about your personal life. What school did you go to, what was your favorite subject or a teacher that you remember. This is how you can connect with people that are like you and people that think like you. Showing your human side will go a long way for building relationships and in turn your presence on social media.

Improving your social presence on YouTube

This tip comes via +Sheryl Loch from the +Hot Blog Tips weekly Hangouts on Air over on YouTube.

It’s a great way to boost your profile on YouTube. Sheryl suggests that you get in touch with one of your friends on YouTube and get them to add your channel to their favorites. Of course you reciprocate by adding them back to your's as well. 

A word of caution on this: don’t contact people you don’t know or who have channels with unrelated content from your channel. 

UPDATE: A few days after publishing this post I asked Matt from +vidiSEO to add me to his favorites list and he did it!! Matt has an awesome YouTube channel with over 15,000 subscribers and I'm really honored to be listed there.

vidiSEO on YouTube with Ms. Ileane Speaks on the sidebar! 

Clean Up Your Following on Twitter and Google +

Whether you did it intentionally or not, your Twitter and Google+ followings are bursting at the seams with dormant accounts and people who haven’t followed you back. You can use JustUnfollow to clean up your Twitter account and trim your following. 

I’m pleased to introduce you to new tools that are available for cleaning up your Google+ circles. 

Upload videos to Facebook via OneLoad

OneLoad (formerly known as TubeMogul) is a service that is used to save time uploading your videos to many different video sharing sites at once. For example I upload each one of my YouTube vids up to the following sites:

• Meta Cafe
• Daily Motion
• Flickr
• Photo Bucket

The newest addition to the OneLoad family is Facebook!! Woohoo!! 

This means you can post to your Facebook page through Oneload. This will save time and it will ensure that you are getting more traction from your videos.

NOTE: One of my videos has over 10,000 views on Daily Motion!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Within a couple of hours the video posted on my Facebook page via OneLoad was played 9 times and got more attention than other videos I’ve posted in the past.

You can also upload to YouTube through OneLoad. Here’s the OneLoad tutorial I recorded

STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER!

That’s right I said it! And I really meant it too. Get out and connect with others in the offline world. I attended two events recently and the pics are posted here:

AWeber https://plus.google.com/u/0/112829233906811093453/posts/jKQR1YGPDXn

You can watch the AWeber slide show video if you want to see the bio wall, game room and the pool table. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvpjl0hUmAc

Seer Interactive https://plus.google.com/u/0/112829233906811093453/posts/HtivGSNiw3L the #SearchChurch
+Wil Reynolds is very generous and let everyone who attended "Breaking Down the Silos" grab books of their choice from his book shelf. If you ever get a chance to visit the Search Church at +SEER Interactive here's a sampling of what you'll see on the shelves there.

Have you tried any strategies to increase your presence on social media? 

What's your favorite tip?