Twitter has over 16 million users. 42.3% of the entire American population is on Facebook. And YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world. The bottom line is that your target audience is almost certainly using social media to engage with the products and services they love.

Despite all that, it can be challenging to figure out how to get started in social media and, more importantly, how to make sure your efforts are effective.

With that in mind, here are 5 tips that will help you succeed no matter what social-networking site you apply them to.

1. Commit resources & time with the intention of succeeding, not just experimenting. Look at social media as an opportunity cost. You’ll get out of it what you invest. So, by carving out the time for strategic implementation, you’ll be able to take advantage of the benefits social media has to offer. As technology continually changes, it is also important to have ongoing training for employees in order to keep them on track and up-to-date with the newest information available.

If you're trying to use social media to make an impact on your business, plan on devoting 25% to 50% of a full-time employee's time to your efforts. Devoting any less time is the equivalent of trying to put out a house fire with a garden hose.

2. Take advantage of the “social” part of social media, which is its most vital component. The marketing landscape no longer consists of simply talking to consumers. Your customers now expect a mutual interaction in which they can talk with you as well. By doing so, you can find out exactly what they require and what their concerns are. If a customer has something negative to say about your brand, do not delete it and certainly don’t ignore it. Be sure to listen to their point of view and make it into a conversation. After all, you are supposed to be social, right?

3. Engage in a wider conversation. It’s important to communicate information about your product or service to your audience, but it’s also okay to share news stories, blogs, and other relevant information that doesn’t necessarily point to your blog, your products or your company. Social media is popular because it enables people to find and share information that they value. The key is that you become valuable by sharing useful content.

4. Understand that you no longer control the message because once information or media is available on the social web, it is at the hands of the general population. Encourage participation, feedback, comments, and discussion, especially from major influencers online. Influencers are those who have large-sized online networks and can help to effectively spread your message while also activating others to do so. Although you may not be able to control the messages, you can at least keep track of them. Check out our article 7 Free Tools to Help You Monitor Your Online Reputation.

5. If you don’t at first succeed … keep trying. If you’re not getting the results you want, try new ways to engage your intended audience. The web makes it easy to recreate your message and try new social media marketing strategies. If you find yourself in need of some help, check out 30 Brilliant Social Media Marketing Tips From 2011.

The Take Away: Remember that every engagement either reinforces or takes away from the brand experience, so learn everything you can, apply what you need, and continue putting in the effort. When it comes to social media you certainly get what you give.

Brittney Leigh Smith is a regular contributor and marketing analyst for the 60 Second Marketer.

An oft-asked question regarding mobile applications is how you can begin to market and share your creation with the masses. Publishing the app itself is only the first in a series of steps to broaden the reach of your content. Below are some techniques which you may find useful in promoting a new mobile app.

Get to know your target audience

Understanding who exactly makes up your audience allows you to tailor your app promotion to those who would likely be interested in your content.

Start by engaging your audience through social means, such as Facebook, Twitter, and your blog comments to find basic demographic trends. Keep in mind the age, location, and gender of those who embrace you/your content, as well as their interests.

• Do you attract a “geek and proud” crowd? Make sure your words and imagery evoke an understanding of the latest tech, software or web-trends as they relate to your content and banners.
• Arm-chair quarterbacks and desk-chair umpires? Pictures of the ballpark, sharing your club’s cheers and adding your team colors to the mix help your audience associate with your interests as well.
• As a “foodie,” let your refined palate extend into your promotion with mouthwatering close-up images and evocative culinary language.
  

  Creating an app is only half the battle. The other half is promoting it. Here some tips to help you get started.

Learning more on targeting audiences/markets will ultimately help you to create campaigns based on individual demographics for maximum impact. However, taking a geniune interest in your audience will help you craft your message as you begin to promote your app.

Blog about your new app

Should you blog about your new app? Absolutely. Create a post which introduces your audience to your application. Explain its features and how it can be of benefit to them. For example:

• If you use your app to promote a podcast, explain that they can use your app to listen anywhere they have a mobile data connection.
• If you are as mobile as your app, mention that your audience can use location features to find your meet-ups, favorite restaurants/pubs, or where to hang out before the big game.
• Let them know that the blog they’re reading at this moment is accessible on your app! Using your app to view your content will save them a few steps during their mobile browsing experience.

You may want to show your app’s design or create a guide to using your app. Try taking a screenshot with your iPhone, which is a fairly simple process, or Android device, which may depend on your rooting situation, but provides apps such as Screenshot It orScreenshot ER.

Utilize your social presence

Do you have a Facebook page? A Twitter account? If not, social networking tools are the simplest, and most cost effective way to maximize your app’s promotion.

• A friendly tweet or Facebook post that includes a link to your app in the iTunes store is a great way to announce your app’s arrival to your audience.
• If blog commenters are wondering where they can find more of your content, feel free to point them to you app. Let them know they can also comment and participate using your app’s social functions, if applicable.
• Try creating a page that explains your app and submit it to StumbleUpon.
• Use your network to spread the word. There’s no harm in asking your associates, family and friends to support you with a “like” or retweet.

These services are free, and are a great way to expand your potential audience.

Use banner ads

Banner ads are an easy way to provide a nice visual link to your app, both on your personal site or any site you have an agreement to display these on.

• You’ll want to use appropriate and eye-catching imagery/headlines in your banners, and make sure you’re including this around the content area, and “above the fold” for the best click-through rates. Here is a visualization of optimal banner placement/design.
• There are standard sizes for most ad banners which should be followed. You can find a list of ad banner sizes here.

Try to visualize what your audience would expect to see on one of your banner ads, and build from there.

A few final words

Don’t let the publication of your new app be the end of your journey. Keep close tabs on statistics when introducing some of these techniques to see what works best for you and your audience.

It’s easy to maintain your existing audience, and love every minute of it, but there’s always potential for growth in your content delivery. Take the next step and promote that app!

Josh Wolff, Support Director at ShoutEm. ShoutEm is a mobile application creation platform, which allows users to design and publish rich-featured, native mobile apps for iOS and Android devices.

Every year, it’s my honor to speak professionally at organizations such as The Coca-Cola Company, Markel Insurance and the National Restaurant Association. For reasons I can’t quite explain, audiences seem to really enjoy my informative, upbeat and interactive presentations on social media and mobile marketing.

This year, given the fact that my new book Go Mobile is the #1 mobile marketing book in America, my requests for speaking engagements will increase. At that time, the law of supply and demand will kick-in and my speaking fees will go up as a result.

Before that happens, I’d like to make a special offer to the regular readers of the 60 Second Marketer blog and the 60 Second Marketer e-newsletter.

Hire Me to Consult or Speak with Your Organization by Purchasing Copies of Go Mobile. As mentioned, corporations from around the globe hire me to speak professionally about social and mobile marketing. For a limited time, in an effort to keep Go Mobile at the top of the mobile marketing beststeller list, I’ll make the following proposal to the first 5 organizations who take advantage of this offer:

• 90-Minute Consulting: I will conduct a 90-minute social and/or mobile marketing consulting session with you via phone in return for your purchase of 25 copies of Go Mobile.
• Webinar: will run, manage and conduct an exclusive social media or mobile marketing webinar for the audience of your choice in return for your purchase of 75 copies of Go Mobile.
• Keynote Speech or Workshop: I will conduct a keynote speech or 4-hour workshop on the topic of social media or mobile marketing at the location of your choice in return for your purchase of 300 copies of Go Mobile. (Airfare and hotel paid by you.)

This is a limited time offer — once I have 5 of these proposals locked-up, I’ll be shifting back to my regular speaking fees. I can answer any questions you have about this offer via email and will be happy to provide a sales sheet I’ve prepared with details about the offer.

Thanks again for being part of the growing global community we have at the 60 Second Marketer. I look forward the prospect of working with the 5 organizations who will take me up on this offer.

(For a snapshot of my speaking style, watch the video below or click here to watch it on the 60 Second Marketer YouTube channel.)

Posted by Jamie Turner, Founder of the 60 Second Marketer and co-author of “How to Make Money with Social Media” and “Go Mobile.” He is also a popular marketing speaker at events, trade shows and corporations around the globe.

Are you thinking of building and creating an app? In the last week of 2011 alone, a record 1.2 billion apps were downloaded. Here are some tips and considerations when diving into the business of mobile app development.

1. It takes more than a great Idea – Focus on ideas that will help your core business succeed. Being in a position to execute an idea better than others is more pivotal than coming up with one “great” idea. The ability to excecute your idea is critical. Unique partnerships, original content, better design and stronger brand are a few key areas that will enable you to execute better than your competition.
2. Sales vs. Value – First ask yourself, are you creating an app or starting a business? An app should be part of a business strategy, not the strategy. Paid app revenue will vary up and down, your business should not.
3. Free vs. Paid – Assess the value in making your app free. What does your business gain? Generally, an app is considered “viral” after five consecutive days of 500+ downloads. The ranking system in the app store is a weighted function of sales over time. If you’re going to be a paid app, are you going to be viral? How about if you’re a free app?
4. Building an App is Half the Battle – Getting the message out about your app is the other half. Build up potential energy with newsletters, screenshots, e-mail and word-of-mouth before the app launches. That way when it does launch the app is more likely to be a success.
5. Don’t settle for OK – There are over 500,000 apps in the App Store. You will have a hard time getting noticed for something that is merely okay.
6. Think beyond the iPhone – Think mobile.

• Android – While the iPhone is the preferred smartphone for many, Android market share is actually larger than iPhone market share. We recommend proving your business on one platform and then expanding to a second platform.
• HTML5 – Another solution is utilizing HTML 5 as a resource to create apps. This method works across many phones and may be a simpler solution for many sites. The downside is that HTML5 apps are harder to monetize and there is no “app store.” Web Apps have some limitations in functionality and performance.
• iPad/Tablet – Lastly, the iPad and tablets are growing in business. They are ideally positioned as a field data collection/field sales tool. For consumers, the device serves as an optimal platform for gaming and an enhanced TV experiences.

About the author: Greg Raiz is the Founder and CEO of Raizlabs, a Boston-based developer of mobile apps.

Celebrity Chef Paula Deen, recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, has broken the first rule of 21st Century marketing — always be transparent. Ms. Deen, often criticized by food critics and chefs for her calorie-packed recipes, disclosed on Tuesday that she has had Type 2 diabetes for nearly three years. Obesity increases people’s risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Anthony Bourdain, who called Deen the “most dangerous person to America” who’s “proud of the fact that her food is f**king bad for you” took to the blogosphere to point out duplicity of a celebrity chef promoting Deep-Fried Mac and Cheese at the same time that she was seeking treatment for her diabetes.

Paula Deen has had Type 2 diabetes for several years, during which time she promoted cooking that some would argue only fueled her disease.

The Wall Street Journal reports that many comments on Twitter echoed Mr. Bourdain’s sentiment.  “I think it’s completely gross that Paula Deen made $$$ pushing food that makes you sick and will now make $$$ pushing the medication for it,” read one Tweet.

It’s safe to say that Ms. Deen has a brand management problem. She’s broken the first rule of 21st century marketing, which is to be clear, transparent and honest in your dealings with the public.

In the past, scandalous stories were often hidden or swept under the rug. (President Kennedy was one of the more notable beneficiaries of stories that never saw the light of day.) Today, because of digital media, negative stories spread much more quickly and have much greater impact on celebrity brands.

The solution, of course, is to be entirely transparent in dealing with the public. If Ms. Deen had come clean when she was first diagnosed — or, if she had just said, “My food choices have, in part, lead to this disease and therefore I’m going to change my ways” — then the public would have been much more forgiving.

My Offer to Ms. Deen — Brand Management Training Free of Charge. I have helped organizations as large as AT&T and The Coca-Cola Company develop branding campaigns that promote the best aspects of their products and services.  Ms. Deen isn’t all bad. In fact, with the right training, she could use this as an opportunity to build awareness for healthy cooking and diabetes management.

With that in mind, I’m offering brand management training for Ms. Deen and her team of social media and branding specialists. The training would provide Ms. Deen the opportunity to address her current situation and to be fully transparent as she moves forward.

During my training, we would create a recipe for success by reviewing the key ingredients of branding, the essential elements of positioning, the primary components of reputation management and the importance of being fully transparent with your constituents.

How Ms. Deen Can Reach Me. I’m not making light of Ms. Deen’s health problems — I understand diabetes since it runs in my family. I am, however, encouraging Ms. Deen to take my offer of brand management training seriously and to call me at her earliest convenience.

I can be reached via email or by calling the number listed on the 60 Second Marketer contact page. I will be happy to drop what I’m doing and devote the next 3 days exclusively to Ms. Deen.

Posted by Jamie Turner, Founder of the 60 Second Marketer and co-author of “How to Make Money with Social Media” and “Go Mobile.” He is also a popular marketing speaker at events, trade shows and corporations around the globe.