I have no clue where to start in finding interesting things to post on FB (or other social media venues). I see so many interesting topics on others' pages and blogs, but my FB page is a dud, so I haven't even thought about blogging. I've stumbled on a few what I thought were interesting things, but that's it. Where do you find what you post or blog about? I've seen various things like Hootsuite mentioned, but what exactly IS that?

Can you tell I'm completely lost?!?

Thanks!

Pam

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Pam Deyerle - Transcriptionist in the Richmond, Virginia area
The Perfect Word Transcription Services

Hi Pam

Hootsuite is a platform you can use to view all you online social programs at once (eg: facebook, twitter, linkedin etc). I use Hootsuite for twitter only, but find it useful due to being able to see the streams and also direct messages and mentions all on the one screen.

Pam,

If you're at a loss for ideas and content, here's what to do...

First, set up an online monitoring system that scans the Web, the blogosphere, online forums and communities to find conversations relevant to your industry, niche and/or audience. Then consolidate the results into an RSS feed that can be reviewed each day. Use RSS feeds, such as newzcrawler, google reader, feedDemon, bloglines, to do this.

Scanning tools to include are:

TweetScan.com - Type in your keyword in the search field and you’ll get a list of Twitter posts for that keyword.

Socialmention.com - Receive free daily email alerts of your brand, company, CEO, marketing campaign, or on a developing news story, a competitor, or the latest on a celebrity.

Google Alerts for industry terms, such as "Insert Your Keyword Here". Create custom alerts to see what’s being said about you.

Boardtracker.com - A paid monthly subscription, which monitors only forums and message boards.

After you’ve collected your intelligence, here’s what to do:

When the scanning tools find a relevant conversation, such as a blog post about fly fishing…hey, if that‘s what your into, you need to join that conversation. Place insightful comments on blog posts and point readers to your relevant content on the same topic at your blog.

Use your blog to break stories with the potential to go viral. For instance, if you developed a new fly fishing method that catches boat loads of Trout, publish your tests and research related to it. Stories like these generate buzz links from other blogs and articles in major trade publications.

I hope this helps.

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Steve, aka. HubBubMonitor
HubBubMonitor.com

Great info Steve!

Thought I'd share this article which compares Hootsuite, TweetDeck, and Seemic:
http://vaclassroomblog.com/social-ne...nd-seesmic-com

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Lisa Wells~Online Biz Manager
Free Marketing Tips, Resources, and Reports for your VA Biz

Thanks everyone for the help! I'll definitely be checking into the suggestions, Steve. Just have to figure out how to find the time...LOL!

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Pam Deyerle - Transcriptionist in the Richmond, Virginia area
The Perfect Word Transcription Services

I recommend that you concentrate on your business blog and link it to your Facebook account. Then your blog posts will also post on your Facebook. Or use a service like Ping.fm to link multiple social networks together.

To get your blog posts started, "talk" to potential clients. Take a piece of paper, jot down five topics you think your potential client need to know. Post an blog entry explaining that you will have a "series" of posts for those considering hiring you. Then, use your top five for your topics. Give each one about 300 words, and ta-da!

Then, look at the common themes in business publications. What do business owners seem to be struggling with? If they are things you can offer as a service, blog about it.

As for time, most blogging platforms will let you schedule posts, so you can write up several and schedule them for release at a later time. Tie your posts to your e-newsletters, link them up.

Don't make it harder than it has to be. You can do it!

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Robin A. Holstein
Robin's Desktop Virtual Administrative Services
My Blog

I am a virtual transcriptionist, so I just figured I had nothing interesting to write about related to that. But, maybe I'm just not thinking out of the box enough! Thanks for the encouragement, Robin!

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Pam Deyerle - Transcriptionist in the Richmond, Virginia area
The Perfect Word Transcription Services

Like that idea, thanks Robin. Just attended a seminar on your 30 sec elevator speech - how to present your business in 30 sec if asked : What do you do? Like the idea of what are business owners struggling with. Answer their needs and voila!

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Classic Exec
Your Virtual Administrative Consultantwww.classicexec.com