Google moves into social networking with their new social media application called Google Buzz. Buzz is a new way to start conversations right in your Gmail which means no need to seek out a new set of friends from scratch. Buzz utilizes your existing network by automatically setting you up to follow the people you email and chat with the most. Buzz is expected to be an easy-to-use sharing experience that richly integrates photos, videos and links, and makes it easy to share publicly or privately (so you don’t have to use different tools to share with different audiences). Plus, Buzz integrates with your existing Gmail inbox, so you’re sure to see the stuff that matters most as it happens in real time. There is no applications to download and install. Google is rolling out Buzz to all Gmail user so you can expect to see it in your account very soon.

7 Things You Need to Know About Google Buzz

1. Easy update and sharing of your photos & videos
2. Built right into Gmail, so you will automatically be following your existing network of friends, family and co-workers.
3. You can share your account publicly or privately
4. Connect with more then just your status updates, Buzz will automatically pull images from links, play videos inline and you can even flip through photo seamlessly
5. Buzz let you connect with other sites you use like Picasa, Flickr, Google Reader and Twitter
6. Communicate with friends using the commenting field and respond directly in your inbox
7. Buzz even works on your phone

You are likely asking yourself by now, “What is new about this?” and you would be correct. None of these features are groundbreaking or innovative, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr all serve these features effectively enough.

Will Google Buzz give us sizzle or sadly fizzle?

To learn more visit buzz.google.com

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• Google Officially Announces Google Buzz – A Google Approach To Sharing (thenextweb.com)
• Google to make Gmail a little more social (news.cnet.com)

It is true Twitter can be time consuming and it is compelling to use or try any of the thousands of Twitter applications available to save yourself time, add followers quickly or automate your tweets.

Before you do, you may want to learn about Twitter’s best practices that help prevent your account from being removed from searches, or in some cases suspended. Twitter may automatically remove accounts engaging in what they consider aggressive behaviors in order to ensure the best experience for everyone.

Twitter cautions against aggressive behaviors and suggests that you stay away from:

1) Repeatedly posting duplicate or near-duplicate content (links or tweets) – Be kind to your followers, no one wants to see the same tweets repeatedly. If for example your trying to get traffic back to a new blog post change the content of your tweets so that they are fresh, and interesting. If you do try to tweet duplicate tweets, Twitter will actually prevent the tweet from posting. Therefore, you are automatically compelled to change the content.

2) Abusing trending topics or hashtags (topic words with a # sign) – This is not the way to promote your business or cause. Abusing hashtags or hijacking hashtags is not only annoying to followers, but it is a red flag to Twitter that you are not practicing good Twitter etiquette.

3) Sending automated tweets or replies – This seems like the easiest way to “set your Twitter account and forget it.” Many Twitter applications provide automated tweets and replies but you can guarantee that all your tweets will be removed from searches. Getting found is the point of social media and Twitter, without it you might as well be invisible. And consider this, if everyone is on automated tweeting, then who are you to “engage” with, and “build relationships” with?

4) Using bots or applications to post similar messages based on keywords – This is similar to automating your tweets, and if you are to be that disingenuous about your tweets, then your are not following the rules of social media.

5) Posting similar messages over multiple accounts – I see this in my Twitter stream all the time. How authentic are you if you are Tweeting from multiple accounts? I also noticed that these type of twitters most often are using an application to automate those tweets. This type of activity means you have no engagement, no trust, and followers will likely un-follow you quickly, like I do.

6) Aggressively following and un-following people – There are hundreds of applications offering mass following and un-following, not to mention the “How to get Follower’s Fast” spam tweets. No one needs that many followers overnight, in fact there is a movement to have 1000 or less followers. That is considered the magic number of loyal followers anyone needs to have a strong social media program. So do not worry about how many followers you can “get” overnight.

I hope that by learning these best practices I have saved you from being removed from searches, and potentially suspended from Twitter. You can learn more about Twitter best practices, and Twitter rules at the Twitter Help section.

I recently had the great pleasure of being interviewed and featured as a Wild Web Woman at Web Marketing Therapy.

The Wild Web Women at Web Marketing Therapy are always thrilled to connect with like-minded and brilliant women in business and introduce them to you! We had the pleasure of chatting with Gail Helmer, who seeks to simplify the Wild Web’s social media secrets and helps companies integrate social media into their business. With almost 20 years as a marketing professional, she lives and breathes the internet! We had a blast finding out what inspires Gail, as well as what brand of shoes make her feel at her best and that she shares the WMT Wild Web Women’s obsession with Lululemon yoga pants!

You can read the full interview at the Web Marketing Therapy Blog. Thank you to Lorrie Thomas, Sarah Caminker, Kelly Kohen, and all the great women at Web Marketing Therapy.

Don’t take my word for it. Guy Kawasaki shares his top three Twitter tips.

Top 3 Twitter Tips for Business:

1) Always be informing instead of meforming. Ensure your tweets are providing links that are informational, resourceful, and provide tips on other things.

2) Always reply to mentions, retweets, and direct messages from others. Guy considers it a moral obligation to respond to others.

3) The real goal to Twitter is to get retweeted. Guys says that, “Retweeting is the sincerest form of flattery. People are risking their reputation when the retweet you.”

Has “meforming” made its way into Websters dictionary yet? My definiton of meforming: The process of broadcasting every excruciating detail of your personal life on Twitter.

Looking for a Great Business Book

If you are not familiar with Guy Kawasaki, then I recommend you follow him on Twitter @guykawasaki. I also highly recommend his new book “Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition.” I find it an absolute must resource for entrepreneurs, small business owners and solopreneurs. After reading this book my business partner and I have nicknamed him “God” Kawasaki for his down-to-earth, informative and guiding-hand business style.

Do you have your customer incentive programs all set for Christmas? Are your landing pages in place? Then start sharing the savings on social media. According to a recent study by Neilsen, 60 percent of shoppers will be looking for discounts and sales this holiday season. 17 percent will be looking for specials and deals through social media.

“Consumers are trying to find any way possible to find value and being connected via social media is a new way to find these deals and the values of the season,” said Stacy Janiak, vice chairman and Deloitte’s U.S. retail leader.

Promote your customer incentives by posting on your Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as in your e-mail newsletters. Think creatively this holiday season to strengthen and foster relationships with your customers. The objective is to offer helpful solutions to alleviate your customers shopping anxiety. The social media incentive program works effectively for both your online and offline stores.

Top 4 effective consumer incentives to spur customer action and increase your overall revenue and profits:

1) BOGO – The buy-one-get-one free offer. An excellent sales promotion and an offer a bargain hunter can not pass up. The stipulation is the free item is of equal or lesser value then the purchased item. With this promotion the sales is increased when the consumer spends more to recieve the free item.

2) Gift with Purchase – This offer encourages the consumer to purchase items, in order to receive a free gift. The cosmetic industry has been successfully using this method for years. The value of the free gift is up to you, but it must be something people will desire. The cosmetic industry gives away a cosmetic bag with the purchase of $50 or more.

3) Discount Coupons – When implemented strategically coupons can not only increase revenues, but will provide lasting goodwill with your customers. Set a threshhold of $50 to $100 dollars to receive a discount of 15% or more. Remember the objective is encourage customers to spend more to save more.

4) Bundling – If you have inventory you would like to clear out, or have a new product that you want consumers to know about then consider creating a bundled gift package. You can increase the price overall and offer a unique gift idea.

Social media tips for promoting your incentives without looking like a spammer.

1) Craft your messages into 140 characters or less:
2) Include a “please retweet” or “send to a friend” in your message to encourage viral sharing.
3) Include a link to your website landing page with more details on the promotion. Make it handy for your customers to make a printout of your promotion that they can bring into your store.
4) Include promotion incentives during the online checkout process as a last minute impulse buy.

I encourage you to use social media this holiday season, not only will your customers appreciate the savings, I can guarantee you will have an advantage over your competitors.

Source: With Social Media, Who Needs Santa?.