Getting Started With Twitter
Here is a video from YouTube that describe Twitter…But keep reading for advise on using Twitter to help your Small Business.
Besides being a platform to answer the question what are you doing, Twitter is also an excellent platform to help people find what you’ve done.
Looking at Twitter as historical reference page to your ideas, suggestions and links you can begin to see the hidden power behind twitter. Your customers don’t care if you are eating eggs and toast, they care about new ideas and business happenings. If your business is already using a blog (and you should be) then you should use Twitter as a second landing page for data.
Thinking of twitter as your business’s own personal news wire, you will post important links to information, blog articles and new web pages. Visitors to your Twitter page will see a consolidated list of information and link to the appropriate location.
Because your links can get lengthy, using a url shortening tool is critical. My favorite is cli.gs, but there are dozens of tools available for FREE. I like Cli.gs because it keeps track of the number of times people click on my link. It also allows me to re-tweet older messages with timeless knowledge. This leads me to tip number 1.
Tweet about important info and give enough of a lead-in so the visitor knows the full intent of the link. People HATE bait and switch, if your blog article is about a trade show display, say so in your tweet, don’t reference some cheesy suggestion of massive business growth.
Overview of Micro-blogging
Twitter is just the first of MANY micro-blogging opportunities (Jaiku, FreindFeed, Pownce, Tumblr, and Indenti.ca are but a few others).
Created by a Cornell student, Jack Dorsey, Twitter originally started as an idea for a dispatch service for couriers and taxis. One of the most used website on the internet (Compete.com) Twitter has gained name recognition alongside, Microsoft, Apple and IBM.
But Why?
The short message and multi-platform (i.e. computers and cell phones) nature of twitter takes away the need for careful attention to language.
Most of us are timid when it comes to writing business blog articles because we fear our writing skills are below par. However, Twitter only allows messages of 140 characters (or less) to be sent; this gives the user a pass on crafting compelling messages.
Short instant messages does not mean the information will be read, just that it will be easy to send. So much of the dot com revolution has been stimulated by the dream of simplifying marketing.
Without spending much time at all on Twitter, you’ll find a bevy of useless blurbs, feeble attempts to grab attention and lots of spam.
If I have Not Scared You Away…Good, because Twitter can become a pivot point for your marketing program.
Everything you do in business should be thought of as news. Therefore, Twitter could be used as a press release announcement tool. Putting extra links to important information in places where search engines can grab and catalog–and more importantly, find new reasons to visit your company website.
Micro-blogging is another way to deploy company press release data.
What is Twitter
Put simply, twitter is an internet / cell phone instant messenger. The software limits your “tweets” to 140 characters or less. Using the “follow” option, you can have “friends” tweets delivered directly to your account window.
So What?
What is all the Hoopla?
Why does everyone you meet say, “You’ve got to get on twitter!!!”?
Like any new communication medium, understanding the various applications of the technology is a process of experimentation. I am not going to suggest you rush out and join twitter, but I will suggest there is a business application.
Over the next few pages and posts we will explore practical small business applications for twitter. We will explain the pros and cons of internet marketing via twitter. We will also talk about how to use twitter as your own personal news delivery system for company happenings.
- Overview of Technology and Small Business Application
- Getting Started With Twitter
- Building a Following
- Marketing Campaign Kick-off
- Evolution of the Message
- The Future
(Stay tuned as the content is created–lots of GREAT news and suggestions for how to use Twitter is coming soon!)
A Stand-out Small Exhibit
You don’t need a mammoth-sized exhibit or piles of money to make a big (and memorable) statement at your next show. Use these five tactics for getting the biggest bang out of your small booth.
- Use lighting. According to industry research, lighting can increase awareness of your exhibit by 30 to 50 percent. Renting a portable lighting system or using product spotlights will give your small exhibit the extra exposure it needs.
- Keep it simple. Feature only one or two products. Any more than that and you’ll just add clutter – and keep your prospects away.
- Employ bold colors. Find high-impact hues that will stand out from a distance, and avoid neutral colors that will just blend into the background.
- Invest in graphics. Using fewer and larger graphics is the first step. Then, make sure all graphics start no lower than 36 inches on the backwall. Otherwise, they won’t be seen when people or products are standing in front of them. And remember that dense or too-small copy will not be read.
- Be proportionate. Large reception counters or product kiosks will crowd your space and make it look even smaller than it is. Leave enough room in your exhibit so staffers can talk comfortably with attendees.
Everyone Tells You To Start A Blog, But What Do You Write About?
Business blogging sounds like an oxymoron–especially if you think blogging is just a personal web log of your personal life. I suggest business blogging is a viable (and very effective) business marketing tool.
- Using a blog site for your website simplifies content publication
- Blog software pushes new content to the search engines
- Business articles encourages your customers to participate
You’ve heard those arguments before, but the challenge is still determining what to write about. I suggest you pick up a copy of Robert’s Rules of Writing, by Robert Masello.
While Mr Masello’s book doesn’t specifically talk about blogging, the concepts he writes about are good general writing tips. The one I’ll share with you in this article is, “Write What You Read”.
While this idea may sound a little odd, especially if you like to read romance novels, give the idea a fair shake. How likely are you to be successful writing about something you don’t like? That is the easy argument…the hard side is how?
OK, you love romance novels and you sell computer software. How could those two possibly work together?
Romance novels are (usually) about a misunderstanding or missed connection. The twists and turns in the story eventually connect and make beautiful magic (even if it is a forbidden fruit). The ending of a romance novel must have an “emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.”
While your business blog article may not involve any intimacy, concluding with an “emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending” would be a good thing. Bringing your personality into the character of the content will help you build a stronger connection with readers of similar tendencies.
Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
Tradeshow Displays Are Not Brochures
Imagine if you will, walking down a trade show aisle and instead of trade show booths, the row was lined with cereal boxes. On these boxes, instead of pictures and big words, you were presented with the list of ingredients!
Obviously you are not going to read too much when you are browsing. Most tradeshow attendees are just browsing and will not take the time to read your back wall.
My favorite trade show booth was a fellow selling windows. He had three 7 foot long banners hanging from the pipe and drape. On the banners were hundreds of words: big words, not so big words. He had more text than many sales agreements. I stopped and asked the gentleman what he did. I got a stare like I was from outer space. The man gestured to his back wall and stepped out of my way (I guess so I could read the fine print).
Trade show booths don’t sell—people do. Your trade show marketing effort should be designed to gather new leads. Trying to sell on the show floor (unless you sell widgets at the show) is a losing proposition. For every exhibitor, targeting just the single sale is not enough. Today your profit margin relies on repeat business.
Repeat business is built on relationships.
At the show, make an impression. Gather contact information and move to the next prospect.
Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
Should you start your own business blog?
We are going to talk about the time factor involved with the typical business blog and help you determine if you should consider starting one.
Plan on devoting 20 to 30 minutes a day to business blogging.
Business Blogging Time Commitment Outline
40% – Writing
40% – Researching
20% – Proofing
20 minutes a day, five days a week, you will spend:
- 40 minutes writing
- 40 minutes reading other blogs
- 20 minutes proofing
How do you find other blogs for your industry?
Go to Google, type the keywords for your topic of internet (in quotes if there are multiple words) and the word “blog” outside of the quotes.) Forexample:
- “auto insurance” blog
- accounting blog
- “starting your own business” blog
Day one – Start the timer, visit several blog sites and read as many articles as you can. When the timer hits 20 minutes, stop and note how many articles you found of interest. Note the sites you found them on.
Day two – Start the timer, visit your top blog from yesterday and read the newest article (if there is one). Search for more blog sites, read as many articles as you can. Again, stop and take notes at 20 minutes.
Day three – Start the timer, open up a basic text editor and write a practice article (not for publication). Improve on the best (or worst) article from the previous two days research (using the business blogging writing guide as your model.) Stop at 20 minutes.
When possible, we suggest you use a trusted friend as your proof reader.
Day four – Start the timer, search the net for an article with the topic you choose to write about. Compare what you wrote to the article you found (if you found one). Stop at 20 minutes.
Day Five – Put away the timer. Today is for reflection. Make a list of pros and cons; what did you like about the articles you read on the net? What didn’t you like?
If you cannot find topics of interest on the internet, then maybe blogging is not for you…Of course, it could also mean you have found a great opportunity to start a new niche community!
Avoid judging blogging from just the first week of research; repeat this process at least three times. At that point you have given the technology 5 hours of your time over three weeks. If you are still intrigued by the idea of blogging, then blogging is right for you!
The next step is to build your client profile and blogging strategy. You must know who you are writing for and why; otherwise your blogging will take forever and you’ll probably NOT be successful.
Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
How Bad is the Tradeshow Industry Being Hit By the Recession?
While show producers keep the number close to the vest, we can use a few indices to help us guage the marketplace. Most notably is the event contract attrition rate.
In a recent article on TSW, Show Organizers Do the Attrition Dance, several event planners describe the drop in attendance and the impact on the event’s contract. When ever a hotel or convention center enters into a contract, the renter must guarantee a certain number of registrations. It they don’t reach their numbers, then fees and penalties start kicking in.
What does this mean for you, the exhibitor?
Your negotiation position has improved…dramatically. For a while there it seemed like booth space rental prices were increasing faster than California Real Estate. With fewer registrations and booth space reservations, you now have the ability to find AMAZING deals.
With lower registration comes lower show attendance, but if planned for, the lower attendance can be a plus. Busy shows mean attendees pass you by because they don’t want to wait. Fewer attendees, more time. How many of you wish you had more time with a pre-qualified consumer?
Tradeshows are still the most effective lead generating activity. However, cost cutting is critical. Rather than investing tens of thousands of dollars in a new exhibit; re-use your old one with new graphics. Add a few retractable banners or a new header. Little, inexpensive, changes can make a huge difference.
Remember, booths don’t sell–people do. With less competition (fewer exhibitors), more time with your prospects and inexpensive booth improvements: trade show exhibiting during times of recessions could be your most cost effective marketing strategy.
Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
(503) 709-1454
Adding Pictures to your Blog Article
Adding supportive photos can enhance your article and help draw a better point. For example:
Lets assume you are a photographer and you are writing an article that would bring expecting fathers to your message. You write a story about a client who was seeking a gift for his wife that made her feel as beautiful having their third child as she was having their first. In your story you write about the glow of beauty your client described every morning around his wife. To enhance the story, you find a photo of a morning sunrise.
So how do you insert a photo into your blog article?
See this picture below, the red circle is around the “Add an Image” icon you click to start the process.
When you click on the icon above, you are presented with a popup dialogue box where you will be promoted to locate the picture file on your computer. For formatting purposes, start with photos that are no wider than 500 pixels.
If the photo you are using resides on another website, then choose the “From URL” tab, otherwise, click on “Select Files” button.
If your browser does not support Active X, then your screen will not show the “Select Files” button. In this case, click on the link to “Browser Uploader”.
Located the file (or files) on you hard drive and click on select.
At this point your photos will be uploaded to WordPress and added to a Gallery associated with your post.
Your next option will be the formatting of your photo in relation to your post text.
The next dialogue box gives you the option to left or right justify your photo, which will wrap your text around the photo OR None or Center.
Notice the size options, depended on your photo size, WordPress will try to size your photos. Be sure your photo is NOT wider than 500 pixels, otherwise the photo will not lineup correctly on the website.
We suggest you experiment with captions and descriptions.
The Four P's of Internet Marketing
In the early 1960s, Professor Neil Borden at Harvard Business School identified a number of company performance actions that can influence the consumer decision to purchase goods or services. Borden suggested that all those actions of the company represented a “Marketing Mix”.
The four P’s of Marketing are:
- Product
- Pricing
- Placement
- Promotion
Internet marketing is just another way to market…right? Well, sort of. We can market using traditional means and experience success, but the internet, unlike any other medium, allows a more personal approach.
Anyone with a TV knows the name Billy Mays. Infomercials use personality based marketing to build a relationship between the presenter and viewer. The problem with TV is there is no long term search value to the personality of the presenter or presentation. Using the internet, we can create a infomercial type discussion with long term search value.
We need four additional P’s:
- Personality
- Purpose
- Perspective
- Patterns
Personality as in a personal look at you. Your hobbies, believes, and personal experiences. These become connection points to others like you. All things being equal, people prefer to do business with people they like.
Purpose: Trying to get listed high enough for your industry keywords is very difficult. Our purpose, then is to capture attention from prospects when they are NOT looking for business, but rather browsing the interest for entertainment, education, or encouragement.
Perspective should always be focused on the desires of your target customer. If your target customer likes dogs, then writing about your love of dogs will build a relationship with the visitor.
Pattern could also be called strategy. Since we are writing on topics of interest, not necessarily connected with business, we need some way of drawing readers over to our business website. If we are targeting dog lovers, then we need to include a subtle hint how our love of dogs affect our business life.
