WHAT IS YOUR DATA TRYING TO TELL YOU?: April 2012

A few weeks ago I had the awesome opportunity to speak on Jeffrey Sherman's radio show: The Business Buzz (http://www.jeffreyshermanbusinessbuzz.com) about using twitter for small business. If you're interested in hearing a recording of the show, I will be posting a link to the audio recording as soon as Jeff updates his site... Stay Tuned!

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OK, for those who can't wait... a description of what we talked about:

There are SO many new technologies out there and techies like myself can't resist the urge to try them out. Once the shiny-allure wears off however, we lose interest and move on to the next best thing. When I first saw twitter, I must admit that I had a strong feeling that this was going to be another 'fad' that would pass on, but to my surprise it hasn't. It's here to stay and in a big way.

First of all, what is it? Twitter is an online software program that lets you send out little 140 character messages called 'tweets'. If someone is 'following' you, it allows them to see and read what you 'tweet'. It's also referred to as 'micro-blogging' for these reasons.

It gets a bad rap because many people use the tool inappropriately... You hear stories about people tweeting 'I just ate a cheeseburger!', or 'I'm in the bathroom!', and if you're thinking 'who cares?', you're right. The reality is that this tool is GREAT for updating people who have a genuine interest in what you're talking about, what might be going on around you, or most importantly, what your company is offering!

How to use twitter for small business:
If you run a small business, you know how important it is to market yourself. If no-one knows what you do, no-one will know how great your company is. A good marketing strategy is just that. A strategy. You might decide to do print advertising, cold calls, letter campaigns, etc. Twitter is just one more component in your overall strategy, but as I personally stress to all my clients, it is only ONE component of something larger you do to market yourself.

OK, so here are my top 3 (super-secret) things you need to know when twittering for small business!

1) Make it Relevant -- Say something you think your customers will respond to. If you run a service business, you could use twitter to post your daily/monthly specials. If you're a consultant, you can talk about some recent work you did that you're proud of (as it may relate to similar problems your other customers have).

2) Make it Timely -- How often you say something can sometimes be just as important as what you say. Don't make a habit of tweeting too often or your message will just get lost in 'noise'. You have to be the judge of how often is too often for your specific company, but tweeting even as little as once/week isn't bad if you are sending out smart, relevant messages in your tweets.

3) Make it Useful -- Many times our marketing messages sound just like that... marketing. Our customers aren't dumb and if all you send out is the company monthly sales pitch, that too, will sound like noise after awhile. Mix it up a little. Send out messages that can educate as well as show off how great your company is. For example, if you're in the roofing business you could tweet: "The top 10 things every homeowner should know about their roof!" and include a link to a (larger) article you post on your website. Links like this will do WONDERS for your website traffic too!

Getting started is EXTREMELY easy. You can create your own twitter account for you or your company for free at: http://www.twitter.com. Happy tweeting!

-- Jason

Sunday, April 29, 2012

How to use twitter for small business!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Stream of Consciousness Starts Now!