Why automated tweets aren’t as awful as (some would have) you think.
Recently, I came across Tweetlater, an app that allows me to schedule tweets to go out when I’m away from my computer or Blackberry (there are others as well such as Tweetadder). I’ve also read lots of tweets about the evils of automating your tweets, mostly focusing on how Twitter is intended to build relationships, assuming you can only build them live.
I’ve found, however, that managing three Twitter accounts can take an awful lot of time, even using an application such as Tweetdeck that allows you to filter out tweeps you want to follow, but who might, shall we say, tweet a tad too much. So I’ve come to embrace scheduled tweeting as a way to be even more engaged. Here’s why.
- I can’t be as engaged on Twitter if I can’t be on it numerous times throughout the day. By using a scheduler, I can set up two to four tweets each day to cover the times I know I won’t be able to add to the conversation. As long as I’m not spamming with sales pitches, I’m providing useful information that otherwise wouldn’t be available.
- By scheduling some of my tweets I’m more likely to be better engaged a couple of times a day when I can take 30 minutes or so to read incoming tweets, retweet the interesting ones, clicking through and bookmarking those links I want to spend even more time with later
- By scheduling tweets, I’m actually refraining from adding to the twutter (my term for Twitter clutter). If I checked in with Twitter every hour or so – as I know many do – I’d end up retweeting so much more, oftentimes things (like @mashable’s tweets) that have already been re-re-tweeted.
- By stepping away from the twitterverse and focusing on what I do for clients, I’m adding to the conversation by bringing fresh experience to the table. When all I do is stay focused on Twitter, I stay inside its bubble with less chance of bringing a fresh perspective.
- I’m sharing good information with new tweeps as they follow. If I only send tweets out as I come across information, only those following me at that point in time would benefit. By saving those tweets, I can send them out once a week or so, thus providing useful information to the tweeps who have recently begun following me.
I do follow someone who seems to only send out automated sales tweets, not to mention DMs, which is especially annoying. That is not adding to the conversation. That’s dominating it in the way an egomaniac only talks about himself. Sooner or later the interesting people drift away. But if your automated tweets are limited and focus on sharing interesting information, I think scheduling your tweets will make you far more productive while keeping your followers engaged.
You can follow bigBUZZness on Twitter, @bigbuzzness.
Stats Confirm It: Teens Don’t Tweet
Amazing – there are actually more 55+ tweeps than teens. But the biggest group lies somewhere in between.
5 Reasons Why Twitter’s Growth Cannot Be Stopped
5 Reasons Why Twitter’s Growth Cannot Be Stopped.
Although the last survey I read said 69% of Americans had no idea what to do with Twitter, it may very well be time you found out.
For Companies, a Tweet in Time Can Avert PR Mess – WSJ.com
For Companies, a Tweet in Time Can Avert PR Mess – WSJ.com.
Sure the big guys can buy software to track their online mentions, but not so easy for small businesses on a budget. bigBUZZness can help you do it affordably.
5 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses
Social Media – also called “new media” – refers to the collection of sites such as Facebook, Twitter and others that allow people to interact. They make so much sense for small businesses for one very good reason: they’re affordable. However, Social Media can be daunting to the newcomer; the language alone with “tweets” and “linkbacks” and “seo” is enough to scare the small business owner off. Here are some suggestions to help you navigate Social Media without drowning:
- Get educated in Social Media. For example, Facebook is a great way to promote your business to people you already know, who might help you promote it to their friends (that’s called “viral marketing”). Twitter, on the other hand, is better for making contact with new potential customers.
- Make sure you website has a blog. This is the cornerstone of what is known as “Web 2.0”, or the interactive website. Communications today are all about two-way conversation and a blog, to which readers can make comments, is a great way to encourage discussion. It can be set up so that you can review comments before posting them.
- Get on Twitter. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know how this communications platform has exploded. With Twitter you can find interesting people – such as other small businesses, SCORE and others– to follow. Sharing information results in everyone being better informed and is a great source for articles and topics for your blog.
- Create a Facebook Fan Page. Of all the ways your small business can be present on Facebook, a Fan Page is the most viral, meaning, it is the most likely to be shared. Invite friends to join your Fan Page and then populate it with product and service updates, special offers and links back to your website and blog for more information.
- Pay attention to your Social Media every day. Once you’ve set your blog up, invite staffers to add posts. Tweet at least three to five times a day (again, you can invite other staffers to help you). Try to update your Facebook Fan Page daily. You must keep the conversation going and give people fresh reasons to spend time with you on the web.
If all of this seems overwhelming, hire a professional. Have a company – like bigBUZZness – train you and your staff. Or, have them manage some or all of your Social Media. For a fraction of the cost of traditional media, you have the potential to reach far more people with your message than you ever thought possible.
For more information on how bigBUZZness can help you with your Social Media needs give us a buzz. You can follow bigBUZZness on Twitter at @bigbuzzness. Or join the bigBUZZness Fan Page on Facebook.
US retailers turn to social media – WARC News – WARC.com
US retailers turn to social media – WARC News – WARC.com.
NEW YORK: Major US retailers such as JCPenney and American Eagle, and high-profile apparel brands like Nike, are increasingly turning to social media as they try to connect with teenage consumers in the US.
33 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Business
33 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Business.
Is your LinkedIn account mostly sitting idle? You can do so much more with it than simply look up contacts: find gigs, sell products, expand your networks, grow your business and gain free publicity.
Marketing Small Businesses With Twitter – NYTimes.com
Small businesses typically get more than half of their customers through word of mouth, he said, and Twitter is the digital manifestation of that. Twitter users broadcast messages of up to 140 characters in length, and the culture of the service encourages people to spread news to friends in their own network.
Why your website needs a blog
Gone are the days of the one-way, set-it and forget-it website. You know, you write some text, post some images, figure out that whole keyword thing and throw it all up there praying that someone will come visit. As Search Engine Optimization has changed, so have the ways that “spiders” seek out – and find – information. Now, more than ever, you need a blog.
1. With a blog you have the opportunity to insert key words and phrases (though these are becoming less important in searches) without “keyword stuffing” your static content.
2. Your blog creates a reason for visitors to re-visit your site over and over as your content will always be changing.
3. With more content created by your blog, you have more to promote with “backlinks” from your other web accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and more.
4. With original blog articles on your site, you have the ability to upload and share those articles on sites such as Digg or StumbleUpon, simultaneously boosting your exposure to the followers on those sites as well as creating the backlink to your site.
5. Your blog can establish you as an authority on your topic in your industry. While visitors can compare any number of slick websites along with yours, it could very well be your blog that distinguishes how knowledgeable you really are about your product or service category.
If you’re intimidated about the prospect of blogging, don’t be. You don’t have to write a tome; 300 to 500 words is standard and just fine. And, keeping your blogs short allows you to break a topic into several articles, thus keeping your website even more fresh than cramming all your knowledge into one blog post. If you’re still not sure that blogging is for you, hire a pro. bigBUZZness blogs for clients at many different price levels.
Whether you chose to dive in and start sharing your knowledge yourself or to hire a blogger to do it for you, one thing’s for certain: your website is falling behind in the cyber marketing world without a blog.
Small businesses optimistic despite credit woes
Small businesses optimistic despite credit woes.
Chin up mates. You’re not alone.
