Twitter to swim with the big fishes in business marketing

Most of the Twitter users who use it to promote their small business expect their company’s use of the popular microblogging tool to increase during the next six months, according to a recent survey by MarketingProfs.

The informal survey revealed that the practice of using Twitter as a business tool is gaining acceptance as an important piece of social media marketing. According to the MarketingProfs survey, 84% of respondents say their company’s use of Twitter will increase, with 46% saying the increase will be by a “significant” margin.

Twitter as a business tool

Compared to other social media tools, Twitter ranks second only to company blogs in perceived value. Company blogs and Twitter still rank ahead of LinkedIn and Facebook.

“This data shows that Twitter users, typically early adopters, no longer think of Twitter as just a personal networking tool, but as something that can provide real value for their company or business,” said Ann Handley, chief content officer for MarketingProfs. “Much like Facebook, Twitter is now moving into the business mainstream.” Additional Twitter research from MarketingProfs revealed that Twitter users are primarily motivated by the learning and immediacy components of the application. (MarketingCharts)

Twitter as a business tool

Friday business humor: Taking Twitter too far

More than one in ten (11%) online adults in the U.S. say they have microblogged, on Twitter or elsewhere, to share personal updates or view updates about others, according to new research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Those who use Twitter are more likely to use other social media. Both blogging and social network use increase the likelihood that a person also uses Twitter, according to the study.

The study also revealed that Twitter users are also heavy consumers of blog content. About 21% of Twitter users read someone else’s blog the day before they participated in the survey and more than half (57%) have ever read a blog.

The research provides just a few more reasons why your B2B organization should be involved in social media and networking. But at what point does using Twitter for business go too far?

Maybe when you find something like this in the office:

Taking Twitter too far

Growing your fan base on Twitter: What not to do

Using Twitter for business has proven to be a valuable tool for many companies, but like any growing media, the rules are still developing and constantly changing.

In a recent post at Mashable, blogger Atherton Bartleby compares the interaction between people on Twitter to that of a fabulous party:

“We’ve all been there: You’re at a party hosted by that one fabulous friend, and populated with the best of your mutual circle of friends. The atmosphere is almost carbonated with excitement; the guests’ personalities flawlessly compliment each other; and the conversations that abound are infused with intelligence, caustic wit, and a wide variety of knowledge that ensures the complete absence of any pregnant, awkward pauses. Then, it happens: someone appears who just doesn’t…fit.”

A similar situation occurs on Twitter when someone starts following you and doesn’t fit into the conversation. “This is the person whose follow on Twitter you simply cannot bring yourself to return,” and what Bartleby calls the “follow fail.”

If you would like to grow the number of followers you have on Twitter and get Bartelby to start following you too, here are a few pointers from his list of top reasons why he doesn’t follow some people in return:

• No user avatar. You may think that tiny 48 x 48 pixel avatar is insignificant, but it may have a lot to do with whether people choose to follow you or not. Create an avatar that is either a personalized photograph or reflective of your brand to help users associate your Twitter account with your company.
• You profile is lacking. Take a minute or two to make sure your Twitter profile includes your location, website and a short bio. Remember, you want people to follow you – so explain why they should.
• It’s all about you. By using Twitter, you hope to increase awareness of your brand to drive more people to your site to buy your stuff, but you don’t have to make it so obvious. Show that your account is worthy of followers by sharing valuable content, not just product updates.
• You’re not engaging. Engage and interact with the people who are following you. “They aren’t called ‘social’ networking and ‘social’ media for nothing.

And that’s not even the half of it … read more Twitter tips here.

Like any other aspect of your business, Twitter should be used to create value for your followers. Twitter has the potential to improve your business if you work to engage the people in your network, start interesting conversations and share valuable information.

Using social media for business, Step 1: Find your customers

If you’re a B2B marketer trying to get started with social media, you first have to find your customers, according to the marketers at Hubspot.

Last week Hubspot’s Rick Burnes met with two marketers from BatchBlue Software to find out how they have made social media work for their business.

“The trick is to find out where your customers are and go where your customers are already.”

BatchBlue has found success with Twitter and believe other companies can use the tool to connect with and attract new customers. They explain how they did it, and you can too, in the video below:

Still confused on how to use Twitter?

In 2009, more marketers will be focusing their online efforts on social media than ever before. With business to business marketers spending up to 20% more on social media than last year, it should be part of your 2009 goals to sign up and get involved.

But many have one big question: “Where do I start?”

Though your business may have a website and blog, there’s dozens of other outlets on the Web just waiting for you to join. Whether you’re looking to get started on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or LinkedIn, the world of social media and networking can be a confusing place.

Luckily, there are some great resources out there to help explain things in the simplest way possible. Sachi and Lee LeFever of Common Craft, create simple instructional videos on a variety of topics ranging from RSS to Wikis.

We’ve shared one of their videos before and think they’re so great at what they do that we want to share some more. Here’s another great video on how to use Twitter, courtesy of Common Craft:

Fun with links: Social media predictions, business blogging, recession marketing and more

There’s just too much out there right now to write a post on just one, lonely topic. So, I decided to share five small snippets of the latest and greatest information for business to business marketing on the Web, and here it is:

1. What does 2009 hold for the world of social media and content marketing? Nobody may know for sure, but many, 42 to be exact, have made their predictions. From getting cheap to a backlash against social media, read what the Junta42 Top 42 bloggers have to say about social media in 2009.
2. Just because you build it, they won’t come. Social media has the potential to bring success to many businesses, but not every company is meant to blog. Read through the 5 musts of business blogging at Drew’s Marketing Minute to find out if blogging is a smart endeavor for your company.
3. Are you on Twitter? Are you still trying to figure out why you’re there? Whether you’re there or not, people will be praising and complaining about your company with each other on Twitter. Learn how to engage with the Twitter community and win over the hearts of your audience in this post from TwiTip.
4. Blog marketing could quite possibly be the cheapest form of marketing out there right now. With a blog, there’s no need for expensive print, radio or TV ads and the uncertainty of their effectiveness. Learn why blog marketing is cheap marketing and effective marketing in this recent post by Remarkablogger.
5. We’re in a recession and things are changing, including how we get our products and services to market. Cutting marketing budgets during a recession may be the worst idea marketers can go through with when tough times hit. During a recession, learn how to market better instead of marketing less in this post from the Marketing Hive.

Fun with links: Communicate like Mr. T, Twitter as a Twool and more

There’s just too much great marketing news out there today to split it up into separate posts, so here’s a quick list of links for you to enjoy:

In the words of Mr. T, Mark at Business is Personal pity the fool (and business) who doesn’t communicate. Mark uses recent personal experiences with his cable company, movie rental store and bank to explain how thinking like the customer can pay off.

Marketing guru Guy Kawasaki explains how to use Twitter as a twool in an awesomely in-depth post today at the Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog. If you’re looking for more Twitter for business ideas, read this post.

Greg Verdino clears up some commonly cited, but unfounded social media marketing concerns in a post from earlier this week. Find out how B2B marketers are generating and closing leads through digital channels over at gregverdino.com.

Almost 70 percent of the time customers leave a business it’s because they don’t feel appreciated or valued. Take some advice from a recent post at Compelled to Market and use this holiday season to appreciate everyone who keeps you in business.

How do you clean up a 7-year old list with 2.8 million emails? Sounds like a daunting task, but according to DJ Waldow at Brontoblog, it’s actually quite simple. Read the post to learn how to clean up a messy email list in no time.

Buzz podcast on the power of web analytics

Listen to Paul Dunay from Buzz Marketing for Technology and “Stop everything you are doing and listen to this podcast!”

At least the demand comes with a guarantee that everyone who listens will learn something from the podcast with Avinash Kaushik, author of Web Analytics: An Hour A Day.

From Dunay:

I had the opportunity to do a podcast with Avinash to discuss some areas where marketers are doing things right and wrong but all of them are simple but extremely powerful uses of web analytics to make their websites and businesses better on the web. We also took some live Twitter questions as we were doing the podcast.

The entire podcast is 25 minutes long, but broken down into sections for anyone who doesn’t have that much time to spare. It’s “positively electric,” so get over there and start listening.

Friday fun: Signs of social network addiction

Social networking – once you get started, it can be tough to stop.

Twitter may seem like a pointless tool at first, but after making a few (hundred) friends you may find yourself to be a full-fledged addict. There’s even a term for it – Tweetaholism.

If you think you’re on the verge of becoming a Tweetaholic or know someone who may be in need of Twitter rehab, here are just a few signs that you Twitter too much:

• You’ve lost friends because they have chosen not to join Twitter.
• You decide not to argue a point with someone because it will take more than 140 characters to respond.
• You add “tw” to the beginning of every word. “I Twittered my friends from twurch about the tweetup at the twoffee house twonight.”
• You’re more concerned about improving your Twitter Grade than your performance review.
• You tell your fiance you will save money on wedding invites because you plan to DM (direct message) most of them.
• Something goes wrong in your day and you respond “Fail Whale!”

Visit the MBTI blog for the full list of 20 signs you twitter too much, and have a happy Friday!

Co-op, online collaboration without distraction

Co-op is a new, free web application that is similar to using Twitter at work, but makes it even easier to update and stay connected with co-workers.

Using Co-op, co-workers can post status updates on what they’re working on and check to see what their colleagues are busy with. Co-workers can ask each other questions, share knowledge, track time and update agendas all in one place with Co-op.

Instant messages can be distracting and it can take time to scan through a list of Tweets, but Co-op allows teams to quickly update each other and stay connected without disruptions.

For example:

Sue in Marketing needs someone from Creative to help with a small task. Instead disrupting the team with an e-mail, instant message or friendly visit, Sue can login to Co-op and take a look at each designer’s status messages. In seconds, Sue can find out who is busy and who looks like they have some time to help her out.

On one screen, teams can see an overview of what they’re working on, their daily agenda and what was completed yesterday. Created specifically for the workplace, it could be a great communication tool for coworkers and a new way to interact in the office.

And the best part – it’s free! Visit Co-op and find out if it can improve how your team works.

Co-op Anatomy