HootSuite is a Twitter management tool that I discovered several months ago. HootSuite is your answer to managing and tweeting from multiple Twitter accounts. People who have multiple Twitter accounts say that using HootSuite’s dashboard makes “multi-tweeting” a breeze. A few features are highlighted below:

I circled the dashboard area where Twitter accounts are listed. You could simply check the account you want to tweet from or select “all” accounts. You can tweet now or later. You can schedule your posts by clicking on the little clock icon. You can also be alerted by email when your scheduled tweet is sent.

If you blog you can set up your RSS feed within HootSuite. I use a plug-in on my Wordpress website so this can happen automatically. If you don’t have that functionality in your blog / website, this is a great tool. Scroll down and select “Settings,” click on the tab “RSS/Atom,” then click on the button “Add New Feed.”

You can find your RSS feed’s URL by finding the RSS button (the orange button) within your blog / website URL:

Click on this button and subscribe to the feed. Then, select it within your bookmarks and right click on it. When you right click, select “Properties,” this will give you your RSS feed’s URL address. You can copy and paste it within HootSuite and have your blog posts automatically fed to your Twitter account.

Are you interested in seeing the analytics of a link you have posted? HootSuite has a tool called a “Hootlet” that you can drag and drop on your bookmark toolbar. When you find something of interest that you want to tweet on another website, you can simply click on your Hootlet icon in your bookmark toolbar and it will shorten your URL with the Ow.ly URL shortener. At the bottom of your HootSuite page, you can select “Stats,” click on the tab “Summary Statistics,” select which Twitter account you used, and find out the analytics of that tweet.

Finally, like TweetDeck, you have the opportunity to create groupings. HootSuite has actually integrated the power of the Twitter Lists for your columns. You can click the icon that says “Add Column.” When you click on “Add Column,” you will see this pop-up window:

Select “Twitter Lists” and name your list in the space where it says “List URL.” You can create several lists and divide people into groups, i.e. social media experts, career coaches, recruiters, personal branding, and so on. Separating people whom you follow into groups helps you to engage and participate in the Twitter conversation.

Commercial Break
By William Arruda
What can personal branders learn from TV advertisements? Take a break and take a peak.

Cisco Telepresence

I love this commercial because: I can relate. If you travel for business, you can certainly relate as well. This commercial clearly highlights the benefits of Cisco Telepresence and does so with emotion. It’s a great way to communicate product benefits without being boring or trite.

This ad and YOUR personal brand:Know the greatest benefit you offer your employer or clients. Then think about the best way to build emotion around it.

To see more of William’s “Commercial Breaks” click here.

Reach Branding Club Speaker Series
Featuring: John Baldoni

Date: TODAY, Thursday, March 11, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM Los Angeles, 12:00 PM New York, 5:00 PM London, and 6:00 PM Paris

CONFERENCE LINE: 1 (218) 486-1616
ACCESS CODE: 726017#

Lead Your Boss: What That Means and Why It Matters

Frustration and lack of confidence in America’s CEOs and companies abounds in these economically difficult times. What does that mean for employees, whether middle managers or valued team players?

According to John Baldoni, author of “Lead Your Boss”, everyone needs to step into leadership for the greater good of companies and society at large, whether good times or more challenging times. In his inspiring book, John uses the power of stories and examples to showcase individuals who did just that. By using their natural abilities and skills, positive energy, and personal influence, they were able to accomplish great things by “leading from the middle”. In this Reach Personal Branding Interview with William Arruda, John will discuss practical strategies and advice to:

• Think strategically and challenge yourself and your team to be more innovative and effective.
• Cultivate honest feedback for growth and improvement.
• Learn about the 3Cs of working together in a mutually beneficial way.
• Persuade others to listen to your ideas so you can turn influence into leadership.
• Challenge assumptions without challenging the individual.
• Break down resistance to change.
• Turn setbacks into comebacks and increase your resiliency factor.

BIO:

John Baldoni is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, speaker, and author of numerous books, including “Lead Your Boss”, “Lead by Example” and “Great Communications Secrets of Great Leaders.” He writes the “Leadership at Work” column for Harvard Business Publishing which is also syndicated by Bloomberg.com.

John’s articles on leadership have appeared in BusinessWeek.com and FastCompany.com, and he has been featured or quoted in publications such as the New York Times, USA Today, and Investor’s Business Daily. His leadership resource website is www.johnbaldoni.com.