by tradesmeninsights | Jun 10, 2009 | Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Twitter
Twittering is truly becoming one of the most important ways to share content in the social media arena. Beyond the obvious 140 characters limitation, there was no way to share images (a picture is worth a 1000 words). Since Twitter doesn’t have an application for this, third party vendors have come up with options for us that work on Twitter.
I recently read a post by Josh Catone, 5 ways to share images on Twitter, that I thought was both interesting and insightful on his part. He outlines our options and gives an overview of each of his examples. Here are some highlights of his 5 ways:
- Via a Twitter image sharing service
- Via SMS or Email
- Via Brightkite or FriendFeed
- Via Skitch
- Via an Encoded Tweet
Obviously, image sharing is the next logical step for Twitter and will probably drive more Tweets because of it.
If you’re already into images, I’d like to hear which one you prefer.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 2, 2009 | Marketing Tools, Social Marketing
For any of us who write a blog, you know it’s a major time commitment especially if you’re going to do it right. Some of you may only have 30 minutes or so each day and you really want to put out a good post. My audience are the manufacturers who sell to the professional tradesman and they know they need to get straight to the punch line in order to keep their attention. My main advice is to be consistent and keep the quality of your post high. Here are 4 guidelines I like to use to make sure I keep myself on track:
- Do at least one original post a week. Since a blog is about your opinion, then let’s make sure that you have one.
- Content over Frequency.We’re not in a marathon to see who can write the most posts. It’s what you say that’s important.
- KISS. Keep it simple. One key topic per post. Deliver the goods in the first paragraph (what’s in in for me).
- Keep it Short. The best and yet the hardest writing sometimes are those short, to-the-point sentences using just the right words.
These are on my checklist. What’s on yours?
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 1, 2009 | Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Twitter
I’m sure we all have stories of customer service experiences both good and bad. I’d bet you’ve had more bad than good experiences though. For manufacturers who sell to the professional tradesmen, these are even more challenging. Think about it for a minute, when do these guys have questions/problems? Usually it’s on a job site or out in the shop where they may or may not have access to a computer. If they do call, they may be on hold for what seems like an eternity and still not get an answer to their question.
You need to think outside the box. Twitter is an ideal tool to service your customers. Customer service departments are supposed to solve problems, reinforce a positive brand experience and not cost you an arm and leg to support.
- While phone calls may solve the problem, wait times do not. Twitter is almost instantaneous and can help solve most problems quickly.
- Brand experience. Great customer service gets talked about and can lead to more sales.
- Economical. Using Twitter often takes less time thus saving money.
Once you have an understanding of how Twitter can work, you can also easily track and monitor what people are saying about your brand.
Tweetbeep-Keeps track of contractor conversations that mention you.
Monitter-Lets you monitor the Twitter world for a set of key words and watches what people are saying about you.
Let contractors know how to know you’re there. Ask users to follow you on Twitter. Place a button on your web site in the customer service section so they know they can contact you in another manner.
Respond quickly and transparently. When you find a tradesman complaining about an issue, @reply them asking if you can help. If the problem is sensitive or the customer is highly upset, you can either direct a message to them or give them a quick way to contact you directly (direct line or your email).
Be engaged in the conversations. Twitter is a conversational platform. Contractors like to talk. This is an opportunity to build your brand.
Be authentic. Contractors are no dummies and if you try to pull the wool over their eyes, it will come back to bite you.
Twitter and social media are helping the way customer service is done. Think outside the box. Wouldn’t you want to be the first in your line of work to offer this as an optional customer service tool?
by tradesmeninsights | May 28, 2009 | Marketing Tools
Professional tradesmen are just as busy as the rest of us and they need to know, what’s in it for them? My experience working with marketing departments is that they are in the features/benefits mode most of the time and have a difficult time adjusting to writing online. In order to write effectively, you must understand how people read on the web.
And how do users read on the web? The answer is, they don’t...they scan.
Nielsen Norman Group’s research found that 79 percent of their test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word.
For your company’s blog to be effective, your text must be scannable. Jakob Nielsen offers this advice:
- highlighted key words (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others)
- meaningful sub-headings (not “clever” ones)
- bulleted lists
- one idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
- the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion
- half the word count (or less) than conventional writing
Nielsen’s research also found that users detested “marketese”; the promotional writing style with boastful claims. I’ve often said that the moment you start to sell on your company’s blog is when you will lose your audience.
You need to understand how people read on the web and learn to write for them effectively. Go to Jakob Nielsen’s web site and read this paper. If you look at the top blogs, you’ll find they follow Nielsen’s style guidelines remarkably well. How Users Read on the Web
by tradesmeninsights | May 4, 2009 | Marketing Tools
Facebook now has over 200 million active users. More than 100 million users log on to Facebook at least once a day.
The INSIDECRM blog provides a comprehensive list of 100 tools and tips that will help your company maximize the marketing opportunities available through Facebook.
This is a great resource list that will make Facebook part of your company’s social media marketing mix for new business:
- Learn why Facebook has rapidly become the go-to networking site for marketers. Learn about the current and future advertising opportunities on Facebook.
- Learn about the endless ways you can use Facebook to promote your company at no costs. Use your creativity and marketing mind to maximize these features.
- Learn about the tools and applications, add-on features for Facebook, that will allow you to customize your profile and fan pages to build relationships with clients and prospective clients.
- Learn how to narrow down your target audience through researching Facebook’s demographics. Learn to tailor your social media new business strategy through “How-to Guides” to help fully utilize Facebook.
- Learn the benefits of Facebook from this list of tools and tips.
Bookmark and read, The Facebook Marketing Toolbox: 100 Tools and Tips to Tap the Facebook Customer Base
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 28, 2009 | Marketing Tools
Twitter is the micro-blogging platform that will help B-to-B marketers grow their brand. It’s not a fad (upwards of 10,000 people a day are signing up).
Twitter helps you:
- Build brand awareness
- Generate traffic via followers
- Gain insight via polls/surveys
- Get to people you wouldn’t necessarily get to because of re-tweets
Twitter support applications that I find useful for B-to-B applications are:
TweetLater. Schedule tweets like you would an e-mail campaign so that you’ll have several going out each day automatically.
TweeterSearch gives you the ability to receive e-mail digests of key word activity so you can track and participate in conversations. You can now know who’s saying what about your company or brand.
Ping.fm. If you have a Facebook or LinkedIn account, you can post updates across all your social media sites.
Twitter on Facebook. You can forward your Twitter updates directly to your status updates on Facebook.
TwitterFox. If you use the web browser Firefox, you can view your tweets in you browser as in a pop-up menu so you don’t have to be going to Twitter to check .
Tweetdeck. A personal browser that connects you with your contacts across Twitter and Facebook and allows you to follow your friends.
Twitter is so much more than a micro-blog limited to 140 characters, and when used properly, can help your overall marketing program.
Have you used other tools to help you get the most out of Twitter? Share them in the comment section below.
