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Freelance Austin, Thanks! We had a GREAT time!

11 March 2009 | austin social media,social-media | 5 Comments

freelance austin meeting

Social Media Business Edge

In case you hadn’t heard, we spent an afternoon with Freelance Austin discussing “Social Media Business Edge” and I have to say, I was very impressed with many of the questions and reactions we received during the presentation- what an interactive group!

I wanted to take just a minute to share with you some notes from the event that you may have missed.

  1. I spoke about searching Google, and how to search Google for latest blog posts- here’s a link to show you what I mean.
  2. Some of you asked for LinkedIn applications- hop over and take a look and see what interests you in the App Directory.
  3. We also mentioned a great way to pitch your business or share your practice is by using Slideshare.  Slideshare allows you to bundle PowerPoint presentations into an online presentation and share it.  It can virtually be shared anywhere online, such as your blog sidebar, or in a blog post, or how about in your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles?
  4. During the Facebook presentation, we mentioned “sheep throwing” and how obnoxious it can be when abused, however, the applications directory can be a fantastic source of “Drip Marketing” opportunities to simply reach out and touch (connect with) your client base on a personal level.  Also, there may be some causes (charitable groups) you may wish to also associate with- this is another great way to connect with others that share your same passions.
  5. We also spoke of cross pollinating your profiles and linking everything back to your website or personal blog.  Widgetbox has a simple and easy to use widget that you can customize just for that purpose.
  6. Basic Twitter toolbox: search.twitter.com searches all public tweets for your selected terms like “Round Rock” while twellow.com searches user profiles and bios for interests or locations in common and TweetBeep can be set up to email you any time someone mentions your targeted phrase (your name, company name or otherwise). The two destop applications that update themselves with users’ messages and allows you to visually organize are TweetDeck and Twhirl. For managing your follower list, you’ll love FriendOrFollow.com so you can see who you follow that doesn’t follow you back or vice versa, as well as Twitoria that shows you inactive Twitter accounts you follow.
  7. Social media is an amazing branding opportunity, don’t forget to direct people back to your main site and put your social media profiles on your business cards (especially Twitter).
  8. Many of you are freelance journalists, here’s a tip especially for you: if you’re looking for sources for a story or looking to BE a source for a journalist or blogger, sign up for HelpAReporterOut.com. It’s free and you get three emails a day with 20-50 reporter requests. If you read a request that fits someone in your network, send it to them- be a connector!

We’re always available for questions over email, or better yet, we invite you to join us on May 15th for the New Media Collaborative. Don’t forget- it’s your niche to carve.

One Last Thought:

Who can forget that Austin is the Live Social Media Capital of the World? Here are some great lists of people to connect with in the Austin social media scene:

Lastly, if you’re a blogger, don’t forget to enter blog carnivals (we host one right here about social media) for exposure, or simply visit New Media Lab on Mondays to see the winners of each week’s social media blog carnival to read what others have to say about social media.

Get our Twitter updates via SMS by texting follow NewMediaLab to 40404 in the U.S.
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5 Comments for this entry

  • Sheila Scarborough
    March 11th, 2009 on 5:11 pm

    Hi Benn,

    Thanks so much for this helpful summary and the useful links.

    You and Lani did a super job today, and as a Freelance Austin board member I welcome eye-opening presentations such as yours.

    Come see us again soon!

  • Phil West
    March 11th, 2009 on 5:40 pm

    Great presentation today, and this summary’s especially impressive. I know some of our members are still trying to wrap their heads around the finer points of Twitter, but you’ve pointed them in a direction where they’re more eager to plunge in — which is, of course, a great direction from them to be going in.

    You rocked it — thanks!

  • Andrea Schulle
    March 11th, 2009 on 5:54 pm

    Thanks for the insightful presentation today! Sheila and Phil both hit the nail on the proverbial head in their posts above! I left the meeting today so excited about opportunities and immediately started implementing some of the things discussed, especially with Twitter. The summary above is amazing and something I will share in a post on Twitter and FB!

    Looking forward to many more conversations with you and Lani!

  • Beth Sample
    March 11th, 2009 on 7:15 pm

    Your on-target presentation today sparked enthusiasm in the group, and your statistics on usage were impressive and well-reserached. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and perspectives. I look forward to implementing the terrific suggestions.

  • Deborah Goldstein
    March 11th, 2009 on 9:38 pm

    Thanks Benn. You and Lani made an important impact and opened doors for a lot of people at the meeting this afternoon. This summary is icing on the cake.

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