A Fun Way to Increase Blog Traffic - Have a Contest!

Blog contests are gaining more popularity as bloggers begin to see the benefits that a simple contest or giveaway can bring.

Why Run a Contest?

Traffic
Running a contest can double the amount of traffic coming through your site. Making sure you advertise your contest will drive more people to your blog to see and enter. Use your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and ask your followers on Twitter to retweet your contest information and they’ll gain an entry to the contest. Word of mouth is key, and who doesn’t like free stuff?
You can also list your contest at sites like these:
•    tipjunkie.net
•    online-sweepstakes.com
•    contestblogger.com
•    myblogcontest.com
•    contestbeat.com

New Readers
New Traffic means new readers as well. People who stop by to enter themselves in your contest might also find themselves enjoying the content of the rest of your blog, and come back for more.

Loyalty
Giving away the right prize for your readers can produce a sense of loyalty and an eagerness to come back. Make sure you’re giving away things that are of interest to your particular group of followers, and things that somehow pertain to your particular expertise. Books, CD’s and gift certificates are popular giveaways.

Relationships with Marketers
When your blog generates enough comments and traffic, marketers will be interested in teaming up with you to promote their products, and often this means they will provide you with free products to use as prizes in your contests. This means free advertising for them, and no out of pocket expense for you to run your contest.

Running a successful contest can take time and practice, but judging from the success of other bloggers, blog contests can be a real way to help your blog become successful and popular.

We found some blogs that are currently having their own contests, check them out!

• Karikuy is giving away a 6 day trip to Machu Picchu!
• Sterling Roses Design is giving away three 4 x 6 metallic prints from Jennifer Dickerson Photography
• Joyce Cherrier is giving away a pair of New Balance Women's Cross Training Shoes (ends this Sunday, 1/31)
• The Centisible Life is giving away various prizes including gift cards, books and other cool stuff in honor of their 1-year anniversary!

We want to hear from you! Have you run a contest on your blog? What were the results, and what did you learn for next time?

Landau Design is a web design and online marketing company. Let Landau Design review your online presence and devise an online strategy to take your company to the next level.

How to Add Share Icons to Your Blog or Website

Many Landau Design clients have asked this question: How do I get those cute share icons onto my blog or web page? It's quite simple if you're willing to do a little diving into the code. The two most popular share links are:

• Tweetmeme (see our blog post: Tweetmeme is the Way to Get Tweetseesee)
  
• AddThis
• ShareThis

You'll notice at the top of this code we have the Tweetmeme and AddThis links (and if at this point you'd like to click them and share this post, we'd love you for it!)

If you're blogging in Blogger
You need to add the code for these icons into your Blogger template. If you add it as a widget in the sidebar, then the share link will go to your blog home page, and not to a specific blog post. It's better to have it go to a specific blog post so then you can reference what the blog is about when you share the link. Here are tutorials for adding these icons

• Add a Tweetmeme Retweet Button in Blogger
• Add AddThis Button in Blogger
• Get the ShareThis Button for Blogger

If you're blogging at Wordpress.com
Wordpress makes your life easier with simple widgets you can add to your blog template. There are several different kinds you can add, each with its own design. Tweetmeme And AddThis use Javascript, which is not allowed in blogs hosted at Wordpress.com, so you cannot use these share icons here. The following links show you how to add the other share buttons if you are using Wordpress.com to host your blog:

• AddThis from Wordpress Support 
• GetSocial Social Bookmarking for Wordpress.com
  

If you're blogging on a personally hosted Wordpress.org blog
The personally hosted version of Wordpress has a lot more flexibility, and there are many social link plugins that are easy to add. Here are some links that will help you decide what to choose and how to install these plugins:

• 10 Wordpress Plugins for Social Media 
• Top 10 Wordpress Plugins to Promote Your Social Media Profiles
  

If your website is built in Joomla
Joomla offers several options for social media icons. There are ones that reside right on the page, and then there are global plugins that you can put into the header bar. We have used the following two extensions with great success:

• Ultimate Social Bookmarking Plugin (plugin that goes on all pages)
• Simple Page Options (module that you place on the page)
  

For the traditional Tweetmeme and AddThis, you would need to add HTML code to your articles using a custom code plugin (Sorcerer is a great one). You would then follow the HTML directions in combination with the plugin syntax to put the share links onto your page.

If you have a regular HTML website
Adding the share icons is going to have to be done one page at a time. You will have to get the HTML code, and paste it into your page using an HTML editor, or by viewing the source code in your WYSIWYG (i.e. Dreamweaver) editor. Here are tutorials that show how to add Tweetmeme and AddThis icons to your pages.

Landau Design is a web design and online marketing company specializing in helping small businesses utilize the internet to get ahead. Let Landau Design review your online marketing strategy to take you to the next level.

30 Ways to Say Thank You for a Re-Tweet

When somebody retweets (RT) your tweets, the best thing you can do is respond by RT'ing their tweets. But saying thank you in a tweet is also a great way to acknowledge somebody for supporting you.

Some may argue it fills the airways by thanking, but I'm of the opinion that a public thank you acknowledges the individual for doing you a favor. By recognizing them, others will know they are supportive on Twitter, and in turn that may gain them new followers. So a public thank you on Twitter can boost the experience for that individual.

My favorite RT Thank You's
As I've watched conversations on Twitter, I'm struck by some of the great ways people have said thank you. Here are some of my favorite thank you's from people I've re-tweeted:

• @Mazukins: Thank u my precious friend for the RT - ur awesome!!!! hugs mazey :)
• @sharynread: Thank u 4 your kindness, blessings 4 your 2010
• @MartyMisner: Thanks, I am honored and very appreciative!
• @soulbizradio: Much appreciation for your interactions....have a magical day
• @techjoomla: We are honoured!
• @robertbravery: Thanks for the great plug!

The following wasn't a RT thank you, but in reply to a RT thank you. When I read this, it made me smile broadly: @JDEbberly: No prob there, LandauDesign! Love your work! Keep up those tweets - I'll be RT'ing you even more as I ply the Twitter Superhighway. This kind of a thank really epitomizes the reason we all use Twitter, doesn't it?

30 Ways to Say Thank You
I love when I get a special thank you, so I came up with a list of 30 fun ways to thank people for a RT. Please use and enjoy:

1. I couldn't spread the word without you. Thanks for the RT!
2. The joy of Twitter is connecting with others. I appreciate your support by sharing what I said!
3. "The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention." [~Oscar Wilde] Thanks for the RT!
4. It's always flattering when somebody RT's what I said... thanks for putting a smile on my face!
5. It's good news when somebody RT's me - that means what I'm saying here is actually heard. Thanks for the reassurance!
6. ☮ Sharing the love is what it's about! ☮ I appreciate your RT!
   
7. ~ The RT wave is how we reach far and wide ~ thank you for helping me spread the word!
8. "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." Thanks for RT'ing my post!
9. God gave you a gift of 1,440 minutes today -- thanks for using one to RT my post!
10. RT's always reassure me that there is somebody listening... thanks for the RT!
11. "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." [~ William Ward] Thnx for the RT!
12. Sometimes I wonder if my tweets are like trees -- do people hear them when I post? Thanks for the RT!
13. My mood went from this ☹ to this ☺ after I saw your RT. Thanks!
    
14. Look here, folks, @coaching2win RT's -- following him would be an opportunity to start a conversation. Thanks for the RT @coaching2win!
    
15. I'm all about being a real person on Twitter. Your RT showed me that you care. Thanks for the support!
16. ★ ☆ ★ You're a star to me! ★ ☆ ★ Thanks for the RT!
17. A tweet + RT = my gratitude. Thanks for the support!
18. To put it simply, I really appreciate your RT! Thanks for your support.
19. (for somebody who RT's you a lot): You are my RT angel! I tweet, and you are there to share it with the twitterverse. Are there more where you came from? Thanks!
20. I needed a RT just about then. Thanks for coming through for me!
21. ♫ ♪ ♩ I thank you! I thank you! I thank you! ♫ ♪ ♩ You rock with that RT!
22. “Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns" [Author Unknown] Thanks for the RT! 
23. Thank you so much for RT'ing my post. It makes Twitter way more fun for me when I see others sharing my tweets!
24. It always amazes me how the kindness of strangers is what makes Twitter work. Thanks for lending a hand and RT'ing my post!
25. A little birdie told me that you RT'd my post. Thanks for the extra chirp!
26. You made my day with your RT! Thanks for being part of my Twitter family!
27. ♥ Thanks for the RT luv! ♥
28. Thanks for being my friend on Twitter! I appreciate your RT! 
29. You brought a smile to my face after you RT'd my post. ☺ Thank you so much!
30. Your RT brought sunshine to my day. ☀ I appreciate the infusion! 

Tell us what you think

What is your favorite way to thank people for a re-tweet? What are some of your favorite thank yous that you have received?

More resources:

• What is a Retweet and How Do I Retweet
• Twitter Explains the New Retweet Feature
• Twitter Retweets - RT @ Rules of Engagement

Landau Design is a web design and online marketing company. We specializing in helping small business use the web to expand their bottom line. Let Landau Design review your online strategy and help you grow to the next level.

Are People Really Using Social Networking?

For those who have not yet taken the plunge into the social networking domain, it may seem unreal how many people are actually interacting in the multitude of virtual networks. In the past few months, several articles have been released that state specific statistics as to just how large the social media domain has grown:

• Facebook: 300 million and on
• Twitter: reaches 44.5 million people worldwide
• LinkedIn: 50 million professionals worldwide
• Blogs: number of blogs worldwide is approaching 200 million

The Social Media Revolution
If the numbers don't impress you, watching the following video might help you understand that social media is a REVOLUTION that is effecting the entire world?

If you have a business that relies on word-of-mouth networking, social media is a something you should consider. If you're unsure of how to get started, there are many blogs to provide information. Just search for "getting started with social media" in Google.

Landau Design also offers one-on-one social media coaching where we take you through a proven step-by-step process to create a social media plan. Through our coaching we will help you choose the most effective outlets, develop a task-by-task strategy, and then walk you through quality implementation. Let Landau Design review your website and help devise a social media strategy to take your company to the next level.

Social media has become the new way of doing business. Are you ready to jump on board?

Do You Need More Than 1 Bird in Your Twitter Pen?

Today we sat down and talked about how we are using Twitter in business. What we've come to realize is that personal Tweets are often not in line with what our business is all about. While a great deal of our tweets are related to Joomla, Joomla training or web design, so many others are related to parenting, helping animals or education. We have diverse groups of Twitter followers, and our business message was getting diluted. So today we created the Landau Design Twitter account.

Brand is very important to all businesses, and when the principal of a company is strongly aligned with a company brand, it is sometimes difficult to separate the two. Entrepreneurs know this all too well, since often they are seen as the one and only expert in their company.

How do you decide if you should have separate Twitter IDs?
Ask yourself the following questions to determine if you should separate your personal and business Twitter IDs:

• Is Twitter a key factor in establishing and expanding your online presence?
• Are your personal and business interests divergent?
• Are you working on establishing a personal brand separate from your company brand?
  
• Are you using Twitter for marketing your business?
• Would your personal tweets be be TMI (too much information) for potential clients?
  
• Do you have the time to manage more than one Twitter account?
• Do you have multiple employees who could contribute to a company Twitter account?

If you answer yes to 4 or more of the above questions, you should consider establishing a business identity separate from your personal identity on Twitter.

Social Networking from Anywhere!

Social networking has become so wildly popular that many users want to be able to access their news feeds and update their status anywhere, anytime! If you’re ready to have access to your favorite sites from your mobile phone, here are some quick-start tips.

Facebook
The Mobile application for Facebook has recently been updated, and is much easier to use than it was before. To use Facebook on your mobile phone, go to m.facebook.com. Once you set it up, this application will allow you to update your status, share photos, browse your News Feed and keep in contact with all your friends on Facebook wherever you are.
Facebook even has its own blog about the effectiveness of Facebook Mobile.  

Twitter
Twitter has a lot of options for its mobile applications. Choosing the one that’s right for you is mostly based on the phone that you have, but also the way you would prefer it to look. Here is a great breakdown of what is available and how they each work, including screenshots so you can see what they look like.

Myspace
Accessing Myspace from your phone is easy! Log into m.myspace.com from your mobile phone web browser to get started. Installing the software on your phone will allow you to Send and receive messages and comments, Update mood and status, Browse photo albums, Check out profiles, Add new friends, Read and post blogs and more. MySpace Mobile features include text alerts, photo uploads and video. Carriers include: Alltel, AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cellular One/Dobson, Helio, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Virgin Mobile and Verizon Wireless.
Easy tip: * Update your status by texting it to MYSPC (69772) and your status is instantly updated on MySpace!

How Many People are Really Using Social Networking?

For those who have not yet taken the plunge into the social networking domain, it may seem unreal how many people are actually interacting in the multitude of virtual networks. In the past few months several articles have been released that state specific statistics as to just how large the social media domain has grow:

• Facebook: 300 million and on
• Twitter: reaches 44.5 million people worldwide
• LinkedIn: 50 million professionals worldwide
• Blogs: number of blogs worldwide is approaching 200 million

If you have a business that relies on word-of-mouth networking, social media is a something you should consider. If you're unsure of how to get started, there are many blogs to provide information. Just search for "getting started with social media" in Google.

Landau Design also offers introduction to social media online classes where we take you through each of the most popular networks so you can decide what will be most effective for your business.

You might also want to check out The Social Media Diet, which gives an effective approach with limited time investment.

10 LinkedIn Tips to Grow Your Business

1. List every important detail
Include your complete work history. You will likely remember colleagues and classmates you may have forgotten. Those contacts will be able to search for you based on what is in your profile and most social networking sites will suggest people that share these groups or interests.

2. Add updates regularly
By adding connections and editing your profile, you are more likely to be at the top of the list when somebody searches for a company like yours. Each time you edit your profile, the information will be circulated to your network, which regularly puts your name in front of your contacts.

3. Let people know what you’re doing
Use the status field to put in updates. This information is usually sent in emails to others that are connected, share an affinity group or are following specific people.

4. Join Groups
Joining professional groups within LinkedIn gives you opportunities to provide input and gain exposure. Whether it’s your own industry, or one your business serves, professional groups are an excellent way to generate new contacts through the online Q&A section.
5. Become known as an expert
By posting answers in the questions online, you can share with others what you know. If you have good answers, it will create an interest in knowing more about your services.

6. Get recommended by peers and clients
Recommendations are always an excellent source of credibility and your recommendations are always there for anyone to see.

7. Research new opportunities
If you keep abreast of your affinity groups or browse the profiles of competitors, you will likely find new ideas. This can be done by searches online, but the content is distilled better in social networks.

8. Find the leads you seek
If you know of specific business that fits your target market, you can learn a great deal about them in social networks. In addition to knowing the background of the key people, you might be able to find shared connections or shared affinity groups e.g. alma maters. This can make your first contact much smoother.

9. Improve your search engine rankings
If your public profile is set to “full view,” Google will index your profile and your Linked In page will draw more traffic. If you use Linked In to showcase your talents well, your website will gain traffic. You can increase traffic to all sites by cross-linking from social network sites, your own blog and posts you make to other blogs.

10. See what others see
Google yourself and see what shows up. If your online strategy is working, you should see more links and more relevant information show up first. If your own website is not at the top of the list, consider some new strategies for enhancing the virtual you.

Why Do Corporations Want Their Execs to Use Social Networking?

Online networking is getting press because there is "bling" associated with it. But why are many corporations asking their execs to create profiles and contribute this way? Here is my top 5 reasons:

1. Enhanced education: Most large corporations value enhanced education of their key players and pay big bucks for it. Online networking allows anyone to identify experts and opinion leaders in their fields. For execs that is a two way street. They can collaborate on technical or operational issues or management practices for free. This can replace paying for seminars, coaching, consultants, trade shows, and higher education degrees to some extent. Did I mention it is free?
   
   
2. Extend your networking opportunities: Networking is recognized as a valuable method of developing sales and partnership opportunities. "Social" networking online provides an entree into many more people in a different way.
   
   
3. Demonstrate corporate expertise: If a company has several people recognized as leaders in their field, the company will invariably gain prestige and clientele by having their expertise publicized. As an example, LinkedIn allows members to respond to each others inquiries in groups or by publishing the executives speaking engagements, corporate executives create the appearance of expertise in a viral way. Other techniques to do this include promoting other company web-based initiatives and non- web based efforts within the social network.
   
   
4. Stay to-the-minute current: Social networking is also a great way to get real time information and real time dialogue on issues that their decision-makers need. This is a different source (perhaps more reliable source) of information compared to customer surveys because people may be more candid online.
   
   
5. Network when it's convenient: And all of this is available when an executive or his/her assistant has the time to do it. It also has the strength of the network tools. Instead of having to remember to ask for networking opportunities with every social contact, online networking is done when a person has the mindspace to focus on it. It provides a way to "drill down" into other people's contacts with less effort. And it provides a record of the network for future use without having to record all the information again. Corporations thrive on information and online networking is huge that way.

More information:

• Managing Corporate Reputation Online Can No Longer Be an Afterthought
• How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success
• Social Network's New Global Footprint

Landau Design is on Twitter

Well we've decide to dive in with two feet and truly join the official social network phenomenon of 2009 -- Twitter. A recent report by Nielsen shows Twitter grew 1,382 percent in one year! It's truly the fastest growing network of its kind.

It must be growing fast because when I went there to sign up, I kept getting the message that there were too many twitters, try again in a few minutes. So while it's fabulous to have an interesting network opportunity, the usability factor appears to need some investigation and improvement.

Many people wonder why use Twitter for my business? I wondered the same thing, so I did some research. Hopefully the following helps you decide if this is an avenue that will help to expand your network:

• 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business by Chris Brogan
• How to Use Twitter for Business by Rich Brooks
• How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands by Rachael King, Business Week
• How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business by Michael Stelzer

I'll keep you posted on how Twittering changes things around here!