Why Twitter? – Method in the Mayhem

Short version:

Twitter , while seemingly pointless, is actually useful. If you’re clever and persistent, you can use Twitter to:

Let contacts get to know you as a person
Develop existing relationships and create new ones
Learn about your friends, colleagues and contacts
Demonstrate your intelligence/wit/charm
Get answers to your questions
Find new clients
Find volunteers to help you get things done

Long version:

This post is all about how I accidentally started lobbying for Twitter, and the justifications I gave for its use. If you don’t know already, Twitter is essentially a website that allows you to create your own account, then post short messages (limited to 140 characters) that answer the perennial question: What are you doing?

Twitter is loved and hated – to some it’s a beautiful device that brings them closer to their world, and to others it’s an inane time waster and an unwanted surge of information in an already overloaded world.

I recently found myself evangelising on behalf of Twitter at a party – I was recommending Twitter to a social media consultant, who viewed Twitter as an unnecessary additional distraction.

So, how did I justify Twitter?

1. By demonstrating usefulness

I gave real examples of how Twitter had been genuinely useful to me.

Example 1:

I’ve been working on writing guides recently, and when I wanted some readers to give me feedback, I turned to my Twitter followers.

And nearly ten different people responded. And those are ten people who volunteered to read my guide. I’ve since received their feedback and revised my guide.

Without Twitter, I would have had to email the people I thought would be most likely to cooperate, or most interested in providing feedback. With Twitter, I can broadcast the request and let interested people decide for themselves. It’s less pressured, more casual, and more effective because of it.

Also, many people follow me on Twitter who I’ve never met – let alone emailed. So I’ve had relative (and in some cases total) strangers giving me valuable feedback. Without Twitter, that would not have happened.

Example 2:

Back to my writing guides… I realised that having nice looking PDFs would probably help the guides get distributed and get read. So I needed a designer.

As the guides are going to be completely free, and freely distributed, I’m trying to avoid spending money on them. So how do you find a designer who is willing to work for nothing more than a discreet marketing opportunity and a dose of good karma?

I was wary of even asking anyone to work for free, because I’m sensitive to the fact that many people receive requests for work on spec, or on the promise of equity. But I asked the Twittersphere, happy knowing that nobody could reasonably resent my request, because it’s so easy to ignore.

And you know what? I had two offers from designers, willing to take a look at my project. Currently, Emma Nicol from Door 22 is working on the guides (the guides are now published). Thanks Emma! I should point out that Emma only agreed to even consider helping me out because we had become better acquainted through Twitter.

2. By suggesting that not using Twitter means you miss out

What’s happening in your town? What are the latest web apps, memes or theories that are bouncing around cyber-space? How do you know about all the ‘latest’ things?

Twitter can be a great way to keep up with the world. People tend to Tweet about their new discoveries or latest passions. So you get to hear about them.

Increasingly, conversations are taking place within Twitter. Ideas blossom, burst into life, crash, burn and die before they’ve even left the Twittersphere. If you’re not on Twitter, you’ll never know.

3. By explaining the value of the seemingly inane

So you’ve looked at Twitter, and got annoyed because people post messages (or Tweets) like:

“Bad curry. Bad rice. Bad Chris.”
“GOOD MORNING!!!“
“Forming my burger mix into flat patties. Too much burger mix; tomorrow: meatballs!“

Now, everyone has their own idea of what is useful, what is boring, what is rude and what is pointless. The beauty of Twitter is that you can constantly refine your Twitter stream. If someone consistently Tweets about stuff that doesn’t interest you, block them. It’s easy.

But, it’s worth considering that even ‘inane’ messages about what people are eating or cooking or blogging about, are giving you a window into their lives. You may have a strong network of business contacts, but how well do you know your contacts as people?

Twitter gives you a great opportunity to get to know the people that you work and network with. Twitter also gives you a great opportunity to meet new people. And yes, that means meeting people in real life too!

4. By explaining that I’ve found work through Twitter

I’ve encountered new clients through Twitter – people I might never have met had it not been for a connection on Twitter.

For many people, Twitter is a great way to maintain contact with their network, and to expand their network in new directions. There is probably no greater way to casually, gently tell people that you exist.

In conclusion

Twitter offers powerful benefits. But you have to contribute before you’ll ever get anything from it. If you view Twitter as just some way to find people to do things for free, or just as a tool to promote your blog, or just as a forum to moan about your boss, then you’ll probably struggle to really enjoy it.

View Twitter as something bigger; something that you do because it’s fun, something that just happens to be very useful.

A Missed Opportunity

What is this?

It’s a missed opportunity.

As I sorted my receipts (for expenses purposes), I took a trip down memory lane. I remembered meetings and coffees and lunches and appointments and clients and friends. When I found the receipt above, I remembered thinking that the cafe had failed to set up their till properly.

So rather than being reminded of this particular cafe, and seeing their name again, I get an advert for the Sharp XE-A212 till.

Maximising potential

Marketing is all about little opportunities like this. It’s just about gently reminding people that you exist.

Tags: Add new tag, marketing
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Google isn’t everything: how Google doesn’t exactly reflect the real world

I’m going to say something that is bloody obvious, but bears repeating: Google’s search results do not always reflect real life.

What I mean is that many successful businesses have quite under-nourished websites, which appear on page 2 or 3 of any relevant SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). While a number 1 position in Google’s results may be the Holy Grail of web marketing, it clearly isn’t everything.

What’s my point?

I help my clients find success on the web. I use Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and off-site tactics to drive people towards their websites. I look for ways to generate interest and income in and around their websites. But it’s crucial that my clients and I remember that the web is just a part of the business environment.

Perspective

The web is a great place, and it’s very useful for businesses, but it should not be the only aspect of a firm’s marketing activities. A website makes a perfect platform from which to start and to focus marketing activities around – but businesses also need to stand up in the real world. Those who don’t risk being overtaken by their more active counterparts. You may be winning the war on the web, but what are your competitors doing in real life?

Tags: SEO, web marketing
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Web marketing services – fresh thinking & effective strategies

Web copy to web marketing

I write a lot of copy for websites. After writing web copy, the natural progression is to ask: what next? And:

How will people find this website?
How will the right people know about this website?
How will this website develop a life of its own?
How can we make this website sell?

In short, writing copy for websites leads to thoughts of web marketing. And quite naturally my work has slipped from pure copywriting into Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and web marketing. I recently added additional pages to explain these services – read about my approach to web marketing.

Web design from a web marketing point of view

Being a marketing kind of person, I view things from the point of view of the customer. I put myself in the shoes of my clients’ customers. As with all marketing, it never hurts to consider the marketing of a thing when you’re deciding the fundamentals. So don’t be afraid to ask a copywriter for their thoughts on your project.

Tags: web marketing
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The evils of marketing-led enterprise…

In a follow-up to yesterday’s post about getting a marketing mind involved in business decisions, I’d like to

expand on the views I expressed.

How marketing could make you bland

If every business only made products that were easy to sell, we wouldn’t have Stinking Bishop cheese, or Robin Reliants, or Michael Buble. The influence of marketing also has a terrible effect on Hollywood – stripping the art out of film and replacing it with dull, beige blockbusters in which everyone survives.

If my previous employer had allowed the sales team to dominate product development, every product would have been shamelessly populist, hell bent on crowd-pleasing, never daring to step in new directions.

Be a maverick, and to hell with marketing

Don’t run your business via the marketing department. What the hell do they know, anyway? Let ideas run sideways through the corporate field. Innovate like crazy. Business is about more than money.

Mixed messages

If you’re starting to feel confused, let me clarify: it’s a great idea to ask someone of a marketing bent to review your plans. It’s a terrible idea to let said marketing person run the show. Having a say is one thing, taking control is something else.

(Picture courtesy of Alaskan Dude)

Tags: copywriting, marketing
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Why you should involve marketing in all your business decisions

I often get drafted in to write copy for projects that are nearing completion. Copy (supposedly) is the icing on many a corporate cake. I waltz in with a pen, release my prodigious vocabulary, then naff off. And often, that approach is just fine. But, to paraphrase NatWest adverts, there is a better way…

Everything in business should be run past a copywriter

I once worked for a company that designed and produced a large number of original products. The product development team was highly creative and highly effective, but on occasions the sales team would despair because unsellable products were produced.

The sales team knew, from their close relationships to their buyers, what would sell and what would not.

Eventually, the sales team were brought in to development meetings. From then on, product development was focused on products that would have a future.

It’s always a good idea to think about the details of selling a product before you make it. If a copywriter can write about your product, it has a better chance of success. Planning the marketing of a product or service will often suggest variations or alternatives to the original product.

SEO and product development

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) also plays an interesting role in modern product development. Performing a thorough keyword analysis often suggests under-exploited niches, which in turn may affect the products and services a company offers.

So if you know a friendly copywriter, give them a call now. (My number is 07790 748 243.) A copywriter or marketing professional may provide insights that open up profitable new markets.

Shame about the name

Product naming is another area that copywriters can help with. Copywriters will be thinking about products on shelves, words on websites, and what those things will mean to the public. Don’t name a product without carefully considering the details of selling it. Even better, ask someone from outside your company for a second opinion.

Tags: copy, copywriting, marketing
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Marketing and packaging: anger in the aisles

Because my work is all about marketing, I tend to view all corporate acts through the lens of marketing.

Because I consider marketing to encompass every activity in the process of selling, it seems quite right to view corporate activity in this way.

Having made my excuses, I would now like to discuss packaging.

Waste not?

I was recently pleased to see the above packaging in supermarkets. The product doesn’t really matter for now; the important thing is that the packaging (allegedly) uses 75% less plastic than it used to. By swapping their hard plastic bottles for a thinner plastic bag, this company have instantly reduced their material use by 75%.

What I can’t fathom is why everyone isn’t doing this.

In a world where companies invest fortunes in carbon credits, or rescuing koalas from extinction, or internal recycling schemes, or glossy PR campaigns – why don’t they just do real things like being less wasteful?

Does quality waste, destroy and fritter?

Now, I understand the importance of brand, and the perception of quality. But I think modern times call for a redefinition of quality.

Quality is not wasting the last few drips of oil on pretty packaging. That is idiocy.

Quality is responsibility, and understanding the impact of your actions. Quality equates with intelligence, with doing the right thing, with social responsibility.

From a marketing point of view, it’s easy to promote and sell something that has clearly been made by intelligent, thoughtful human beings and is conscious of environmental issues. I do not envy the marketer who has to stack their bottles of shower gel next to the one above. They may as well slap a label on it that says “Needlessly wasting 75% more plastic than we need to. But ain’t we pretty?”

Of course, many people recycle, so some may argue that marketers should be allowed to waste whatever materials they choose. But of course, not everyone recycles. Also, the process of recycling uses additional resources, so it’s much better to reduce consumption of materials in the first place.

Big slow corporations – when will they catch up?

I’m continually suprised by the lack of ingenuity and innovation displayed by major corporations. Why are they so reluctant to reduce, reuse and recycle? Has a focus group declared that they prefer wasteful packaging?

Incidentally, the company behind the intelligent, high-quality, environmentally-friendly packaging is Original Source.

Tags: recycling
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Economic downturn: time to make your website do something

Judging by the websites I encounter during my work, many are under-optimised. Which means there is extensive scope for improvement, which means they could do more for the businesses that own them.

Many websites appear to have been created some time ago, by an outside agency, plonked down on the web and left to fester. Such websites can be spotted by their misjudged positioning, missing SEO elements, ancient blog posts or ‘news’, references to summer when it’s autumn, misspelled or grammatically incorrect copy, low or non-existent Page Rank and minimal links pointing to it.

These websites are sad creatures, attracting few visitors, making no sales, converting nothing and generating no leads. The money invested in these websites is wasted. The return on investment is £0.

Optimising existing assets

In the current economic climate, it strikes me that many businesses need to evaluate their web presence, and consider how it might do more. Now is the perfect time to tweak existing assets into useful, profitable tools.

The web is an amazing place that offers a wealth of potential. But websites need to work hard to compete among the billions of other websites. Websites that are just dumped on the web will do nothing but take up space, cost money and gather e-dust.

Optimising websites is simple – you just need to know how. Most websites require a few key changes and some work off-site to get the ball rolling.

Managing your website

I believe that any business that wants their website to do more should start by appointing someone to be Web Manager, or Web Lord, or whatever they prefer to be known as. Give your Web Lord some time to regularly think about your website. Take some of their least favourite tasks away from them so they have mental space to think creatively about web marketing.

Web Marketing Reports

If you’re unsure of how to get started, and would like a few pointers, drop me a line. I offer web marketing reports which come packed with effective techniques for making websites work harder.

Tags: SEO, web marketing, website, website copy
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Social Proof – what it is and why you need it

The web has an inherent problem for buyers. It’s impossible to tell trusted, respected businesses apart from cowboys, swindlers and snake-oil sellers. Unless you happen to know the business in question.

For most people, viewing most websites, they only know what is put in front of them. So if your business has a website, you need to appeal to the people you’ve never met, just as much as to the people you’ve already approached.

How do you make someone trust you?

You can’t make anyone do anything, but you can help them. Using Social Proof is a great way to build trust. Social Proof basically means showing people that other people have used your business successfully. People are herd animals and we need to feel that others have gone before us. It’s much easier to persuade someone to buy your product if you can persuade them that others have already bought your product.

I recommend using genuine testimonials. But go further. Don’t just use:

“This product is great!” – J. Hoppendoodle

Say who J. Hoppendoodle is, where they’re from, and provide a link to their website. Show that real people use your products and services by connecting your audience to those people. Let the roots of your social proof run deep. The more real you make your business the easier it will be to sell your wares.

Bandwagons

I noticed with interest that the Wikpedia entry for Social Proof contains a note suggesting that the entry is merged with the entry for Bandwagon Effect. ‘Bandwagon effect’ is a useful way to think of Social Proof. It captures the notion that people will ‘jump on’ something that everyone else is jumping on, almost regardless of the underlying facts.

I don’t mean that I think people are mindless sheep- because I don’t. What I do think is that people need to feel they can trust you, and it’s wise to use Social Proof as a device for building trust.

Secondary benefits of Social Proof

Often, using Social Proof on the web has secondary benefits. Mentioning your clients’ names and websites means they get free publicity and you both get to advertise your mutual association. Possibly the biggest benefit to your clients is links. The SEO benefit of additional links is considerable, so using Social Proof also gives you a great opportunity to reward your clients.

(Picture courtesy of Cpeachok)

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Are corporations intrinsically evil?

Google has taken another step toward total world domination and become the first search engine in space.

I really like Google; I use lots of their applications and I genuinely admire their ethos: Don’t Be Evil.

But can a business, which is compelled to make profits to satisfy shareholders, ever guarantee that it won’t be evil?

Temptation this way comes

A business as large and powerful as Google will increasingly have opportunities to be evil. Will Google be able to maintain the pure, innocent and honest ethos that it started with?

I think it’s easy for small companies to be good. As companies grow they fall under greater external pressures. Does Google have a plan for ensuring that, regardless of who is in charge, Google doesn’t do evil?

(Picture courtesy of The Ritters)

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