Twitter Tips for Business Tweets

"Twitter is quirky and annoying." Okay, I said it. But it's a necessary annoyance that businesses of all kinds are welcoming into their marketing mix - and it's FREE to use (at least for now). If you are going to give in (and you eventually will) and adopt a Twitter marketing strategy, here are some suggestions on what to "tweet" about.

First, you need to understand that Twitter is basically a mini blog limited to 140 characters. And if you don't know what a blog is by now, you are probably still using terms like "audio cassette" or "album". Get with the times!

So, again, "tweets" are 140 character text messages that you send on Twitter to people who are "followers". How do you get followers? By sending tweets that are either very informational or very entertaining. Annoying tweets (and there are millions of them sent every day) send your followers running for the hills.

For businesses, I suggest you use Twitter to convey information that your customers and prospects will find beneficial.

Conduct Research and Gather Feedback
Are you thinking about adding/discontinuing a product/service, changing business hours, moving to a new location, or making some type of change that could affect your customers? You could send a "tweet" asking for feedback. People who twitter are not afraid to give you honest feedback and share their two-cents.

Share News & Announcements
You can tweet news about your business. There are several newsworthy items you can tweet, including:

• Receiving an award


• Achieving a monumental business or sales goal.


• Announce the hiring of a new employee or the departure of one.


• Adding a new product/service.


• Television or Internet news story about your or your business

If there is something newsworthy, tweet about it. Don't forget to include links to the source (but remember that links are counted in the 140 characters).

Send Invitations
If you are going to host an event or participate in an event, use Twitter to invite people. If people need to register, send the invite and include a link to the registration site. Here are a few events you might send an invitation for:

• Open house


• Seminar


• Holiday Party


• Golf Outing


• Sales Event


• Fundraiser

But, remember that when you invite your Twitter followers, you are inviting everyone...if you have 2,000 followers and you offer free food...be prepared to feed 2,000 people plus their friends. If there are restrictions, let people know.

Announce A Sales Special
Airlines and restaurants use Twitter to announce deals. An airline might have open seats for a flight leaving tomorrow. A restaurant may have a seafood special and need to bump weekend reservations. Or a garden store may have a new shipment of plants and flowers they'd like to sell. I've even received tweets about discount tickets to movies and concerts. Make sure you announce that their is a limited number available and what the restrictions are so you don't make anyone mad. Some sales specials you may tweet about include:

• Last-minute deals


• Close-out/discontinued items


• Overstocked items


• Reservation availability


• Early-bird special


• New real estate listing


• Garage sale
  
• Ticket give-away or availability

Keep It Interesting
A lot of people who use Twitter are quickly learning that providing value by recommending their followers check out useful information is helping them become respected and increases the number of followers. Tell others about something you learned or discovered that might interest them, including:

• Websites


• Blog post
  
• Book
  
• Product review


• Online video


• Seminars/Workshops

Add Value and Increase Credibility
When using Twitter, businesses need to provide substance and value. Just telling people that you're "damned glad it's closing time" or that "It's time for a potty break" is not going to score a lot of points with followers. If you become a source and resource for information, then you will build credibility with an increasing number of followers.

When and How Often?
How often should you use Twitter. Unfortunately, the jury is still out. But many businesses post several tweets a day...or at least appear to. If you tweet, either schedule two or three times each day to send them or schedule them in advance. Yes, you can schedule your tweets hours, days, weeks, years in advance by using a Twitter compatible scheduling application such as Twuffer. You can find it at http://www.twuffer.com/. People who might appear to do nothing but hang out on Twitter 24/7 are probably scheduling their tweets in advance...or they have waaayy too much time on their hands.

Still Need Help?
If you are contemplating using Twitter (or any other social networking medium) for your business but still need some advice, then contact BTK & Associates. I'll be glad to work with you to develop your Twitter page and give you a strategy that you can manage based on your schedule. Visit www.btkmarketing.com, call 317.493-8964 or email me at brian@btkmarketing.com.

Thriving In Tough Times

Why is it that some companies thrive during a recession and others fail? Perhaps its attitude or the ability of some businesses to monitor their industry and plan for tough times.

Historically, 70% of companies survive a recession, 25% of businesses fail, and 5% actually thrive. But what we've been experiencing since mid-2008 and will continue to experience for the foreseeable future is different. We're seeing a higher percentage of businesses closing or fighting to survive.

As indicators continue to reveal problems in the economy, most of us expect the worst. We can no longer ignore it or expect someone to wave a magic wand and fix it today; especially when the media is reporting record stock market declines, corporate losses, massive layoffs, banks collapsing, and more.

The need for change, whether beneficial or not, looms large in the thoughts of many business owners facing uncertainty as the economic downturn continues. But the ability to respond to economic changes — separates the capable business owner from the rest.

While business cut their spending, marketing and product promotion are absolutely essential. I am often asked, “How can I effectively market my business on a smaller budget?”

One way is the Internet and Social Networking. It is an extremely powerful, yet cost-effective,
communication tool that when use effectively can stimulate sales growth, even in a recession. Just look at the number of business using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more.

Another key element for thriving in a recession is to focus more on customer satisfaction. When you give more value than you receive in payment, you are putting the customer first. This helps reinforce their decision to buy from you and builds customer loyalty.

To survive and thrive, you must be willing to change and adapt to your customers. Their mindset and buying patterns have changed...perhaps permanently. But when it comes to dealing with change, small firms have advantages over larger corporations. They can be flexible, react quickly, and readily respond. When you make a change in a big company, it's like turning a large ocean liner. Comparatively, small companies can turn on a dime.

Here are just a few tips I adapted and revised from the Kenmarc Company on coping with change that require a special focus, proactive plan and reprioritizing:

1. Increase the frequency of communications with existing clients. Listen for changes in budgets and proposed spending levels. Be aware of clients' perceptions of pricing and quality of work performed. Cross-sell and up-sell to your best customers being careful to reward them for their business.


2. Anticipate market changes. Stay informed about projected industry spending and purchasing trends.


3. Evaluate market opportunities. Explore ways to position services that meet perceived client needs.


4. Market and Promote. When everyone else cuts back and you maintain your investments in marketing and promotion, you may effectively double your exposure. You must inform prospects how your products and services satisfy their perceived needs. If they don’t know about you, they can’t buy from you, especially when the regain the confidence to spend.


5. Manage cash. Review existing collection policies for needed revisions and speed up procedures to increase collections. Offer incentives to pay early or on time.


6. Use resources effectively. Implement efficient methodology and eliminate waste and non-profitable areas. Get rid of “dead-wood” such as products/services that aren't selling or employees that don't help your business grow.


7. Ensure profitable operations. Lenders, buyers, or investors are not sympathetic to large losses incurred—even in difficult economic times.


8. Plan carefully. Prepare budgets and analyze ROI regularly.

By implementing these steps, while applying common sense management techniques, your business will not only survive, it will be among the 5% that actually thrive in a recession.

To learn more about how BTK & Associates can help your business market more efficiently, pleasee email me at brian@btkmarketing.com, visit our website at www.btkmarketing.com or call 317.493.8964.

Marketing your own business. Should You?

"The business owner that does his own marketing has a fool for a client."

Okay, that's not exactly how the saying goes. But this quote, often applied to people who serve as their own defense attorney in court, also applies to some business owners who try to save money by marketing their business without the help of a marketing professional.

I sat through a productivity seminar recently and we talked about how we often waste more time doing things on our own rather than paying someone to do it for us. My example was that I recently found myself up to my eyeballs in a new online email newsletter program that was very cumbersome to use. If I had just used the one I was familiar with, I could have done the newsletter faster and not spent two days trying to figure it out.

Among the other examples that people offered was a gentleman who hired a friend to do some basic drywall work in his home. His wife told him, "Watch closely how he does it so that you can do it next time and we don't have to pay." His response was classic. "Okay, the next time you go to your Ob/Gyn, I'd like to watch and learn so I can do it next time!"

Everyone wants to save money. But we are resigned to the fact that, in most cases, we just pay others to do certain tasks. Our car breaks down, we pay a mechanic. A pipe bursts, we pay a plumber. We have a toothache, a dentist performs a root canal. We pay a specialist because they have the necessary training, tools and techniques. They can do it faster, better and, more often than not, much cheaper in the long run. Just ask my wife how many times I started a "home repair project" and ended up paying more to have someone to repair my mistakes.

So, what makes some business owners believe they can market their business without help from a marketing professional? I recently had someone tell me, "Oh, it's just marketing. I can write a brochure or send a postcard. And my brother can design my website." And my favorite, "I'm not making any money so I can't afford to hire someone to do it for me."

It takes money to make money. Right? I attend numerous networking events and meetings. I watch the business owners interact. I see the business cards and/or brochures. I visit their websites. I hear the elevator pitches. And I can spot, without a doubt, which businesses do their own marketing...and are either really struggling or setting themselves up for failure.

When I meet with prospects and clients, I always ask what they've done in the past to market their business. They tell me what has worked and what hasn't. If something hasn't worked, it's usually due to one of these reasons:

• It was the wrong medium
• They missed their target audience
• They expected higher-than-average response rates
• They didn't have an attractive offer
• The execution was poor
• They didn't maintain frequency
• They didn't follow up the leads
• They didn't focus on cross-selling and up-selling to current customers

I've seen companies waste tens of thousands of dollars on marketing tactics. A marketing professional would have helped by planning, budgeting and making sure reasonable expectations were in place. And like a car mechanic, a marketing professional can fine tune a campaign to make it run more efficiently and analyze the ROMI (return on marketing investment).

So, unless you have a solid background in marketing and are marketing savvy, consider using a marketing professional. Even if its to bounce ideas off of or to seek advice before spending money on something that is not going to deliver customers, you'll be glad that you invested money up front rather than wasting a lot of money after it's too late.

To learn more about how BTK & Associates can help your business wade through all of the marketing muck and provide you with a sound marketing plan, visit www.btkmarketing.com or call 317.439.8923.