Posts Tagged ‘Twitter’

Tech Tuesdays: 5+ social marketing start-up tips for your small business.

For those who still aren’t sold on the social media phenomenon, these and these numbers ought to get your attention, or at least give you pause:

  • Social media adoption by small businesses doubled in 2009 from 12% to 24%.
  • 59% of small businesses with a social media presence say it has provided value.
  • 49% say their social media presence has produced advocates for their business.
  • 65% say they actively use it for promotion.
  • 1 in 5 small business owners are actively using social media, including blogs, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.

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So if you’re considering dipping your toe in the social media sea, here are 5 of 30 musts you might want to keep in mind from inc.com:

1. Pull back the curtain: “Offering a sneak preview of new products, services or features online can help build demand and provide critical feedback to help smooth the launch.”

2. Be candid: “In unsure economic times, transparency goes a long way toward retaining and attracting customers. Giving readers the scoop on your company blog is an easy way to keep the lines of communication open.”

3. Reward customer loyalty: “Sprinkles Cupcakes, in Beverly Hills, California, uses Twitter to send out daily promotional offers. The tweets, which ask customers to whisper a ‘password’ to receive a free treat, have helped the company draw more than 17,000 followers.”

4. See what they’re saying about you: “A quick search for mentions of your company on Facebook, Twitter and Yelp can yield a goldmine of information concerning your reputation.” The owner of one Chicago bookstore focused on improving customer service after reading comments online.

5. Help others promote you: “Social media can help you find passionate customers who are more than willing to spread the word about your company. Crafts supplies manufacturer Fiskars reached out to scrapbookers by inviting four avid users to blog. Its crafts community has since attracted 5,000 users who serve as brand evangelists.

You’ll find some additional small business social media tips here and here.

Have you already gone social? What advice can you offer?

Posted by Lynnette in Technology on July 13th, 2010

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Is social media a trend that's too big for your business to ignore?

If it felt like everyone was talking about Twitter last year, it wasn’t your imagination. According to the Global Language Monitor, which documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language, Twitter was the top word of 2009, beating out other trendy words like H1N1, 2.0, Deficit and, of course, Obama.

That’s not all. According to Nielsen Online, Twitter grew 1,382% – and that was just from February 2008 to 2009! Other social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn also saw impressive growth.

Forrester’s Nate Elliott says the social craze is here to stay and Canadians are the world leaders in embracing it. In fact, he says 57% of us use social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn at least once a month. (Americans are second, trailing at 51%.)

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Okay. So how does all this twittering, facebooking and linking in impact your business?

It turns out some Canadian marketers like Vancity and Molson have been using social media for 3 or 4 years. For the rest of us—social networking newbie’s—we have some catching up to do.

Forrester developed a cool tool your business can use to better understand your customers who use social media. Check it out here.

And the Harvard Business Blog’s David Armano, offers some additional insight with his six social media trends for 2010:

1. As networks continue to fill with noise, more will allow users to select the chatter they most want to hear.

2. Most companies will use social technology to find effective ways to serve customers more economically.

3. Businesses will become more savvy at providing incentives to increase activity within their networks.

4. Companies will formalize how their employees can—and should—use social media network to interact directly with customers.

5. As many organizations ban social networks on work PCs, smartphones will become the social media vehicle of choice.

6. Email sharing will become so ‘Year 2000’ as more websites allow users to share information directly through networks—why email when you can tweet?

What’s your experience with social media been like? How do you plan on taking advantage of the power of social networks in 2010?

Posted by Lynnette in Marketing on January 26th, 2010

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Of horoscopes, weather forecasts… and taco trucks

Let’s face it: if we were better at predicting the future, more of us would be a lot richer. Not wiser, maybe, but definitely richer.

And while I sometimes wonder about the value of forecasting, I still can’t help watching weather reports and checking my horoscope. This week “my daily routine will be injected with a dose of inspiration,” in case you were wondering.)

Which brings me back to how Canadian small business owners and executives say they’re feeling about the future. According to STAPLES Canada’s latest Small Business National Quarterly Index 71% predict their business situation will improve in the next 6 months – up from 58% in March.

So what really is in store for small businesses in the short term? Here’s one mind-blowing paradigm-shifting prediction that should give us all pause for thought – or inspiration: 90% of your sales will come from word of mouth or digital promotion by 2011.

Here’s one of my own:

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Earlier this year, the roving Kogi Korean taco truck made news by broadcasting its whereabouts – and marketing itself to adoring LA foodies – almost entirely on Twitter. I bet some creative Canadian entrepreneur will harness the power of free social media just as effectively – unless of course, one already has…

What are your predictions for 6 months out? Let me know and I’ll post some of your most interesting comments in an upcoming post.

Posted by Lynnette in Growing Your Biz, Lifestyle on November 18th, 2009

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