Use These 7 Technologies Because Your Prospects Are

TweetBecause repetition is the mother of learning — I feel compelled to repeat this very important maxim:

THE BEST WAY TO LEARN HOW TO MARKET YOUR MICRO BUSINESS ON THE WEB IS TO USE THE TECHNOLOGIES YOUR PROSPECTS & CUSTOMERS ARE USING.

It is insane to think that you will be able to start marketing your business using YouTube if you haven’t spent time as a user on YouTube.  Similarly, you can’t jump straight into Facebook with business objectives.  I could go on, but you get the point.

Start using these 7 technologies because your prospects and existing customers are using them:

RSS Reader –  Any place you see the RSS icon (image right) there is the ability to “syndicate” the content on that page.  In other words, that content can be “pulled” from other places on the web, such as an RSS reader.  You won’t realize the power of RSS until you start using it for yourself.  Check out the video on setting up your own RSS reader here.

YouTube –  Start watching a couple of videos every Friday (you weren’t doing anything productive anyway) — watch the most popular ones to get a feel for what works on YouTube.  Don’t just watch the funny stuff… try to find something that is more business oriented.  Watch this video that shows you how to upload video to multiple websites at once, including YouTube.

Twitter –  Twitter is a very powerful marketing tool and could be right for your business.  You’ll never know until you try it for yourself.  Watch this video on how Twitter grows referral business.

Facebook –  Facebook is a great place to catch up with old friends.  But it is also a very powerful business tool.  Start using Facebook and consider creating a fan page for your business.

LinkedIn –  I don’t use Linked In a whole heck of a lot.  It doesn’t do much for me and my business.  How do I know?  I started using it.  Who knows – Linked In may be perfect for your business.

iTunes –  Are you thinking a podcast or video podcast may be in your micro businesses future?  You should start listening to podcasts and watching video podcasts now  — it will help to shape your future podcast — and you will learn a lot from listening to other people’s podcasts in the meantime.

Email Auto-Responder –  Email marketing is very powerful if it is done correctly.  You should be seeking out good email lists and become a member.  Then watch what they send you and how they market to you.  Become a user of the technology – then turn around and apply what you have learned.