How to Use a Viral Marketing Campaign to Promote Business

Running a business on the internet is becoming more and more popular every day and promoting your business through a viral marketing campaign online is an extremely effective and inexpensive way to reach potential customers and clients. So what is ‘viral marketing’? In a nut shell, viral marketing incorporates using advertising techniques that utilize a variety of social networks that help get the word out and to increase people’s awareness of a particular company or brand.

Some folks can dance circles around me when discussing the topic of creating a viral marketing campaign, but I am going to give you some easy ideas on the basics on how to use viral marketing for those that may be challenged by this concept. (Like I was! )

1. 
   Sign up for a page on Facebook. One of the best ways to use viral marketing is to promote a business through word of mouth from friend to friend and that’s what Facebook is all about. People talking to people about other people and what they are doing, making friends and meeting other people through your friends. Sounds like a party doesn’t it? Well in a way it is… a virtual party. You will have to use your real name to sign up for your personal page, but Facebook provides the option of making your personal site private and viewable only to those people to whom you welcome to your page. There is also an option to set up a FAN Page on Facebook and here is where you can put it in your business name and do promotions through a viral marketing campaign.
   
2. 
   Sign up for a Twitter account. I know to some it seems inane and why would anyone want to talk about or read about how people micro-manage their lives? Well there are other uses for Twitter and promoting your business through a viral marketing campaign is one of them. In one or two short sentences of 140 characters you can tell your followers about your products, any sales you are having, talk to them and ask questions, find out what they like or dislike, teach techniques, and much more. Because of the way people follow other people on Twitter, the viral marketing aspect of what you tell folks is spread far and wide between other Twitter users.
   
3. 
   Start a blog! The term ‘blog’ is shorthand for web log, a kind of virtual, online journal or data list. Blogs take all forms from simple journals to complex website pages and are an excellent way to communicate through viral marketing to existing and potential new customers. On your blog you are the master of your own ship, calling the shots, writing about whatever you choose and creating whatever image you like. You can link your blog articles to other social sites you belong to referring people back and forth between them to create a nice web which can be found by various search engines. For instance, write an article on your blog and feature it on your Facebook and Twitter accounts including links to the full article in the blog. You've just started a viral marketing campaign!
   
4. 
   Join social bookmarking sites like Digg and Stumbleupon to enhance your viral marketing efforts to promote your business. Here you can add articles to your account that you have written on your blog as well as articles others have written that are of interest. Link together various bits of information that help pass the word along about your business and use the viral marketing aspect of the internet to increase traffic to your blog or website.
   
5. 
   Set up a website for your business and be sure to link it to your blog and other social networking and bookmarking sites to take advantage of the viral marketing aspects available. Blog about your website, advertise it on Twitter and Facebook including links for people to click to get them to your site.
   
   Although you can hire a web designer to set up a website for you, it can be expensive and you have little artistic control and even less technical savvy when it comes to running your own site. There are a variety of companies available online that have preset website templates and bandwidth where you can open an account inexpensively and in a week or less, set up your own site, learning all the steps so you can be in control always.
   
6. 
   There are other social sites besides the ones mentioned here but this is a good start. Once learned, viral marketing techniques will reward you with a feeling of empowerment and new tools to further promote your business in this new way using the internet to your benefit through viral marketing and advertising. And best of all, most of it is free and only asks that you donate some of your time for success.
   

TIPS:

• 
  
  There is a learning curve to using social networking and social bookmarking sites for a viral marketing campaign your business. Allow yourself plenty of time and be patient with yourself while you are learning the ropes on each of the sites.
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  Using Facebook, Twitter and other social sites can become addicting! Learn to budget your time when using them.

How to Do Small Business Advertising on Facebook

If you’re new to Facebook, using it for small business advertising promotions can be confusing until you’ve figured out how and where to input relevant information and upload photos to show off your products. All Facebook accounts require that you set up a personal page first which you can incorporate into your business advertising if you choose. Some people prefer to keep their personal pages private for the use of friends and family only, so setting up a fan page for your small business advertising is necessary. Follow these easy steps to promote your products and services on Facebook.

1. 
   Sign up for a Facebook account or if you already have one open your account which will display your personal page. If you’re incorporating your personal page into your small business advertising promotions you can use the directions below to post an ad for your product.
   
2. 
   To set up a fan page for your small business advertising, locate the small tool bar at the bottom left corner of the personal page. You’ll see a blue capital letter “F” and the word “applications”. Next to that on the right there is a little button that with a lower case “f” over a green box. Hold your mouse over the icon and see a black message that says “ads and pages”. Click on that. On the right side of that page you will see “recent page activity” and a link to your fan page. Click on the name and you’ve created a fan page. Very easy.
   
3. 
   Post promotional messages and ads for small business advertising on either or both pages in the text box at the top. For instance, you can tell people about your website and products here and direct them to any part of it by including a link to the main website or to a particular page.
   
4. 
   Add the url from your website or product page under the promotional message you wrote in the text box. Once you enter the url the text box will expand to include a live feed of the link and you will see the name of your store or product and a short description. To the left of the store name and description you will see a place to add a picture. Scroll through the pictures provided using the arrows until you find one that effectively promotes your business advertising message and choose it to accompany your text.
   
5. 
   Click the blue “share” button to the right of the text box and you’re done! Once you get the hang of it, doing your small business advertising promotions on Facebook is a very effective and inexpensive way to get the word out about your products and services.
   

TIPS:

• 
  
  Decide ahead of time if you want to use your personal page for your small business advertising. Facebook provides a privacy setting which when activated limits who can and can’t see your personal page. If you set up a Facebook account for the sole purpose of using it for business advertising, then consider turning off the privacy setting and using both pages for promotions or cross promotions with other sellers who may have a common product line or interest.
• 
  
  Facebook can become addictive. After you have figured out how to use it, stay disciplined or you’ll find you can’t pull yourself away. No kidding here!

Camelot Glass and Collectibles on Etsy

Vintage Elegant Fostoria Heirloom Green Opalescent Oblong Bowl

What an awesome new shop just opened on Etsy. Camelot Glass has the most divine inventory of antique and vintage, Art Nouveau, Victorian, super delectible items I have seen in a long time all in one place.

The shop's owner Glenda, has a house full of fantasy carnival and depresssion glassware, fabulous ceramic beer steins, amazing Limoge antique china, Hummel figurines, Waterford crystal and so much more I could go on and on.

Glenda and I have known each other since our eBay forays into each other's stores. I've tried to convince her to give them all to me for my birthday but she seems a bit hesitant. Then I tried for Christmas gifts and she kind of said no, sniff sniff...so I have quietly purchased black stealth clothes, a funny black stocking mask and those little black ballet shoes we used to wear. Who knew you could use them for this purpose! When she's not looking, I'm going in as a cat burgler because I have to have some of these beauties! With her extensive stock, do you think she's going to notice a few missing ???

Vintage Lot 5 Goebel West. German Friar Tuck Monk Condiments

Go have a look at her store...and while you're there buy something. Maybe I'll get a finders fee reward. Tell her the cat burgler sent you. :-)

Vintage Bohemian Glass Cranberry to Cut Clear Decanter with 6 Wine Glasses

Camelot Glass and Collectibles on Etsy! You gotta see this store!

How to Solution: Easy Online Bill Payment for Dummies

If you're like me, the idea of online bill payment with its techno learning curve makes you quake in your shoes and run for cover every time you hear the words, online bill payment. Well, no longer do you have reason to break out in a cold sweat, get nauseous and call you mother for help. I'm going to show you how easy it is to use my version of online bill payment. There are a variety of services offered by banks for online bill payment and all seem rather intimidating, so being terrified of the internet dragon who would fly off with my money caught between teeth spewing fire, I developed my own straight forward version of online bill payment for dummies and dorks. Read the full article HERE!

How to Solution for Paying Bills On Time

Oh groan, it's that time again the beginning of the month and you're scratching your head and wondering if paying bills on time can ever be a possibility for you? Money's been tight, the kids are eating bologna and you're telling them it's steak and you made the cat start hunting mice instead of serving up gourmet cat food because money is tight and paying bills on time has become an arduous and sometimes agonizing task. Here's a solution to help you remember and get you paying bills when they are due and before they become late.

Read full article HERE.

Kevin Costner Has To Eat Too

Kevin Costner's new commercial for Turkish Airlines...very funny! The recession must be affecting us all, not just the every day Joe! He's still hot and I forgive him. LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vAJox4Puaw

Rare Blue Diamond Auctioned

Get a load of them apples, er...carrots! An exquisite, rare blue diamond weighing 7.03 carats was auctioned in Switzerland for a cool 10.5 MILLION Swiss Francs, or 9.49 MILLION DOLLARS. Now that's some engagement present for a June wedding, don't you think? And one of the funnest things about this extraordinary sale is the new owner gets to name the stone for all time! I think he or she should name it "The Holy Mackerel", short for "Holy Mackerel, what the heck have I just done? Mom's gonna kill me for spending the family fortune!"




And in an irony that has not escaped me, during the sale of millions and millions of dollars of incredible jewelry that will give you an asthma attack as you gasp at the dazzling oppulence, there was also a display from a collection of torture devices from a private collector to be auctioned at a later date. The gem below was placed in a person's mouth and expanded, and you can just imagine the rest.


Hmmm, do you think the auction house might have made even more money on the jewels if they had waited to disply these devices? After all I am sure there were a few people in the crowd who may have felt a little guilty hearing their mother's voices whispering in their heads saying things like, "Johnny, now don't spend all your money in one place", or "Brenda, you know what I've taught you about buying the first thing you see"!


You can read more about the sale of the fantastic blue diamond and other pieces sold right HERE.