Here are the things you should do on your first day.

1. Create your account. Just go to Twitter.com and sign up. Choose your user name wisely. If it’s available I recommend you use your own name. If not, consider variations, such as adding The infront of it.Or adding a middle initial. Or your first name with your city or state.

As an alternative you could use your topic or area of expertise. Just make sure you’re going to stick with that – or you’ll be left with a user name that makes no sense to the people in your new niche.

InterCap your name, such as JeanetteCates. It makes it more readable.

2. Write your profile. Include information about your interests and use keywords that relate to your niche. You’re limited to 160 characters, so you may want to write it out ahead of time to be sure you get all of the critical information in there.

3. Load a photo. The picture itself can’t be over 700k – but it’s going to create a 48 x 48 pixel picture of you to show on your profile. So try to get a picture that is close enough they can see your face.

Remember, all of this information can be edited as you become more sophisticated in your use of Twitter. The important thing is to get started!

4. Now it’s time to start tweeting. If you’re experiencing the “blank page” syndrome you’re not alone. Almost everyone feels that way when they first start. Here are some suggestions on what to tweet about.

I’m new to Twitter. What do you find most helpful to teach you to use it?

I’m setting up a ____   (it could be a new page, new blog, new article – whatever you’re doing that is business-related.)

Really found this article about ___ helpful. Give URL

My cat just jumped up onto the keyboard erasing my latest idea!

“quote goes here” along with author of the quote – these are great for people who re-tweet them.

You want to post 5-10 tweets, spread throughout the day. That will give people who are considering following you an idea of who you are. Notice that you’re combining a little bit of personality along with business-related posts.

Also notice that you are not sending one promotional message after another. Instead, aim for 4-6 content tweets to every promotional tweet.

5. Start looking for people you want to follow. Search for the names of well-known people in your field, as well as those known for social media marketing. Search for names of your friends. Just click the Follow button under their name and you’ll start seeing their tweets.

That should take care of your Day One’s activities. Altogether you can easily complete these activities in 3 to 4 10-minute sessions. You won’t find an easier way to start marketing online than by using Twitter.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with new Online Business owners to help them create their Online Success. She is a prolific writer and presenter on Internet marketing. Follow her at http://Twitter.com/JeanetteCates Enjoy a free 90-minute webinar on social media marketing at SocialMarketingBasics.com

The second biggest concern is both the cost of advertising and the time and technology involved in most of the traditional marketing methods.

That’s why a lot of new online business owners enjoy social media marketing! It’s easy to start, takes virtually no money and it’s comfortable to promote once you understand the basics.

So where do you start?

1. Create an account on Twitter. Just go to twitter.com and sign up. If you can get your name, that’s the place to start. And you may want another account for your major keyword, but that’s optional.

2. Follow your favorite people on Twitter. While you can follow your friends you will be well-served to follow the thought leaders in your major topic area. And watch for other quality “tweeters” like Lisa Suttora and Connie Green. Both provide excellent content and model good Twitter behavior.

3. Sign up for a personal account at Facebook. Befriend those people who interest you – and look for your offline and online friends on Facebook. Many of them already have accounts.

4. Set up a Facebook group for your major topic area. And look for other groups that interest you. You want to make friends on Facebook and you do that by finding people who share your interests.

5. Integrate your Twitter account with your facebook account. When you do that, each of your tweets will show as new content on Facebook.

6. Integrate your blog with Twitter. This lets you show your most recent tweets on your blog. Plus it lets you notify twitter about new blog posts as they are added, getting more visitors to your blog.

7. Work these sites consistently. Plan to tweet once or twice a day. With just 140 characters allowed per tweet, this doesn’t take long! And you’ll be amazed at how many people start to follow you on Twitter when you provide good information.

Add 5-10 friends per day to your Facebook account. Your list of friends will grow steadily.

Then when you are ready to launch your next product or offer a teleseminar or webinar, you have a ready-made list of friends and followers! Once you get involved in social media marketing, you’ll find it’s a valuable tactic in your overall business marketing plan.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with online business owners who are ready to create Online Success. Claim your free gift on social media marketing at http://SocialMarketingBasics.com

• Career transitions – how to move from here to there in your life
• Online Success – and what it means to you
• The biggest mistakes people make online
• The differences between the “haves” and “have-nots” online
• How women market differently
• And a break-through idea on vertical versus horizontal marketing

Listen to the program online.

To start look upon a social network as a networking event you are attending. You meet people, introduce yourself, have short conversations, ask questions, introduce them to other people. It’s the same process in a social networking site.

You join, introduce yourself, find people with similiar interests, ask them about their interests. You ask them about their business. You comment about what you’re doing in your business. It’s all very natural.

In fact, many people who otherwise have a hard time marketing online because they are not comfortable with the “hard sell” find social networking very comfortable.

Don’t make the mistake of marketing directly on social network sites. This is not the right way to use the social sites. Though an Internet Marketer may not be technically spamming, trying to directly market themselves or their products will not get any decent results. Instead use social networking sites as they are meant to be used: for social networking. For meeting people and conversing with them.

That sounds really basic, right? Of course you use social networking sites for social networking. Right? But how many Internet Marketers actually do this? Not very many.

Using social networking the right way means that you only use these sites to connect with people. Obviously you connect with people who are interested in the niche that you are marketing, but all you want to do is connect with them. Make that your goal. Speak with people, help people, become friends with people.

Then, when people see you as a friend and as someone they respect, they just might ask you what you do and then you can tell them. Still, you don’t want to make any hard sells. You don’t even want to come right out and try to sell to them. Instead, simply direct them to your site or to your blog. Give them the choice of whether or not they want to go there. And when they do visit, you’ll be selling to them without even using the social networking site.

Do you see the difference? Simply get to know people on the social networking sites. Establish yourself as someone who is a nice person and an expert in your niche. Socialize as much as possible.

Mix your marketing messages in with your social messages. For example, when working on an upcoming product, mention it in your conversation. You can even ask people for their questions about your topic, their opinion on a graphic, or where they would suggest you list your upcoming product. Just make it a part of your natural interaction.

Using social networking sites the right way is actually a very easy to accomplish. All you have to do is get to know people as you would in a face-to-face environment. Then talk with them as you would if you were at a seminar or party together. Ask questions, answer questions, make comments. It’s all part of the socialization and a very natural method of marketing.

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Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with new online business owners who are ready to create Online Success. She shares her 10 Steps to Online Success in a free video at http://OnlineSuccessIncubator.com