If this trend continues, basically, every 7 months there will be a 5% increase in Twitter users.  Again, that may not seem like much but in 14 months, about 25% of Internet users will be on Twitter.  That’s getting into some numbers!

The article on Mashable breaks down who uses Twitter – it may give you an insight to learn if your target audience can be found on Twitter.

So, don’t discount tweeting as a marketing tool.  Here are some tips on how to use Twitter for marketing your small business.

1) Tweet about your industry, new events, everyday events, etc.  In other words – keep the talk conversational – don’t sell.

2) Respond to tweets and try to be consistent – don’t just tweet when you feel like it.  Make it a point to check your twitter twice a day – spend 10 minutes – it’ll be worth it.

3) Use twitter to monitor your company, your industry, your brand, your name.  Simply go to http://search.twitter.com and conduct a search just like you would on Google.  You’ll find every mention.  You’ll be able to respond to positive and/or negative – it’s the responsible thing to do.

It’s called Qpomp – basically social media viral marketing using coupons.

Here’s the idea…

a) The business publishes a coupon on Qpomp via their Twitter and/or Facebook

b) The coupon details are not revealed until a certain number of individuals sign up for the coupon (hence you’re getting your readers to share the coupon)

The business owner decides how many others are needed to “open the coupon”, and the business owner also decides when the coupon expires.

A very intriguing prospect I think.

Imagine if a florist offered 25% off a dozen roses for valentines, and in order for the coupon to become active, 30 people must sign up for the coupon. The folks who get the notice in their Twitter or Facebook accounts want the discount so they forward the coupon offer to their Twitter and Facebook followers. When 30 folks have signed up, the coupon becomes valid.

As far as I could tell, it seems to be free for the moment. So, check it out, let me know what you think of it, let me know how it works for you!

1) You, the business owner, sign up with your Twitter and/or Facebook accounts.

2) You create the coupon discount (20% off is the minimum)

3) You Set

That’s just not true.  No where near true!

Blogging is about talking and the truth is, every business owner can talk about their business.  (Usually to the point where everyone else is rolling their eyes – but you know what I mean!).  Our businesses are our “babies” – our “life projects” and we’re proud of the work we do in them.  And proud of any successes as well!  As we should be!

Anyway, back to blogging.  I was sent an article published on CNN Money’s Fortune blog which hits the nail on the head about this blogging/talking concept.  Only they gave it a very fancy name.  They call it “Corporate Transmedia Storytelling”.

The title of the article is “Why Storytelling Is Essential For Business Leaders“.    As someone who sees dozens and dozens of website statistics every week I’m here to tell you that blogging does work.  It’s not a magic solution, it’s not quick like PPC, but it’s steady, it’s long reaching and it will bring you to target audiences you didn’t even know existed.

So, grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) and sit down and read this article.  You’ll love it and hopefully, I’ll have to do less arguing in the future!

I just read in ClimbTheNet.com that a research by a private business forum showed “…that 1 in 5 businesses do not have a website and 18% said that they do not include Internet marketing or advertising in their marketing mix.”

REALLY?

I’m surprised, I mean in today’s economy, when it’s so important to carve out a niche for your business, the concept that a 5th of private companies in the USA are just ignoring the Internet.  I’m sure (although I don’t know the amount) there was a percentage of businesses who ignored Radio when it first started.  Another percentage ignored TV when it first started.  Wonder where those companies are now?

The Internet Is Not Magic

I believe there are several reasons why companies (especially small companies) don’t take advantage of the Internet.

1) They think the price will be phenomenal.  It’s true, most Internet marketing companies do charge a hefty fee and they’re justified in most of their charges.  After all, Internet marketing is not magic, it’s very hard work.  But there are companies out there (like Eckweb) that are extremely affordable.  The payback is very much worth it!

2) They tried a website or blog or Facebook but after a little while, they gave up because they didn’t see any results.  Well, again, Internet marketing is not magic, it’s hard work.  No, it’s not rocket science either but anyone marketing, or attempting to market a website needs to know how search engines work, needs to have the proper tools (which cost money) and they need to have the creativity and energy to be on the constant lookout for new trends.

Just Because You Don’t Understand It – Doesn’t Mean You Should Avoid It

I admit, I don’t know much about cars.  I know to put the key in, I know it needs gas, I know I need to get the oil changed and the tires checked and that’s pretty much it.
Extremely basic.  But, just because I don’t really understand it, doesn’t mean I’m going to avoid driving one.

Businesses need to recognize and accept the fact that the majority of their target audience (unless their target audience is 90+ years of age) is on the Internet.  Did you know that…

1) 70% of consumers go online first for local business information.
2) 69% of consumers are more likely to use a local business if it has information available on a social media site.
3) 78% of consumers want special offers, promotions and information (via the internet).
4) 74% value regular posts about products
5) 1 out of 6 searchers are dissatisfied with their ability to find reliable information (this tells me that the lack of attention businesses pay to their websites results in lost sales).

Above info from smallbiztrends

Stop Waiting – Start Acting

You know that story about the guy sitting on the roof of his house during a flood praying to God to rescue him.  A boat comes to rescue him and he declines, saying that God will save him.  A while later another boat comes by but the man again declined saying God would save him.  Finally, a helicopter came and the man again declined, saying God will save him.  After he drowned he arrived at heaven and said, “God, I though you were going to save me.”  God said, “I sent you 2 boats and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”

The lesson is learn to recognize an opportunity.  The Internet is an amazing opportunity – don’t miss it.

What Cisco is trying to tell you with their “borderless business” concept is that growing your business in the future means integrating technology into your business today.  And integrating technology in such a way that the possibilities are seemingly endless.

It’s really all about bringing people and ideas together.  No matter where you are on the planet, technology can bring you two together.  So, it doesn’t matter what you do or sell, if you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, you will be sought out.  By everyone searching for your expertise.

Your customers are changing because they’re getting smarter.  They’re learning everyday more and more about how to conduct searches on the Internet.  How to use social media for reviews and background checks, (well, sort of background checks).  They’re doing what their parents did at business chamber meetings, they’re listening to what others are saying about you only this generation is doing the majority of the listening online.  Via emails, blogs and other social media venues, they’re listening.

So, as a small business owner, your job to keep up with all of this is to establish yourself as an expert in your field AND make yourself available via multiple venues.  Here’s how you can accomplish this and build your business.

1) Showcase what you know via a blog.  Use that blog to “talk” to your customers.  Tell them what you’re up to, what the company is up to, what the industry is up to.  Give them facts and details but keep the information as informal and “laymen” as possible.  The idea isn’t to dazzle them with fancy words, the idea is to dazzle them with what you can do for them.

2) Make yourself known through social media.  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and now Google’s Buzz are all the rage.  Why?  Because they’re easy to use.  Quick, fast and filled with tons of information about individuals, companies and much more.  Your customers will get to know you and your company.

3) Invite others to follow you, join you, listen to you, etc.  If you’re taking the time to use social media then flaunt it.  Place your social media icons everywhere.  On your email signature, in your website, everywhere!  Get folks to follow you, listen to you.  They are your greatest assets.

eMarketer.com reports that in one year’s time they expect that 82% of brand marketers will be using social media marketing.  THAT is a large number!  I think we can safely say that social media is here to stay!

So, if you haven’t gone social yet with your Internet marketing campaign, I have no idea what you’re waiting for.  There’s plenty of information on the Internet and there are many SEO firms (including ours) that provides social media marketing services.  So, take the plunge, go social!

Twitter, complicated?  I don’t think so!

But, I know for myself and for the small business owners who are using it that it does work so I know that I’m not just making things up!  So, I think there’s some TwitterPhobia going around.  Basically, if you don’t know what it is, you decide it’s not for you.  Ignore it.

Well, if you find yourself to be somewhat Twitter Phobic, let me try to help.  I’ll give you some tips and ideas on why you should be using Twitter for your small business marketing campaigns.  Hopefully, I’ll get through to a few of you out there!

1) Many small businesses are local.  For your local customers who use (and love) Twitter, I highly recommend that you also use Twitter.  Introduce yourself, let these local folks know why you want to follow them.  For example, if you’re a local Greek Restaurant, you’ll want to introduce yourself by saying you’ve got a special offer for Twitter followers or local customers.  Let them know you’re looking to give them the best Greek Food in the area!

There are several directories that will hook you up with local Twitterers.

http://www.chirpcity.com
http://www.nearbytweets.com
http://www.tweepz.com

2) Twitter is not only for YOU sending out messages, you can also monitor to see and read what others are saying about your company.  What if you noticed that someone tweeted that they walked into your store the other day and no one helped them?  Wouldn’t you want to tweet back to work out the problem?  What if someone tweeted that your company gave great service, wouldn’t you want to tweet them and thank them?  What if no one is talking about you? – Doesn’t that tell you something?

3) “Listen in” – on your competitors.  What if the competition on the other side of town is Twittering?  Who’s following them?  Who are they following?  Find out what they’re talking about and put yourself in the conversation.  Showcase your expertise.

4) There are literally hundreds of new Twitter tools and more being introduced every single day, I mean every single day!  Check out Mashable.com and KillterStartUps.com – you’ll find so many Twitter tools, it’ll make your head spin.  Take some time out with your staff to review and discuss these tools.  Select the ones that will benefit your business and of course, keep checking daily for new and improved tools.  You’ll find that the information you can get from Tweets can be invaluable for your business and put you ahead of the pack.

5) Let others know you’re Tweeting.  Put a “follow me on twitter” logo on your website, on your blog, on your business card, on your storefront window, on your menus, on your brochures, everywhere!!

I hope these suggestions will help you overcome your Twitter Phobia!  Believe me, it’s a new way of communicating (well, not so new maybe – to me it’s very much like texting) but for businesses, it’s a new way.  And what is business all about if not “communicating” with your clients?  Don’t all business owners want to keep up that communication?  So, check it out and let me know how you do!

But the point I want to make in this article is that she’s 83 years old!!  (So, for my clients who say that they’re too old to use social media – I say HA!)

Anyway, I was reading Mashable this morning and I came across an article talking about that very same concept.  My neighbor’s mother and Facebook isn’t a singular story, it seems it’s happening over and over again.  iStrategyLabs did a study on the demographics of Facebook users and this is what they found…

Between January 2009 and July 2009…

the number of users between 18 and 24 grew 4.8%;
the number of users aged 25 – 34 grew 60.8%;
the number of users aged 35 to 54 grew 190.2%;
the number of users aged 55+ grew 513.7%

You can see the chart and read an article on Mashable for more information about iStrategyLabs’ data.

So, what does this tell me?  Well, a few things…

1) if I want to reach the demographics of 35+ I need to advertise and be present in Facebook.

2) it tells me that the features Facebook has are attractive to this demographic, so what are those features and how can I integrate them into my own website?

3) it tells me that this demographic is not as “afraid” of computers and the Internet as was once thought (or once were).  Which also tells me that Internet usage (and sales) should be increasing within this demographic in the next few years.

So, if you receive a “let’s be friends” invitation from your elderly uncle in Facebook, don’t be surprised!

These online social media programs are the same thing – at least for businesses they are. The problem is that sometimes the business folks are mixed in with the social folks. So, the "conversation" that you see on the screen ranges from "Deciding on tuna or chicken sandwich for lunch." to "Found some great ideas on small business marketing – click here." So, yes, at this point we do have to weed out what we need from what we don’t need (or care about). But the reality is that the benefits are there.

Nothing tells the truth better than numbers, so here are some stats from 4 websites that we’re marketing. All four websites are participating in social media programs. All four have blogs that they keep up and all four contribute regularly (at least 2 articles per month) to their blog and social media campaigns.

Website 1 – contributes an average of 20 articles per month

28.33 % came from direct traffic
28.79% came from referring sites
42.88% came from search engines

The referring sites are…
stumbleupon.com
promotionworld.com
ladieswholaunch.com
twitter.com

Website 2 – contributes an average of 5 articles per month

10.54% from direct traffic
31.05% from referring sites
58.40% from search engines

The referring sites are…
knolstuff.com
blog
linkedin.com

Website 3 – contributes an average of 2 articles per month

7.51% from direct traffic
4.93% from referring sites
87.56% from search engines

The referring sites are…
knolstuff.com
blog
ezinearticles.com
goodsearch.com
geckoe.com

Website 4 – contributes an average of 2 articles per month

28.74% from direct traffic
2.01% from referring sites
69.25% from search engines

The referring sites are…
blog
knolstuff.com
goodsearch.com

What’s interesting to note is the direct traffic stats. 2 f the 4 websites above DO NOT participate in any other marketing besides Internet marketing, not even pay per click campaigns. So, the "direct traffic" visitors are probably coming from referrals from clients and/or referrals from visitors to the social media campaigns. It’s hard to tell but it’s interesting to note that factor.

So, you see, there’s no doubt that there is traffic being brought in to websites via social media. So, is it worth it for you to take 30 minutes each day to write a short article about what you already know? And then submit that article to multiple sites? If you really don’t have the time, consider using a social media marketing program like we have at Eckweb Designs. It does the work for you.