It’s a new year and many of us are deep in that mode of setting goals and creating those “New Year’s Resolutions” that everyone does during January.  We promise ourselves that we’re going to lose weight, eat healthier, get a better job, improve our relationships, love our spouses more, kick the dog less, go on a trip…and so on and so forth.

I’m hoping that many of you out there have decided that this year is the year you’re going to start your own online business.  And that doesn’t mean you have to come up with the next Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Twitter, or anything else.  It just means that you’re going to use the Internet to create either a supplemental or even a full-time income for yourself and your family.

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I’ve heard a lot of people over the last several months (maybe even the last 2 years) talking about how much of a waste of time Twitter is and how there is nothing productive that can be gained from it.  I’m here to tell you that Twitter is an incredibly powerful tool if you know how to use it, and you use it well.

Let’s just talk about that fact that last night from one “tweet” I received over 600 clicks to a test offer.  All in about 5 minutes. Granted, I’ll give you that the conversion rate was low (around 1%), but I haven’t put a lot of work into this promotion and really just wanted to see what kind of response I could get.

For the time put into it, all of about 60 seconds, I’d consider this a pretty good example of what Twitter can do for you.

Then I stumble across Sponsored Tweets and see how they’re giving everybody a chance to make some money with their Twitter accounts, and another company called Ad.ly that is doing basically the same thing.

Here’s how it works, you sign up with either (or both) of the companies mentioned above.  You set your price for your tweets and then advertisers find you and pay you to tweet about their product and/or service.

Of course, the first major concern that you’re obviously going to have is tweet spam.  If you join these companies, are you going to look like just another goofwad that had joined Twitter to spam a bunch of links and annoy people.  I can tell you this, if that’s how you’re going to choose to use these services, then you will look like a spammer.  And you’ll also get your accounts with them banned pretty quickly.

Both companies require you to be very open and honest about the fact that what you’re tweeting is an ad.  Choose not to do that, and you won’t be making money for very long.

Choose the right path, create and engage in conversations and provide value to the people following you, and you’ll start to see some results.

Now, let’s just be frank and honest about how much money you’re likely to make using either of these services.  For the vast majority of us, it’s probably not going to be enough to pay your mortgage. And if you go into it thinking that it will, you’re just fooling yourself.  Just like another service I’ve been recommending lately that lets you share videos and get paid for it (check out VideoForward to find out more), Sponsored Tweets and Ad.ly are really just going to provide you with some supplemental income at best.

That is, unless you become a power Twitter user overnight and get about a million people to follow you. I’m not trying to convince you to go out and rake in a bunch of new followers or use some spammy software that “guarantees thousands of new followers every day.” What I am encouraging you to do is to take advantage of something that you are already doing and make a little money on the side from it.

Try out both of these services, it can’t hurt.  Then let me know what you think.

And why should you be paying any attention at all?

I started seeing a huge marketing campaign a few days ago. Best Buy has created a new “Twelpforce” for people to send in questions on Twitter that employees can answer. Very smart.

If you think that Twitter can’t do anything for your business, take one look at this and I hope you’ll think otherwise.

And in case you hadn’t figure it out, the webinar I mentioned is over. However, you can still pick up Perry’s training, at least for now. But, they are getting very close to filling up, so don’t wait too long.

I’ll see you next time!

How long have you been on Twitter?  A month?  Six months?  A year?  Two Years?  Have you really figured out how to use it yet?  I mean, really figured out how to use it?

I know you probably know how to log in to Twitter, follow some people, put up a few little “tweets” and then walk away for the day.  But have you really figured out how to use Twitter to your benefit?

There’s a lot of you out there that think you have.  I know, I see you on Twitter everyday.  I get a number of DMs from you that are all pretty much the same cookie-cutter message, just coming from a different person.

They all generally say pretty much the same thing:

“Want to know how I got x amount of followers in x amount of days?  Follow my NEW system for exploding your Twitter followers and raking in the dough at imreallyjusttryingtogetsomeofyourmoney.com!”

Have you seen those tweets before?

Have you been one of the people sending them?

Don’t feel bad, I’m just as guilty as the next person.  I’ve sent some very similar tweets myself.  And I feel like crap about it.  I really do.  But, I plead ignorance.

See, I just didn’t know any better.  I didn’t know that just sending out a bunch of links to my followers would do me more harm than good.  I didn’t know that I needed to provide a lot more content, really good high-quality content, to my followers if I really wanted to get anything out of my Twitter relationships.

Because, after all, that’s what Twitter is all about.  Building relationships, not just collecting up a bunch of people that you can send self-serving little messages and links to.

Not that you can’t send those self-serving links, but they can’t be your focus.  Your focus has to be something else.

Your focus has to be on providing value.  Being a character.  Being a friend.  Being a trusted, knowledgeable, and devoted friend that people can reach out to and feel comfortable with just saying, “Hey!”

See, there’s a right way and a wrong way to monetize your efforts on Twitter.  And for those of you that are reading this that believe that you shouldn’t try to make money with Twitter or any other social network, I understand your side of the story.  I’m not trying to convince you to my way of thinking.  Please, stick to your guns and don’t let anybody tell you how to run your social networking.

But please don’t hold it against me if I believe you can use Twitter to make a boatload of cash.

But there is a right way and a wrong way of doing it.  Most of us have been stumbling around in the dark for the last several months doing our darndest to figure it out and really doing more harm than good.

Thank God, we’ve finally got some help.

Perry Belcher and Ryan Deiss are hosting this little “social media party” this Wednesday night.  I’m gonna be there.  We’d love if you’d come and join us.

We’re gonna pack this virtual house with 5,000 people.  Yep, 5,000 people.  And if you’re ready to learn how to actually start making some money with Twitter and other social networks, please come be a part.

Oh, yeah, don’t worry about having to pay to get in to the party.  I’ve got that taken care of for you. I’ve got people.

You just register right here for the webinar this Wednesday night, July 22nd, 9 PM Eastern time.  (That’s 6 PM for you folks in dreamy California and 10:30 PM for the fine, friendly folks up in Newfoundland.  Those of you that may be located on the other side of the world, you’ll have to figure it out for yourselves.)

Bring a pad, a pencil, and most importantly, and open mind.  Perry and Ryan are going to change the game this Wednesday night.

I’ll be there watching.  Won’t you?

Here’s the link one more time in case you missed it:

FREE Social Media Webinar with Perry Belcher and Ryan Deiss – Wednesday, July 22nd, 9PM Eastern time.

Hope to see you there.

Social media and social networking sites are all the rage these days. If you’re not involved in at least a few, you’re sure to become the outcast at the party and have people shy away from you’ve contracted some wicked evil flesh-eating disease.

Whether you’re on Twitter, Facebook, or any of the other hundreds social networking sites, you can use them all ot your advantage. These sites are not just about wasting time or telling people the latest boring event in your life. Let’s be honest, most people really don’t care that you’ve just bought a new toaster oven. But they might care if something new and exciting is going on at your site or you’re offering some service that interests them.

Your social connections can translate to site popularity if you only know how to use them. Think about it: all those connections mean real people that can translate to several things for a website: members, readers, a paying market, a free means for promotions and marketing. If you own a website, you can take advantage of your connections through social media to drive traffic to your site. Here’s how:

1. Offer high value content

If there’s one thing you have that will find high acceptance in the social media, it’s content. If you can produce good content; the kind that people actually read from the first word to the last, the kind that gets passed on from one person to the next and talked about, you’ll find a good audience waiting for you in social media.

High value content is highly sought after in social media networks and elsewhere on the internet. After all, content is what makes the internet interesting. If you want to drive traffic to your website using social media, be popular with its users by offering them something they can’t refuse.

2. Make content usable

Aside from creating original and high value content, you also need to provide your target audience with a way to find it. Your content is more likely to be noticed and read if it’s organized and can be located quickly. Make sure your articles are easy to use and are optimized so anyone looking for topics related to your write-up will find them easily.

3. Increase your presence

Were you a hit with one write-up? Did you cause a sensation with your previous submission, driving massive traffic to your website in the process? Don’t just stop there.

Consistently and frequently update your submissions to social media networks. You want to make sure that people remember you not for that one great write-up you produced but for being a reliable source of excellent content.

That way, each time you submit an article, it can ride on the buzz you have already created for yourself. Once you’re a recognizable name in social media, your target audience will gladly follow your link back to your website. They’ll even find you on their own.

4. Promote your content and your website

Don’t be shy about promoting yourself. Each time you have a new write-up or significant changes in your website, inform your target audience through e-mail. Mention the same in your podcasts and other articles you might submit to a directory.

Make sure you let people know who you are and what you have to offer. However, make sure you don’t overdo it. Promoting your write-up or website too aggressively in social media networks might make you look too desperate. People are also more likely to be suspicious of your intentions if you sell yourself too hard.

5. Encourage interaction

Sure, people like the anonymity the internet provides but they can’t help but communicate with other people they find online. That’s why you should provide them with a means to use your website or write-up to air their views. Allow interaction such as comments, polls, surveys and feedback forms.

Using social media to drive traffic to a website is not exactly an easy task. In fact, it can often become labor intensive. However, if it’s done well, it can be a very effective and inexpensive method to increase awareness for a website. Try to explore what you can contribute to social media and take advantage of this great source for traffic.

By the way, take a moment to follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook. Heck, you can even see what’s going on with me at FriendFeed if you really like. Follow or friend me and I promise to do the same. It’s all fun and we can’t go through this journey all by ourselves!