“Get the big picture about the microblogosphere.”

You have 140 characters to say what you’re doing, what you’ve done, what you’re thinking about doing, or what just happened to you.

That’s Twitter in a nutshell.

Ready?  Go.

It isn’t easy.  But a few people have figured it out (Hubspot estimates 5-10,000 new users join each day) and are reaping all the benefits.

Don’t fret.  It isn’t necessary to Tweet every three minutes to be relevant in a social network.*

Prepare for flight; here’s how to Tweet:

1.   Say something
Don’t just post your breakfast menu; unless you were closing a lucrative business deal over breakfast or you’re Starbucks

’Just had a cup of our Guatemala Casi Cielo … It means ‘almost heaven’ in Spanish,’ a Starbucks manager wrote in a recent Twitter post.”

http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/18/twitter-europe-blog-tech-ebiz-cx_mb_0119twitter.html

Starbucks is just one U.S. company who markets on Twitter.  Dell, Pepsi, Ford, and the Wall Street Journal have also joined the trend.

Promote your business.  Let followers know what new services you are offering.  Give them news updates.

2.    Ask for help
Twitter is your messenger pigeon.  Work it until the wings fall off.  Ask your followers to reTweet for you.  More links = more business.

’Getting your content “ReTweeted” on Twitter (i.e. getting people to repeat what you’ve said, usually along with a link) can drive significant quality traffic to your site, which in turn can boost your subscriber numbers.’”

http://www.copyblogger.com/go-viral-on-twitter/

Beware though, Twitter uses link shortening, which means you may not reap all of the SEO benefits unless someone reposts your link on their blog.

3.    Be relevant
Post URLs and keywords (without keyword stuffing) and post at least once per day.  This is microblogging! It’s quick and easy.

4.    Grow your flock
Find followers.  Invite friends Myspace or Facebook.  Get closer to clients.  Invite your associates.  Spread the word.

5.    Share info faster
No more signing into blogs, writing an article just to link another article; to Tweet simply copy, paste, and post

6.    Branch out
Use Twitter to market.  Tweet your news first.

Check out what Tweetnews is doing:

TweetNews combines the results from Yahoo news and compares it with the topics which are hitting Twitter. The service then organizes the Yahoo News based upon what has popularity among individuals using Twitter. This will deliver a search engine that tracks breaking news using Twitter search results. Which will give individuals using Twitter exposure to more detailed information regarding breaking news Tweets.

During the Mumbai attacks, individuals were stressed when trying to get more details and it was difficult to find news articles as the news was breaking. This is actually where the inspiration for TweetNews came from. So now, when you search for Tweets on a specific topic, you are also delivered additional links to news articles.”

http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-41093-118.html

What is Twitter doing?

Isn’t Twitter just a fad?

Sure, Twitter might not be here for long.  But while it’s here, harness its potential.

President Obama found it to be a tool worthy of announcing his running mate.

NY Times technology columnist David Pogue recently reviewed Twitter in his blog and admitted that he was skeptical of Twitter’s usefulness:

Twitter.com is all the rage among geeks, although it has more hype than users at this point. (When I speak at tech and education conferences, I routinely ask my audience how many are on Twitter. Usually, it’s 1 in 500.)

Then my eyes were opened. A few months ago, I was one of 12 judges for a MacArthur grant program in Chicago. As we looked over one particular application, someone asked, “Hasn’t this project been tried before?”

Everyone looked blankly at each other.

Then the guy sitting next to me typed into the Twitter box. He posed the question to his followers. Within 30 seconds, two people replied, via Twitter, that it had been done before. And they provided links.

The fellow judge had just harnessed the wisdom of his followers in real time. No e-mail, chat, Web page, phone call or FedEx package could have achieved the same thing.”

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/twittering-tips-for-beginners/#more-635

Like the judges, Pogue was impressed.  He started Tweeting.

Pogue added that Guy Kawasaki, MD of Garage Technology Ventures, Tweets every 3 minutes with the help of automated software robots.

Pogue concluded:

*People, like Guy, use automated software robots to churn out tweets, largely to promote their own blogs, sites or other products.”

Smart move. Kawasaki’s blog “How to Change the World” is ranked 88th most-popular globally.

In conclusion, my suggestion is this:

Find people who Tweet about topics useful to you, your company, or your clients.

Follow others, pay attention to what they’re doing right and then emulate them.

Remember that Twitter is not just a media tool.  It’s a social network.  ReTweet for others and they will reciprocate.

Engage others.  Be friendly.  Be informative.

Follow 360 PSG on Twitter!

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

After her third knee surgery, but long before she got a computer or the “internets,” my Grandma Sue joined the innumerable hordes of introverted silver-topped at-home shoppers who turned to QVC as a safe haven from the long lines of crowded shopping centers.

Needless to say, our Christmases ever since have been filled with cigarette lighter battery chargers sans iPhone USB ports, heatless soldering guns (or as we call them in our house “The Blister Maker 5000”), and battery-free wind up flashlight stocking stuffers; a smorgasbord of gadgets that would leave MacGruber green with envy. But our gifts often end up being flimsy and break after only a few months (or uses).

In her defense, how was Grandma Sue supposed to know? She didn’t test those products before she bought them. Besides, some offers are exclusive to TV, so even if she had gone to the mall, chances are she wouldn’t have found a doohickey as innovative as a flashlight that doubles as a personal fan complete with Styrofoam propellers and belt clip.

Not everyone shops from home though, well not yet anyway. Whether we want to admit it or not, the recession is in full swing, but even in our current economic downturn there are shoppers who want to spend money. At-home shopping may be causing stores to close their doors all over the country but e-commerce is on the rise.

Part Two: Where Did All the Stores Go?

People are always asking, did I know about Grandma Sue. In all of her years of navigating unsavory winter terrain and battles with unruly last-minute shoppers and disgruntled Walmart workers, is it likely that Grandma Sue developed such a hatred for physical shopping locations that she unwittingly became a major contributor to a commercial consumer goods boycott? Could it be possible that Grandma Sue is somehow responsible for the downfall of brick and mortar shopping centers around the world? Is it even plausible to assume that she could have at least seen this coming? Or that she’s part of some underground senior secret society that has its sights set on taking down major corporations one Home Shopping Network purchase at a time?

Probably not. But maybe she was on to something after all…

According to this bleak CNN Money post, senior writer Parija B. Kavilanz reported:

‘There’s going to be a massive sea change in the retail landscape,” said Nina Kampler, executive vice president with Hilco Real Estate, which advises retailers on their property management.’

Michael Burden, principal with industry adviser Excess Space Retail Services, expects as many as 14,000 stores will close in 2009. ‘We could see among the highest ever number of closures,” he said.’

Kavilanz added:

‘Ideally, (Kampler) said a retailer’s occupancy cost should be equal to 10% of its sales. But a long stretch of slumping sales and rising mall vacancies can dramatically push up the occupancy costs. Once rent and occupancy costs hit the 20% to 25% of sales threshold, you are treading water,’ ” Kampler said. ‘You can’t run a viable business with those numbers’.

What do you do if you’re one of the thousands of stores that are closing their doors?

Kavilanz added:

I think the whole consumer economy is being recalibrated,” said Kampler. “It’s something that’s not been done in decades. I think it will be a three-year recalibration of consumer behavior and expectations.

What is that “recalibration” going to involve? It’s likely that consumer trends will turn toward e-commerce. But will you be there waiting?

Part Three: Broadband internet connections, 3G networks, and QVC.com! Cover your hair and your eyes, it’s the Apocalypse!

The Home Shopping Network was launched in 1982. QVC (Quality, Value, and Convenience) followed in 1986. A decade later, www.qvc.com was launched (1996). The JC Penny catalog has been around since 1963. At-home shopping is not new, it’s just better.

I know this because Grandma Sue knows this.

High-speed internet connections are quickly becoming more affordable, definitely more affordable than rent and property tax, making it easier for “small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in worldwide marketing and expand their outlook beyond their nations.” http://www.trade.gov/investamerica/ecommerce.asp

The economic slowdown could actually force smaller businesses to turn to e-commerce, which potentially means more visibility, and drive up sales especially from foreign customers.

According to the International Trade Administration*:

The Census Bureau estimates that total e-commerce sales in 2007 were $127.2 billion, an increase of 17% from 2006. E-commerce sales accounted for 3.2% of total retail sales in 2007, rising from 2.8% in 2006. eMarketer continues to estimate that retail e-commerce sales will increase an average of 18.6% in 2008 and 2009. That is strong growth, but is still down from the annual growth rate of 20.6% experienced between 2001 and 2005.

But if your stores are forced to close their doors, will your website hold up?

I am Grandma Sue’s waning sense of consumer responsibility.

Cautious consumers are likely more frugal on every retail venture, which probably means they are doing extensive research before making any big purchase on electronics, winter coats, or even food.** Where are consumers conducting their research? On the internet. Since they are already there, why not get them to your site?

Part Four: Get a Website!

Get a website, make it a good one, and make yourself as visible as possible. Great web design, quality content, and strong search engine optimization are keys to getting your page ranked highly on Google so your customers can find you. Use social networks to promote your products and services. Sign up for everything: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, etc. and link them all to your site; generate linkbacks to your site and make it credible.

The ITA report concluded:

The continued rise in the percentage of total retail sales occurring through e-commerce is one sign of buyers and sellers becoming more comfortable with e-commerce transactions, while the fact that only 3.2% of total retail sales take place through e-commerce reflects the significant potential remaining.

While you may be left without a storefront, don’t be left out in the cold. Tap into the potential of e-commerce and be one of the survivors.

Maybe it’s time to start from scratch, again.

*As of this blog’s publication date, the 2008/09 report had not been released.

**Pink Dot, a grocery store in Los Angeles, will deliver your groceries to your apartment after you order them online.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites