1. Social Oomph
Social Oomph offers a myriad of tools to help save you time while expanding your reach to the far horizon. This platform has a paid version and a free version. I haven't gotten the paid version, but I assume that I will. This platform allows you to save your tweets and retweet them via a scheduler. The paid version will scramble the words in your tweets so you won't get dinged by Twitter for duplicate posts. There are a number of tools on this system, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm still fascinated with the ability to pre-schedule tweets, and then find that they've been retweeted all over the web the very next day. Now THAT'S saving time.
2. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is my favorite app for working on multiple social media accounts at one time. Hootsuite is a free app that lets you add any number of social media accounts, then schedule tweets or posts at different intervals. One thing Hootsuite didn't have last I checked was the ability to schedule one tweet multiple times (SocialOomph offers this on the paid version.) The system is constantly being revamped and very useful for marketing your small business online faster, more easily and more efficiently online.
3. Facebook & Twitter Phone App
I use both my Facebook & Twitter Phone Apps regularly if ever I'm separated from my baby, my Mac computer. (Never long, I assure you.) When I'm out and about, I'm able to easily check messages within all my networks and see who's doing what. I upload pics regularly to stay in front of my peeps, and to be social and friendly. I also get emails from clients and teammembers on Facebook and Twitter, so it's a way of doing work while I'm not at work. Love these apps, recommend them highly if you have the right type of phone.
4. Posterous
Posterous is a miracle app in my view, being one who has paid my staff for years to sit in a chair and post one blog to numerous blogsites all day long. Woooo hoooo!!! No more of that! Thanks for Posterous, we can now add a blog post to one place (Posterous) and shoot it out to an unlimited number of locations. I use this for my clients and it's fabulous! Keeps their sites filled with fresh content, and you can't tell the difference at all. Posterous also lets you email or text blog posts, but I haven't gotten that far with it yet, guess I'm still too astounded at my ability to post once and have it show up a zillion times. Weeeee!!!
5. Facebook App for Twitter
If you want your tweets to show up on Facebook, you want to use this application. The downfall is that this type of post is obviously a tweet and can be annoying to other Facebookers, and can create content that's out-of-touch with the environment of the moment. Thus, it is not always the best way to do social media, but it can be, depending on your target market, your personality and what you're tweeting. I use this technique in some of my budding networks that I don't have time to really dig-into yet. It's better to use this and tweet and get less feedback than it is to not use this and just have a blank page. It's a great time saver to expand your reach in less time under certain instances.
6. Twitter App for Facebook
The Facebook App for Twitter is a very useful tool for me personally. I have all the posts that I do on my Fan Page going to my Twitter account. It works out quite well, actually. The links show up on Twitter already shortened, and it conjoins my two networks, causing us all to be on the same page. Plus, now and again if I do a post that's too long for Twitter, it will cause the person reading my tweets to click on the link and potentially join my fan page. I'm sure I get lots of Fans this way, though I have no accurate count. Again, this method is highly personal, depending on your usage level, network relationships, niche market, how established you are with your social media audience, and a number of other factors. Play around with it a bit to see what is right for you. Personally, I like my Fan page posts going on my Twitter. It rocks!!!
7. Gmail Email Account
There is a lot of email that needs to be sent through social media, and it's important that you are using an email platform that isn't behind a firewall that may block important things you need. Gmail is the best email I have found in that it protects from spam extremely well, yet still gives you control over emails that come in and look like spam, but that you still might want because it is not aren't spam. Also, your gmail email account is used for numerous social media related sites such as YouTube, Google Reader, Google Analytics & Blogger. Having one gmail account is so much more simple and faster than any other email service.
8. Twitpic
I like Twitpic for sharing quick photos with my Twitter posse quickly and easily while on the road, iPhone in tow. It's fun to take a pic of something mundane, send it to an email address and have it automatically posted to my Twitter account for thousands of people to see. I love creating the tagline or title of the photo to see if I can get a lot of views. Then, Twitpic tracks the number of views, which is fun, so you can see if people are digging you or not. Crazy sounding? Maybe, but this stuff works when it comes to marketing yourself online. Why not use every tool at your disposal? I can't think of a reason why not!
9. Flickr
I recently had the brilliant idea of uploading all my business graphics to Flickr, and then just linking to them via URL in my newsletters and on other social media websites. I do a ton of marketing in a ton of different places, and it's uber-convenient to just go to Flickr to get my photos, as opposed to searching my computer, or connecting to my internal network, or even rummaging through Facebook. It's a GREAT way to track photos, PLUS, the images show up in Google's Image search, and can help SEO if you tag them with keywords. Beyond that, you can build slideshows and install them as widgets and plugins to your WordPress site! Flickr goes a long way, and for me, it's here to stay.
10. Google Documents
Once you have your Gmail account, you can check out Google documents, which is much like Word, but it's housed on the web and made for the web. It's fabulous for creating documents that are shared with others in different locations. My company, The Marketing Shop.com, employees people around the world and some just across town. Either way it makes it easier for me to share important, yet private information with my team.
11. Google Calendars
Google Calendars is getting more robust every day. The thing I like about Google Calendars is the ability you have to share them with others, and to display them on your website. You can literally display your appointments online so people can see when you are available. It's clean, and a great visual tool for adding to your site. You can create numerous calendars for different purposes that are color-coded, and share only the ones you want with others. Also great for collaborating schedules among remote teams. Now you can sync up with your phone, which helps save even more time.
12. Mac Laptop
I'm in love with my Mac. Think I want to marry it. I cannot say enough good things about it! It's hard to explain, without owning one, and it's not just branding. The darn machine is better, WAY better than a PC. You just have to own one to understand. The thing I like best about my Mac is that everything is included and integrated. You don't have many moving parts. (Sorta like you can shake it without hearing screws inside.) No, really. It's a superior product with everything you need installed on day one: Word, iTunes, iMovie for editing YouTube iVideos, Garage Band (for creating podcasts) and much more.
13. Pixlr.com
Man, this little tool has been wonderful for me. I use it every day for quick edit jobs on photos and graphics. Whether it's to re-size a photo, or create a quick button, Pixlr is a website, you don't have to login--just go there, create your graphic, save it and leave. Just be careful not to accidentally click away because it's web based and doesn't track you or your projects. It's great for quick-and-easy graphics work.
14. InfusionSoft
InfusionSoft has changed my life! I think I may love it more than my Mac, actually. This software does the work of 10 people, at least. It is a CRM tool that is made for marketing automation, offering seamless solutions for managing your lead forms, leads, administrative emails, newsletters, sales correspondence, clients, client data, billing, staff, tasks and affiliates. The system kicks-butt for only $199-299 per month, it's a steal. My company will make it back in a month with the increase in productivity. Amazing! If you're interested, please contact Cory Snyder and tell him I sent you.
15. iPhone 4
I hear the iPhone 4 offers amazing video editing capabilities that let you capture and edit video on your phone, including cutting the footage, adding music as well as graphics and special effects. If you're a REALTOR, just think how you can impress your listing prospects by whipping up an elaborate video of their casa in 30 minutes. Let me promise you, learning how to effectively use technology pays off quickly in time you save, and ways you impress those you serve. I don't have the iPhone 4 yet, but rest assured, I'll have it soon!
What tools do you use to save time with your social media? I'm sure there are many out there I haven't tried yet, many I haven't heard of. Show me your expertise! Leave a comment below telling what I've missed. You rock. Happy Networking. Muah!
Watch my show on Fridays at 1pm CST "dotJenna Live" at dotJenna.tv.
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