Some of my favorite free Twitter tools

With so many social media tools out there, it is hard to know which tools are worth using and which aren't. Here are three of my favorite Twitter tools, and all are FREE. They are applications created by nonTwitter entities, but they work hand-in-hand with Twitter. I have found them to be easy to use and big time-savers.

1) Social Oomph: If you have more than one Twitter account, this tool is a great one to use for managing all of those accounts. You can auto-follow, auto-unfollow, send a DM to all followers, screen followers (accept, ignore, spam or block) and more. I have 10+ accounts so this is a real time-saver to be able to ignore all of my Twitter emails (I auto-filter them into a special Twitter folder in my inbox) and then view all new followers 3 days a week (M, W, F). If I skip a few days, Social Oomph automatically accepts all followers after 72 hours so no one gets ignored. The tool I use is free, but there are upgrades for a fee.

2) Hoot Suite: Colleague Kirk Davis (GRCC's Small Business Assistance Center) told me about this gem. Again, I can manage multiple social media accounts in one place. It manages a variety of social media - including Facebook - but I primarily use it for Twitter. Here I can manage my tweets, scheduling them in advance. I choose the account, type my tweet, "shrink" my URL if needed, and choose the date and time to go out. I can even get an email confirmation that the tweet was sent. Want to delegate this task? You can add users to your account, so others can manage your Twitter accounts for you. The tools I use on Hoot Suite are free.

3) Twellow: There are dozens if not hundreds of Twitter search tools out there. I use different ones for different reasons. One of my newest (and, of course, free) favorites is Twellow. You can search for keywords under a variety of pre-selected categories. For example, for my iLoveKent.net site, I want to focus on Twitter users who are in the Puget Sound area. I click on a specific area of interest like real estate, dining or shopping, and then type in "Seattle" in the keyword area or I can select "Kent, Washington" in the keyword box and choose all categories. Twellow returns a list of Twitter followers that match those criteria. If I'm logged into my free Twellow account, I can follow them right there on the spot! This is a great - FREE - way to narrow your followers' list to those who are most likely to fit into your target market.

Have a favorite Twitter tool? Post your comments here. I'd love to hear your suggestions! In particular, I'd be interested to hear how Twitter users screen and purge their followers' lists.

Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn

Why a press release?

People often ask me why press releases are important. The primary goal is to attract media attention and to stay top-of-mind with potential customers. The second goal is to drive traffic to your site so web visitors can learn more about you.

Any time I do a press release, I use both channels for announcing my client's product launch, fundraising campaign, event, business anniversary or other noteworthy news. First, I create a media list specific to my client, the industry and the market. Second, I distribute the press release to both free and paid online press release distribution sites. There are dozens, if not hundreds, to choose from so I try them out to see who gives me the most for the least. Some charge a fee, others do not, and results - specifically SEO - will vary depending on the service. Here are a few I like:

PRWeb.com (paid service)
PRLog.org (free)
Free-Press-Release.com (free and premium)
i-Newswire.com (free and premium)
1888PressRelease.com (free and premium)

To determine which services you like best, take a current press release and submit it to each of the services. After 2 or 3 days, do a Google search on the client name or news item to see where it ranks in the search engines. If you've done a good job, you should see your press release listed on page 1 of Google's results.

Questions? Comments? Email me or post something here.



Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn

Use Google Alerts to See Your Impact on the Web

By now, most of us have "googled" our names to see what shows up in the mighty search engine about us. But do you use Google Alerts the same way? If not, you should check it out. Go to Google Alerts, type in your search criteria (I suggest putting your search terms in quotation marks; e.g., "Dana Neuts" or "Virtually Yourz"), what alerts you wish to receive (news, blogs, web, video, groups or comprehensive), how often you want to receive them, and where you want those alerts emailed.

I set at least one alert per client to come to me on a weekly basis. That way I can monitor how successful my marketing efforts are as well as what others are saying about my clients online. It is easy to set up, easy to monitor and FREE. You've gotta love FREE. When I get the alerts, if there is anything noteworthy, I forward it to my client so they can benefit from that knowledge as well. Check it out: Google Alerts.


Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz and iLoveKentWA
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn

#1 Copywriting Rule - Don't Steal Content

Within the last month, I have witnessed at least a dozen cases of blatant theft of copyrighted material. In most cases, they were articles taken off websites and reused elsewhere under different authors' names. In another case, an agency took the copy I wrote for a client on one website to use it for someone else's website. In the latter case, I can't claim copyright infringement because I did the writing as "work for hire," but my client can take action against the offending party.

Don't get me wrong - I think the sharing of ideas is a wonderful way to learn from others, but stealing their work is not acceptable any any circumstances, particularly when passing off the work as your own. Instead, take the time to provide original material. Here are some ways to do that:

1. Research your topic of interest online or at your local library.
2. Interview experts.
3. Consult books and periodicals that address your subject of interest.
4. Subscribe to relevant trade magazines.
5. Do field research. For example, if you are writing about a new fitness program, try it out.

The bottom line - don't steal content. You might not get caught today or even tomorrow, but you will get caught. The Internet provides tools for writers and other content providers to discover whether or not their content is being used on unauthorized sites or by unauthorized parties. The penalties can be steep...including the loss of your reputation. Make it original, make it yours. Your readers will appreciate it.



Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz or ILoveKentWA
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn

Virtually Yourz blog on hiatus

Due to other client and volunteer commitments, I am putting this blog on hiatus. If you find that you really miss it or have topics you'd like me to cover, please post a comment on this blog.

If demand is high, I'll return to the blog. In the meantime, you can find me on iLoveKent.net, SPJ's Region 10 blog, and SPJ's Freelance Blog.

Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz, iLoveKentWA, SPJWash
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn

Kent Writer Elected to the National Board of the Society of Professional Journalists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kent, Washington, September 6, 2009 – Last week freelance writer Dana Neuts of Kent was elected to the national board of the Society of Professional Journalists during its annual conference. Serving a two-year term, Neuts was named to the position of regional director for Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. She will serve SPJ chapters and members in those states as well as act as their representative on the national SPJ board. She has also been asked to serve on the national freelance committee.

Previously, Neuts served as the president of the Western Washington Pro Chapter of SPJ, which was named Large Chapter of the Year for the third time at last week’s conference. In addition, the chapter received Circle of Excellence awards for its work in diversity and campus relations. Hilary Reeves, managing editor for The Business Examiner in Tacoma, succeeds Neuts as chapter president.

“Our industry is changing rapidly with new business models and communication tools emerging daily,” Neuts said. “At the same time, journalists are concerned about the future of our industry and our continued ability to serve as a valuable ‘check and balance’ for democracy. I look forward to contributing what I can to those challenges while also renewing the public’s trust in quality journalism and its role in open government.”

Dana Neuts is a freelance journalist based in Kent, Washington. Her work has appeared in publications including Seattle Business, the Business Report, Kent magazine, Renton magazine, The Seattle Times, South Sound magazine, Seattle Metropolitan and more. She is also the owner of Virtually Yourz, a writing, editing and marketing firm that serves small businesses and nonprofits, and the owner and publisher of iLoveKent.net, a community-based news and events website. She is a member of the Kent Downtown Partnership, serves on the board of the Halo Network Foundation, and recently founded Kent Connects, a local “no rules” networking group.


For more information, please contact:

Dana Neuts
Virtually Yourz
360-920-1737
dana@virtuallyyourz.com
www.VirtuallyYourz.com
www.iLoveKent.net

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Twits, Tweeps and Tweetups - Virtually Confused?

If you're like me and having a hard time with all of the new language inspired by social media - particularly Twitter - than you'll love this Twitter Fan wiki site. Filled with information, you can not only learn the lingo but what to do with it. Like this post? Retweet please, my tweeps!

Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn

Tweet Later - a great productivity tool

If you manage more than one Twitter account like I do, you know how time consuming it can be to follow your followers, reply with a Direct Message, etc. To help me manage multiple accounts, I use Tweet Later. This productivity tool is free and it allows me to manage all of my Twitter accounts from one place. I can even "vet" my followers. In other words, I can auto-follow or I can review each follower to see if I want to follow back. I can even mark those I don't want to follow - such as the numerous porn sites - as spam. It's a useful tool. Check it out.

Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz
Follow me on Twitter: iLoveKent

Ten ways to market in a recession

Late last year I reconnected with an old business contact of mine, a financial planner. This man has been in business for 20+ years and has always been successful because he is a stand-up guy with a unique niche in his business. He is the financial adviser who takes the time to get to know his clients and to really learn what makes them tick before helping them design a financial plan. He is happier if he has helped a businessman or a family get closer to their long-term goals than if he gets a big fat commission check.

Unfortunately, the economy has hit his business hard, and he isn't seeing many of those checks. People are either afraid to invest or don't have the assets left to do so, so his business has dropped significantly. He came to me to help ramp up his marketing efforts, something he's been able to avoid doing for a long time.

I thought I'd pass along some of my suggestions to those of you who might find some of yourselves in a similar position:

1) It is tempting to cut marketing expenses in a recession, but according to an SBA expert in Seattle, marketing is the last expense you should cut when the economy is down. In fact, if your year-round marketing efforts are consistent, you may only have to increase things a little bit (greater advertising frequency, for example) or maintain the status quo until the economy evens out. Bottom line: do not cut your marketing now.

2) Take advantage of the social media surge. Leverage sites like Stumple Upon, Digg, Facebook, Twitter and Squidoo to get your message out there. There is no "hard cost" to using these sites, but be cognizant of how much time you spend on them and be sure your message is consistent across the board.

3) Remember that the "hard sell" turns off many of today's consumers. Instead, take your time by offering them tidbits for free with a blog or posting tips on Twitter.

4) Position yourself as an expert in your field through article marketing, blogging, tweeting or commenting on others' blogs.

5) Interact with others online and through face-to-face networking without the expectation of a sale and, while doing so, remember to be yourself. If they need you down the line, they'll remember you or perhaps refer you to someone who might.

6) Keep your marketing efforts consistent. We all know that it takes 7+ times for a prospect to see our name, brand, product or service before it sticks or becomes top-of-mind. So make sure you get in front of your target audience on a regular basis (e.g., advertising 1x/week in local paper, 4 radio spots/day during rush hour, weekly blog posts, daily Twitter & Facebook updates, etc.)

7) Try "new" marketing tools. When finances are scarce, people are afraid to spend money so "doing what you've always done" may no longer work. If that's the case, try new (or new-to-you marketing tools - advertise in a different publication, try a TV ad, join an online network, join your local Chamber or downtown organization, investigate PPC or CPA advertising, place an ad on Facebook - whatever will put you in front of prospective customers.

8) Keep the customers you have. It costs less to keep a customer than it does to acquire a new one, so make sure your existing customers continue to have the great selection and service they are used to. Continue to woo them with special offers, free newsletters, thank you events, etc. to make sure they feel appreciated.

9) Be flexible. I know it is hard to be open-minded when business is slow, but you have to be flexible in order to adjust your marketing mix to what will work for you during a recession.

10) Perhaps most importantly, make sure you can measure whatever marketing tools you are using. That's the only way to see if what you are doing is working. If you are using online marketing tools, make sure you check your website or blog stats frequently to see what keywords, referral sources, days, times, etc. are bringing you traffic. For advertising, be sure to include a specific Coupon or Offer code so you can track the origin of the promotion and, if all else fails, ask your new customers, "How did you hear about us?" or "Who can I thank for your business?" You'll need this information when determining the success of your efforts.

Still not sure where to begin? Contact me to discuss your situation. My initial phone consultation is complimentary.

Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter: VirtuallyYourz
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn

Face to Face Connections Remain Essential in Social Media World

Today I read a great article, the Meltdown Survival Handbook, in the August 2009 issue of Seattle Metropolitan (@SeattleMet for Twitter fans). This witty, refreshing article contained 20 ways to survive the recession while having a little fun. Tip #10 - Network the Smart Way - reminds us that social media networks like Biznik, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are wonderful ways to meet and connect with people, but old fashioned face-to-face connecting is still an essential tool to succeeding in the real world both, personally and professionally.

By connecting face-to-face, we are solidifying online connections, diversifying our contact base and having fun getting out of the house and away from the computer. Thanks to Dan McComb, co-founder of Biznik, for the much-needed reminder!

Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts

Follow me on Twitter
Find me on Facebook, Biznik and LinkedIn