If you’re going to spend so much time writing a blog for your business, why not convert that same energy into writing a book? In fact, do the two at once. Consider making your blog posts future chapters of a book to showcase your expertise and skills.  It’s not a new idea, we just hope to motivate you a bit to keep going or get started.

Start with an Outline

Start with a rough outline. It’s rough, because your readers’ feedback and comments will help shape your book. You don’t want to leave it totally up to them to decide the topics though, because you’ll lose control and it will be hard to finish the book. While a novel might work well that way, it may not work as well for a business book.

Write 500 Words a Day

After you write your outline, start writing 500 word articles each day on a topic and post them. You’ll compile those articles to make up your chapters down the road, and you may decide not to use some. It’s a win-win for you, because you still have great content for your blog. Make sure it’s search engine optimized, and you can edit it out when you’re ready to make it a book, or leave those keywords in.

Don’t worry about doing the chapters in order. You’ll worry about that when you go to compile the book. The main thing is to form the habit of writing 500 words a day and finish the book that you know you need to write for your business.  Before you know it, on a 5 day a week schedule, you’ll hit 60,000 words in 120 days, which is more than good enough for your first business book.

It’s tough to think beyond the social media theories and statistics when you’re new to social media marketing. Entrepreneurs are in need of real life applications, and are more willing to give it try if they have examples to consider. The following is a list of social media marketing goals set by many entrepreneurs should help you make your own. Some of these goals may seem easy if you’ve been engaged with social media marketing all this time, but it’s challenging if you’re just starting out.

1. Read one ebook, one white paper and one book on social media each quarter, for one year.

2. Increase number of daily unique visitors by 20 percent in 60 days using social media marketing.

3. Publish two blog posts, six days a week that are search engine optimized.

4. Email a bi-weekly newsletter to subscribers with one solid call to action.

5. Write 10 authoritative “list type” articles each month that will make linking to it hard to resist.

6. Respond to every comment and private message on social media channels and blog, including deleting spams, the same business day, for 30 days.

7. Spend 20 percent of marketing budget on social media marketing for 90 days. Measure the results and determine how to continue.

8. Create one video tutorial or other video content every 60 days for one year. Publish it on your website and on YouTube.

Now that was easy…to write down. Actually getting this list done on a consistent basis will help to make your marketing campaign a successful one.

Some entrepreneurs get video marketing, and others hate it. Whether it’s insecurity about their talent or appearance, the thought of showing up in a YouTube video is unnerving. If that’s you, video marketing represents zero percent of your marketing campaign. That’s a shame, because when done right, viral marketing through videos pays dividends, and the bills.

Excuse #1: That’ not My Area of Expertise

Excuse #2: I’m too Fat

There’s really no excuse for not making the time and putting in the effort to incorporate video marketing in your campaigns. It could be key to keeping your business afloat.

It’s guaranteed that you’re not reaching more customers, if you’re not merging social media marketing with your email newsletter campaign. The two marketing should not be separate, but instead you should build upon each to reach new people. Here’s how:

Post Old Newsletters to Your Website

One of the best ways for new customers to get to know you better, is by reading your old email newsletters. They represent your body of knowledge, expertise, personality and they’ll be more informed about your products and services. You can make the archived newsletters public, for anyone visiting your website to view, or you can require readers to sign up for a username and password to view the newsletters.

Broadcast Newsletter Headlines

This is perfect if you’re new to social media marketing, but have many months or years worth of email newsletters. Post the titles of the newsletter, and a blurb where appropriate, with a link to where it’s posted on the website. You’ll breathe new life into your old newsletters.

Link to Your Social Media Profiles

Your email newsletter should include links to the social media channels where you have a presence. That will remind your email subscribers to join you on social networking websites. This benefits you, because your “following” will increase, which will attract more fans and followers. They’ll also share your newsletter with others, and some of them will click on the links to check out your social media activities. You’ll gain even more followers as a result.

In addition to your email newsletters, make sure that your email signature includes one or two links to your social media profiles.

Social media promotions help to breathe life into your marketing efforts, if you do them right. It will have the opposite effect if you make mistakes, which can drive people away.

Every small business owner with a web presence has an online reputation, and making these social media promotions mistakes will help destroy it.

Use promotions on social media to get more buyers, subscribers and readers. It’s amazing the interest that you can generate from a well thought out promotion, and you’ll see huge results based on how much fun you make them. Consider these ideas for promotions that have worked well for other businesses:

Coupon Game

Offer New Products for Free

Free Seminar

Lists

Try to plan on at least one social media marketing promotion every month. It will keep you on your toes, as well as keep fans and followers interested.

Blogs are becoming more popular by the minute; for each subject of  interest, there is bound to be something out there to satisfy that taste. But it is not enough to simply exist and hope that visitors will find you. There is so much competition out there that this approach will prove fruitless in the end. You need to take advantage of the things the internet has to offer, one of those being Twitter. This social site may be fun and easy to use, but for bloggers, it needs to take on a whole new meaning. You must use Twitter to your advantage, and know what should be done to make people pay attention to your blog.

1. Keep anyone who is following your account interested by asking them questions.

2. Make your Twitter account useful.

3. Post as often as you can.

4. Choose your words carefully when posting on Twitter.

5. Remember to interact with others.

About the author:

James is a computer geek that writes about technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to online dating.

Many small business owners are still trying to figure out what search engine optimization (SEO) is and how to use it. There are many rules to follow, and keeping up with it all can be daunting. Now there’s a new thing to learn, social media optimization (SMO). Like SEO, it’s important to learn what it is and how to use it to grow your business, or your competitors will leave you in the dust.

Fast Company had an article sorting it all out…well, sort of:

SMO is the distribution of social objects and their ability to rise to the top of any related search query, where and when it is performed. SEO + SMO = Amplified findability in the traditional and social web.

I don’t feel it’s difficult to make the argument that social is becoming as important as search to your online success. Is it possible that one day we’ll be amazed that people are still using traditional search to find products and services, in the same way we’re amazed–well, some of us–that people still use the phone book?

Right now companies need to have both a search and a social media strategy to increase their online visibility, find new customers, and stay ahead of the competition.

A fascinating fact that the writer Rich Brooks points out is that YouTube is the second most popular search. Twitter is trumping Google in searches conducted as well. What does all of this mean to you as a small business owner?

You have to transfer your SEO skills to SMO strategies. If more people are looking for products and services on Twitter, before going to Google, then you’ve got to diversify your marketing plan. For example, go beyond article marketing for your website, and write tweets using keywords that will gain the attention of the niche you want to reach. You’re likely to see more results in sales and leads than before.

It is no big secret that blogging can provide a significant income stream. This knowledge is so well known that the blogosphere went from being a relatively small part of internet content to its current point where almost everyone has a blog. Ranging from internet marketing experts through teenagers, everyone is attempting to cash in on a blog in some fashion. However, while many blogs exist, only a small percentage of them actually yield significant dividends.

While there are many ways in which a blog can be monetized, the most common is through using Google AdSense. There is no doubt that when used effectively AdSense will indeed create income, but many people don’t understand what it takes to effectively blog for AdSense results. By learning the tips and tricks that yield effective blogging results, almost any blog using advertising as a form of revenue can succeed.

Rule number 1: A Blog must have Content
Many people start a blog thinking that they only need to write a few posts and the money will start coming in. However, this never is how it really works. For blogs to be effective, they must have both enough content to draw traffic as well as up to date and useful information. Not only does this mean writing a lot of blog posts, but it means constantly staying up to date as well.

Rule number 2: The Content must be Targeted
While it is important that a blog have a limited focus such as technology or a popular television show, each post needs to be targeted to yield the right ads. AdSense scans each blog for content and then posts advertisements that fit the information. In order to maximize this, it is extremely important to target specific products or services in the post itself. This will not only lead to more accurate ads, but should also lead to a higher percentage of clicks, which of course leads to more money.

Rule number 3: Post Quality must be Outstanding
No matter what subject a blog covers, chances are there are more than a few blogs that post about the same exact material. When it comes to effectively blogging for AdSense results, it is imperative that the blog not only grab people’s attention, but also be worth coming back too time and time again. The sticky reader is vital in a blogs success.

Believe it or not, these three simple rules will make a huge difference in any blog which follows them.

Animal lovers of the world unite! Applications like Dogbook, and websites Catster and Dogster , connect precious pooches and finicky felines with other pets online with the help of social networking. In addition to providing helpful information and advice, the sites allow dog and cat owners to post blog entries, update their pet’s status, and upload pictures of their furry friends in action.

A hit during troubled times, the mere sight of a pug in a tutu or a tabby wearing a tiara is enough to make a person double over with laughter. Light-hearted and frivolous, social media applications for pets help like-minded individuals find common ground online.

Considered harmless fun, Dogbook, Catster, and Dogster have incredible marketing potential. Where else can businesses find a group of dedicated animal lovers in one central location online?

Facebook, with its 400 plus million members, is singlehandedly the most successful social media networking site on the web and applications like Zynga’s Farmville have fared well despite the recession. Dogbook, however, has yet to reach its fullest potential.

With the pet industry bringing in a whopping $45.5 billion in 2009 alone, social media sites for Rover and Fluffy are teeming with potential. The challenge lies in how to communicate this message to the businesses that cater to our four-legged friends.

Facebook Ads is one way to get the word out. The service allows pet industry-related companies to target their exact demographic easily and affordably. Facebook pages and Facebook Events plus ads helps businesses turn their advertising messages into referrals by using the testimonials of people already affiliated with a product or service.

Petcentric by Purina gives customers, new and existing, the opportunity to become a Fan on Facebook. The company also advertises upcoming campaigns, gives up-to-date news about all things pet-related, and links back to the Purina Twitter account. Fans learn about important events in real time and have the opportunity to post their ideas, praise, and criticism in a public place where others can see. This type of interaction with customers is critical in growing a successful business.

Numerous companies rely on this type of honest feedback to assist them in making the right kind of changes that help improve sales and win over new customers. With fierce competition, the pet industry needs to step up their game where social media is concerned because Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have already proven to be the way of the future.