How One Orlando Business is Using Twitter to Entice Customers

A couple of weeks ago after work, my friend and I decided to hit up @SeitoSushi for Happy Hour before heading over to the grand opening of Pinkberry in Orlando . I wanted to see what kinds of rolls were on the Happy Hour menu but when I went to the website, all I could find were the lunch and dinner menus.

My best friend did a quick search and sent me this status update where Seito Sushi  had responded to someone else who had asked about their Happy Hour.

Inspired by how they responded to one of their followers, I sent my own Tweet to them hours before meeting my friend:

They promptly responded back with:

It’s that kind of customer engagement that makes Twitter an invaluable tool for businesses, in particular restaurants. I am now following @SeitoSushi so I can stay up to date on their specials/promotions and ask questions about items on their menu.

But My Twitter Story Does Not End There

Ichiban , another local sushi restaurant was also silently listening to the online conversation and it looks like they had their Twitter feelers out for the keyword “sushi” and “Orlando” when they saw my Tweet:

But that was just their opening line to inquire more into my sushi whereabouts and tastes:

I knew where this conversation was going since I work in the industry but it was interesting to see how they would continue to engage me online. After one or two Tweets back and forth they Tweeted their call to action:

How You can Use Twitter To Market Your Business

Not a restaurant? No problem! You can still get some great benefits and possible leads from using Twitter. Use your status updates to alert followers about your most recent blog posts, company news, industry tips/trends and of course retweets from others in the Twitter community whose advice you find invaluable. You never know who is out there listening for your brand-name and Twitter can be the first-step towards a life-long business relationship.

If you’ve been thinking about whether or not to start a blog for your company, there are quite a few things to take into consideration. Two of the most important considerations, in my humble opinion, are these:

Commitment for Consistency

Can you commit the time for at least one blog post per week and work your way up to two or three? Consistency is one of the keys to blogging success, so it’s better not to start a blog unless you can devote the time to keep it going on a consistent basis.

Nothing looks worse than starting to read a blog that seems interesting only to realize it was posted two years ago and the blog hasn’t been updated since then. This is definitely something you want to avoid. So think about your commitment to be consistent with your posts before you launch your blog.

Making Sure the Right Person or Persons are Blogging

Can you or someone in your company be the designated blogger? Choosing who will write is paramount since this person will basically represent your company. One trend many companies employ is having several people within the company write about various aspects of the business.

This is a great plan since it doesn’t over tax one person. If you have 4 people who can write and have something interesting to say, you can cover your blog for a month and each person is responsible for writing only one post per week. Additionally, there should be a plan in place for someone to be in charge of making sure the blog is updated consistently, especially if multiple writers are involved.

Take a Long-Term Approach

Blogging is a fantastic opportunity for you to promote your company, products or services, but taking a long-term approach is the smartest plan. Just as it is with most business strategies, making sure you have the manpower and the time to make a strong commitment is the best plan for success.

Managing multiple Twitter accounts can be fun yet time-consuming. Enter TweetDeck: a desktop application that helps you manage your daily Twitter routine. TweetDeck has several features such as writing and posting status updates to various social media networks from one main dashboard, viewing friend’s updates in real-time and more but the following three features are my personal favorites.

1. Columns - One of the most helpful features on TweetDeck are its columns. Columns can be set up to track mentions, view replies, and monitor and respond to direct messages.
   
   

   

2. Search - Keep an eye out for your business name by creating a search around it and any other keywords related to your industry. The search column helps you stay on top of your industry and discover people looking for your product or service.
   
   

   

3. Facebook Integration - Whether you're writing status updates or monitoring your news feed, Facebook integration in TweetDeck gives you more opportunities to communicate with your audience and manage your brand.
   
   

   

There are other Twitter desktop applications available such as Seesmic, HootSuite, and Twhirl each with their own set of unique features. The only way to determine the best fit for you is to test them out like I did. Afterwhile, you'll be able to figure out which one works the best for your social media management needs.

For more helpful hints, checkout TweetDeck's YouTube channel.

In Part 1   of this blog post, I talked about why setting specific goals is important to the success of your blog. The second part of this article will help you determine what those goals are.

A Brainstorming Session Is a Great Place to Begin

Gather everyone together who will be involved in the blogging process and throw your ideas around to see what emerges.

Ask relevant questions  to help determine your goals and establish your reasons for wanting to begin a blog.

• Do you want your blog to attract visitors who might become future clients to your site? Who are they?
• Are you trying to connect to other businesses in your industry? Who are they?
• Is it important that your blog increase your presence on the Web in your industry? Why?
• How often can you post a blog article and can you be consistent? This is an important goal. Start with at least one blog post each week and then re-establish this goal as you can increase the number consistently.
• Who is the best person (or the best people) to represent your company in your blog? Start with one or two and then try to include others in writing, which can also increase your weekly number of blog posts.
• How will you track your success? Setting a goal is one thing, knowing when you reach it is just as important.

Watch The Future of Your Blog Come to Life

As your group brainstorms, you will begin to see the future of your blog materialize and you will have a definite starting point – very important! As the weeks roll by and your blog becomes more and more a part of your company’s presence on the Internet, hopefully your ideas will continue to emerge. Keep setting new goals as you grow your blog.

If you can gain interaction with others in your industry, your blog will not only be helpful to your business, you will be helpful to others as well – this is called community and it is one of the most rewarding elements of blogging. 

So you’ve decided you want to create a company blog. Fantastic! The next step is to figure out exactly how to get your blog going to make it worthwhile and valuable for your company.

Initially, it is important to evaluate what blogging can do for your business and determine how you want to approach the whole idea of your blog.

Specific Goals Are Important for Successful Blog

Sometimes I think we have goals (or ideas) in our minds when we start a new project or task, but, for me, unless I make a tangible plan, I don’t always realize whether I am accomplishing enough. Fleshing out our ideas can turn into quality goals and help guide our way into any new adventure.

The more I’ve learned about blogging and the more I read what others have to say about blogging, the more I realize you need to have very specific goals for your blogs if you want them to be successful. Without understanding what you want to accomplish, it will be very hard to determine what to write about in a blog.

Visit us again on Thursday to learn more about setting goals for your company blog in Part 2 .

I love it when I see my favorite brands using social media. I recently discovered that famous American leather goods company Coach has a Flickr account . Flickr is a popular photo hosting and sharing service Coach uses to feature celebrities and fashion bloggers wearing their popular line of handbags, shoes, clothing and accessories.

As a social media tool Flickr offers a couple of perks over traditional photo suites:

• Attracting New Customers - Coach Enthusiasts already know to go to www.coach.com , but one of the main advantages of social media is to get your brand in front of new customers. Flickr currently has a ton of users and with new people signing up every day there are many opportunities for potential customers to come across photos of Coach items, sparking an interest in the brand.
• Community Involvement - Flickr makes it easy to engage people online. It provides users with interactive features such as commenting and tagging pictures, socially bookmarking photos, sharing pictures via email, photo blogging and more, so people can focus on starting a conversation or keeping one going.

Coach made a good social media marketing move. Fashionistas love nothing more than seeing what a celebrity is wearing so they can buy it for themselves. And since Coach is one of the more affordable luxury brands, putting pretty little ideas in the heads of new and current customers on what they can buy and how to pull the look together can help boost sales online and in their retail stores.

In Part 1  of this blog post, I talked about some of the main reasons a company should blog. The second part of this article will discuss additional ways to create a successful blog for your company.

Build a Community and Become a Reliable Resource for Others with your Blog

One of the goals of a blog is to build a community of readers who will be interested enough in what you’re blogging about to come back and visit frequently. As they share your site with others, and others share your site with others, pretty soon your community has grown in number without your having to do a whole lot – except keep blogging. This is one of the greatest benefits of having a company blog. 

Another benefit for you and your readers is to be the place people want to come back to for more good information. Most anyone in the world of blogging will tell you that one of the best things you can do for yourself as a blogger is to become a resource for others. This means not making your blog entirely about you and your company, but instead including links to other information of relevance, mentioning others in your blog posts and directing your readers to all types of helpful information through your blog.

It’s really important to be honest and sincere in your blogging efforts to gain credibility. If your only goal is to promote yourself, others will see through this and move on to more helpful blogs.

It’s a Brave New World of Media in the 21st Century

We’ve entered a new and different world of media and marketing techniques in recent years. Our world has changed from the time when all of the experts were completely unapproachable via radio, TV and print media. Now we can all have a voice! 

It’s an interactive world out there, and if we take the time to listen to others and share our ideas with each other, there is much we can learn and many ways we can benefit each other. Blogging is a simple way to do just that.

Now that’s not so scary after all, is it? 

If you’re a business owner and you’re paying attention, you’re hearing a lot about Social Media and blogging. You may be in the same boat as lots of other business owners – you have no idea how to break into the social media scene and you don’t really know what a blog is!

Maybe The Blog sounds like a scary monster who lives in the swamp and appears only at dusk through a cloud of fog and dampness. Don’t be afraid, blogging really isn’t as scary as you may think.

Yes, it’s an amazingly fast growing phenomenon; and let’s face it, in our current economic situation, many business owners haven’t had time to keep one up. So I hope to give you something to think about and help you uncover the mystery of The Blog!

Gain Exposure on the Web Through Blogging for Your Company

There are many reasons a company should get in on the social media scene. One of the main ways to do this is with a blog - it is the perfect way to get more exposure for your products or services with relative ease and not much expense. Besides, you don’t want to be left out of one of the fastest growing methods of Internet Marketing of the decade!

Blogging is one of the primary elements of a social media campaign. It is the central core of an entire social media strategy. Without a blog, your efforts to use other Social Media tools such as Facebook and Twitter probably won’t be as effective.

Blogging is the perfect platform to talk about your business in a casual way to draw other people to your blog and ultimately to your Web site, your Facebook page and to get people interested in following you on Twitter.

Visit us again on Thursday to learn more about the benefits of blogging in Part 2.
 

Xcellimark started 9 years ago as a web design company. Six months later Xcellimark started to market and promote websites in order to ensure that a company’s website investment was bringing in a positive return. That service was coined, “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO). During this time, people asked, “What’s a search engine?”

Fast forward 8 years and everybody knows what a search engine is, but there is now a new online medium in town. It’s called “Social Media.” Businesses are asking the same questions they asked 9 years ago about the need for a website and SEO. Today’s question is, “How can social media help my company make more money?”

Watch this video to see how Fortune 500 companies have increased profits with social media. Contact Xcellimark  to see how your company can use social media to increase your bottom line.

Ever wish you could be a fly on the wall and listen in on people’s conversations about you? Twitter  gives you that ability in real-time. And now that Twitter feeds are showing up in search engines such as Google, it’s now more important than ever to monitor your brand or product name. Celebrities do it all the time. Let’s look at a few examples so you can see how to apply them to your business.

Kim Kardashian

The reality show vixen was rumored to have killed her dog after allegedly finding out that her boyfriend, NFL star Reggie Bush, cheated on her. She immediately addressed the rumors on her Twitter:

What we can learn from this: Timing is everything. Around the same time the rumor hit the media, Kardashian  immediately denounced it on Twitter. By acting fast, she was able to make all of the other sources out there claiming she did harm her dog look less credible. If someone says something negative about you or your business, don’t wait too long to address it. The longer you wait, the more out of control the rumor can spin.

Wyclef Jean

Musician and founder of Yele Hati Wyclef Jean  was accused of having an extramarital affair and misappropriating funds from Yele Haiti to an alleged mistress. Jean took to Twitter with a special message for those fueling the gossip mill. Sure, he could have defended himself in a more eloquent manner but this is a good example of how someone can use Twitter to share their side of the story:

What we can learn from this: Just because Twitter gives you a voice does not give you license to miss-communicate. Jean calling his accusers names can make people question his validity. Remember to be kind to your critics, even when defending your business or brand name. Stooping to their level will only lose you cool points with your fans.

Michelle McGee

A tattoo model more famously known for causing trouble in the marriage of Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock and her husband Jesse James did not even have to defend herself: one of her fans did it for her and she re-tweeted it so it would show up in her Twitter feed:

What we can learn from this: After looking at Michelle’s Twitter profile , this was her only defense in reference to the adultery allegations – and it was not even directly from her. It was one of her own followers that did the Tweeting. One of the best ways to save face is to have your followers do it for you. It comes across as more genuine when other people are promoting a positive image of you.

Keeping your fingers on the pulse of Twitter and using it to effectively monitor your brand is a great way to defend your online reputation and find other opportunities for successful public relations.

In any type of marketing campaign, we have to pitch our products, services and our company if we want to get new business and make our presence known. And so it is with a blog - we want others to like our blog, mention our blog, and comment on our blog. That’s the name of the game in helping to build a larger community of readers.

So the question is, what is the right way to pitch your blogs? As with most anything else, there is a right and a wrong way to go about pitching a blog to get the results you want. Here are a few pointers to get you going in the right direction.

Before You Pitch Your Blog

• Read other blogs posts and find out who is blogging about things that will be useful and of interest to your own readers.
• Comment on other blogs. Make relevant, informative comments regarding the content.
• Contact the person who is writing the blog before you send your pitch.
• Be organized and make sure you know which sites will be best the target audience.
• Check to find out if there is a policy about accepting pitches.

When You Pitch Your Blog

• Address the person by name.
• Send your pitch to the correct email address, not webmaster.
• Send an individual email to the person, not mass emails.
• Be up front and honest about who you are and who you work for.
• Make sure your email is friendly in tone.
• Reference specific posts you found interesting.
• Explain why you feel your blog will be of interest to their audience too.

Building a Strong Community is the Reason to Pitch Your Blog

The more you blog, the more you will find others with whom you have common interests and things to share. Blogging is about sharing ideas and helping others to share theirs. The more you help others, the more they will help you. Perhaps that’s why it’s called building a community.

A community is only as strong as those who live in it and we all know that helping others is what makes any community strong. A blogging community works the same way. So pitch your blog to others and respond when others pitch their blog to you.
 

One of the most significant things you can do as a blogger is to give high priority to the importance of blog post titles. Good keyword-rich titles help rankings with search engine results and deserve a good deal of thought – every time!

All writers have their own strategies, and what works best for some may not work for another person. When I begin writing, I have a topic in mind, but I don’t actually give my blog post a title until I’ve finished writing it. I may start with one title and change it quite a few times before deciding on the final one.

Selecting Keywords and Keyword Search Tools

So how does one go about choosing keywords? Well, obviously, it depends on what you’re writing about.

If I were planning to remodel my kitchen and wanted to purchase new kitchen cabinets, how would I search for ideas on the Internet – kitchen cabinets, kitchen cabinet, kitchen remodeling, cabinets, etc. All the different ways one can search for a particular topic or item are basically keywords.

When you think of keywords, you should think of what word someone would use to search for the particular item or topic.

But that’s not the only way. There are many helpful tools out there – some of them for free – that are incredibly helpful in choosing the very best keywords. SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool  and Google AdWords  are two popular tools.

Keyword Placement is Important in Titles

While you may be tempted to choose cute, catchy titles for your blog posts, don’t do it! Of course, you want your titles to catch the attention of your audience since you do actually want someone to read your posts, but there is a difference in catching attention and being catchy!

If I see a title that catches my attention and then the article is about something totally different, I am immediately irritated. So I don’t want to do that to anyone else.  Make sure the main title contains keywords and it tells the readers what they are really going to read about.

In Meta Titles the most prominent keyword should be placed at the beginning or as close to the beginning as possible. The Meta Title doesn’t have to be the same as the title that appears at the top of the blog post – it can actually be longer, but it is imperative that keywords are placed early in the title to make them more likely to be found by search engines. And after all, you want to make the Search Engines happy!