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Social Media Tips and How-To’s for Beginners

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Social Media Quadrupled My Business Last Year

When people talk smack about social media – calling it a waste of time or a fake world – I just smile. “Go ahead with your bad self and your bad attitude,” I say. “Social media helped me quadruple my business last year.”

The relationships are real. Most of the people are genuine and kind. Because the social media world is growing so fast, there’s room for us all to learn, thrive, fall down, get back up…and everything in between.

Social media has increased my exposure * given me opportunities to write in some awesome venues * provided new jobs * helped me grow as a networker, writer & business woman * offered new speaking opportunities…and introduced me to Ron Miller.

Click and Clack

Do you have anyone in your life that you share a brain with? I met one of those people on Twitter. Ron and I can’t remember our first tweets or how we connected so instantly – but we did. Complementing each other perfectly with all of our opposites:

  • He’s a guy/I’m a girl
  • He’s a tech geek/I just like that things work when I plug them in
  • He’s a journalist/I’m a marketing writer
  • He’s old/I’m not

And, before long, we became trusted colleagues, attached at the Skype-hip, editors & thesauruses for each other, confidants, sentence finishers, virtual office mates…and now partners. I’ve lost count of the number of times that we’ve IM’d each other the exact same thought at the exact same time.

Why Am I Telling You All Of This?

The ‘social media is good’ part is because some people still haven’t engaged. Why? Because they’re scared and intimidated by the LinkBooks and the FaceINs, not to mention the Tweetering. And I think that’s a crying shame. It’s all doable if someone helps you do it.

The ‘Ron Miller’ part because our first partner venture is the creation and launch of Soc Media 101: a blog about social media for the beginner. Full of how-to’s and tips from Ron & I and an exciting gang of guest posters.

So…check it out:

  • Digestible info if you’re a newbie.
  • Great place to point the unfamiliar, the scared and the unconvinced
  • Guest possibilities for the well-traveled.

And stay tuned for everything else we’ve got cookin’!

Image by our fantastic designer, Shauna Callghan.

Join the discussion 7 Comments

  • Ann Davis says:

    ComplEmeting eachother
    ConfidantEs

    I remain the grammatical/spelling pain in the ass.

    But, oh, what YOU can teach ME.

    I googled you tonight and the first three hits were YOU. Pretty awesome, girl.

  • Julie Roads says:

    Well, you got me on compliment/complement – but my dictionary (and my 7th grade English teacher) has ‘each other’ as two words….and my dictionary (which I checked when I was writing the post originally) says that ‘confidant’ is the masculine and ‘confidante’ is the feminine – but both are okay and correct. I thought I’d give Ron a nod and go with the masculine here!

    Of course, I type up these posts wicked fast and usually beside myself with excitement – so I wasn’t surprised that you caught some things!!!! Thank you!!!

  • Ann Davis says:

    You are so gracious! And, yeah, you got me — I was thinking in bed this morning (am I WEIRD or what?) that I’ve seen ‘confidantt’ without the e.

    Girls and I moving by June 1 to rental in VH. Fresh start. Can’t wait to learn from you–esp Twitter–after my new life begins. A fb friend asked if it’s ‘facebook on steroids!’

    Have a good one, Julie —

  • Wonderful concept; one whose time has come. I have no doubt this will be a huge winner. Congrats on launching the new blog!

  • Julie Roads says:

    Thank you, Morriss! And for being one of our prized contributors!!!

  • So psyched about this Julie! Congrats!! Cant wait to check it out!

  • Mary Lawler says:

    Social Media has increased traffic, tripled the membership and strengthened the brand of ArtId.com in a way I was never expected. When we decided to jump in to social media as a marketing tool, they put me in charge because I will talk to a lamp post if it will stand still long enough. I must be genetically pre-disposed to talking. Before there was internet social networking, there was real social networking and in the advertising agency business I was the one to go to all the openings, cocktail parties, banquets, award ceremonies because someone had to and I loved it. If you are not out there people will forget you in a minute. It was true 20 years ago and it is true now.
    I think about all the time I spend on line as one big cocktail party at which I am giving out hundreds of business cards a day. Why? Because it works. Period.
    I look forward to your new venture and keeping a link to refer people to it.
    Note:
    No. 1 reason you know you are from Massachusetts? You use the word wicked. I think that’s wicked cool.

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