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  • AI Business WorldIn-Depth AI Marketing TrainingLEARN MORE NOW

    The Top Social Media Tool for 2011 is…

    by Ruth M. Shipley / January 4, 2011

    social media research

    If you heard about a marketing strategy that could substantially lower your marketing expenses and return 600% or more of your investment, would you be interested in learning more about it?

    When Social Media Examiner surveyed 1,900 marketers in 2010, half said they wanted to learn more about this strategy.

    Of those just starting out in social media marketing, 65% wanted to learn more about it. And 81% of all the marketers surveyed said they would definitely increase their use of this strategy.

    No, it's not Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube.

    Sure, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn were among the top four social media tools among this group of marketers.

    But what was first?

    Blogging!

    Did you know that Technorati ranked Social Media Examiner the #1 small business blog in the world just five months after it was launched? “We didn't advertise, didn't rely on the press and almost none of our traffic is coming from search engines,” said its founder, Mike Stelzner, in March 2010.

    Blogging Isn't Just for Moms Anymore

    If you work for a large corporation, you're probably not blogging yet, are you? Oh sure, you might have your own personal blog centered around your interests, hobbies or political views.

    But I'm talking about a corporate blog. A blog sponsored, written and monitored by your company.

    I'll bet these are some of the reasons you or your company isn't blogging:

    • You don't know what to write about
    • You think your employees are too busy to blog
    • You don't want to reveal company secrets

    If you're a small business owner, did you know that nearly half of your competitors will be using a blog for marketing purposes by next year?  What's holding you back?

    Maybe you're wondering “How can I make sure my message is noticed and not buried in all the other noise?”

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    Here's How to Get Your Blog Working for Your Business

    Suppose you could hire 23 of the biggest names in blogging to give you proven tips and techniques for using a corporate blog to generate leads, win customers and achieve your sales goals.

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    Suppose each of those experts came to your home or office and gave you 60 minutes of their time. Each one could easily charge you hundreds of dollars.

    But suppose you got all of those experts for less than $300. Not $300 per expert, less than $300 for all of them.  Only $300 for 14 hours of highly implementable training.

    That's exactly what you'll get when you sign up for the early-bird discount to attend Social Media Examiner's Blogging Success Summit 2011. It's an online conference scheduled throughout the month of February 2011. You won't need airline tickets, hotel rooms, a rental car or a week of fast food.

    All you need is an Internet connection and speakers.

    Just look at this partial list of the 23 instructors:

    • Richard Jalichandra, Technorati CEO
    • Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett, authors of the best-selling book, ProBlogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
    • Debbie Weil, author of The Corporate Blogging Book
    • Douglas Karr, co-author of Corporate Blogging for Dummies
    • Joe Pulizzi, co-author of Get Content Get Customers
    • Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger
    • Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner
    • Rick Calvert, co-founder and CEO of BlogWorld
    • Denise Wakeman, co-founder of The Blog Squad

    You'll also hear from people in the trenches – bloggers and social media marketers from Ford, McDonald's, Southwest Airlines, Sony, Cisco and Procter & Gamble.

    Here are some of the things you'll learn:

    • The State of the Blogosphere: What Businesses Need to Know
    • Transforming Your Small Business Blog Into a Lead Generation Machine
    • 20 Actionable Techniques to Enhance Your Blog's Content
    • How Big Businesses Are Leveraging the Power of Blogs
    • How to Improve Your Search Engine Rankings With Blogging

    HubSpot found that businesses with an active blog get 55% more online traffic than those without a blog.

    Which part of that statistic are you in?  What do you think your competitors are doing?

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    Tags: Social Media Tools

    About the authorRuth M. Shipley

    Ruth M. Shipley is a freelance researcher and writer who loves to write a good story. Because that’s what most people love to read! See her Social Media Examiner page for more stories about social media books.
    Other posts by Ruth M. Shipley »

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