When I hosted the recorded webinar last week on How to Use Twitter Lists & Directories to Promote Your Expertise and Build Your Brand,  I encouraged participants to get onto as many Twitter lists as possible because lists are a powerful form of free advertising. 

One of my suggestions was to write a blog post telling readers the types of lists where you’d be a perfect fit, and then suggesting that they add you to existing lists on those topics, or create new ones.

But before you do that, it’s helpful to first find out how people on Twitter perceive you.  This will give you other ideas to add to the list of topics on which you’re an expert, and some of them might surprise you. The instructions below are included on the handouts from last week’s webinar, and the entire package is available here.

To see whose lists you’re on:

• Log into your Twitter account
    
• Go to your Home page
    
• Look in the upper right corner, near your gravatar, for the word “Listed.” It will tell you how many lists you’re on.
    
• Click on it. You’ll see all the names of the lists and the gravatars of the people who created them. The names of the lists will be in bold.

Scan the list and you should start to see a pattern. The screenshot above shows some of the 668 lists I’m on. Many of the lists are devoted to PR, publicity, marketing communications, book marketing and social media.

Now that you have a good idea how you’re perceived, write a blog post like this one, suggesting that your Twitter followers add you to their lists on certain topics.
    
   
Add Me to These Lists

Here are topics for other lists you can consider adding me to, based on many of the other lists on which I appear:

Writing or Writers

Editing or Editors

Journalists or Journalism

Marketing

Authors

Business Women

Small Business

Online Marketing

Digital Marketing

Self-promotion

Shoestring Marketing

Book Publicity

Resources for Authors

Inspiring Quotes

Humor

Entrepreneurs

Advertising/Marketing

PR Pros

Press Releases

Blogging or Bloggers

Dog Jokes (I include a dog joke in each issue of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week, my free weekly ezine, and often share it on Twitter)
     
     
Other Ways to be Included on Twitter Lists

1. Tweet helpful, relevant content frequently and forego the “here’s what I’m doing today” tweets. Help people solve their problems!

2. Add yourself to your own lists if you’re a perfect fit. Remember that other people will be subscribing to your lists. If you’re a small business expert, for example,  and somebody is following your list of small business experts, you want to be on it.

3. Include a short blurb in your email signature suggesting that people add you to their lists, with a link to your Twitter page.

4. Ask! Don’t be shy about suggesting that people add you to a particular list they’ve created. They might be grateful that you’ve helped them grow their lists.

Be sure to reciprocate. Welcome requests from other people who ask you to put them on your lists.

What other ways do you use Twitter lists? Is there anything about lists that you don’t understand? Sharre your own tips here on how to get onto other people’s lists.

Attention PR and marketing consultants, and anyone who has clients who are confused about how to dip their toes into social media.

You may be in an ideal position to add social media consulting to your line-up of services and generate another stream of income. 

Most of what I’ve learned about social media has been from Don Crowther.  I took his social media course called SMARTS through Stompernet a few years ago, on how to get started in social media, and I’ve adopted many of his strategies. Now, I teach social media through my newsletter, blog and corporate consulting.

I’ve never stopped following Don because the world of social media changes by the minute. But since the SMARTS course ended, the Number One complaint of people who have been participating in social media is that they don’t know what to do to see an adequate  return on their investment.

Don heard the complaints and created an entirely new course called Social Profit Formula. It’s delivered in six modules and comes with a series of killer bonuses, including Don’s step-by-step instructions on how to get started teaching social media to your clients. This past week, he shared  three free videos chock full of tips on how make more money than friends using social media.  

I’m ready to dive into his course, and I’m setting aside a chunk of time to devour his bonus on how to be a social media consultant. It includes step-by-step directions for everything he does in his business, from getting started, to advanced client campaigns—perfect for PR people, publicists, consultants and others whose clients can benefit from things like Facebook Fan Pages.

Don is throwing in his personal consulting guides, checklists, planners, templates, and agreements so you can start from scratch.  That’s copyrighted material, however, that I CAN’T share with you.

So how about joining me in his course?

Don is pulling Social Profit Formula off the market at midnight tonight, Pacific Time.  Today is your last chance to buy it.  And if you use this link, you’ll get a coupon good for $500 worth of my own products or consulting services from The Publicity Hound website. That’s assuming you love his material and don’t ask for a refund.

Don’t snooze and lose.  Get it now before it’s gone.

All the risk is on Don, including the $5,000 guarantee he’s offering if you implement all that he teaches and you don’t make back the cost of the course

News is breaking all around you.

Here are 6 tips on how to generate publicity from breaking news.

Update: We’ll be discussing these tips and many others during the webinar “How to Tie Your Story Pitch to Breaking News and Make the Media Interview YOU” tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21.

1. The local angle. If you’re the “local angle” to a national breaking news story, let the media know.  Example: Coffee prices nationwide skyrocket.  You own a coffee bar.  How will you deal with the price increase?  Let your local newspapers and TV stations know. (This blog has an entire sub-category on the local angle.)

You win an industry award and you’re so tickled that you can hardly wait to call a press conference.

Problem is, you’re only one that’s excited.  Your publicist, in fact, is reluctant, because she thinks a press conference sounds, well, so old-fashioned.

That’s what happened this week to a publicist who’s one my readers. Her client, whose organization got high ratings, told her to arrange a press conference to announce the good news. She turned to me for advice.
     
    
No one will come

Here’s my response:

“I suggest you NOT hold a press conference because I can virtually guarantee you that if you do, nobody from the media will show up, and you will look bad in the client’s eyes.  (“How come you couldn’t get anyone from the media to show up?”)

“If somebody from the media DOES show up, they will be angry when they find out your client wasted their time and that they could have gotten the same information in a press release, especially if they battled rush-hour traffic to get there on time. And they could blackball you.

“Clients have huge egos, especially when they have good news to share.  You must explain to the client why useless press conferences about topics like this can damage their reputation with the media forever.”
     
    
Better ways to spread the word

I suggested that she convince her client to:

—Write a press release and distribute it through PR Web.  Dan Janal has a fabulous deal where where the client’s press release is guaranteed to make it onto more than 50 big websites like Forbes, Reuters, etc. I wrote about this in my publicity tips newsletter a few weeks ago.  The client will be much happier about achieving this kind of exposure vs. spending all the time coordinating a press conference and then delivering the news in an empty room.

—Create a video (two and a half minutes) explaining what the company did to achieve the high rating. Feature clients talking about what they like about the service they received. Upload it to YouTube and other video-sharing sites.  It will pull traffic to their website.

—Tweet about this and put this on their Facebook Fan Page.

—Take photos that illustrate why the company got the high rating and upload them to Flickr.

—Also do a special mailing to their email list sharing the good news.

—There are many creative alternatives to boring press conferences, like events that are open to the public, or even publicity stunts that are done well. A new florist association, for example, delivered 50,000 roses and carnations to new moms in area hospitals, generating fabulous media attention and word-of-mouth publicity.

The next time you or your PR is tempted to call a press conference, consider the disadvantages. Then think of a better way to spread the good news.

This month’s guest blog post was written byJames Nissen. Last week, I shared James’ pitch and wrote about How a guest blogger pitched me and made me say ‘yes’

*     *     *      

By James Nissen

    

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” — Confucius

   

One of the greatest things about promoting a brand online today is how low the cost really is.  I have helped to market SecretintheDirt.com over the past two years, and it has grown from a single ebook to a thriving golf community.  Over 8,000 golfers have now joined our community at Secret in the Dirt, despite having launched only two months ago.  

    

Granted, we did have a strong buzz before the launch of the site, but the great part about this adventure was the fact that it cost us almost nothing to build the brand up to what it is today.  Allow me to use a cliché metaphor, but one that I think applies to building your brand.  

    

I want you imagine that before you have a “brand,” your idea is just a bunch of car parts.  Everything you do to promote your idea is like adding a new part to the car.  At some point, you will have built the body of the car, the engine, put on the tires, added the interior, and checked all the wiring.  There is nothing left to do; the car is ready to run.  You will have maintenance from time to time, but the hardest part is over.  

   

At this point, your brand can go places it never could go before when it was just a bunch of parts waiting to be used.  Your brand will never get that way if you expect it to run when you’re only halfway complete with the job.  So start building the car today.  Here are 13 cost-effective resources we used in building our brand online.

    

1. YouTube. 

  

Our greatest asset in the beginning was a set of golf videos that Mike Maves aka “Sevam1″ put together on YouTube.  A friend of his asked for some advice on golf, and he put the videos together simply to help his friend’s game improve.  The videos ending up attracting over 500,000 views in a short time and people began to talk about them.  

   

Find a way to talk about your product or service in the form of a video, and put up as many videos as you can.  Other great videos sites include DailyMotion, Vimeo, Viddler and Twitvid.

    

2. Bloggers.

Many people have blogs, but how focused are they?  How big of a following do they have?  How often do they update the blog?

  

I’ll never forget a quote I read by Jeremy Schoemaker from the very successful site ShoeMoney.com that said he would continue to update his blog even if nobody read it.  You obviously want your followers to read it, but there is a tremendous power in that kind of mentality.  Other blogging services include WordPress and Tumblr.

    

3. Twitter.

    

Twitter has not brought the highest amount of traffic to our site of any source, but I still believe it should be part of the online arsenal.

  

Sites like Twitpic and Twitvid allow you to share pictures and videos with your Twitter followers, and it makes it easy to start conversations online with people who want to learn more about your brand.  You can even hold contests for your Twitter followers and keep them up to date on important changes to your website or business.

   

4. Niche Forums

  

One of the biggest sources of buzz for the Secret in the Dirt ebook came from Golfwrx.com, a forum devoted to talking about golf-related products and topics.  Mike posted in the forum constantly, answering questions about the YouTube videos and the golf swing.  I have seen forums in every conceivable niche, and if you can find one or two big ones relating to your company, posting to the forum regularly will go a long way in building up your credibility.
    

5. Squidoo

    

Seth Godin hit the nail on the head when he helped to create this site.  It allows anyone to create a mini-site (called a “lens”) about any conceivable topic in a very short amount of time.  We used this site as an opportunity to create sites about golf and golf history, which in turn brings traffic back to our site.  Another site similar to Squidoo is HubPages.

   

6. Facebook Fan Pages
  

These pages are great because they are indexed by Google, and people may find them just by doing searches about your topic.  They don’t allow for as much customization as a normal web page or blog, but with over 300 million users on Facebook, you can be sure there are many people who will be interested in the products and services you offer.  They offer a great way to keep in touch with your loyal followers.

  

7. Simple Scripts

   

At some point, you will have to invest in hosting for your website.  If you don’t hage hosting yet, I recommend a hosting service that uses Simple Scripts.  

   

It’s a user interface that comes installed when you by hosting from Bluehost, Hostgator, and a few others.  The great thing about Simple Scripts is that with just a few clicks (literally), you can have your blog or website up and running, without having to worry about installing it yourself the hard way.  It makes it a lot less scary if you are new to the web.  You can also point as many domain names as you want to the same hosting plan (it’s around $100 a year).

   

8. EzineArticles.com

   

This service allows authors to submit articles on every topic imaginable, and is great for establishing credibility in your niche and getting your thoughts clear about your topic. We have seen thousands of people view our articles, and all of that traffic is free.  Other great services include ArticlesBase and ArticleDashboard.

    

9. Flickr

    

If your niche involves art or pictures of some type, consider using Flickr.  It’s a great service that allows you to create photo albums that you can share with others for free.  

  

Even if your niche does not involve photography, posting photos from industry events and appearances is often great material to share with your loyal fans.  Another great photo site to use is Twitpic, which links up with your twitter account.

   

10. Google Analytics

   

I can’t speak highly enough of Google Analytics.  This is a free service that takes minutes to install onto your website or blog.  You can see where your traffic is coming from, how much traffic you had, how effective your affiliates are, what countries your visitors are coming from, how long they stay on each page, and a lot more.  Testing is critical to refining your website.

    

11. Cold-Emailing

   

I was surprised to see how many bloggers, radio talk show hosts and newspapers are hungry for good content.  Don’t be afraid to contact successful people in your niche and ask if you can write a guest post for their blog.

   

 BlogTalkRadio lets you create your own radio shows for free, and these talk show hosts always need new guests and experts to have on their show.

  

Last but not least, don’t forget the almighty newspaper.  Contact the smaller ones in your town or neighborhood first, because they like to highlight “local stories” and things going on in that part of town.  If you’re giving a free seminar or making an appearance somewhere, odds are one of the writers would love to spotlight it.

   

12. Karma

   

Aside from the fact that people enjoy getting things for free, it never hurts to have karma on your side.  When we launched the Secret in the Dirt E-Book, we gave away several chapters for free as a bonus for signing up to our email newsletter.  

    

Posting videos and blogging regularly has the same effect.  Give people a chance to get to know you on a personal level, and make it a habit to answer questions emailed to you about your topic.  Give them some real value.  If what you say gets them hooked, they will be back for more.

   

13. Elance.com

   

When we ever ran into a problem that we could not solve ourselves, we used Elance. They have professionals who can help you out with logo design, banner ad design, web programming, blog layouts, troubleshooting, writing, video editing, and a lot more.  The turnaround time is pretty quick, and since professionals bid for jobs, you are sure to get the best price.

  

Even though you now have the right tools, when you make a habit of using them day in and day out, you will start to see success.  It will feel like a slow climb at first, but that’s part of the journey, right?  

   

Take what applies to your business and throw the rest out.  Focus on one tool at a time, and build upon that.  Get creative, think outside of the box, take action, and add parts to your car.  It will be up and running before you know it.

    

    

James Nissen, head of marketing for SecretintheDirt.com, loves golf, espresso, and the outdoors. He also may be found reading the occasional book or playing guitar.  He is a graduate of the University of Redlands with a degree in accounting.

Is that smart-aleck friend of yours constantly berating you for tweeting and blogging, chiding you for wasting your time, and claiming that it’s just a fad?

What about that “you-can’t-change-my-mind” boss who refuses to let the company have a blog “because we want to control what people say about us”?

Ask for just five minutes of their time, and then show them this video, edited by Erik Qualman.

A year ago, I shared some amazing social media statistics that show it isn’t just a passing fad. This video has more up-to-date stats.

What are some other stupid reasons you hear from people about why they won’t participate in social media?

Maintaining a Facebook Fan Page is a lot of work.

You need to attract targeted fans who care about your topic. You must consistently provide compelling content. And you should respond to every person who responds to you.

So how much is all this work really worth?

Find out with the Social Page Evaluator, which helps marketers determine the value of a page. Type your Fan Page URL into the window and it will calculate the valuation based on factors such as the number of fans, how often you post each day, and the number of times you interact with your fans.

A  chart lets you compare the current value and the potential value, based on activity from the last 30 days.  I measured the value of my publicity tips fan page and here’s what it’s worth:

I like the fact that they make suggestions on best practices that can improve the value of your page.

Post frequency: “You may be posting too often or not often enough. Be aware of what content you would like users to see from your brand and how frequently you are posting.” (I post several times a week, and I’m guessing that they think that isn’t often enough.)

Post type: “You are already making effective use of multimedia and dynamic wall posts. The next step for you could be the use of wall apps for heightened engagement.”

Short URL: “Having a branded, shortened URL would give your links more credibility and assurance to users that the link will redirect to a relevant page.”

A”Fan-tasize” section lets you manipulate other features like number of posts per day, how often you reply to your fans, and the number of fans, to see how that will affect the value of your page. If you’re looking for more ways to attract fans, see 11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.

Curious about how your page stacks up to those of your competitors?  You can compare your page to up to three other brands at a time.

Be sure to sign up for email updates on your page’s value.

The evaluator tool was created by Vitrue, the social media management company.

Anne Roos of  South Lake Tahoe, CA, writes:

In the last several issues of my newsletter, I’ve been writing about the gold rush that’s about to occur in the world of mobile marketing.

Imagine you’re in San Francisco in 1848, but you’re the only one with a gold-sifting pan.  That’s what mobile marketing is like right now.

• A “click to call” link. StomperMobile students will even get their own 800 number as part of the course.
     
• Widgets that let you use PayPal on your mobile site.
      
• Links to your social media profiles.
     
• Opt-in forms so you can subscribe people to your ezine, or just bring them into your funnel.
     
•  ”Tell a Friend” forms.
    
• I’ve even include a smattering of dog jokes, quotes and videos taken right from my newsletter. (No need to create new content!)

Stay tuned for some cool offers that I’ll throw your way—for mobile subscribers only, of course. 

Jennifer Melnick Carota, aka The Gift Therapist,  of Pittsburgh, Pa., writes: