Sir Tweet O' Lot is perching on some profitable trees. Also if you would like to have a skills competition, click on the bird and let us know.

It has taken me longer to get to post here since last. That was on April 15th, Tax Day. First I’ve to thank everyone that has stopped by here over the last year. I’m not getting wildly rich from this blog, but the support here does help make ends make. I really appreciate each and every one of you.

There has been a lot going on online and off. I’ve had a lot of contact in e-mails, social networks and phone conversations with a few readers. It’s been a great experience and I hope that folks were about to walk away with some new ideas from  the exchange.

The Overlooked Tree

Everyone goes looking for the richest forest. The biggest misconception is that you have to reach all the over the map to achieve that. We tend to overlook how valuable the wood is from trees in our own backyard. I was looking over a budget for friend during this past weekend when I noticed something that caught my eye. Take a quick look at these keywords and bids:

california auto insurance quotes $57.34
auto insurance quotes california $57.01
arizona divorce attorneys $53.56
dui attorney los angeles $52.75
personal injury attorneys chicago $51.59
houston criminal lawyer $49.59
criminal houston lawyer $49.59
san diego criminal lawyer $48.30
chicago personal injury lawyers $46.81
dui attorney san diego $46.04
chicago injury lawyers $45.22
maine white water rafting $45.18

Have you noticed the common denominator in this list? There is a city or geo-location in each keyword. This list knocked home a point I try to make when someone is looking for a market that can help them be profitable online – THINK LOCAL, REACH GLOBAL.

Plant an Acorn and Grow a Strong Oak

OK so you don’t live in one of those cities and you are thinking this list won’t help you. You are missing the big picture. More professionals with a local service area is using Google Adword to market on the Internet today. They could care less about landing a client on the other end of the country, it would cost them more than they would take in. They want clients in their backyard. They are competitive with the advertising budgets because have get the customers in their area before their competitor does. They are targeting their local market and you should be too.

A hyper-local blog or website, augmented with Twitter and Social Networks as traffic feeder can become profitable faster than a blog about blogging, Work at Home, car buying or dieting. People are more interested about restaurants, movies, festivals, public service, professionals and etc close to home. They going to be looking online until they find a good local information source.

Hyper-local is a hot market and chances are you aren’t going to have too many others swimming in the same pond. If you do find interest that they aren’t devoting as much coverage on.

Using The Lunch Money Challenge In Your Neighborhood

This week we will start looking at ways to use social media to make lunch money. To participate in this exercise doesn’t require any investment at all, it will be sticking to the No Start-Up Cost theme that everyone enjoys.

There is one low cost purchase I would suggest that would help you – an Internet domain name. This usually less than $10 at most registers. Don’t purchase one just yet until

Here is a list of the things you will want to gather:

• Google Adsense account – The user name will be used to access other Google services
• Pepperjam account – This affiliate network has some great advertisers and tools to help you monetize your website
• Facebook membership. Myspace is also OK, but it doesn’t have the reach of Facebook
• Memberships to social bookmarking sites like – Reddt, Propeller, del.icio.us, Digg and Mixx
• Yahoo account – for Flickr and Site Explorer
• Free classified, weekly and alternative newspapers from YOUR city

All the Internet services are free, so there is no excuse not give this exercise a try.

A Contest

If there is enough interest in participating in the Hyper-Local exercise I might be able to find a few sponsors that would step up for some prizes. Are you up for the challenge? If so then click on Sir Tweet O’ Lot (or just his name) at the top of this article to send a tweet my way or leave a comment below saying you are interested.

You can find the original post at Tweet For Bucks, be sure to check and bookmark Tweet For Bucks.

Are You Overlooking Profitable Trees Trying to Find a Forest of Riches?

The Acer Aspire One is just one the must have tools to take your Social Networking to next level and increase your revenue.

Recently I was asked what tools can a blogger use to help create this best possible experience for the reader.  Naturally I began to think of wild exotic laptops, high end video production equipement and the like, but the question was asked by an old friend wanting to start out blogging and they didn’t want to spend a lot of money. After looking at the list I knew that this short list of equipment could be used be anyone wanting to expand their Social Media experience. After we finish going over the list I’ll share how some of these items helped a friend of mine make a big sale in a cold market.

The All Too Important Card

The first item that I believe is a necessity is a Business Card. You can put just enough information on the card to point people to your Twitter profile, website, blog or Facebook profile. The Facebook URL is fairly long and it’s not as important compared to the other profiles. Definitely but your Twitter user name on the card (i.e. @tweetforbucks). The cards won’t set you back too much and Bizcard.com Offers 250 FREE Business Cards To Help You Get Started! After spending a few minute preparing your copy and using their website you can mark that on off your list.

Smile You On Your The Net

Number two on the list would be a decent digital camera, like the Nikon Coolpix S60. This camera is small and easy to carry in your pocket everywhere and is ready to snap a photo at the drop of a hat. The results are great and easy to share on Flickr or Twitpic. If you are writing a post about attending an outdoor concert, like Sundown in the City, a few photos to accompany will help tell the better and build your reader base. If you’re a salesperson you should really consider keeping a camera in your pocket constantly, I’ll explain this in the end.

Have Netbook, Will Travel

The third item is something you can get by without, but it makes blogging, Twittering or surfing the Internet possible virtually anywhere. A netbook, like the Acer Aspire One is small, lightweight and easy to take anywhere yet it’s still powerful enough to get more Internet and office task down in short order. It has a built in webcam, so you can start a webcast or chat from anywhere with a WiFi signal or just add a cellular 3G card to ditch the hotspot.

Roll Video

The fourth and last on my short list of equipment for blogging and social media kit is  The Flip video camera. This little wonder is small, can record up to an hour of video in standard or HD quality video depending of the model and it is easy to upload and share.

The software is built into the camera, so you are not limited as where you have to upload from. If you were to make a video from a social event you could post it to your blog or social network profile and send out a tweet to let others know what is happening there almost live as it happens. It’s a great way to help bring more people to attend an event or show to support a cause. A person in the sales profession could record a video showing and demonstrating the latest arrival in the showroom and post to Youtube, Facebook and other social networks.

Mixing It All Together

Now let’s put all this together on how a salesperson can use all these tools, mix it up with social media and land the big sale. If you were working as a car salesperson for dealership and business is slow, the economy and gas prices aren’t helping things. Then you have a person come on the lot wanting to test drive a Corvette. You put your business card ith your Twitter profile in his hand right off the bat before you head on the test drive. After the drive as they get out of the car you ask to take their picture sitting behind the wheel or beside the car. After you take the photo give them your business card again and tell them if they want to see the photo you’ll post on Flickr, Twitpic or some other social network. Tell them to just check your Twitter page to find the link to the photo. You can have the photo online in under five minutes and you have one more way to contact the buyer.

But Wait Didn’t Forget the Cellphone?

One thing I did leave off is a cellphone, smartphone, iPhone or other type device. The reason being that you are probably already using one to post to Twitter already. I like to use the iPhone or iPod Touch myself, but that is just my choice. I’m considering an Android in the future because of the applications.

Does This Work?

In the case of my nieghbor and friend who I have been coaching on using social media and networks yes. He had been resistant to try it, but the car market had him trying everything to make any sales. When he finally did the photograph of the prespective client with a car they were interested in and posted the photo online. The morning following the photo going on his Facebook page and linking to on Twitter the test driver sent him a Tweet back wanting to buy the Vette at a lower price. The dealership accepted the offer, my friend made the sale and there was one more Corvette owner in the world. I don’t believe that this social interaction will make every car on the lot roll of the lot, but I don’t feel this will help close the sale for those customers that are on the fence.

One thing to consider is about purchasing any equipment for blogging and social networking. If you are making a living, full or part time, you may be able to deduct some or all you purchases on your income taxes. You should check with a tax professional to get their expert guidance in this matter and not rely solely on this post.

Well there you go, another idea on possible way to make money using social media and you didn’t have to spend $99 on another get rich quick program or sit through a long PowerPoint presentation. If you are a car salemans you should give this a try to thaw out a frozen sales season. Please visit this website’s sponsors and see what they have to offer. Without them this blog would have dried up by now. So until next time, keep Tweeting and seeing opportunities.

You can find the original post at Tweet For Bucks, be sure to check and bookmark Tweet For Bucks.

Tools To Help Seal The Deal With Social Media