Top Marketing Blogs This Week: A Twitter Guide, Standing Out From The Crowd And More

I noticed an interesting thing happen in the business blogging world as the 4th of July holiday came and went here in the US. In the week or two leading up to it, many people seemed to fade from view, perhaps planning or taking vacations or just getting into the summer groove. Posts were fewer, father between and certainly less detailed. Then post-holiday Monday rolled around and BAM suddenly everyone was back with a vengeance and I could barely keep up with my feeds. Here are just five of the interesting, unique and very readable posts that I discovered this week. Find your favorites and enjoy!

Twitter Followers: A Detailed Guide On How To Easily Get More

Written by Ashley Faulkes

I recently wrote about growing a Twitter following and connected with Ashley in the comments of that post where he mentioned that he was in the process of putting together a Twitter how-to. When it was done I checked it out and voila! Here it is. It’s a downloadable PDF that you can grab without even providing an email address (something I admit to telling him he was crazy for doing!) If you’re trying to get a handle on Twitter this is a great guide. There are dos and don’ts, image sizing guidelines, etiquette, advice for growing and managing your following and lots of tool recommendations to help. It’s better than some stuff I’ve seen people pay for so check it out. Even if you’re pretty good with Twitter, you might pick up a couple of new tools you hadn’t tried before.

This article is currently unavailable. Follow Ashley on Twitter @madlemmingz

Do You Need Both A Google+ Page And A Profile?

Written by Ray Hiltz

Google is pretty great when it comes to providing free services. From analytics to Webmaster tools, spreadsheets and more. Even Google+, as maligned as it may be, is a good place to find like-minded people and share and discover content. BUT. It’s not always obvious how the heck you’re supposed to use some of these things. Google+ pages and profiles are just one subset of things that can make you scratch your head wondering why you need them and what you’re supposed to do with them. Ray to the rescue! This is a straightforward, descriptive and easy-to-follow post that gives you the whys and the hows of pages and profiles. If you haven’t set up a profile or page, this post can help you feel confident and comfortable enough to do it. And if you have set them up but don’t quite know why, you’ll get some answers to those questions, too.

Read the article at steamfeed.com and follow Ray on Twitter @newraycom

Do Images Really Make The Best Facebook Posts?

Written by Mike Allton

When I read the title of this post my first thought was well, that’s what they tell us. My second thought was… good question! There is no lack of people who will quote some study or test telling you how this type of content gets more engagement and that time of day is better to post. And we sort of just nod our heads and do what they say, don’t we? Well, I hope Mike’s post will change your thinking on that and get you testing for yourself. In this post, he tells us about how he tested photos vs text content and found that even when you take engagement out of the picture, text content actually reached more people! Now keep in mind we’re not talking about which content was more engaging for users – merely which content was favored by Facebook’s EdgeRank. Will the same thing be true for you? I strongly suggest you check out the results of Mike’s testing and then conduct some of your own.

Read the article at thesocialmediahat.com and follow Mike on Twitter @mike_allton

How To Stand Out From The Crowd And Build Something That Matters

Written by Tea Silvestre

Here are a few things I hate: get rich quick promises. “Paint by number” marketing systems that insist that all you need to do is to follow some sequence of six or eight or ten steps to reach success. “Important” people who sell you courses they’re too busy to teach so they pawn you off on some assistant or fill your inbox with pre-recorded messages. And I’m not alone because Tea preaches against these things every day. But more importantly, she practices what she preaches, which is slow and steady, customer-focused, value-centric, personalized marketing. In this post she explores some of the misguided attempts at marketing that can derail us, shares her insight into a better (and ultimately more fulfilling) way to build your brand and speaks to the confused, disgruntled and perhaps discouraged marketer in us all. Read it for inspiration and practical advice, then get to work on building brand you.

Read the article at thewordchef.com and follow Tea on Twitter @teasilvestre

Personal Brand Or Next Level Reputation?

Written by Findlay Hilchie

Findlay is a self-professed lover of personal branding and big beards. If you check out his pic you’ll certainly get the drift of the latter! And in this post he makes a good point about branding yourself based on who you are. There’s a lot of talk these days about personal branding, but have you ever found yourself wondering what, exactly, that’s supposed to mean? In this post you’ll get an outline that you can use to begin thinking about and solidifying your own personal brand, with Findlay’s as an example to guide you. Take some time to really think about it and put it to paper. It will give you something to focus on as you put yourself out there and something to go back to as you and your business evolve.

Read the article at rosssimmonds.com and follow Findlay on Twitter @FindlayH

Have a great weekend and remember, I’m always on the lookout for a great new blog. If I haven’t shared yours yet, maybe it’s because I just don’t know about it! Share in the comments!