Wordpress is a very powerful blogging tool for small businesses and nonprofits. It’s free and easy to use. But the true power of Wordpress can be found in using it with an iPhone. Now, with a simple app, you have the ability to update your site from anywhere.

To get started with Wordpress right now visit Wordpress.com. You can sign up and have a blog running in a few minutes.

For advanced features visit Wordpress.org. This option allows you to install Wordpress on your own website.

To download the iPhone application visit http://iphone.wordpress.org

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

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Make no mistake that Twitter continues to grow as a platform for online communication. Here are seven reasons why it’s so successful.

1) Text based

Twitter can be scanned easily and quickly. No video and audio posting except through third party providers. Both video and audio require real time viewing and listening. Text can be decoded at the pace of the reader.

2) Short

140 characters are manageable. Limits are good for creativity and brevity. If you want to be a better writer – put limits on yourself. Limits are perfect for “to the point communication”

3) Public

There is something about knowing your twitter post can be viewed by anyone on the planet that encourages most folks to write differently.

4) Social and informal

Twitter has really changed how we see and use our social graph. We are more at ease with complete strangers. I will friend anyone on Twitter that I think is interesting. However, I probably wouldn’t make that same person my Facebook friend. Twitter allows for informality.

5) Current

Twitter IS the current conversation. It isn’t “old news.”

6) Instant

When you click update – your followers see your post immediately.

7) Democratization of fame

Take away all the above and when it really comes down to it – Twitter has democratized fame.

It could be argued that the history of the United States is the history of democratizing everything.

We have democratized publishing (desktop computers & blogs). We have democratized wealth (home loans, E-Trade and house ownership). We have democratized education (online degrees). We have democratized transportation (the automobile & cheap jet travel). We have democratized lifestyle (just visit Ikea or glance around the supermarket in the produce aisle).

And with Twitter we have democratized fame. Internet celebrity is now within everyone’s grasp.

Agree? Why do you think Twitter is popular?

And If you are new to Twitter, read some of our articles and resources to help you use the service.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

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Tweet This Seinfeld

If Seinfeld were on the air today they would most likely write an episode in which the characters would bet each other on how long they can go without tweeting. Of course this would lead to hilarious dialogue and scenarios.

How long can you go without using Twitter? Are you an addict?

The five classes of Twitterland

As far as I can tell – Tweeters fall into one of five classes…

1) “I tweet therefore I am”

The issue: These folks identify so closely with their Twitter identity that they write only their @name on their name tags at conferences.

Key danger: You actually believe someone doesn’t exist if they don’t have a Twitter account.

2) “I am a compulsive tweeter”

The issue: These are the folks who just can’t stop Tweeting. Don’t have wifi or cell service on that long airline flight? Oh no – how are you going to tweet what you had to drink with your meal? Write 140 characters on the back of an airline napkin and then type it into Twitter when you land of course.

Key danger: Like any addiction – you tell yourself you don’t have a problem and this thing is manageable.

3) “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing on here. Someone said I should be using this so here I am.”

The issue: These people don’t know what they are doing and so begin to post without really understanding the toolset. They begin to post random complaints or thoughts that they think sound candid – but in reality – they sound very contrived.

Key danger: You look like a dork who doesn’t have a clue.

4) “I will post links to all my amazing and awesome offers and business opportunities and you will love them so much that you will visit my site and make me millions. Hehehehe.”

The issue: No one cares about you or your millionaire maker website. At least not until you engage us as humans and not masses of people who can make you rich.

Key danger: You give yourself false hope. You are building a reputation as “that guy.” What a sorry sap you are.

5) I am very manipulative with my tweeting by name dropping and hoping to be apart of the “in” crowd at conferences and events.

The issue: You are in need of friends and an ego boost. Instead of just developing relationships with people you come in contact with – you go after the big fish and expect them to reply to your @ messages every time. When they don’t – you are enraged.

Key danger: You are setting yourself up for disappointment.

My Advice For Serious Twitter Users

Be yourself. Be helpful. Be encouraging. Be interesting. A lot more can be gained by focusing on other people and their hopes, dreams, successes, and failures. It is rewarding and fun to help others succeed.

What are your thoughts on Twitter? Do you agree disagree?

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

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Social media is a two-sided coin.

On one side of the coin are the hype peddlers who tell you that this stuff is hard and they have the secrets to guide you every step of the way. They obviously don’t want you to learn how to do this on your own.

The backside of the coin is worse. These people tell you to “jump in” … “try stuff” … “figure it out.”

That may work for you if you like to wander aimlessly in the dark. But it’s usually better to have some guidance.

I understand that 99% of professionals don’t have time to waste “figuring it out” by trial and error. But I also know that 99% of small businesses and nonprofits can’t afford to hire a social media consultant for thousands of dollars a month.

So here’s my five-part strategy for using social media.

PRESENCE => ENGAGEMENT => RELATIONSHIP => INFLUENCE => MAINTENANCE

1) Presence

Without presence you have nothing. This is the stage that you set up accounts and announce to the world that you are online. Most businesses have gotten to this stage already. If you’re business hasn’t developed an online social media presence, now is the time.

2) Engagement

Having a presence is good, but the next step is to begin engaging people online. You do this through listening and helping others. Your goal at this stage is to spend time developing a dialogue.

There are two ways to really make this work for you. First, target people geographically. There are people who live in your town or region already using social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. Reach out to them since they are in your backyard.

Second, engage with people in your industry or area of interest. These folks may live half way around the world, but they share a common bond with you.

3) Relationship

As you begin to engage people natural relationships will form. Author Seth Godin calls it Permission Marketing. But I’ll caution you…

If you use social media for the SOLE purpose of marketing and only engage with people to ultimately market to them, you will  be seen as a smarmy dishonest person.

Instead, look to truly connect with folks for the sake of connecting. It’s okay to market and share products and services, but do it in a genuine way.

4) Influence

When you spend time building relationships with people by engaging them online, you will naturally build influence.

Influence is how businesses ultimately grow. But you only achieve influence when you spend time with a relationship.

5) Maintenance

Ask any divorce lawyer about this stage. Obviously all married people were in a relationship with influence at some point during their married lives. But they failed to maintain a relationship over time.

Don’t let this happen to your social media relationships. Continue to be helpful. Offer value. Be passionate and keep the lines of communication open.

People are not levers to pull. Social media is PEOPLE media. Be aware that each person you interact with could one day be your customer, advocate, investor, donor or friend.

Treating people like actual humans is, by far, the best strategy for social media.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

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*Photo by pshutterbug

Your organization may not be ready to use social media

Let’s look at social media as the vinyl siding on your newly constructed house. It will increase the value of the property, but without being attached to an actual wall it won’t keep the weather out.

Businesses and nonprofits usually break down into two categories:

1. Many businesses and nonprofits attempt to put their “social media siding” directly on the 2×4 stud-work but don’t actually finish the walls first. They wonder why their business isn’t weatherproof. These people jumped at using social media without a strong business foundation that could handle the increase in prospects and customer feedback.
2. The second type of business owner builds solid walls first and have a fairly decent business structure in place. But these folks are missing some “siding” that could help attract at least twice as many potential customers. They have all the fundamentals of their business in place but haven’t started using social media.

If you are the second type of business owner, then you are ready to start doubling your sales now by using social media. If you are the first type, keep reading….

Social media is a great place to reach out to your potential prospects. But you are probably jumping too fast. It’s hard for me to write this since I am so excited to help your business use social media…

BUT…

You probably don’t have the basics in place to really take advantage of social media marketing and community building.

Fundamentals

Remember that marketing is all about building trust and leading people into a relationship with you. This relationship may or may not involve buying something right away, but after time, if you lay a solid foundation, your prospects will become customers.

So before you delve into social media – how are you doing on the fundamentals of your business? I’m talking about the stuff like customer service, product creation, fulfillment, your website payment process, shipping and even your phone answering system. Without the basic business elements in place YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS using social media.

Start working on your business before you add social media

Do you have basic transaction elements on your website? Can you sell tickets effectively? If you are a nonprofit can you take online donations?

A customer service example…

A few years ago I read the book Selling the Invisible. The author, Harry Beckwith, pointed out that as  a business your customer service is not only competing with businesses down the street, but is competing with Disneyworld. Disney has raised the standard of customer service so high that unless you are near their standards, your customers will be unhappy.

Take heart. There are many things you can do to improve your business. Customer service can also be helped by social media. Look at the Comcast Cares Twitter stream for a great example. Comcast is using social media to fix a fundamental customer service problem.

The important principle to remember: work on getting your fundamentals right – then use social media as a tool. Don’t assume social media will become the solution.

At the end of the day social media is a tool-set, not a business solution.

Start making your business social media ready

Spend the next one to three months finishing your walls. Sit down with your employees and craft some basic guidelines for customer service and sales processes.

A great resource to help you build systems into your business is Michael Gerber’s book The E Myth. It is full of practical advice to make your business run with or without your direct input.

Once you have your business fundamentals figured out you can start layering in social media.

Identify your biggest challenge right now

It doesn’t matter if you’ve already started using social media or not. Spend the next 10 minutes brainstorming five areas in your business that you can improve fundamentally. This will make any social media you do that much more powerful.

Now go take action and let me know your results.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

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Social media (as a term and business tool) has only been around for a few years and has already skyrocketed to the top of the list for leaders and businesses to embrace. Some have rejected it completely. Others have jumped in with both feet only to find the water too deep to touch bottom.

In reading Eric Hoffer’s classic book The True Believer he outlines three levels of leadership, people of words, fanatics and practical people of action.

People of Words

People of words articulate the teachings of a movement.

In the social media world, these are the A-list bloggers and speakers. Chris Brogan, Seth Godin and Brian Clark are in this group. Do they have legit businesses and take action? Yes. But primarily they are setting the tone and pace for the rest of the social media crowd.

When they write or speak the multitudes of social media “learners” listen.

Fanatics

Fanatics marshal the believers of a movement.

Gary Vaynerchuk is a fanatic… so are Laura Roeder and Mari Smith. Social media fanatics have an awesome skill for building community. They know how to group people together and inspire them. They can rally people behind the cause.

Practical People of Action

Practical people of action get the job done at the street level.

This is you. The person “in the trench” with a real life business using the strategies and ideas set forth by the first two groups.

You are like the other everyday professionals who sell windows, clean carpets, manage nonprofits, provide insurance, file people’s taxes and own retail stores.

Some of the advice of social media writers is “get out there – try it – and see what sticks.” The problem is, you can’ afford this luxury. Your business is probably too fragile to spend time playing around to “see what sticks.”

Where You Should Look

My suggestion is to find authors, speakers and websites providing practical strategies and techniques that work. It’s also a good idea to listen to some of those who have done it before… you know the people who aren’t social media professionals, but actually have to make social media work INSIDE their organization. You can find these people at industry trade shows and in your local chamber of commerce.

Spend the time asking questions at your local chamber of commerce. Most likely there are several businesses who have tried social media and have had success. Also – seek out case studies and watch large businesses too.

The people I mentioned above know their stuff. You should read everything that Chris, Mari, Brian, Laura, Gary, and Seth put out. They’ve had to make social media work for themselves, their businesses and clients. But there are some snake oil salesmen types (not mentioned in this article) that have NEVER had to use social media inside an actual organization. Beware.

If you are reading Folk Media regularly and have joined the Folk Media Insider Program, you are looking for action steps and simple, practical ways to implement social media in your business. Our promise is to come along side you and continue to provide straightforward activities that will ultimately increase your bottom line and brand awareness.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He has to use the advice he gives, since he currently manages the social media presence for the Maryland Z00. Joel is also a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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If you ever find yourself snowed in… let’s say during one of the worst storms of the century (a.k.a. A Snowpacolypse) then here are 21 suggestions for some things you might do with regards to social media marketing… just saying.

These can also apply to you if you have a long weekend in Tahiti as well.

1. Change passwords on your accounts
2. Update your bio and photo on all sites
3. Write a blog post
4. Shoot and post a video
5. Write a quick eBook to give away on your site
6. Connect with people you’ve met in real life
7. Prune out old emails on your lists
   
8. Segment your Facebook friends into lists
9. Answer questions in LinkedIn Groups
10. Create a Facebook fan page for your business
11. Comment on another blog
12. List out your content creation strategy for the week/month/year
13. Research your next topic
14. Search for people to connect with on LinkedIn
15. Write a LinkedIn recommendation
16. Add widgets to your blog site
17. Track your blog/Twitter/Facebook stats
18. Host a video conference
19. Listen to a useful podcast
20. Offer to write a guest post on another blog
21. Reach out and connect with clients through social media

What would you add to this list? If… in theory … you were ever snowed in?

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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Ten minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but there are many social media activities that you can accomplish for your organization in under ten minutes.

It is true that a well executed social media strategy does involve effort and time, but there are ways to leverage that time and work in bursts to help you get more accomplished.

To get you started, here’s a short list of social media activities you can do when have only 10 minutes.

• Check your Google Analytics – look at the keywords and sites that are sending traffic to your blog or website.
• Outline a blog post – I actually outlined this blog post based on the question… “what can I do with 10 minutes right now?”
• Write a tweet or two – write out a tweet that adds value to your followers. Use Hootsuite to schedule tweets in the future.
• Retweet a valuable message – retweet something someone else wrote to add value to your followers.
• Search for your business on Google – literally type in variations of your business name and see what results you get.
  
• Reach out to one person on linkedIn – Find a past or present colleague on LinkedIn and connect with them.
• Review your LinkedIn profile – flag any areas that need attention and put on a list to correct later when you get more time.
• Answer one question on LinkedIn – spend time finding questions in groups and answer one of them. Be helpful and don’t promote your business directly.
• Update your plugins in Wordpress – if you are using Wordpress, spend ten minutes updating your plugins to the latest versions.
• Brainstorm a list of future blog topics – create a speed list of at least 50 future blog post topics.
• Download a new marketing podcast on iTunes for the ride home – your commute will go faster and you’ll learn something new.
• Post a comment on another blog – creatively and thoughtfully comment on another blog. Don’t just say “yes I agree.” Add value to the post by offering more advice or perspective.
• Submit a website to a bookmarking site - submit a friend’s post or site to Stumbleupon, Digg, Delicious or another bookmarking site. Spread the love.
• Recommend someone on LinkedIn – help set up a friend or colleague for future work or employment by giving a kick-butt recommendation that highlights their professional accomplishments.
• Go through your @mentions on Twitter and favorite the best ones – these should be Tweets where others say good stuff about you or your company.
• Search for a photo for a blog post – spend ten minutes on Flickr or iStockPhoto and search for a photo for a blog post you are writing.

These are just a few ideas for you to consider the next time you are faced with ten minutes to spare. Social media can sometimes feel like a time suck. Don’t let it get the best of you. Pace yourself and engage when you can. You’ll be surprised how much impact you can have with simple ten minute tasks.

What social media activities do you focus on when you have ten minutes to spare? Leave a comment below and let us know.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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* Photo by Darwin Bell

Online media content is becoming increasingly popular each month. Probably the most significant media shift in the past decade has been the consumption of both video and audio podcasts via iTunes and other online services. These services offer a significant opportunity for your business.

A business podcast on iTunes can help attract new customers and clients

By having a podcast listed on iTunes your business is creating another place where potential clients and customers can find you. Your content can be consumed on a listener’s computer, ipod or other portable mp3 device. Most podcasts are listened to at the gym or in the car while driving.

Your podcast will show up in the iTunes store

By listing your podcast in iTunes it will show up in the iTunes store and all searches based around your keyword terms. This is a great opportunity for you to brand your business as a leader in your space. iTunes formats the graphics and content you provide in a way that makes your podcast look professional and reputable.

Your content will be listed next to other shows produced by fortune 500 businesses and major entertainment companies. iTunes “levels the playing field” for online content.

For example this is how the Folk Media iTunes Channel looks when listed in iTunes.

When you click on the listing the channel looks like this.

You can see that once we submitted properly formatted graphics and content, iTunes took care of the rest. It is listed in public searches and available next to fortune 500 company content.

How to get your podcast listed in iTunes

1) Actually have a biz podcast

Of course it goes without saying that in order to have a podcast listed on iTunes you first need a podcast.

2) Hosting options

Your hosting options are limitless. But to make this simple for you, I’m going to suggest you use Libsyn (Liberated Syndication). It is a service that will host your podcast files and provide an iTunes ready RSS feed. It’s only $6 a month and well worth it since they give you unlimited bandwidth.

3) Submit your feed

The final step is to submit the RSS feed to the iTunes store that Libsyn provides you.

• Under the podcast section click on “Submit a Podcast”

• Next enter your RSS feed in the space provided and follow the instructions. You need to create a free account with iTunes if you don’t already have one.

Action step

If you already have audio content sign up for a Libsyn account to get started. If you don’t have audio content, you need to start thinking about the type of podcat your business can produce.

iTunes has been around for a while now. But many businesses are not using this free tool to reach more customers and prospects. Start creating valuable podcasts that are distributed on iTunes and watch your business grow.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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I am often asked by business people “what is the best video sharing site for my business?”

The answer depends on your video goals, but I’ve outlined a few sites and their uses.

Blip.tv

I am impressed with Blip TV and the way they are focused on matching their content creators with advertisers and sponsors. Their goal is to enable producers to create awesome content while they handle the business details.

This is a great platform if you are an independent content creator, but probably not the best option if you are a business.

Viddler

Back in 2007 I got to meet the guys who own and run Viddler at a conference I was speaking at in Philadelphia. They are a great group of people and have a passion for their online community. Author and businessman Gary Vaynerchuck, host of Wine Library TV, uses Viddler to power his very popular video site.

Revver

Revver pays you a percentage of any advertising they run against your videos. As a business, you probably won’t generate enough money to make this a legitimate income stream, so it is really just a token payment. You also have to generate a lot of views to make any money.

Vimeo

I picture Vimeo as the hipster of online video sharing sites. Expect to find videos by filmmakers, artist and musicians posted here – all in glorious High Definition.

But don’t expect the Vimeo community to be welcoming toward your business. They make it very clear they are more interested in art over commerce.

This is still a great site however, and in my opinion has the best looking HD videos around.

Howcast

I personally think Howcast is the best video site on the web.

Why?

Because every video teaches you how to do something. As more and more people go online to search for information – video will become increasingly important because of it’s demonstrative capabilities. Howcast is the leader in this space with a nice head start.

YouTube – The 15,000 pound elephant

Ever since Google paid an obscene amount of money to acquire this video sharing site in 2006, YouTube has been the biggest player in the online video space. Many people actually see YouTube as the only place to watch online video.

The biggest benefit of using YouTube for your business is it’s audience size. It attracts a daily audience in the millions. Even the newest computer users know and use YouTube to consume online video. It has tons of features that are begin improved daily.

Other video sites

Then there a bunch of other sites like Veoh (Hollywood and entertainment focused), Dailymotion and Metacafe.

Also, don’t discount MySpace, Facebook and Yahoo Video.

The best strategy would be to get on all these sites. But that would be a lot of busywork. Can you imagine uploading a video to each site one by one?

Fortunately there is an easier option with Tubemogul.

Tubemogul is my number one favorite video site and they don’t even host videos. This is an online site that allows you to upload a video one time then automatically post  that video to multiple sharing sites at once. They post to just about every one of the sites mentioned above.

Action Step

Sign up for a Tubemogul account and begin posting video to as many sites as possible. Don’t forget to offer your viewers value in each of your videos.

Video is becoming very popular online and growing by the day. Millions of people are turning to their computer screens to watch video. Will your business have a presence here?

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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