Social Media Examiner » Expert Interviews

Blogging Trends for 2012: What You Need to Know

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:17 +0000

In this video I interview Shani Higgins, CEO of Technorati.

Shani shares information on the business of blogging and current blogging trends. Discover how much money bloggers make and learn more about the opportunities brands now offer bloggers.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

How blogging is intertwined with social media
Current trends in who is blogging and where there is growth
The state of corporate blogs
The average number of blogs bloggers have today
How brands are blogging
How brands are connecting with bloggers
Why probloggers are approached up to a thousand times a week
What brands need to know before connecting with bloggers
The average salary of bloggers
The additional opportunities brands are offering bloggers to make money
What’s next for Technorati to improve the business of blogging

Check out the State of the Blogosphere. For information on revenue generation, go to Technoratimedia, and to find out more about the blogosphere, check out Technorati.

Does your business have a blog? What has been your experience? Please leave your comments below.

How Has Blogging Changed the Voice of Women?

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:20 +0000

In this video I interview Lisa Stone, CEO and co-founder of BlogHer, the leading cross-platform media network created by, for and with women social media leaders.

Lisa tells the story of BlogHer, the fifth largest blog network. She also shares insights and tips for successful blogs and current trends for women bloggers.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

How blogging changes the voice of women
Why blogging is the perfect tool for women
Why you should find a community when you start blogging
How to build your blog community
What the popular topics are for women bloggers
How to manage an online community
How to set up your blog to drive revenue
Examples of blog-to-book stories

Connect with Lisa on Twitter @LisaStone and Google+. And be sure to check out the BlogHer community.

Do you belong to a blogging community? What tips do you have to share for women bloggers? Please leave them below.

How Small Businesses Can Thrive With Google+

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:26 +0000

In this video I interview Chris Brogan, author of Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything.

Chris shares how Google+ can help small businesses and reveals the strategies he uses to get business leads. You’ll also learn how to adapt your content strategy on Google+ to select the people you want to work with.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

Why Google+ changes everything
How to get your content indexed quickly
Discover Chris Brogan’s Google+ strategy
How Human Business Works uses Google+ to get business leads
Why you should share personal stories on Google+
How to show potential clients who you are
What content strategy to use on Google+
How businesses can use Google+ Circles for both outbound marketing and lead generation
When to choose Google+ privacy settings
How Chris uses Twitter differently than Google+

Connect with Chris on Google+ and learn more about Google+ here.

Do you use Google+? If so, what’s your Google+ strategy? Please share your Google+ tips below.

Social Media Trends for Small Businesses

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:00:44 +0000

In this video I interview Anita Campbell, founder of Small Business Trends and BizSugar, and author of Visual Marketing.

Anita shares how social media impacts small businesses. You’ll discover which small businesses are slow to adopt social media and where social media brings the best results.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

Find out what type of small businesses might not get much business from social media
Tips for small businesses to use social media successfully
Why you need to avoid sending the message “click my junk”
Why you need to stick with social media to see impressive returns over time
The common mistakes small businesses make
What your online place of business says about your business
The big trends for small businesses
How small businesses are adopting mobile marketing
How some small businesses excel at using social media
How tablets have impacted mobile marketing
What BizSugar is and how to get visibility for your business content

Connect with Anita on Twitter @smallbiztrends, check out Small Business Trends and learn more about Visual Marketing here.

Are you part of a small business? Do you use social media to market your business? What has been your experience with using social media? Please leave your comments below.

How to Develop a Successful Multi-Author Blog

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:00:59 +0000

In this video I interview Joe Pulizzi, author of Managing Content Marketing, co-author of Get Content Get Customers and founder of the Content Marketing Institute.

Joe shares the story behind the Content Marketing Institute and explains why content marketing is not a fad and is here to stay.

You’ll also learn how a multi-author blog can help your business and what you need to know to develop one.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

Why there will always be stories to be told
How a multi-author blog helps to create community
How to recruit authors for a multi-author blog
Why it’s important to connect with experts
Why it’s best to think about giving without thinking of what you want to get back
What makes for great content
Understand the connection between content and social media
Why you need to figure out your content mission
Why you need to focus on building great content and then adding a social sharing strategy
Why there’s value in physical events

Connect with Joe on Twitter @junta42 and check out the Content Marketing Institute.

How does your business use content marketing? Do you have any content marketing tips to share? Please leave your comments below.

How to Use Content to Increase Your Sales

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

In this video I interview Marcus Sheridan, the founder of The Sales Lion and River Pools and Spas.

Marcus shares the content strategy he used to increase sales for his pool business. He shows the connection between your blog content and your business growth.

You’ll also discover why content is the soul of your business and is the best sales tool you own.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

How to extend your reach with content
Why you should blog about the cost of your products and services
How to convert your content into sales
How content makes your customers “sales-ready”
Why you need to blog about the problems customers have with what you sell
Why you need to adopt a different approach as a content marketer
Why story is important for your business

Connect with Marcus on Twitter @TheSalesLion and check out his blog: The Sales Lion.

Do you blog about the problems your customers have with your products? How do you use content to make sales? Please leave your comments below.

Podcasting for Business: What You Need to Know

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:00:14 +0000

In this video I interview Cliff Ravenscraft, podcast producer and founder of Podcast Answer Man.

Cliff explains why businesses need to consider getting into podcasting and the opportunities podcasting offers. He tells you how to share your expertise on podcasts to bring in more business.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

What podcasting is and how businesses use podcasts
Where people listen to podcasts
How podcasting can open new business opportunities
How podcasting has changed and what this means for your audience
How to start audio podcasting
What businesses should expect to spend to start podcasting
The basic outline and format for your podcast
Tips to get people to listen to your podcast

Connect with Cliff on Twitter @gspn and check out his two websites: LearnHowToPodcast.com and PodcastAnswerMan.com.

Do you have a podcast? What tips do you have to share about podcasting? Please leave them below.

Why Google+ Will Become a Social Media Powerhouse

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:00:37 +0000

In this video I interview Jesse Stay, author of Google+ For Dummies and Facebook Application Development For Dummies.

He has a unique experience with both Facebook and Google.

Jesse shares insights behind Google+ and how it compares to Facebook. You’ll discover what Google is doing, how Google+ is different and why Google+ is a social media powerhouse.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

How Google’s focus on Google+ impacts social media
What Google is getting right and what their biggest challenge is
How Facebook’s approach is different
Tips to get your Google+ strategy right
Discover the opportunity today for businesses on Google+
Why you need to group your audience into different Circles on Google+
How mobile impacts Google+

Connect with Jesse on Twitter @Jesse and check out Jesse’s Google+ For Dummies Facebook Page and blog.

Are you on Google+? What tips do you have to share on using Google+ for business? Please leave them below.

How Small Businesses Should Adapt to Social Media

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:00:24 +0000

In this video I interview John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing and author of the books Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine.

John shares great tips for small businesses to get more out of social media. He also identifies the key social media trends to focus on to make your marketing simple and effective in bringing in more money.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video. Also keep reading to learn how you can win private coaching with John.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

How social media has impacted small business marketing
How to more quickly build deeper relationships with prospects
How to increase your referrals
Why you need to create the expectation of referrals
How to get your small business to show up in search results at the early discovery stage
How to drive customers to your business
Why it has never been easier or cheaper to start a small business
Why you need to embrace today’s online tools

Connect with John on Twitter @ducttape and check out John’s website: Duct Tape Marketing.

Want FREE private coaching with John Jantsch?

Check out our Small Biz Dream Contest.

Do you have a small business? If so, how do you use social media to market your business? Please leave your comments below.

How to Connect With Local Customers Via Facebook

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:00:56 +0000

In this video I interview Dennis Yu, CEO of BlitzLocal, an agency that does Facebook advertising for businesses with a local presence.

Dennis shares tips on how to set up a successful Facebook strategy for local businesses.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

How to use Facebook to capitalize on reaching local markets
The number of fans brands want to have on Facebook
Why you need to build a critical mass for successful Facebook marketing
Why you need to leverage the existing friends your business already has
How to know whether the Facebook fans you have are a worthwhile investment
How social lead generation is different
What analytics you need to track social lead generation
Why small brands are better at Facebook marketing
How to start with a solid marketing strategy
What you can learn from communication problems already encountered on email marketing

Connect with Dennis on Twitter @dennisyu, check out BlitzLocal on Facebook and get your free BlitzMetrics dashboard.

Does your business have a successful Facebook strategy? What tips do you have to share about leveraging your Facebook marketing? Please leave them below.