Mastering New Media :: Jason Van Orden

State of the Twittersphere Report

Hubspot recently released their latest State of the Twittersphere Report which contains some surprising data. The report is based on data collected from 4.5 million Twitter accounts.

Here are the lessons that can be learned, starting with some common mistakes that you want to be sure not to make.

Are You Making these Common Mistakes?

It looks like the vast majority of Twitter users are missing out on an important opportunity. Take a look at the following statistics about Twitter users.

• 80% failed to provide a homepage URL
• 76% have not entered a bio in their profile
• 69% have not specified a location

To some this may seem like unimportant info. Perhaps it’s due to privacy concerns. If you use Twitter to attract and connect with your market, your homepage URL, bio and location are critical for three reasons.

1. To Be Found

First, this information is used to help people search for and find people that they might find interesting. Not filling out this info is like asking Google not to list your site.

2. To Be Followed

Second, it’s a question of conversion. Twitter users look at this info to decide whether or not to follow you. The decision is made in a matter of a few seconds while quicly glancing at the data you have provided on your page.

3. To Get Traffic

Lastly, the URL field in your Twitter profile is ideal for linking back to your site. Not only do links drive traffic, they are used by search engines to decide how highly you should be ranked. The more links you have, the higher you rank.

You Twitter URL is a freebie! Put it to use.

The Opportunity

If the vast majority of Twitter users are neglecting to include this valuable data in their profile, this is a huge opportunity for you to stand out.

The Growth of Twitter

Finally, I’ve included a graph here showing the growth of Twitter since it’s inception. As you can see, things have picked up significantly in recent months.

The publicity for Twitter has picked up enormously thanks to it’s use by celebrities as well as the impact it has had in spreading news in incidents such as the terrorist attacks in India earlier this year and the current demonstrations in Iran.

You can read the entire report here.

Take Action

1. Ensure that you have completely filled out your bio, homepage URL and location in your Twitter profile

What to you think?

• What other insights did you get from the this information or the rest of the report?
• How have you effectively used your profile information to attract and connect with your market?

I’d love to hear your thoughts  in the comments below.

We’re currently going through the biggest shake up in marketing and media since the beginning of the Internet. The bad news is that it is leaving lots of businesses in the dust. Your business may have already fallen victim.

The good news is that the shake up also brings massive opportunity to those that understand the forces behind it. In this episode, we’ll discuss the how you can seize these forces for your benefit and ride the waves being created.

Download the MP3

In this episode of Mastering New Media…

• How you can survive and thrive in the biggest media and marketing shake up since the dawn of the Internet (and before that since the Gutenberg Press)
• Why the status quo in advertising will no longer work for your business
• How to seize the opportunities brought by the shake up rather than fall victim the massive shift it’s causing in consumer behavior

CNN posted an excellent article about the phenomenon of retweeting on Twitter. For those new to Twitter…

Retweeting, represented on Twitter with the symbol “RT,” means a user has taken someone else’s tweet — or message — and copied part or all of it. The original author is often credited through the convention “@username”…

The viral nature of retweeting is powerful for spreading your message and brand wide and far. When used properly, it can attract new followers and drive additional traffic.

In addition to providing great tips for retweeting, the article talks about the psychology of retweeting. Here are a few interesting excerpts.

On this episode of Mastering New Media, I speak with co-founder of the Culinary Media Network, Chef Mark Tafoya. Mark has taken his passion for food and travel and turned them into a profitable business and multiple streams driven by new media marketing.

In this interview, Mark shares several idea of how he has successfully put new media to work to build and market his brand.

Download the MP3

In This Episode…

• The tool that Mark uses to upload his videos to all the popular video sharing site
• How new media has allowed Mark to travel the world
• How Mark has had his viewers help create and launch a new product
• How Mark got major brands to pay him to travel and create content
• How competition can actually help you jump start your audience growth

They say that the best business plans can be written on a napkin. This afternoon I decided to boil my business model down to four basic steps. While I didn’t write it on a napkin, it’s still simple enough that a four-letter acronym describes it — P.A.I.D.

Using the word “paid” works out nicely since in every episode of my podcast I invite you to engage your market and “get paid.” So, here it is. The four-step business model that I use to launch six-figure businesses using new media.