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.

What is Buzz?  Think of it as Google’s very own Twitter.  The benefit is that it’s right there on Gmail.  So, no need to open a separate screen of have a separate account or window open.  Your email, your chats and now your Tweets can all be performed, viewed, responded to right from the Gmail control panel.  Pretty slick.

Will it take over Twitter?  Who knows, it’s anybody’s guess as to what programs will still be in use months from now but one thing is for sure.  The ease of using this new gadget can’t be beat.

If you’ve already been buzzed, feel free to follow me at eckweb@gmail.com.  I’ll post my daily tips, notes and comments about this crazy SEO / Internet Marketing industry and hopefully you’ll find them useful for your own marketing.

Happy Buzzing.

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?

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, 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!

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!

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

“…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.

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?

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!