FeedBurner, which was acquired by Google in 2007, is now forcing a migration of its feed data into Google and anticipates completion by February 28. (See Google's FAQs to learn more.) To say people are unhappy about it would be an understatement. For example...
Many, many people, including TechCrunch's Micheal Arrington, reported losing some or all of their subscribers. You may have noticed similar problems.
If you have a Feedburner feed tied to any of your blogs, in true handyman style this post outlines what you need to do in order to make the transition. It's really pretty painless.
Step 2: Note the following statement. Choose "Move your account now." (As if you really have any choice.)
Step 3: Sign in using your Google account. (You do have a Google account right? If not, you'll have to set one up.)
In all likelihood you're already signed into the one you want, so click the "Next" button and you will be presented with this screen. (Well, of course it will have your feeds listed, not Bizzukas.)
Step 4: Click the "Move feeds" button. FeedBurner's server will start talking to Google's server and you should see this screen.
If all goes well, and it will (fingers crossed), you will next see this screen.
You will receive a detailed email from Google confirming that the transaction has taken place, along with other information relative to the matter.
Once you've made this transition, you can never go back to the old FeedBurner account. (Awe!!!) From now on you will log in via the Google version, http://feedburner.google.com. Well, actually, you can go to Feedburner.com for the time being, but it will redirect to this new URL. After February 28 that won't be the case.
If you happen to be a Blogger user, you are at an advantage. Because Blogger, like FeedBurner, is owned by Google, they offer a one-click migration. Everyone else has to follow this routine.
Lastly, there is a new URL for the feeds, http://feeds2.feedburner.com/yourblogname. You may want to go ahead and change the URL on your blog. However, Google does indicate in the FAQs that they intend to maintain backwards compatibility as long as the service exists.
In a second post, I'm going to discuss some of the proposed benefits from making this transition and offer my opinion on alternative solutions. For now, I'd go ahead and make the transition. No need to wait to the last minute.
Got questions? Ask the Handyman!
Get the Complete Guide to Twitter for Business, only $9.95. This 35-page ebook equips you with everything you need to know to begin using Twitter to grow your business. Order today!
Each week you'll receive one brief idea for using Twitter for business...short, sweet (tweet) and to the point. I won't spam you, sell your name to list vendors, or use it for anything other than the stated purpose, that of helping you learn more and better ways to make Twitter a useful tool in your marketing toolchest.
Here's the best part too. If you share an idea via a comment (or you can email me via the AR contact form in my bio), I may use it and will credit the source.
If you'd like to receive the tips, use the simple sign-up form located to the right.
The guide is a 35-page ebook contains everything you'll need to start maximizing the value of your investment in Twitter.
It will teach you:
How to choose a Twitter handle, set up your account and start using Twitter right away.
Who to connect with in order to maximize your potential for business development, lead generation and sales!
The right and wrong ways to engage others in conversation.
Cool Twitter techniques like @reply, direct messaging and retweets.
How to create a Twitter for business action plan.
Whether you are a Twitter novice or a veteran user, I dare say you'll find something useful.
While I would love to give the ebook away for free, I cannot. There are too many hours invested in its development to do so. However, at $9.95 it's almost like giving it away. (That's a special price just for Active Rainers too, btw.)
Plus, I offer a 100% money back guarantee. If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with the book, I'll refund your full purchase price and you get to keep the book free as my gift. You've literally got nothing to lose!
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Weekly Twitter Tips
Use the form in the right-hand column to sign up for weekly tips from the Social Media Handyman on using Twitter for business.
Well, that's it. You asked for this ebook and I delivered. Please let me know what you think. Of course, you're welcome to leave a comment and let everyone know. If you like it, leave a comment and likewise even if you don't.
There are two schools of thought pertaining to who to follow on Twitter. One is what I refer to as the Guy Kawasaki method which says, "forget the influentials," "defocus your efforts," and "get as many followers as you can." It's more of a mass marketing approach.
Up and until Twitter imposed limits on the number of people that I could follow in a given 24-hour period, that's pretty much the school to which I subscribed and just about anyone and everyone qualified (minus the spammers of course).
Since then, I've had to be more discerning and have actually found that to be a good thing. So, here are fifteen suggested Twitter follow dos and don'ts based on my current Twitter follow modus operandi:
Dos...
1. Focus your efforts - If you're in sales and marketing, hopefully you've outlined specific target markets based on demographic, psychographic and technographic profiles. Maybe you've even created a persona of the ideal client or customer. Find those folks and follow them.
One good way to do that is by using Twellow, which is a Twitter "yellow pages." It categorizes Twitter followers based on geography and industry and covers everything from aerospace to Web development.
For example, a search on my city, Lafayette, LA, brought five pages of returns totaling 100 people. Not a lot, but consider that a) Lafayette is a small city by comparison and b) it's in the deep south which is often the last to catch on to new trends. If you're in a more metro area, chances are your returns will be manifold times this.
What might be more relevant is search by category. For example, Bizzuka, the company I serve as marketing director, is targeting the legal industry. A search for lawyers brought over 930 returns. We are also targeting healthcare. A search returned almost 100 hospitals.
Apply that same methodology to your own situation and see what comes of it.
Twellow defaults to ranking returns based on number of followers, but you can also sort by recent activity and/or whether the person has verified their Twellow account.
Each person listed has a profile associated with their entry which, depending on whether they've verified their account or not, could contain lots of information, including a bio, latest Twitter updates (good for knowing whether they're an active user or not), and link to their Web site or blog.
2. Follow those with real names - That's one way to know it's a genuine account. (It's always a good practice when setting up a Twitter account to use your real name.)
3. Follow those who follow you - In most cases it's a common courtesy. Chances are they're in the same industry or have some relevance to you.
4. Follow those following the people who are following you - Same rationale as #3, just once removed.
5. Follow those following the people you are following - If you've chosen to follow a particular individual for whatever reason (maybe they fit the profile mentioned in #1), there's a good likelihood at least some of the people following them would be relevant for you as well.
6. Follow those in your industry - Obviously, one of the best uses for Twitter is as a vehicle for networking, gathering feedback and getting advice. It's a great tool for meeting others in your industry or discipline.
7. Follow those you find interesting and/or entertaining - In all the mad rush to turn Twitter into a business communications and marketing tool, leave a little for pure fun. If you find someone's posts interesting, maybe they're worth following as well.
8. Follow those who use the same hashtags (ex. #nms08) to follow a conversation - Again, if they're interested in the same things as you, consider following them.
9. Follow those who @reply you - @replies can be sent into the public timeline addressed to people you're not following. If a user has addressed you in that way, might be fruitful to add them.
10. Follow those interacting with people you follow - If you see a tweet with an @reply addressing someone you're following that comes from someone you're not, they may be worth following. Check em out!
Don'ts...
11. Don't follow those with numbers behind their names - This is
a technique often used by spammers (Twammers) due to the fact that have
multiple accounts. It's a dead give-away. (One word of caution: When
setting up your Twitter handle, don't use numbers. Your real name will
do nicely.)
12. Don't follow those with no avatar - If you can't see their face, company logo or some sort of avatar, don't follow.
13. Don't follow those who only broadcast - Unless you know it's
an account set up strictly for that purpose - a news, shopping or
"tips" type account - don't follow. If they don't participate in
conversations with anyone else, they won't with you either.
14. Don't follow those who aren't active - I don't know the number or percentage, but I bet the number of people who've subscribed to Twitter and aren't actively using it is sizable. If a user is not actively maintaining the account, chances are it's dead.
15. Don't follow users based on their follower count - In social media, it's not necessarily how many eyeballs that count but who those eyeballs belong to. There are some very influential people who may not have huge numbers of followers.
There you have it - 15 tips for know who to follow and who not to. That's my list at least for now, though I'm sure I'll add to it. BTW, you can too! What criteria do you use in determining who to follow. Please share it in a comment. Thanks!
Finally, if you're not following me, please do. My Twitter handle is @pchaney.
I'm in the process of writing an extensive ebook on how to use Twitter for business and I need your help.
I'd like for you to go to Twitter and send a tweet to @pchaney outlining in 140 characters or less just how you use Twitter. Also, if you don't mind, use the hashtag #artwitbook. That will enable me to use Twitter search and see all the messages.
If you think your response will exceed 140 characters, then leave it in a comment here. I will include all responses in the book and give you full attribution.
Why an ebook?
You recall that I did a five-part series (part 1, 2, 3, 3.5, 4) on using Twitter for business. While it was a good start, I felt much more needed to be said. If my calculations are correct, the ebook could span some 30-40 pages, possibly more.
Will there be a cost?
First, you all know how much I love freely sharing information and ideas here at Active Rain. In this case, however, I can't. I've got too many hours invested and many more yet to go before the ebook is ready for distribution.
There will be a price, albeit a small one. In fact, it's going to be cheaper here than anywhere else. And, for those who contribute, I'll offer an even deeper discount.
One thing I guarantee is that the book will contain everything you'd ever need to know about Twitter to start using it to grow your business. And, if you purchase it and don't feel it lives up to the billing, I'll gladly refund your money no questions asked and you can keep the ebook.
Soooo....what are you waiting for? Go to Twitter, send a message to @pchaney about how you're using Twitter for business. If you want to elaborate, leave a comment.
Here's the "money post" I promised. It outlines my thoughts on how to use Twitter to network, make connections and generate leads. (Here are links to Part 1, 2, 3 and 31/2) But first...
Resources from Ogilvy PR
Over the weekend I came across a couple of resources from Ogilvy PR that present the best business case for using Twitter that I've seen, hands down. The first is a PPT slide deck and the second a list of best practices.
I'm going to begin by outlining a simple, workable social media marketing strategy that applies to any form of social media engagement, including Twitter. So simple, in fact, it consists of only two words, listenand engage.
Listen
My mother always told me, "Paul, God gave you two ears and one mouth. He did that for a reason. Listen twice as much as you speak." (Bet your mom told you the same thing, right?)
You cannot become an effective in social media marketing if you don't first listen to what's being said about you, your company, brand, service, industry and competition. Listening is the new marketing, someone said, but it's not something we're prone to do. Still, that's where it begins.
There are two ways to listen via Twitter:
Search - Complete searches using Twitter search and other such tools - Tweetscan and Twemes are two that come to mind - on relevant keywords, including those related to your geographic area.
Follow - Start following others where it makes sense to do so.
Keeping in mind that Twitter is just another marketing channel, go back to the basics and ask yourself the same questions you'd ask when considering any other form of marketing: "Who is my market?" "Who am I attempting to reach?" "What niche am I seeking to penetrate?"
Is it a certain demographic? The average Twitter user is 35 and older, is likely male (60% of users are) who has between 100 - 500 followers. Is it a certain geographic area? Find those people and start following them. Many will return the favor.
(That's not to say you don't follow others who don't exactly fit your target market criteria. It's just to suggest that you be very intentional and purposeful in your selection.)
Not being a Realtor, I'm working under a set of assumptions regarding where your business comes from:
Buyers/sellers in your geographic market (and occasionally from outside your area)
Referrals from other Realtors.
If that's the case, it's as important to build relationships with others in your profession as it is prospective clients.
(One group it makes sense to follow are those you already know, some of whom might be using Twitter. If you use a Web-based mail program such as Gmail, the platform will search your list of contacts to find them. You can also send invitations to those in your database not currently using Twitter.)
In addition, if you're connected to fellow Realtors and prospects via Facebook or LinkedIn, connecting on Twitter will only serve to strengthen and personalize your relationship even more.
Engage
Once you see what people are saying relative to the keyword searches, the next step is to jump into the Twitterstream and respond.
Years ago, my father took a rather "direct" approach at teaching me to swim. One summer's day we boarded in our small boat and paddled out to the middle of the pond on our property. Dad grabbed me up, threw me in the water and stated matter-of-factly, "swim or drown."
Looking back, I'm sure he would not have allowed the latter. At the time, however, I determined the best course of action was to make for the shore, which I did with all haste. And, guess what, in the process I learned to swim.
I'm a bit like dad when it comes to Twitter in that I think the best approach is to joining or starting conversations is "swim or drown." Just jump in and start conversing.
OK, for the faint of heart, here are some "rules of engagement":
Respond to what others are saying by adding your "two cents." Remember to use the "@" symbol when addressing an individual.
Provide information those in your target market would consider valuable. It could be links to other sites, answers to questions, advice or opinion. Position yourself as a trusted resource. You're already doing that on your Web site and/or blog. Do it via Twitter as well.
Engage in casual conversation with your followers. There are some who would suggest that, for business purposes, you shouldn't share the minuitia of your daily life or engage in casual conversation. To that I say, "Phooey." Social media marketing is as much about getting to know you on a personal level as it is professionally. Not only that, how are you going to get to know others if you don't converse with them. I think it's a matter of balance.
One thing you don't want to do is solicit business or "pitch" people. You know the type: "Thanks for the follow. Check out my blog at _________." It's okay to let people know what you do, but Twitter is a medium for conversation, not solicitation. Include a link to your Web site in your bio. those who have an interest will check you out.
When Does the "Magic" Happen?
I was afraid you were going to ask that. You see, by participating in the conversation, the magic is happening -- but you have to give it a chance.
Social media marketing does not lend itself well to formulas. "Markets are conversations" and "participation is marketing" is the only formula I know that works. You have to win the right to be heard. By participating in the ongoing conversation, you turn strangers into friends and friends into customers. But, there is no "X times Y divided by Z" equals a lead or conversion.
That's true with a lot of advertising, is it not? Can you easily factor the ROI of a billboard, newspaper ad, or TV commercial? One thing is for sure, conversing on Twitter is a lot less expensive than a television commercial!
Keep in mind, you've been selective and purposeful in choosing those you follow. And, you've concentrated your efforts on providing valuable information and, as a result, have become a resource others trust. And the longer you do so, the more trust you'll earn.
So, let me challenge you to try Twitter and join the conversation. Over the past several days I've given you the insight, resources and ideas needed to get started. The only thing I can't give you is the impetus. That has to come from you.
If and when you do become engaged with Twitter, I'd be honored if you'd follow me. My handle is @pchaney.
Before I do the "reveal" on Monday and talk about how to use Twitter for Business, I feel it's very important to hear what others have to say on the subject. This post contains a list of leading voices.
I'd like to ask you to do a little homework over the weekend and review these. While there won't be a "pop quiz" on Monday, it will get you primed and ready for the final post in the series.
Active Rain Twitter Group - Did you know AR had a Twitter group? They do and it's great. In fact, it's probably one of the hottest groups going right now. There are scores of others talking about this subject here and I bet you could find answers to just about any question you have on the subject. In your quest for Twitter mastery, start there.
Kim Woods Twitter Series - One of our very own here at AR, Kim Wood, is doing a series of her very own. It's better than mine and I'd take it personally if you didn't read it.
Why Your Company Needs to Be on Twitter - This is a survey conducted by social media strategist Warren Sukernek (I know. I love saying his last name too. :->) and Peter Sorgenfrei. It is one of the best posts on the topic of using Twitter for business that I've seen. If you don't read anything else I've listed in this post, read this!
It's posted in a great (GREAT!) online community called The SWOM (which stands for The Society of Word of Mouth) that I'd love to invite you to join. It's open to anyone.
Making a Business Case for Twitter - Connie Bensen, online community consultant and my friend, has compiled a list of reasons businesses should consider using Twitter. It's excellent. Even better is her post, Twitter 101, which contains links to a number of other resources.
Twitter Handbook - Another of my friend is Deborah Micek, known as Coach Deb on Twitter. She's not only written a book on the subject of using Twitter for business called Twitter Revolution, but has this blog, Twitter Handbook, as well.
Speaking of books, I did a search on Amazon using the keyword "Twitter," and here are the returns. It's amazing what is already in print about the topic considering the length of time its been around.
Twitter Business List - Laura Fitton, known as Pistachio on Twitter, has compiled a reading list on the topic. She is also authoring Twitter For Dummies, set for publication sometime next year.
Building a Twitter Following - What's your strategy for finding Twitter followers? In this post Jeff Tippett outlines an approach for building a Twitter follower base that's good for business.
Ten Ways to Market Your Blog on Twitter Without Being a Spammer - We all want to let people know about our blog, Web site, etc. However, we don't want to be accused of being a "Twammer." In this post marketing consultant Jennifer Slegg talks about the right way (and the wrong way) to go about it.
This post, part 3 in the series on Twitter for business, talks about some of the tools that have been developed thanks to Twitter's open API. I focus on a number of the ones I use, but provide a links to others as well. In preparation for the "money post," part 4 (which I hope to have ready Monday), I'm following this post with one I'll refer to a part 3.5, which list a number of other blog posts that talk about how to use Twitter, which I'll have ready later today.
Twitter tools of the trade
While Twitter.com is a great place to start, its functionality has been eclipsed by a whole host of other tools that have developed around it which extend and amplify its use.
Here are three four of my favorites:
TWhirl - This is my app of choice. It's a desktop application you can download that runs on something called Adobe Air (Heh. It runs on air!) which has to be downloaded and installed as well. So far as I know, it's platform agnostic and runs on both Windows and MAC.
The beauty of TWhirl is that, once opened, it sits on the side of your desktop constantly updating the Twitterstream. It even fades (there is a transparency control) when not in use so as to become less conspicuous. I like it as do many other veteran Twitter users for both its usability and elegance.
Twitter Search (formerly known as Summize.com) - Want to search a given keyword to see what people are talking about and whos talking? Twitter Search is the place to do that. It's where you can input all those hashtag phrases too.
Tweetbeep - Want notifications via email when your Twitter handle, name, company name, etc. is referenced? Tweetbeep does that very well. Not that you can't subscribe to Twitter RSS feeds for those things via search, but it's nice to get "tickled" via the inbox. I think so anyway.
Tweet Deck- Though I don't use Tweet Deck nearly as much as TWhirl, it offers some advantages in that it put's useful function into one interface via the use of multiple columns. For example, one column contains the public timeline of all the people you're following. The next column contains your replies and direct messages.
You can also create ad hoc groups based on keyword searches. A Twitter search function is built right in as well.This app can truly serve as your Twitter dashboard.
The problem I find with Tweet Deck is that, if you only have one monitor, it can take up a lot of space. Unlike TWhirl, which runs almost in the background, you're either using Tweet Deck or you've got it minimized. In my view, it best works with those using dual monitors where it can be housed out the way on one when not in use.
A couple of others I'm checking out:
Tweetworks - I'm just familiarizing myself with Tweetworks, but it's premise is that not only do people like to talk, they like to form communities with other like-minded people. What the app facilitates is the formation of communiites, including private ones.
Part of the problem with Twitter (which new applications like Yammer are intended to solve) is that there isn't a convenient way to create private groups whose messages don't appear in the public timeline. Tweetworks addresses this.
Tweetag - This app is a search utility that searches tags (you know, those user-generated labels used for categorizing content by topic)
For example, in I input the keyword "motrin" and Tweetag returned all the tags related to it. In keeping with convention, the more a particular topic was discussed, the larger the font size of the tag associated with it. Just try it out and you'll see what I mean.
Other Twitter apps
There are more Twitter apps being developed than "Carter has liver pills" as my mom would say. Here are two places to go and find them: Twitter Fan Wiki and Twitter downloads page. Both include links to mobile apps as well.
Now, how about you. Got a favorite tool? Feel free to share it with the rest of us in a comment. Got questions? The handyman is here to help.
And, be patient. The money post is coming. In preparation, I want to put together a list of links to other bloggers who are talking about how to use Twitter for business. That's coming later today.
I regard MarketingSherpa with the same esteem as MarketingProfs. For years, CEO Anne Holland and her crew have been creating high-quality content to benefit marketing professionals and I'm honored to have the privilege of participating in this report.
Terri Murphy asked me to do a video for a panel she moderated at NAR. What she didn't mention was that she also uploaded it to YouTube.
Though I'm no Gary Vaynerchuk, I do have incredible passion for social media marketing. If you have 9 minutes, 10 seconds, take a listen. You might learn something.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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I'd like for you to go to Twitter and send a tweet to 
;)
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