Twitter is great for listening to your customers

How do you use social media for business marketing?

Using and monitoring social media can really make a difference to your business. For instance, you can find and track conversations that might help drive traffic to your website. It’s also great for increasing your company’s reputation for thought leadership and innovation. And how about generating leads, sales and awareness? I can personally testify that social media does all of this – and more! I regularly use social media on behalf of the many local businesses that work with me on The Best of Newark and The Best of Grantham, and it’s an effective combination. It gets results.

Twitter is a very powerful tool, but it can also seem a bit daunting at first. All that noise and clutter! All those conversations! Where do you start?

Well, here are six things I think you should be looking out for when you monitor Twitter:

1. Relevant questions about your company or business sector; If someone Tweets, “Should I buy X product or an alternative?” you need to be ready to respond. If you can’t respond directly, by offering helpful information about your business, maybe you could point that person to a customer of yours. You’ll quickly build trust.
2. Relevant questions about your industry; being helpful by answering someone’s question is a good way to develop credibility and engage with that person. In the event they need a product or service like you provide, they just might end up coming to you!
3. Requests for support; If a customer Tweets a request for help (either to you or to their network), it’s really important that you notice that Tweet and respond accordingly. Happy customers are the key to success!
4. Complaints and feedback; critics are always out there, and it’s important to acknowledge and resolve issues quickly when you can. Welcome the opportunity to set things right.
5. Praise; it’s wonderful to receive praise! Make sure you say thank you and make the most of positive feedback. Retweet it and save it to your favourites. This is a great way to build a bank of ‘testimonials’ from happy customers. It’s wise to appreciate those who appreciate you.
6. Competitor mentions; Twitter is a useful tool for keeping an eye on your competitors. Other people are praising, complaining, and asking questions about your competitors all the time. You should monitor those conversations, if only for the information.

I hope this is helpful to you. Do you have examples of successfully using Twitter for your business? I’d love to hear about them!

For more information on social media marketing in Newark or Grantham visit Louise Hudson’s website, or visit The Best of Newark and The Best of Grantham.

FastTrack Grantham - a different type of networking event

There’s no doubt that networking – in all its forms – plays an important role in the long term success of most businesses, particularly during tough economic times. But some networking events can seem rather formal, or too focused on selling. For some business owners and managers, they can even be a bit daunting.

FastTrack Grantham aims to be different.

Grantham has loads of successful businesses, run by some really inspirational people. FastTrack Grantham is an opportunity for them to get together, sharing ideas and experiences in a relaxed, informal environment.

Wearing my Best of Grantham hat, I’ve set FastTrack up in conjunction with Dave Ayres, the innovative photographer behind PictureSports (check out his awesome website!).

The first FastTrack Grantham networking event takes place this Wednesday, February 8, at the stylish Priory Business and Conference Centre, in the heart of Grantham.

So what’s different about this networking event?

• It will be relaxed and engaging

• No starchy, formal introductions or daunting presentations

• It’s doesn’t cost anything – we’re more interested in you than your wallet!

• One lucky attendee will win a bottle of champagne. Why? Well, why not!

• It’s a great chance to meet like-minded business people

• Learn about social media – not just what it is, but how to get results from it

• Find out about building cross marketing opportunities with Dave Ayres from PictureSports

• Attending business owners personally benefit from social media promotion on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and The Best of Grantham

30 leading business people from the Grantham area are coming along on Wednesday, representing a wide spectrum of business sectors, including:

• Red Rhino Crushers – manufacturer of mini crushers used to help clear up after the Haiti earthquake

• Languages for Life – Grantham’s specialist language agency

• UK Hair & Beauty – the town’s award winning Hair, Beauty & Wellbeing Spa

• Union Interiors – the contemporary interior design specialists

• Eden Wine bar – chic, city-style wine bar and restaurant

• The Grange Spa – a peaceful retreat offering affordable luxury and pampering

• Tax Assist – specialist tax accountancy service and advice

• Grantham College – helping students of all ages achieve their true potential

• Thorn’s Farm – a beautiful, relaxing B&B in a stunning setting just minutes from Grantham

• Wardour Secure – highly rated computer services and repair specialists in Grantham

With such an impressive line up, FastTrack Grantham is set to become a must-attend event for entrepreneurs in and around Grantham. I’m looking forward to it!

For more information, please contact Louise Hudson Social Media Manager and owner of The Best of Grantham.

Things to avoid in your social media marketing

Social media marketing is a really great way to build the profile of your business and engage with your customers and potential customers. When you get it right, that is. Like most things in life though, there are some general rules to observe. Here are a few (surprisingly common) pitfalls to avoid:

1. Slag off the competition. Even if your competition is having a bad time, commenting on it will only make you look worse, not them. Resist it at all costs.

2. Insult your customers and potential customers. Directly or indirectly. Last year, Ragu (the sauce people) famously launched a misguided social media campaign around the premise that Dads couldn’t cook. It quickly went viral in the wrong way, instantly alienating half their audience – a recipe for PR disaster!

3. Wander off subject. Remember that your followers are following you for a reason. Keeping on-subject when publishing social media updates is vital to encourage engagement and grow a relevant base of followers. Every time you go off topic, it makes your account less valuable.

4. Attempt to resolve complicated customer service complaints. Using social media to solve customer service issues can be extremely helpful, but not all queries have a one line answer. Unless it’s a question that applies to all your customers and followers, take it offline. It’ll just confuse and cause concern otherwise.

5. Surprise pictures and tagging. Remember that your staff and customers may not be comfortable being in the public eye. Don’t publish photographs of them without their permission. Respect their privacy.

6. Divulge confidential information. Leaking private customer information, such as pricing, business changes or personnel changes can harm relationships and even end up in legal action.

7. Post inaccurate updates. One of the worst things you can do is post an update without first getting all the facts. It makes you look confused, ill prepared and even untrustworthy.

8. Post apathetic updates. Everyone has one of those off days now and then, but you can’t let it show in your social media updates. Don’t just publish for the sake of it. If you’re not excited about your brand, how can you expect anyone else to be?

9. Divulge proprietary company information. This is aimed at social media managers out there. Leaking proprietary information may not upset your network, but it will upset your boss. if in doubt, leave it out.

10. Personal rants. Your social media account is not a personal soapbox on which to rant and rave. You’ll soon turn your audience off.

I hope that’s helpful! Do you have any examples of social media horror stories?

For more information on social media marketing visit my website here.

An effective keyword stragegy is vital for successful online marketing

Why your business needs a keyword strategy

Today, most consumers find businesses and services online through search engines such as Google. How do they find them? By using keywords and phrases. You can take advantage of this by optimising your website, blog and social media marketing activity around the keywords that are most relevant to your business and which keywords customers are using to find you online. This will increase the likelihood of getting found by people searching with those keywords, and in turn, drive more - and better quality – traffic to your website.

Although it’s difficult to know exactly which keywords will get the most relevant people to find your business, there are a number of ways to determine the popularity and competitiveness of certain keywords. You can also test and analyse how effective different keywords are.

You want to make sure the right people are finding your business online and it’s important to define which keywords will attract relevant traffic from search engines.

How to create a keyword strategy

1. Create a shortlist of three to five keywords that are relevant to your business, sector and location.

Think like one of your customers. What words and phrases would they use when searching for your product with a search engine? For small-to-medium-sized businesses, your keywords are not usually your brand name. Instead, think of words and short phrases that get to the core of what your product or service is about, including the town or area you cover.

2. Choose keywords based on difficulty and relevance.

The keywords you choose should be based on difficulty and relevance.

Some very general words such as “social media” or “business” are very competitive, making it harder to rank well for them in search engine results. The greater the volume of searches on a keyword, the more competitive it is. Sometimes it’s better to choose less competitive keywords, more specifically related to your business. There are a number of different tools you can use to determine the competitiveness of a specific keyword, as well as providing suggestions for new keyword ideas. A really useful, free tool is Keyword Discovery. You simply enter a keyword and you are presented with a list of 100 search terms, ranked by usage.

Another important factor for choosing keywords is their relevance to your business. While some obscure terms might be easy to rank for, they might not be relevant to your business.

You should aim to find a balance between relevance and difficulty. Choose about five keywords that match your business well. These keywords don’t have to be perfect as you can always experiment to see which keywords work best for you.

3. Design and optimise your website and online marketing activity around your keywords

Once you’ve chosen your keywords, you should build them into your website, blog and social media marketing activity. But remember to keep it conversational and engaging. Do it with your visitor in mind, not just the search engines. Peppering your copy with random keywords can be a real turn-off for users!

For more advice on social media and online marketing visit Louise Hudson’s website here.

The Best of Grantham Facebook Page

How to set up a Business Page on Facebook

Many businesses are now enjoying the benefits of social media marketing. But if your business is using an ordinary Facebook profile instead of a Business Page, you’re in violation of Facebook’s rules. In fact, by using a Facebook personal profile for business, you actually run the risk of losing access to your profile and all of your content. The answer is to set up a Business Page.

A Business Page is similar to a Facebook Profile, except that it is public and users can Like and become a “fan” of your Page, without requiring approval from the Page’s administrator.

Creating a Page is completely free of charge, but does need your time to build and maintain it.

To get started, visit www.facebook.com/pages/create.php (Note: you must be logged in to Facebook to create a Page). Facebook will then walk you through a simple wizard to create your Page in just a few steps:

1. Choose a classification

You can choose from the following:

• Local Business or Place

• Company, Organisation or Institution

• Brand or Product

• Artist, Brand or Public Figure

• Entertainment

• Cause or Community

The category you choose will help you rank in more relevant searches and provide relevant information fields on your Page.

2. The next set-up wizard will ask you to upload a photo – it’s best to use your company or brand logo.

3. You’ll then be given an opportunity to suggest your page to friends, in order to generate fans, and add some basic information.

4. Next, complete your Page like you would a Facebook Profile. Click on “Edit Page” or “Edit Info” on your Page’s homepage to add information about your business, like your website, a short description, products and other relevant elements.

That’s it! Your Facebook Page is up and running.

Once your Page is live, there are a number of things you can do to optimise it for search and to promote it to a much wider audience. The key is to engage and interact with your fans.

For more information on Facebook Business Pages and converting personal profiles into Business Pages visit Facebook’s help centre here.

To find out more about Social Media Marketing visit Louise Hudson’s website – www.louisehudson.co.uk

Give something priceless this Christmas

It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow and, by now, you’ve probably done all your shopping for presents. We all love to give and receive brightly-coloured parcels, but often the gifts that people really appreciate and remember are those that cost no more than a little thought and effort. Don’t believe me? Here’s my personal list of ten things you can still give before Christmas that’ll be gratefully received – and they won’t cost you any money!

1. An act of kindness – call on a neighbour or relative who’s alone or elderly and just ask if there’s anything you can do for them. In their shoes you’d appreciate the gesture. (Try not to become a pest though and know when to back off)

2. Get the family round the table – whether it’s for a family meal, a board game or just a chat over coffee, turning off those devices for an hour or two will bring you all together. (If things start to become too argumentative, you can always switch on the TV again)

3. Get back in touch – call or visit a friend or relative you haven’t seen for ages. (Although perhaps worth reflecting on the reason for the sustained absence first)

4. Make time for your children – it’s so easy to say “I’m too busy right now” or “I’ll look at that later”. Just a few minutes of your time will put a smile on your child’s face. (Of course, this needs to be balanced with the need to teach your children the lasting benefits of ‘alone time’)

5. Volunteer to help – there are so many organisations and charities that need a helping hand at this time of year. Your local village hall or community centre is a great place to start. (But remember, charity begins at home! You could always start with some domestic chores)

6. Smile – it’s cold outside and people are hurrying to get to their destinations, often with faces set in grim determination. Try a smile or two for strangers and I bet you get one back! (It’s important to keep it nice and natural though and not some manic, crazed grin)

7. Give someone your last Rolo – or anything else for that matter. Trust me, you’ll get a good feeling. (Of course, it feels even better if you know that you have some more in the cupboard!)

8. Visit a church or place of worship – even if you’re not a believer, take a few minutes to reflect and give a thought for those worse off than you. (If nerves get the better of you and you get the urge to giggle, try to turn it into joyous laughter instead)

9. Tell the world what you think of someone – a public posting on Facebook or Twitter is a great way to let someone know they’re appreciated (mind you, this assumes you do actually appreciate them – other sentiments are probably best left until after the festive season)

10. Say “I love you” – and mean it. Not the usual reflex response, but an unprompted, heartfelt declaration of love. (Always best reserved for those you know and really do love, to avoid any social embarrassment and unwanted relationship developments)

There – ten things that you can give this Christmas that won’t cost you a penny, but will make a big difference. And I bet they’ll also make you feel pretty good about yourself too.

Merry Christmas and happy giving!

Louise x

Build your fan base on Twitter

In the same way that most – if not all – successful businesses have a website, most savvy business owners now get the importance of social media. Platforms like Twitter are great for building brand awareness and engaging with customers and potential customers.

If you’re relatively new to Twitter, or just thinking about setting up a Twitter account for your business, you may be wondering how to grow your audience. So here are some useful tips.

1. Quality AND quantity. First of all, it’s important to remember that growing your Twitter network isn’t just about the numbers. You should aim for quality connections which are specific to your business sector, customer base, location and interests.

2. Starting conversations. As you build your network, you’ll find out that attracting followers and identifying people to follow often go hand in hand. Remember, even if you’re not following someone or they’re not following you yet, you can always start a conversation by tweeting an @ mention with someone’s username.

3. Who to follow. When you log on, Twitter will offer “Who to Follow” suggestions. These are based on accounts that appear similar to yours, the way you interact on Twitter and other elements, such as geography. Twitter also lets you find out which of your contacts on other accounts, such as Gmail or LinkedIn, are already using Twitter.

4. Other people you may want to follow.

• Journalists or bloggers, especially those who cover your industry sector.

• Local businesses. Search for other businesses in your community active on Twitter, or follow competitors.

• Your customers. Simply ask them if they’re on Twitter, and follow them.

• Pay special attention to your biggest fans or the ones who are most vocal on Twitter.

• People tweeting about your community and the regional topics you care about.

5. Other great tools for finding people to follow

• Wefollow.com You can search by geography or keyword. You can sort Twitter users by greatest influence or number of followers and you can add yourself to the directory

• Twellow.com Consult this Twitter account directory with hundreds of categories and a map feature, and add yourself.

• Followerwonk.com Search for people by their Twitter bios. You can sort results by relevance or follower count.

• FriendorFollow.com See who you’re following that hasn’t followed you back yet and who follows you that you haven’t followed back.

6. Other ways to tell people you are on Twitter

• Add a Twitter link or button on your company’s website or blog

• Add your Twitter user name to business cards, signs, presentations, invoices and advertisements

• Add a Twitter link to email newsletters and other email content.

I hope these are useful, but do remember – it does take time to build your network. Try not to be too judgemental about your followers in the early stages, apart from obviously undesirable accounts. Just because someone walks into your store wearing jeans, trainers and a T-shirt, doesn’t mean they don’t have money to spend with you – and they may have friends and family who may be potential customers too.

Oh, and remember to make your messages interesting, useful and/or funny! That way, people will spread the word even faster.

Happy Tweeting!

To find out more about Social Media for businesses visit Louise Hudson’s website.

Arthur Christmas captures the magic and spirit of Christmas

It finally felt like Christmas last night. Well, it did at the Reel Cinema in Grantham at any rate. You see, the family was there to watch the new animated movie, Arthur Christmas, courtesy of Travail Employment in Grantham and Newark.

When Travail’s inspirational bosses – Lisa Abel and Zoe Inman – and their team were deciding what to do for their clients and suppliers this Christmas, what did they choose? A branded, corporate gift perhaps? Or maybe a finger buffet for everyone? No, Lisa and Zoe chose to do something really special. Something that would involve families.

So they invited folks to a screening of Arthur Christmas 3D and really did things in style. There were packed goody bags and reindeer antlers for the kids and by the time the film started, there was a lovely, warm, Christmas buzz in the cinema and the soft jingling of antler bells.

And the movie? Absolutely brilliant! Santa’s youngest son, Arthur, sets out on a mission to save Christmas by delivering the only undelivered present to a little girl in Cornwall. The animation is superb and the story uplifting. It really is a perfect Christmas film for the whole family, from start to finish.

Then, as the credits came up, what did we hear from the back of the cinema? “Ho, ho, ho! merry Christmas!” It was Santa himself! He walked down the aisle and then gave gifts to all the children there.

Now, that’s how you do Christmas for clients. Not a branded mug or calculator in sight. Just laughing children and the smiling faces of deeply appreciative parents.

I have a feeling that long after the last of this year’s corporate gifts has been drunk, lost, thrown away or broken, Travail’s clients will still remember the wonderful night they and their families had at the cinema.

Thanks to Lisa and Zoe and everyone at Travail Employment in Grantham and Newark.

Now's the time to catch the social media wave

In the late 1970s, a brave young boy entered the sea at Cocoa Beach, Florida, to try his hand at surfing for the first time. As his friends watched him paddle out, hoping to catch a wave, he could only dare to dream that, one day, he would be the greatest surfer in the world. But today, with 11 world championships to his name, Kelly Slater is just that. The best there is.

Over the years, Kelly Slater practiced and practiced, refining and honing his skills as he gained experience, but it all started with that little boy trying something new and desperately wanting to learn.

And right now, there is a huge wave building up out there, which the smartest businesses are going to catch. It’s the single biggest change for businesses since the Internet and Google. What is it? Social media.

Why is social media so important to businesses?

Social media is today’s word of mouth. It’s where the people are and it’s where the people are talking to each other. Whatever your business is selling, it’s a safe bet that many of your customers are on Facebook or Twitter today. The momentum is building every day and it’s the smaller, more agile businesses that are embracing this phenomenon and getting most benefit.

So why aren’t more businesses using social media?

Most business owners are aware of the growing importance of social media, but many aren’t taking advantage of it. Why? Well, I think it usually comes down to three things:

1. Some business owners don’t understand how social media works or regard it as confusing

2. I’ve met some business owners who have told me they don’t know what to say or what messages to put out there (and it isn’t about sending out constant sales messages)

3. Running a business right now demands a lot of time and attention, and messing around on Twitter and Facebook will take too much time

So what’s the solution?

Engaging an experienced Social Media Manager is perhaps the best way for businesses to take advantage of the marketing power of social media. A social media manager will take care of everything for you; setting up the necessary accounts on each platform, managing your activity, monitoring your profile (and your competitors’) and, most importantly, saving you the time to focus on running your business. And it doesn’t cost as much as most other forms of marketing.

You know, in business – just like surfing – timing can matter a lot and your timing right now is perfect. The social media wave is growing. Some business owners will sit on the shore and hope they don’t get wet. Others, like Kelly Slater all those years ago, will jump in and try to catch the wave. I know which camp I’d rather be in!

So grab your board dude – surf’s up!

Find out how social media can help your business grow – visit Louise Hudson’s website

Tweeting made easy

If you’re new to Twitter (or even if you’re not) you may find some of the jargon a bit confusing. If so, here’s a handy guide to some of the key things you need to know:

Twitter Handle: This is your user name, or the name you choose to represent yourself on Twitter

To Follow: To subscribe to someone‘s updates on Twitter. You do this by clicking the Follow button on that person‘s Twitter page. When you follow someone, their updates will be displayed on your Twitter homepage so you know what they’re up to

To Follow Back: To subscribe to the updates of a Twitter user who has recently started following you

Follower: Someone who has subscribed to receive your updates. You can see your total number of followers on your Twitter profile page.

Update: Also known as a Tweet, each update can be up to, but not greater than, 140-characters

@Reply: A public message sent from one Twitter user to another by putting @USERNAME (where the username is the intended recipient) anywhere within the Tweet.

Direct Message (or DM): A private message sent from one Twitter user to another by either clicking the message link on their profile or typing D USERNAME

Timeline: A list the real-time updates from you and those you follow

Tweet-Up: An event specifically organized for Twitter users to meet up and network

Retweet (or RT): To repeat something someone else has already tweeted, a bit like forwarding an email to others. You do this if someone has said something valuable or interesting and you want your own network to see the information too. Example: Retweet @louhudson1: check out this amazing resource

Hashtag (#): A tagging system used to aggregate the conversation surrounding an event, topic, or theme. Hashtags are created by combining a # symbol with a word or phrase (#grantham or #newark for example)

Twitter Lists: Public lists that any Twitter user can create by any theme they choose. Twitter Lists generate Twitter streams that include chosen Twitter users.

Trending Topics: Displayed on the right-hand side of your Twitter homepage, trending topics are words, phrases, or hashtags that are popular on Twitter at a given time.

Promoted Tweets: Tweets that have been supported and promoted by paid marketing efforts – a bit like Google ads

Happy Tweeting!

For more advice on social media marketing, visit Louise Hudson’s website today.