This is just a short article cause I had a PC meltdown yesterday (I love the Internet – I just hate computers!) anyway, I was thinking about the people I meet and how some LOVE Twitter and others LOVE Facebook.  It got me thinking about the two types of personalities these two groups must be.  So, here are my thoughts on that…

Twitter Personality Types

a) Are short on time – busy folks with too much to do in too little time.
b) Still want to interact with other humans but not too much.
c) Enjoy sharing information and data.
d) Enjoy getting information and data from others.
e) Are direct and to the point (some might say blunt).

Facebook Personality Types

a) Are relaxed types with time on their hands – even if it’s just perceived time.
b) Enjoy sharing everything about themselves with anyone who will listen (or read).
c) Love sharing information and data and all the details that come with it.
d) Feel a strong need to be with other humans at all times.
e) Love to talk just for the sake of talking.

Well, what do you think?  Are these correct?  Do you fit into one of these types?

Tags: facebook, social media, twitter

I’ve had multiple conversations with business owners lately about Twitter.  The general “gist” of the conversations usually revolve around them asking me what is Twitter and how can they use it?  I give them some ideas and I’m sad to say that I’m just not getting through.  Maybe I’m not explaining it well, I don’t know but I get responses like – “Oh, that’s not for me.” or “I don’t get it.” or “Sounds complicated.”

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!

Tags: internet marketing, sm marketing, small business marketing, social media marketing, twitter, twitter phobia, twitter phobic

Okay, maybe I’m in the minority but I’m sick of hearing about Michael Jackson’s death and life and accomplishments and legacy, etc.  It’s as if Jesus Christ himself had just died for heaven’s sake!

But, having vented those sentiments, I have to acknowledge that apparently there are many more people out there who ARE interested in hearing all about this.  How do I know?  The traffic on social media programs like Twitter tell me so.

I know we like to blame the media for promoting certain pieces of news but with the real time social media tools like Twitter influencing news stories (and everything else it seems) we can’t blame the media anymore.  They’re just responding to what they’re seeing and reading.  And what they’re reading is that millions of people are lamenting the death of Michael Jackson.  So, the media is just responding to what the audience wants.

This just goes to show that no matter how YOU may feel about a topic or service or product, as a business owner YOU need to LISTEN to what your audience wants.  If you think that the majority of your audience are searching for divorce services, but in reality the majority is searching for mediation services, then why don’t you offer (and advertise) mediation services?

Use the great tools at Twitter and Google to find out what your audience is looking for.  Begin tailoring your website to those needs and you’ll see traffic coming to your site with very little effort on your part!

Tags: internet marketing, marketing, Michael Jackson, small business marketing, social media, target audience, twitter

Many businesses are busy with the process of selling their products or services but something that they sometimes forget to do (and this is so true of small businesses) is that they forget to find out what their audience needs.

No point in building a rack or pages on your website to sell red shoes if your audience is looking for yellow shoes instead!  That can be a costly mistake.  (Hence, that’s how all those shoes end up at the discount stores!)

Anyway – how can you know what your audience is looking for?  And now?

Well, Twitter is a “now” type of tool.  I mean, you see what people are typing in now.  So, it’s a great tool to find out what others are searching for.

Here’s how…

Twitscoop.com is a great tool to find out what people are searching for.  Here’s how you use it.

1) Type in a phrase (in quotes) about your services, in the form of a need or want.  For example, let’s say you sell Name Tags – here are some sample searches you can do…

a) “searching for” + “name tags” – no results

b) “searching for” + “nametags” – no results

c) “looking for” + “name tags” – got 2 results, one mentions celebrities and name tags (hmm – that’s an idea, create name tags using celebrity images)

d) “great” + “name badges” – got an advertisement from namebadgeworld.com – hmm – interesting and free way to market!  Also got links to other sites selling very different looking types of name badges.  Great ideas!

Get the idea?  This short survey on Twitscoop.com which took about 5 minutes, showed me that there is a need out there for unusual and different name tags.  People are admiring name tags and badges that are not the “same old same old”.  That tells me (if I’m selling name tags) that I need to get creative and begin making different name tags, ones that stand out and showcase today’s meetings and the desires of the people in those meetings.

This concept will not only show you what your audience wants or needs but it will bring you AND your audience together.  What a concept!

Tags: internet marketing idea, small business marketing, social media, target audience, trends, twitter

Found a really great tool that works on Firefox browsers.  If you haven’t yet begun to use Firefox, I have no idea what you’re waiting for.  I couldn’t possibly do my SEO work without some of the great extensions that Firefox offers.

Anyway, Mani Karthik wrote a great little script that you can install onto Firefox so that when you do a search on Google, you not only get the Google results but you also get the top 5 results from Twitter!  Now, that is pretty cool!

You’ll need the Greasemonkey Extension already installed (but you should have that anyway!)

So, how does this script help you?  Well, let’s see…

1) It provides more exposure.  Let’s say you’re a divorce lawyer in Colorado.  You can Tweet about “divorce laws in Colorado” and you’re also marketing that phrase on your website.  When someone does a search for “divorce laws in Colorado” not only will your website come up (if it’s optimized) but your Tweet will come up as well!  So, you basically end up with 2 listings on the Google search.

Yes, I know, this only works IF the person has this extension installed on their Firefox and it’s true, it may be a small percentage but the concept is that it’s an easy way to get extra exposure.

2) For researchers (such as myself) it’s an added bonus to have an additional source of information on my search results.  In addition, the Twitter information is real time so it’s more updated than the search results on Google (at least, potentially).

So, give it a try.  You just might like it!!  And if you do, pass it on!

Here’s the link to the full article – http://mt-hacks.com/20090302-realtime-twitter-search-results-on-google.html

Tags: extensions, firefox, google, greasemonkey, twitter

Just this past weekend I spent some time with some friends and as has been happening for quite some time now, they asked me about Twitter.  They asked me “…what is it?” and “…what does it do?” and “…why should I use it?”, etc.  In the midst of my explanation the inevitable comment came…

“…I don’t want my kids using all that stuff, it isolates them.”

What?

With what’s been happening in Iran lately with the Internet Revolution – I don’t see how anyone can say that the Internet isolates anyone!  We now have the opportunity to not just know the people in our neighborhoods but to get to know people from other parts of the country and the world.  When, in history, has this ever been possible?  In my humble opinion, when people say they think the Internet isolates people, what they’re really saying is that they don’t understand it and they’re scared of it.  If they’re scared of it they can’t control it.  I don’t know anyone who uses social media and thinks it’s isolating.  If anything, it’s liberating.

But, with the liberation comes responsibilities.  You can’t just say what you want, we all still have moral responsibilities to express ourselves thoughtfully.  Being angry and mean is the same whether you say it in person or online.

And, parents have the added responsibility of teaching their children how to behave and what to watch out for on the Internet.  It used to be you could just tell your children to “…look both ways before crossing the street” and “…don’t talk to strangers.”  Those days are over.  The list of things to watch out for is long for children these days and I for one, applaud those parents who take on this responsibility to teach their children how to interact in today’s world.

But, back to the social media and Internet.   The recent events in Iran showcase to everyone the absolute power the Internet and social media can have on a worldwide basis.  Imagine if the people in Darfur had access to this?  Would they still be suffering as they are?  I doubt it.

If you’re still in the back of the room wondering if you should join a social media group and begin interacting on the Internet, stop scratching your head and just do it.  Begin with something you enjoy, like a hobby or something and you’ll soon find out how easy and how fruitful it can be to join these groups.  It doesn’t matter how you start.  Whether you start with Twitter or Facebook or Linked In or any of the many, many social media groups.  The point is to start using it.

Tags: facebook, internet revolution, social media, twitter

Seems the world has been abuzz about Twitter for months now.  It’s not only on blogs and forums, but on “regular” media as well.  CNN was (I think) the first to introduce Twitter Tweets in their newscast.  I remember watching Rick Sanchez giving a report and in the midst of his report he checked his Twitter account and read aloud some of the tweets he was receiving (in real time of course) about his reporting.  He responded by altering the report!  In other words, those Tweets that he received changed how Rick (and CNN) were going to originally give the report.  The type of information that was eventually reported on was only presented because people were asking for it via Twitter.

It seemed amazing then and it’s still amazing.  Basically, what’s happening is that companies across the globe are now able to respond (in real time) to the wants and desires of their audience.  This will not only force companies to become more flexible but also to LISTEN to their customers.

So, I’ve been thinking, how can some of my SEO clients actually use this?  Hmm…

Well, here are some ideas that just might fly…

For Attorneys
People are tweeting everything it seems.  If someone got into a car accident and tweeted it from their mobile device, a sharp personal injury attorney who is screening tweets for the word “accident” or the phrase “car accident” could respond to that tweet with his contact information.  (I know, a bit of an ambulance chasing type of thing but hey, everyone’s got to make a living!)

The same could also be true for phrases like “divorce” or “child custody” or any other phrase that encompasses the services the attorney provides.

But, remember, don’t push the “SELL” part – push the “EDUCATION” part on your tweets.  By educating others you’ll get more customers versus selling.  Selling on Twitter is a turnoff.

For Those In The Beauty Industry
A search on Twitter Search for the phrase “skin care” showed me that people are looking for “summer skin care” tips, products, etc.  If you’re in this industry, this is a great way to put your brand out in the market place.

What types of questions are people asking about makeup or hair products?  Check it out on Twitter!  Create an FAQ on your website or write on your blog or newsletter to answer these questions.  What a great way to communicate your knowledge base!

Small Businesses in General
Product information can be sent to your customers in an instant!  Just let your customers know your Twitter address and ask them to follow you.  Look at Zappos and Woot.  They’ve taken this to an art form!

These are just some ideas that popped into my head while writing this post but I’m sure you get the concept.  It’s all about communicating and listening to customers and prospective customers.  It’s all about showcasing your knowledge base and expanding your brand.  Gee, doesn’t that sound like the new media advertising SEO marketers have been talking about for at least a decade now?

Tags: advertising, small businesses, tweets, twitter

So, who watches the news anymore?  I mean, what demographics?

Folks over 50?  Over 60?  Over 70?  I’m just guessing here.

I’m 50 and I rarely watch tv news anymore.  It doesn’t matter if it’s local or national or international.  I’m tired of wasting my time listening to what the news department at that particular news station thinks is important.  I just don’t have the time to listen to their opinions and “experts”, etc.

But, I am a bit of a news hound.  I want to know what’s happening, around the corner and around the globe.  So, recently, I’ve been using Twitter and it has become my very own personal newspaper.  It’s really quite cool.  Here are the Twitter tools that I use and how I use them.

http://www.breakingtweets.com/

http://search.twitter.com/

1) I go to http://www.breakingtweets.com/
This is a great website to get news worldwide that’s being spoken about, shared, and announced via Twitter.
They have it broken down into topics and regions so you can pick and choose the areas you’re interested in.

2) If you find a news item that I want to know more about, I then go to http://search.twitter.com/ and type in the main phrase of the story.  This then gives me even more news.

Yes, there are comments in these Tweets, no doubt.  But more important, there are MANY links to stories, articles, journals, etc. that I would have never seen or known about.  I find that I get a more “rounded” view of the story vs. the one sided view of the TV newscasters.

So, should TV news be worried?  YES.  If a TV addict like myself can actually stop watching them, my guess is that many, many more will as well.

So, tell me what you think.  Give this method a try.  Or maybe you know other Twitter tools that can do the same.  Let me know!

Tags: news, social media, tv news, twitter

Okay, so you MUST have heard about Twitter by now. But, just in case you haven’t, Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that seems to have taken over the Internet. It’s one of, if not THE fastest growing social media type of program currently available.

Basically, the idea is you sign up for an account, you begin "micro blogging" which means that your "post" can’t be any longer than 140 characters. So basically, you’re just shouting out a note. You add to your account certain people that you want to follow on Twitter. And in turn, people follow you. Why should you follow anyone? Maybe the CEO of your competition is on Twitter. Don’t you want to know what he’s saying? Why should anyone want to follow you? Well, if you have important news, insights, advice, information on your "expertise" within your industry, they’ll follow you. Believe me.

One note to remember. If there are 100 people following you on Twitter, those 100 people have people following THEM. Those additional people can look to see who the people they are following, are following (follow me?) and that’s how your brand and exposure can continue to grow – at least within Twitter.

Maybe you have heard of Twitter and you know what it is and you actually have an account there, maybe you’re wondering, "What do I do with this thing?" – well, there are many companies out there who are trying to figure out the very same thing. You’re not alone. So, let me share with you some ideas and what others are doing to utilize this very interesting little tool.

First you must realize that in order for Twitter to work (and really, in order for ANY social media tool to work) you must participate. You can’t just sign up for an account on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn and expect that just because you have a profile out there that people are going to just jump and contact you. Well, maybe if your photo was of you in the nude and you looked absolutely amazing nude – maybe then you would get alot of contacts just for posting a profile. Otherwise, you’re going to have to use that program and the way you use it is to converse with other members, provide information, share insights, etc. Think of your social media program as your "watercooler". Everyone takes a few minutes each day to take a break – go to the watercooler or the coffee pot and just hang out for 5-10 minutes. Chat with others, get some news, gossip, etc. Your social media account is the very same thing. Only you don’t have to get up and walk anywhere!

Okay, so with that being said, let’s see what others are doing with this Twitter thing…

Quick Notices of Upcoming Sales, Events, Etc.

Companies like woot, southwestair, jetblue, best buy, american apparel, rubbermaid, whole foods, zappos, starbucks, dunkin donuts, dell, kodak, hoovers and so many more are using Twitter to increase / improve brand recognition AND to advise their "followers" of specials, sales, events, etc.

These companies have anywhere from 2000 to 75,000 followers. Imagine planning a sale for Valentines Day – you can use a program like TweetLater to create posts which then run at the designated time you instruct. You create 5 posts about the item(s) you are selling for Valentines Day and you post them onto your TweetLater account so for 5 days straight, all your Tweet followers will receive notice about what you’re putting on sale for this upcoming holiday. Imagine if you had 75,000 followers (like Woot).

Keep Up Communications With Your Customers

The RedCross uses Twitter to "provide information to the public during disasters". But they also receive alot of "thank yous" from individuals that they’ve helped. It allows them to keep in touch with those individuals, whom they may otherwise have never heard from.

Dunkin Donuts is getting a great response from their Twitter account. As they say, “We have been pleasantly pleased with the response volume we’ve received — there’s clearly enthusiasm for the brand on Twitter. It’s been exciting to see the conversation with our customers take off.”

WholeFoods has gained some insight into their own operations from their clients. Imagine, no need for sample polls and focus groups. What they’ve learned through Twitter is, …“…A lot about the importance of localized information. Whole Foods is a very decentralized…Because of this we will be working to get more local information out to people via accounts tailored to individual stores or cities, such as @WholeFoodsLA.”

HRBlock reports…"“Most rewarding: interacting with consumers 1:1. Love that connection – it’s great to help. Challenge: respond quickly in a 24/7 environment.”

Customer Service

Imagine if every time someone mentioned your company name, you would get a notification not only that a mention was made but what the mention was. I know, we can’t monitor EVERYTHING that’s said, but if your company name is mentioned in Twitter, you will see what was said and who said it. If the mention is unfavorable or they spoke of a problem, you can contact that Tweeter and try to resolve the issue. What great customer service! The dis-satisfied customer didn’t even have to get in touch with you!

Some Interesting Other Uses

Kevin.Lexblog.com wrote in September 2008 – Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, a pretty good plaintiffs’ firm here in Seattle, apparently has its PR person, Laura Young of Firmani + Associates Inc., out twittering to find putative class members for a possible class action law suit versus Verizon Wireless.

And from David Armano himself: – If you are interested about marketing, conversations and the ways which we communicate with each other (and how this is changing and evolving), you should at least investigate what the hoopla is all about. My recent experiences with Twitter tell me that the service is morphing due to how users want to use it. What was once initially designed to answer the question “what are you doing?”, has turned into a free-form communications service where people are having burts of shorthand conversations, sharing links and information in rapid-fire fashion…Personally, I think Twitter is a pretty powerful tool for anything involving promotions, events and communities.

Botanicalls – do you forget to water your plants? Set up the Botanicalls kit in your plant and it will Tweet you when it’s thirsty.

Commuter Feed – do your own traffic reporting for others in your area. No sense in EVERYONE getting stuck in that traffic jam!

There are some folks who just love to listen to emergency broadcasts with radio scanners and ham radios. For those folks, they can check out the LAFD twitter. The Los Angeles Fire Department tweets real time alerts in its jurisdiction.

So, have I convinced you yet? If you’re not on Twitter – I have no idea what you’re waiting for. And if you are on Twitter, are there any interesting ideas that you have on how to use this great program? Let me know.

Tags: tweets, twitter, twitter for business