7 Must-Have Networking Apps to Boost Your Social Media Marketing

Do you want to build strong relationships around your brand?

Are you using networking apps to connect online?

Networking with the right people can make your brand stronger and more responsive.

In this article you’ll discover how seven networking apps to build relationships.

Find out how these networking apps can boost your social media marketing.

#1: Leverage Twitter Connections

SocialBro uses a combination of tweet analytics and content optimization to find the tweets your audience responds to most. It works with your existing social media management platform (e.g., HootSuite) so it’s easy to integrate into your daily routine.

Using SocialBro’s suite of tools, you can create customized direct message (DM) campaigns, figure out the best time to tweet to your customers and more.

SocialBro finds the tweets that matter most to your customers.

You can also see who follows your biggest competitor so you can follow and engage with those users.

Cost: SocialBro is free, but monthly and annual plans are available starting at $13.95/month.

#2: Identify Viral Trends and News

TrendSpottr discovers emerging trends relevant to your audience so you can get the jump on your competitors. You can set up alerts for any keyword, hashtag or topic, as well as find keywords and phrases that have the potential to go viral.

TrendSpottr works seamlessly with HootSuite and Salesforce so you can keep your team in the loop about viral content as well.

Find, build on and share viral content before your competitors do.

This tool also works as a crisis management service, helping you douse the flames before bad news goes viral and leaves a lasting negative impact on your brand.

Cost: TrendSpottr is $4.99/month for HootSuite app integration, and commercial pricing varies.

#3: Find New Prospects

NeedTagger lets you find and follow up with potential customers by tracking the keywords you choose.

There are two ways to set up NeedTagger: via their API or their app called StreamBuilder. Both let you define search words related to your target audience.

Set up keywords that relay intent, and then follow up on those tweets.

StreamBuilder is the easiest option—especially if you’re not comfortable installing an API. With StreamBuilder, you can find customers who are asking about your products, mentioning specific words or phrases or even complaining about your competition.

Cost: NeedTagger offers a 30-day free trial, and paid accounts vary depending on the number of tweets you want to scan.

#4: Connect With Influencers

Zuum works with all major social networks and watches a variety of analytics and reporting to show you what content your customers engage with most. Zuum works with Google Analytics and you can access detailed reports and set up email alerts.

You can also find out which influencers your customers look up to so you can follow them too. When you’ve identified your audience’s preferred influencers, try topartner with them to boost your credibility and improve trust.

Find which topics are popular with your customers and who their favorite influencers are.

Cost: Zuum has both free and paid options. The free version shows the most viral content and top influencers (in general). The fully scalable paid version is $250/month.

#5: Monitor Conversations

Nimble is a combination social media management and networking app. It focuses on building relationships with your contacts, no matter which social network they’re on.

With its proprietary “single view,” you can see all of your past and current conversations with each and every prospect—helping you gather and view details that would typically be spread across a variety of CRM applications.

Keep lead data close at hand and get reminders to follow up.

Nimble lets you tag contacts with specific keywords and set up Stay in Touch reminders to follow up with those leads and contacts.

Cost: Nimble offers a free 14-day trial, after that it’s $15/month.

#6: Discover Interesting Content

ContentGems focuses less on social media and more on content discovery. Youchoose the topics and ContentGems sends you a curated list of industry news and alerts that you use to get people talking.

Currently, ContentGems monitors over 200,000 news sources, blogs and social media accounts and instantly filters relevant social signals around your defined keywords.

Find industry news based on topics important to you, your customers and your colleagues.

Cost: ContentGems offers a free account. Paid account pricing varies and is based on the number of keywords you want to research.

#7: Keep Tabs on Business Reviews

Reputology is strictly about reputation. For many companies, online reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, Google+ and Yelp are important—a single poor review can upset your customer base and affect your income.

Responding to all customer reviews is integral to managing your reputation. But it’s time-consuming to keep checking certain sites for reviews. That’s where Reputology comes in—it notifies you when someone posts a new review.

Keep tabs on what people say about your business and respond quickly.

When you get an alert, you can easily view the corresponding analytics to find out if the review helped or hurt your traffic. If you like, you can add multiple team members to your account for easier management and faster response time.

Cost: Reputology offers a free version or a paid account is available for $25/month per business location. Custom accounts are available as well.

Over to You

Finding prospects, content trends and managing customer relationships are keys to your success. Unfortunately, too many businesses rely on content management systems to find those things.

Each app I’ve discussed has a specific purpose and tracks a customized target to enable stronger social media networking. I encourage you to combine engagement management tools with your current content tools to build stronger relationships with customers and leads.

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iPhone 6 Said to Launch on Tuesday, October 14, Part of 'Incredibly Busy' Month for Apple

Apple may be planning to launch the iPhone 6 on Tuesday, October 14 as the month itself will be an incredibly busy one for the company, according to a source that spoke toMacRumors citing an internal Apple Retail Store meeting. 

The source notes that a senior Store Leader mentioned October 14th as being an "immense" day for Apple, adding that the whole month of October would be very busy for stores and the company itself. Apple is also said to planning a media event for Tuesday, September 16, coming a month ahead of the device's launch. 


4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 mockups compared to iPhone 5s
To this point, most reports have pointed to a September announcement and launch for the iPhone 6. However, a report last week claimed that Apple is planning a mid-September event for the iPhone 6 and iOS 8, which would be followed by an October event showcasing the iWatch, OS X Yosemite, new iPads, and new Macs. An announcement event for September 16 would also fall on a Tuesday, which is when Apple typically announces new products. 

Apple launching the iPhone 6 on a Tuesday would be a change from past years, as the company has launched previous iPhones and most new hardware on a Friday. However, the source claims that high customer demand and an ample supply due to a large production effort will motivate Apple to start iPhone 6 sales earlier in the week. 

It is unknown if an October release for the iPhone 6 would include both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch version, as recent rumors have pointed toward several production issues plaguing the larger model. It is possible that the 5.5-inch may launch later in the year or in 2015 after Apple can produce enough devices. In addition to a larger screen, both versions of the iPhone 6 are expected to feature a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, and animproved camera.

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11 Ways To Lose Weight Without Spending Much Money

To be fit and healthy is everybody’s goal in today’s life of hectic hurry and fast business.We spend a lot of money on our fitness efforts, either buying gym instruments or buying the expensive weight loss pills that are widely advertised.But, have you ever thought that you can lose weight in simple and healthy manner without spending much? Here are some very simple steps you can take to lose weight, spending the least or nothing at all.

1. Brisk Walking

Brisk Walking is the best cardiovascular exercise. It costs nothing; on the other hand, it is an extremely refreshing exercise for beginners. Take some time out in morning and continue to practice it on a daily basis. However, you have to be careful that your walking style as well as speed is perfect.

2. Running

All you need a pair of running shoes and a little push from yourself. It is the best exercise to lose weight as well as to build stamina.You have to be committed when it comes to running, especially if losing weight is your sincere priority. Set possible goals and try to cover a particular distance within a particular time. You will become not just a perfectly fit, but also manage to burn calories to a great extent.

3. Skipping

Skipping, a childhood exercise for many, is amazingly effective in helping you lose weight. All you need is a skipping rope and your sincerity to take out a little time from your busy schedule.If practiced properly and regularly, skipping improves cardiovascular fitness, enhances body balance and agility, increases muscular strength and endurance, and burns calories.

4. Climbing Stairs

To practice it needs no investment. You can access stairs in your own building itself. The stair climbing method of weight loss leverages gravity. The heavier we are, the harder we’re forced to work and the more calories we burn. Climbing stairs is one of the extremely intense exercises, which quickly increases our heart rate, and in doing so,we can greatly improve our cardiovascular fitness. So, next time you wait for the elevators, consider that climbing the stairs would have been a healthier choice.

5. Trekking

Trekking is a great way to be active and lost those extra calories. It is true that you cannot go for trekking everyday. However, if you love adventure and take interest in conquering new heights on foot, you can plan trek tours as frequently as possible. Besides, you have the option to become a member of one of the reputed trekking clubs. Along with cutting down the extra fat and keeping perfectly fit, you can also enjoy the thrill of reaching higher and higher.  

6. Outdoor Sports

Instead of staying glued to your computer screen for playing online games, it’s time for you to go outdoors and try some real sports. You may not have too many companions to play football or cricket. But, you can certainly try your hand with tennis, table tennis or badminton.

Badminton is the best choice among these. First, you just need to have the rackets, shuttlecock and a partner to play with. Besides, it is among the fastest games in the world. Just imagine how active and alert you have to be to reach any corner of the court where the shuttlecock may come at any speed. Playing badminton accelerates the activity of the bone forming cells and help in the assimilation of calcium in the bone matrix, thereby, strengthening it. It keeps you feeling well, strong, healthy and motivated. So, try to take out some time in evening or in weekends and indulge in a few rounds of badminton matches. You will lose calories, keep fit and feel refreshed and energetic.  

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7.  Cycling

It is a low impact exercise that can be practiced by people of all ages.It is one of the best ways to reduce risk of suffering from health problems like stroke, heart attack, some types of cancer, depression, diabetes, obesity and arthritis. If you missed your gym one day, then no need to worry, pick up your bicycle and go for a ride. However, you have to keep in mind that you must not exhaust yourself. Understand your limit of endurance and maintain the distance and speed accordingly

8. Home Exercises

If you don’t have dumbbells or any other exercise equipment, do not plan to buy them immediately.There are effective weight loss exercises which can be performed without the use of any of such equipment. You can look for some home exercises like skipping, spot jogging and many more to burn calories and reduce belly fat. Do them according to your stamina level in initial phase and then gradually increase its intensity. However, you have to choose the right exercises and practice them methodically.

9. Practice Surya Namskar

One of the most ancient yoga aasanas, Surya Namaskarhas amazing weight loss results. To practise it, you need to carry out various forward and backward bending aasanas that flex and stretch the spinal column activating a wide variety of muscles throughout the upper and middle parts of the body.While it is supposed to be practiced at dawn, you can practice the body movements multiple times in a day, though you must schedule it reasonably.

10. Strength Training

It is one of the latest trends in India. You can even do it at home without buying dumbbells or spending too much time on equipment. It will not be wise to do strength training without an expert trainer. So, when you try to find a trainer, make sure that you go for one who knows his stuff.

11. Online weight loss programs

It is proven that losing weight to the desired extent is not quite possible just though exercises and workouts. Proper dieting is a must. You need to stop gaining it, rather than start losing it. Such weight loss diet plans are not tough to find. Again, you have to be very careful to find the suitable online weight loss programs, considering your body type and the amount of fat you need to lose.  

So, you see that losing weight is not expensive, only if you are strategic in planning and disciplined in practising. Gym is not the only place where you get the scope to burn calories. There are many daily activities that help you lose weight. What is even more important is to control diet. As they say, prevention is better than cure. The same applies in this case as well – stop gaining it, rather than start losing it.

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6 Healthy Essentials For a Weekend on the Lake

The following post was written by Nicole H. who blogs at Fitful Focus and is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

It's summertime in NYC, and warm air and beautiful sunshine are beating down on the concrete jungle. It's a magical place, and yet, every Friday when 5 p.m. hits, everyone rushes away to the beaches, the shore, and the mountains. Can you blame us? NYC is awesome, but nothing really beats fresh air and cool waters. 

I'm a lake girl myself. You get all the benefits of the beach without the crowd, waves knocking you down, or sand getting stuck in your unmentionables. Just smooth waters, kayaking, and dock-side living. So what's a gal to bring for a weekend at the lake? I'm glad you asked!

Besides the obvious swimsuit, which you can pretty much live in all weekend, you only need a few essentials to make your weekend complete. 

A colorful beach towel: There's so much to do on the water that you're bound to get wet! Jump in the water, go for a swim, kayak around the lake, fly through the waves on a jet ski, and let the water whip around you. Whichever water sport you fancy, don't let the fun end when you return to dry land. A fun, poppy "beach" towel is a lake-girl must and the perfect way to keep the adventure going on the dock. They're fun, cozy, and add a nice pop of color to your natural surroundings. Plus, they'll distract anyone looking too closely from your lake-girl sweat! In need of some towel inspiration? Check out some of these.

An easy, girlie read: The lake is a great place to get your sporty on, but after a day of hiking, biking, and fun and fitness in the water, it's nice to recover and relax with an easy read. You should bring something that keeps you entertained that you can also put down when it's time for a race across the lake or a run with the pup. If you have a guilty-pleasure category (romance novels or young adult novel perhaps?) the lake is the time to crack that bad boy open! Some of my recommendations are In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner and Divergent by Veronica Roth. Not a big reader? Your favorite fitness magazine will also do the trick!

Sunglasses: What's Summer without sunglasses? Shield your eyes from the rays and the glare of the gorgeous waters with some polarized frames. I suggest two pairs, a fun and fashionable pair for relaxing (like these) and a sporty-chic pair for fitness-oriented activities like a trail run or a stint on the speedboat. I'm a huge fan of these Under Armour Marbella shades. 

Sunblock: Lobsters don't belong at the lake. Remember to reapply after a sweat session or a dip in the water!

Water: Hydration is always important, but it's especially necessary when you're spending all day in the sun. Bring some on the kayak with you, keep a cooler at the dock, or hike with a water bottle in hand.

Sporty sandals: If you're a lake girl, you probably enjoy all sorts of activities like kayaking, boating, hanging out on the dock, and exploring little lake islands. Make sure you bring a pair of comfy, easy-on-easy-off sandals to ensure you're ready for any activity. I'm in love with theseNike flip-flops. They're cushion-y, pink, and sporty-chic!

Bonus: The Perfect Lakeside Margarita

• 1 1/2 ounces tequila
• 1/2 ounce Triple sec
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• Lime wedge for garnish
• 3 to 4 ice cubes
• Salt or sugar to rim the glass

It doesn't get much better than some libations after a long day of activity on the lake! Just be sure to be safe, and don't forget to hydrate and drink plenty of water.
 
Now what are you waiting for? Pack that bag and enjoy that lakeside living! 

Source: Thinkstock / Balazs Kovacs

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How I Earned $15000 from The Problogger Job Board

This is a guest contribution from Andy Nathan, of Smart at the Start.

I have a secret formula for using the Problogger job board that will enthrall many, and bring others to tears with their boredom. That is OK! I do not want everyone to use what I am about to explain below, because that just means more business for me. 

In fact, I struggled with whether I should even share this information to anyone, because…well… human greed being what it is. Over the past year, I have automated the process on the Problogger job board to the point where I spend roughly 5-10 minutes prospecting for every new client off the board.

Pardon my laziness, but I don’t want to work to get clients business. I want to work to keep their business by focusing on awesome content. This is why the Problogger Job Board is simply the best, as we will discuss below in my step-by-step tutorial. 

My Ideal Client

Before we get into what I did to earn $15,000 from the job board here on Problogger, I want to step back and explain what I believe my ideal client should look like. This is important, because if I did not have a picture of what my ideal client would look like, then I would never know how to use the job board correctly.

First, I do not want to spend time talking to clients if possible. It is not that I don’t like people. I sometimes go to networking events as much for the socialization now as I do for the business referrals. The fact is, speaking with a client is time that I am not writing for other clients or playing Video Catnip and watching my cats go a bit crazy.

Time management is huge as a freelancer. This was something I did not understand when I started. I used to be a “good” salesperson who met every client face to face. Somehow seeing my beautiful mug (see selfie) would magically turn prospects into sales. 

What I realized was that for a 10-20% drop in my close rate, I could do a few less coffees and accomplish a whole lot more for my clients.

As of today, 50% of my clients are people I have never spoken to once in the entire relationship. All communication is through email and social media. What a difference it makes.

Another 25% are people that I connect with over the phone as well as email. 

The remainder are my networking clients. Clients I met through various networking events over the years. Generally, those ones want to meet me face to face and make sure that I am a “real” writer. 

Second, if I have to explain the benefits of blogging this is probably not going to work. I have spent too much time in the past explaining to general contractors, attorneys, and other professionals why blogging is important. 

If you don’t get it, I am sorry. I am not your blogging messiah. I write ridiculously awesome content for you (sometimes in your own voice) optimized for search traffic. However, you go ahead and keep cutting and pasting articles from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, (old time newspaper fill in the blank), etc. See how well that works! 

Third, I have written close to 3000 blog posts over the past five years. Not saying that to impress you. I am telling you this, because I want compensation for my experience. I personally like having money in my account. The wife is much happier (aka happy life), my bills are paid, and that creeping sense of dread fades away. 

Now for the ProBlogger Job Board info you crave…

Now that we got this little rant about ideal clients out of the way, what did I do to earn money from the Problogger job board? Automation.

First:

I would recommend opening a new tab, so you can follow along while I discuss how I use the board. It is not that you have never seen a job board, but this is my unique twist. You might just want to set this up as you read this post.

Second:

Take in the board for a second. Notice that there are only about 3-5 listings per day. It is not an overwhelming horde of listings, but a constant stream of leads. This is important. When I used this process on Craigslist, the nonsense chatter on the site, even after using the filters, made it an extreme waste of time. Plus, no one likes worthless emails coming into your email box all day.

Third:

Notice in the bottom right corner, there is a subscribe button. This is crucial to my laziness. A RSS feed of all the job posts in one spot. 

Copy the RSS feed below: 

http://feeds.feedburner.com/ProBloggerJobs 

Fourth:

Open a new tab, and type in IFTTT.com. This is an automation site. You can use this for a variety of purposes online. If you don’t have an account on IFTTT, you will need to set one up in about two minutes. Fear not, accounts on the site are free. In fact, for freelance writers this entire process is free. 

When you login, you will go to your dashboard. Below is what my dashboard looks like currently:

Fifth:

To automate processes you need to create a recipe. Recipes are easy to create. The site’s real name is “If This, Then That.” The entire automation system runs on one equation that you can use for a multitude of purposes.  

You create recipes that trigger one online platform to perform a task on another online platform. 

While this might sound confusing, the truth is this is simple to use. For our purposes, all you need is the Problogger Job Board URL that you copied and an email address. If you do not have an email address then you can use Gmail. 

Step 1: Select the Feed symbol. 

Step 2: Decide what type of feed you want to use. Personally, I use the new feed item, because I find the keyword too limiting for my needs. However, if you are looking for targeted terms, then use the “new feed item matches” as a trigger.

 

Step 3: paste the Problogger Job Board feed.

Steps 4 and 5: choose email icon for your action. You will need to have your email address connected to IFTTT for this to work, so do not give them a spam account. They do not email people a lot, so do not worry about spam.

Step 5: Click the “Send me an email” link.

Step 6: make sure you are receiving the best information for the post. Generally, they will include the information you need already. Just double check that the “EntryUrl” is in the email body. 

Step 7: The finished recipe will look like the one I created last September for Problogger. Confirm that you want to set up the recipe.

Since last September, I have received 532 emails. While most of the listings are never answered, over the course of the past nine months I probably responded to somewhere between 50 to 100 posts. Out of these posts, I received about 5-10 new jobs that brought in around $15,000 in revenue. 

Now you have the recipe for an automated lead generation process; however, we still have to convert the leads into clients. For that, let me take you behind my conversion process. 

Conversion Time

Now that we have these leads coming in, let’s look at how to convert them into clients. 

Below is the template I use for all leads. I save this as a draft with an attached resume (available on Google Drive for your convenience.) 

While each article is usually a little different, most follow a similar pattern.

I am following up on your request for a (name type of writer needed here). Based on your description I believe I should (put in relevant information you requested in your job board listing about the position here at the top, showing that I do listen to what you requested). 

Here are a few articles I wrote recently to give you a feel for my writing style:

http://technorati.com/business/advertising/article/weird-email-marketing-subject-lines-can/

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/01/20/53-ways-to-market-your-google-plus-hangout-on-air/

http://www.steamfeed.com/using-wordpress-to-turn-website-social-network/

http://basicblogtips.com/better-social-media-results.html

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-hangouts-air-affect-search-traffic/68138/

Additionally, check out my LinkedIn profile with 13 recommendations.www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmarcnathan

Finally, attached is my resume. 

Please feel free to call me at 847-710-7093 or respond via email with any questions you have for me. 

Thanks!

Andy Nathan

Right now, this email has about a 1 out of 15-success rate. Therefore, I spend two minutes on each email then I will spend 30 minutes total for a new client. Considering some of the clients I brought in have produced thousands of dollars in revenue that is worth it in my opinion. 

Final note: I do not write free sample articles that will determine if I am paid in the future. If someone asks you to write a free article for him or her, run like the dickens! 

What are the downsides of the ProBlogger job board?

Now, I hate when people give this story about too-good-to-be true stories about a tool, without letting you know about any pitfalls. 

Here are the three downsides that I have found using the Problogger job board:

First, with only five or so leads coming in every day, you will have a number of days where you get no leads. In fact, sometimes I have seen up to a month stretch where I did not feel it was worthwhile to follow up on any of the leads. 

Second, this means do not quit your job and expect this to bring you a full time income right away. I still do other work for clients. The job board just made it easier for me to make money. 

Third, this is a tool to help you find prospects. It is up to you to make sure that they are the right fit for you, as well as a source of potential income. When I started in this industry, my first assignment was for $5 articles. I will never look at laser hair removal the same way again! More importantly, I will never write an article for $5 ever again. My time is more valuable than that. Determine what you believe a fair rate is ahead of time. This is where understanding your ideal client comes in.

Additionally, if you do not have the experience, go out and get it.

Do guest posts to build traffic, and use them in your portfolio. Start networking online and offline to find new clients. Be aggressive when you need to be, and then you can take the easy way out later when you have a healthy portfolio.

This process works for me, because I put in the time and effort to master my craft. Do the same, and do not expect this to be a quick fix. 

Now go forth and be a lazy freelance writer!

That is the process. You are now an expert, so get started with this process right away, so you can discover how easy it is to make money with the Problogger job board. Or if you want to make sure that I have more money in my pocket, you can just go back to your daily activities like nothing has happened. 

Either way, let me know in the comment section below what you found to be the most useful part of this tutorial? 

Andy Nathan is the founder of Smart at the Start, an internet marketing agency. He is also the author of the upcoming book, Start Up Gap. However, since he keeps getting distracted by writing guest posts, responding to Problogger job board inquiries, playing with cats, and other shiny objects, the book is not available until August. In the meantime, you can get a free copy of his eBook, 101 Online Tools: Tools you need to succeed.

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