Twitter for Local Business: Buzz Online Media updates

We have some exciting new features starting to unfold at Buzz Online Media…

Twitter, twitter, twitter, tweet!  That’s all we’re hearing about these days, both internally at “the company” and externally in the news:  national news, local news, blog news, you name it.  It’s all about Twitter.

Previously we had – at buzz online media – concentrated on setting up accounts and administering best practices for clients.  Filling an advisory role if you will.  Some clients we actually run Twitter accounts for.  It’s not ideal for the client, as the most successful Twitter accounts are run from the inside out, not the other way around, but it’s better than nothing and those companies are still of the ilk:  “we just don’t have the time”!  More on that later…

Our main focus has and always will be – never say “always” – the spirit and ‘mechanics’ behind a good Twitter presence.  There is a growing number of “tools” and peripheral units that aid in the various aspects of using Twitter.  We embrace some of these tools, disdain others, but still our main focus is on the fundamentals:  great tweets, responding to your users in a warm and authentic manner, having fun, not “selling”, employing and ingraining the adage:  “its not about you, it’s about them!” theory.  Those are our tenets and we’re sticking by them.
With that said there are a series of great and innovative tools out there, some better than others.  In that spirit we will be running successive and upcoming blog posts regarding the best Twitter tools (and Facebook tools…AND social media tools) for local businesses.

With that said – and in acknowledging that there are great “Twitter Tools” out there – and not so great ‘Twitter tools’ (pun and double meaning intended) – we hope that business focus more on the fundamentals and basics of Twitter than on the “tools”:  responding to users, engaging your followers, providing great content, thinking about what your posting, taking risks, sharing your personality and personalizing your presence, tipping your hat to great things competitors are doing, talking about your city, and updating people on the cool things your doing!  Running a promotion or two is definitely not a bad idea either.  In either case, we hope businesses keep the focus not only on the great Twitter tools that are out there, but on the content and spirit behind their “twittering” as well…

We look forward to these posts and your feedback.
What are the best Twitter tools you’ve found lately?  Why?  What has been working for you?  Seesmic Desktop or Tweet Deck?  What are your favorite iPhone applications?  Let us know…drop us a line!  (or a comment:)

Twitter for Breaking News

I was just driving down the freeway – I-5 southbound on my way to Ikea – another story. Anyway, as I was driving I looked to my right, catching glances of massive, huge plumes of black, sooty smoke breaking in the distance, growing taller and taller. Something was definitely on fire. My trusty iphone yielded nothing on West Seattle Blog. The radio airwaves were filled with sports and talk, but nothing on the fire. A few minutes later, I thought: ‘Let’s search Twitter’. I searched “west seattle”. Immediately two posts on the subject

@AlmostHandy posted: Meth House on fire in West Seattle – Listen Live http://bit.ly/SeaFire

@myscottydont RT @komonews: Seattle firefighters are responding to a building fire in West Seattle. Listen live online: http://bit.ly/KJt5T

So, definitely not a complete story, but it was more than anywhere else. I wouldn’t enter a conversation and say “In West Seattle there was a huge meth house that caught fire” because I’m not sure – factually and hard evidence speaking – exactly what is going on – but at least I have something!

Wow…Twitter really is cool.

Make your business the one stop (search twitter) stop for the most up to date, breaking news in your category!

When Considering Twitter: Don’t Take Yourselves Too Seriously…

I didn’t know how to break it up i.e. “Part 1″ or a more specific title, (I went with the more specific title) but I figure there are a few prominent notions to consider when jumping into Twitter / Facebook as a local or more “regional” medium size business.

One: jump in and don’t take yourself so damn seriously. Seriously! I have a lot of clients who think for days about how to phrase things for Twitter, how to “position” it, wording, what they should talk about, etc. At the end of the day, careful consideration is great, but just do it – it’s not that big of a deal. You can repost a similar response or ‘tweet’ later – most of your followers may not even see any given ‘tweet’ anyway, so don’t fuddle to much with specifics.

It’s about them, not you. Re-tweet, but not too much. Respond with @’s, but again, not too much. Provide useful links. Talk about things in your neighborhood or city, ingredients your using, purveyors you work with, who’s going to win: The Cavs or The Magic?, sports in your town – be real, be authentic and don’t take yourself too seriously. Have some fun!

Small Business Social Media: Get Going – You’ll Get “Good” as you Practice…

Small & local business owners – heck, Fortune 500 companies, etc – hesitate to start social media campaigns in part because they aren’t good at it yet. Or once they start they ‘go slow’ because it’s not quite up to their standards.

There are a myriad of reasons for this, one of which is the inability for people to realize that hey, this is going to take some time. We’re not going to be ‘great’ or even ‘good’ at this for awhile. We need to practice and contribute and build and learn – and than you’ll see…eventually you’ll get good at using Twitter, using Facebook and contributing to a blog, but it takes time. You just need to get started.

Effort & Time Question Addressed Using Social Media for Local Businesses

Some business owners contend: I / we don’t have time to “use Twitter” or Facebook, contribute to & maintain a blog, etc. We just don’t have the time!

With this contention come very real concerns that not only are small business owners currently over inundated with work, but there is an outstanding question as to the efficacy of using Twitter, Facebook, developing a blog, etc for their business. Does it really work? Is it in my demographic? “Do people actually watch / use this stuff – consume this information? And why???”

The answer is that 70% or more of the people – for most retail business – that come into your store, use your service or otherwise patronize your business came in contact with you or were some way influenced by your online presence. 70%. 50% is a very conservative number. Considering this, wouldn’t it be prudent to spend more time here developing your brand and making a very real contribution and connection with your customers online?

Cut something else out! Stop doing that direct mail campaign, stop doing whatever it is your doing where 50-70% of your customers are not being influenced. That is the real paradigm shift here. That is the real handle. Make the time to get involved with this medium. It takes time, both in terms of the day to day time it takes, and in the overall time it takes to build up an audience, but it will pay off.

User Reviews

It amazes me how many restaurant and retail business owners don’t actively engage with responding to user reviews online.  “Don’t have time” or are otherwise not engaged.  This is one of the single most effective ways to not only reach out to the “online community” but to make an impression about your business, one that says you care, you’re engaged and that you’re passionate about what you do, your business, your product and your service. Stick up for yourself, say thank you and make it personal: from you! It makes a huge impression online.

Unbelievable how many people miss the boat on this!

The Power of Story

Last night I was at Bartell Drug’s looking for bleach to clean my deck.  There was a lot of grunge and grind out there and I needed something strong.  As I walked in I noticed “Seventh Generation:  free & clear” Chlorine Free Bleach.  This particular bottle of bleach read “non-toxic * hypo-allergenic * degradable” – furthermore it pronounced, ever so humbly in the top right hand corner:  “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. – From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy” Read more

Small is a Weapon!

I love this post by Seth Godin: The takeaway?  Small is a weapon, not an excuse.

The web is a great equalizer.  Use it to your advantage!

Photos, Photos, Photos…

Photos are a great way to show your business off at various angles:  the business, the people, the food, the product, the location, and again, the people!  Very few local and small businesses focus on getting photos up in as many places as possible.  Here is why you should:

1.  Tagging – searchability

2.  Access – people get a look and ‘feel’ for your product and business

3.  Personality – viewers get a sense of what you are about

4.  Interaction – there are plenty of sites where people can post comments regarding your photos.

5.  People want to see your products.  Pictures are worth a thousand words, and if done right, a lot more than that in marketing dollars if done right.

Where to post?

1.  Flickr

2.  Facebook

3.  Picasa

4.  Yahoo, Google and MSN local profiles

5.  Your own blog (Posterous, Tumblr, Word Press, Blogger)

If you don’t have photos, spend a few hundred (suggestion:  up to $500) for a professional to take a hundred + shots, or / and have your ‘crew’ and yourself bring in personal digital cameras and take as many photos as possible.

It’s very much worth it and very much under utilized in the small, local business space.

Work it!

The enclosed article from the San Francisco Chronicle reveals the danger of schilling on Yelp!  Yelp, in order to create the impression that their reviewers and reviews are legitimate (both a very real concern and a PR move) are removing entire accounts associated with what they deem ‘fake’ reviews:  reviews written to artificially inflate the public record and discourse on the business of record.

The comments section in this article is more interesting and pertinent than the actual article itself.  It provides insight into the public impression of Yelp and it’s users.

So what do you do as someone who owns or operates a retail business or is involved in “social media”?  Does one get better and more ‘sneaky’ and ‘authentic sounding’ when it comes to writing reviews for your friends or family, or your own business on Yelp or City Search?

The question misses the point entirely as I see it.  The way  to create a great reputation online is to be open, sincere and relevant.  Rather than “game” the system, “work” the system.  Engage users.  Write them back.  Respond.  Get involved in the discussions on Yelp as the business owner you are.  Use the tools available to you on Yelp.  Very few business owners do this for many good reasons, namely time and inclination.  Who has time to do this?   But at the end of the day, spending just 5 minutes a day not on your profile, but on your competitors profiles, on the “Talk” section of Yelp, in the “Events” section of Yelp, etc…the more time you spend on Yelp / online and get to know your customers there, the better you’ll do.

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