photo credit: adria.richards
If you’re not using Twitter, you might be missing out on a great opportunity to expand and develop your business connections; promote your online promotions and blog posts, communicate in person events or sales; and speak with key players in your field without having to cold call or schedule a meeting.
Some strategies:
Development:
Follow influencers of your business community and learn from them; join conversations with the media, bloggers, potential customers; keep up to date with bloggers who you currently read.
Promote:
Start up a blog and promote your stories on Twitter; tweet about upcoming events and gain online exposure for them; develop contests and prizes and give them away online; broadcast your sales, daily specials or anything else you’d tell customers in person.
Communicate:
Even though you might want to just shout out what you’re selling, remember that conversations and trust will lead to sales. Talk to people you follow. Answer their questions, give free advice. Create a good mix of promotional dialogue and helpful information and you’ll cultivate more followers.
Remember, Twitter is only a part of your marketing strategy. It is your space to remind your audience about you in a non-intrusive way. Paired with other online marketing efforts like Google Ad Words, Blogging and Facebook, in person and in print marketing, you’ll have a well rounded marketing campaign with further reach and broader depth.
Feel free to follow me, I’ll likely follow back 
www.twitter.com/marketing_girl
photo credit: Zunami
If there’s one thing online marketers have been doing right for some time – its building their email database.
But how do you do it like a pro when you’re a small business? Good question!
Here’s some steps to get your walking in the right direction:
1. Find your reason for database building: email newsletter campaign, free promotion coupon, ebook, online article. Whatever your reason (or multiple reasons) make sure you’ve mapped out a plan.
2. Subscribe to, or create a customized, automatic response system that will allow you to easily collect email addresses from your blog and website. The headache of manually entering emails may end up driving you nuts and take you away from other aspects of your business.
3. Your landing pages and every page on your blog/website should have an opt in option. (note to self, must set mine up)
4. Integrate your in person networking and marketing by adding business card information into your subscription pool. Keep in touch often (with ease!).
5. Stay consistent with your offerings. For example, if you send out a promotion with your monthly newsletter – ensure you consistently offer something of value which will keep your database subscribed and happy.
*Your web programmer should be able to do all of these steps for you – if not, connect with the marketing girl and we’ll sort you out.
There is a lot of stuff you can buy or download for free online. I know, I spent a lot of my time investigating new ideas for clients and for myself. But I have found that focusing on these areas (because you can’t do it all at once) has proven successful.
(caution – this is for online newbies – if you’re already well on your way to being online – check out the online marketing blog for lots more in-depth information)
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Get tweeting with Twitter. Follow people online, start discussions, promote products and services and link back to your blog and website.
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Write articles. Submitting articles and press releases will increase links back to you – which search engines l-o-v-e. We have been having success using Article PR’s directory for submission sites.
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Build your links on search engines like ZipLocal and submit your business details there. If you advertise on ZipLocal, you’ll also be able to take advantage of their features – links to Facebook, user written reviews, voting and much more.
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Install landing pages. You’ll likely receive more lead conversions– not just page clicks. Make sure your landing page gets people signed up for your newsletter. Copyblogger has a great post explaining landing pages and giving some examples.
Choose to invest ¼ of the dollars you spent on traditional advertising last year on online techniques and focus time (or hire someone) on nurturing your online efforts. You’ll see changes because you’ll be able to track them using programs like Google Analytics.
