Social Savvy Online Solutions is all about helping you find ways to make your marketing and promoting efforts a little simpler. I am starting something new here on the blog that I hope will benefit the readers. Every Wednesday look for my selection of resources of the week. These posts will usually include some WordPress plugins ( I am a WP snob….sorry folks), promoting resources like good applications for connecting to your market, and some old fashioned back to basis online marketing tools that every business owner needs to always keep up with.

My target market is the new online business owner so some of you reading this may already be aware of many of the tools I mention. Then again, you just may not be familiar so stop by every week to see what new stuff I add to the list.

On with this week’s resources…

• Zemanta. This is a cool tool that integrates with your blog, pulling out key words and providing images, articles you can research and link to, as well as key words you can tag in your posts. I love it because it makes the search for images so easy and I can just click relevant words and it adds it as a tag word. Zemanta also gives others an option to reblog your postYou can  also customize your recommendations by sharing your personal resources and contacts with Zemanta so that it pulls posts and articles from blogs and resources you read for you to recommend and compliment your post. Zemanta has many cool features like the “reblog” option where you can quote me by simply copy and pasting. Zemanta will automatically create the quote for your blog post. I can write a book on this resource but be sure to check it out because it is a very valuable tool.

• Hootsuite. This Twitter application is perfect for the person with multiple accounts or users of an account. It is very similar to Tweetdeck but has some features that Tweetdeck does not. Like the statistics tool which allows you to see what links you share your followers are clicking. This is a very valuable tool for the online entrepreneur because it provides real time stats and a way for you to see exactly what your market seeks. Hootsuite also has an iPhone application for all of you mobile folks. You can find a list of all Hootsuite apps and plugins here.

• iContact. I know most folks use Aweber or Constant contact for their email marketing but I have to say that I have been with iContact for almost two years and I love it! not only are they reasonably priced but they offer various tools to help you with your email marketing. The interface is pretty easy to get and they do not release your email until they have done a spam check. It is great for the person who likes their email marketing to be done as simple yet effective as possible.  If you are looking for a low cost option for email marketing iContact is a great option.

Stay tuned for more great marketing, promoting and project management tools and resources. Share your tools and resources by commenting below! Can’t wait to see what goodies you use

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Disclosure: iContact is one of my affiliate partners. This means that I may make a profit if you choose to purchase their service. Please view my Policy statement for more information.

This is an easy one. You are ready to promote your tour. Promoting may seem hard but there are many ways to promote your virtual tour and most are free.

• I already mentioned Press Releases in this post. So read about them and get one written if it is your desire.
• Blog it. Talk about your tour on your blog. Let people know the who, what, where, when, and why of your tour. Also be sure to mention what is in it for them. And don’t just tell them about it the day off. Create a couple of posts that lead up to the day of the tour. Center the posts on the theme of the tour and peak the interest of your readers.
• Facebook It. If you are on Facebook then let folks know about it there too. Use the event application to create an online invite and invite your FB buddies to join you.
• Tweet Tweet. Talk about your tour on twitter everyday one week prior, the week(s) of and even after. Remember that those posts  interviews will be there for the long haul, so don’t stop talking about it when the tour ends.
• Invite your list. Jimmy D. Brown says that the money is in the list, so be sure to invite your list. Again let them know the who, what, where, when, and why. Tell them why the want to join you on the tour and what’s in it for them. You can even offer them a special incentive if they help you promote the tour. Offer a special checklist for subscribers only or a quick 5 page report. But they have to be able to prove they helped promote your virtual tour.

On Day 10 the topic will be Ideas for Giveaways and Prizes

If you have missed any part of this series, you can catch up by clicking here.

When you create a profile on a social media network or platform, you need to make sure that you fill in the profile as completely as you can. To be honest I hate doing it too because some fo them have some areas that I feel are not necessary. However, I can see the benefit in them because it is all about connecting.

Here are a few tips about creating your social media profiles.

• If you get tired of filling in the profiles, then just save the information to your computer and copy and paste. It can be as difficult or as hard as you choose to make it.
• Add a picture. There is nothing like seeing your smiling face.
• Consider your audience. Try not to be self-centered in your profile.
• Don’t put too many links and turn people off. Self-promotion is important but so is subtlety
• Make sure that your brand is apparent. There is nothing worse than a person coming to your site, expecting to see one thing and you show them something totally different.

Your profile is an important part of your business. So don’t neglect it.

Do you remember the game Connect 4. The strategy of that game is to connect 4 checkers of the same color. You have to think to win the game.

Can I introduce you to a game I call Connect 5?

This game will show you how to effectively connect to your market and find quality traffic and potential customers or clients.

If you are trying to present yourself to your market as a an expert, the best thing you can do is connect to other people! I am not talking about connecting through an automated service and selfishly promoting your product or business. That is a big turn off. Don’t automate your networking… BIG MISTAKE!

When I say connect, I mean just that. Take the time to find 5 people or more if you want that are saying something you can comment on. It can be on Twitter, Facebook, or even someone’s blog. Whatever you choose all you need to do is let someone know that someone thinks that what they said was worth a comment or two.

It is not a hard thing to do. Connecting is how your business will flow. If you aren’t conecting, you aren’t being effective in business. if you aren’t connecting with authentic purpose then don’t do it.

When you connect do it because something truly interest you. Not because so-and-so is a good person to connect to because they have a lot of  Twitter followers or seem to be popular. Popular does not mean influence!

What do you think about connecting to others through Social Media?

The bottom line for most business owners is to earn money. Money is often accumulated through the of a particular product or service. However, to sell that product or service business owners need to alert the general public. Customer cannot buy a product or a service if they do not know that it exists. That is why, as a business owner, you need to advertise your business.

When it comes to advertising there are many business owners who literally cringe. The reason they cringe is because many of the advertising methods cost money. While it is good to spend a little to make a little, it would be even better if you are able to save by advertising for nothing. There are ways to promote your business and the products or services that you sell without having to spend any money at all.

Is your curiosity peaked yet?

One of the ways that you can promote your online business, without having to spend a dime, is by using something that is readily available online. That thing is an online social networking. A large number of internet users, in fact millions of them, belong to at least one social networking group.

When it comes to social networking,many people think of online friendships or online relationships. Yes, these are very common but many online marketers know that there is power in participating in social networking groups. In fact, it was through doing business online that social networking got it start.

If you are a small business owner, especially one that operates an online business or is trying to give your business a strong online presence, there is a way that you can use social networking sites to your advantage.

There are networking sites that are designed for business owners. These websites will not only allow you to share your business information with other business owners, but it will also allow you to develop close relationships with those that share an interest that is similar to yours. Essentially, this means that you could not only learn valuable business information, but you could also walk away with a new business partner or client.

Image via CrunchBase

If it is your goal to start social networking, be sure that you target networks that fit your needs and desires. This is why having a plan is so important. Writing down your social media marketing plan is a good way to guage which groups you join and which ones are just not for you. Many places like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning and even MySpace are helping business owners share their expertise, gain a following, and increase their income potential.

By joining a social networking website, especially one that is popular and has a large number of members, you should be able to generate interest in your business, including the products or services that you sell.

If you have not discovered a place that suits you ask around, talk to a social media expert, and get in where you fit in.