I saw this infographic representation of Four Stages of Getting Twitter on TweetSmarter and thought it shows rather well how bewildering people find Twitter and how it is that gradually with persistence they start to get it !
So often I hear people say ‘I tried Twitter but just didn’t understand it ‘ or ‘Twitter- I just don’t get it ‘. I think this shows how it works rather well.
If not you know who to call don’t you ! Get in touch for a chat or subscribe to our updates for more
Richard Dawson
Marketing is changing and the emphasis is increasingly on making your Marketing activities ‘Inbound’ rather than ‘Outbound. ‘The key is “Talk To” your customers don’t “Talk At” them.
Traditionally in Marketing we use Outbound techniques where we focus on –’pushing the message far and wide’. So we do things like :
-trade shows
-seminar series
-email blasts to purchased lists
-leaflet drops
-direct mail
-cold calling
-telemarketing/telesales
-advertising.
This is getting less and less effective over time for two reasons:
1. Your average human today is inundated with over 2000 outbound marketing interruptions per day! However there are more and more creative ways to block them out, including caller ID, spam filtering, Sky+ etc.
2. Cost :Outbound Marketing is expensive and profit margins are always being squeezed and business is constantly looking to drive down Customer Acquisition costs .
So Business has had to rethink how it markets itself and look for more cost effective ways of reaching prospects .
So what is ‘Inbound’ Marketing ?:
Inbound marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses on getting found by customers.
As Brian Halligan says in Hubspot here ‘ The best analogy I can come up with is that traditional marketers looking to garner interest from new potential customers are like lions hunting in the jungle for elephants. The elephants used to be in the jungle in the ’80s and ’90s when they learned their trade, but they don’t seem to be there anymore. They have all migrated to the watering holes on the savannah (the internet). So, rather than continuing to hunt in the jungle, I recommend setting up shop at the watering hole or turning your website into its own watering hole.’
So its where your business :
-Spends time talking to its customers -visits and calls !
-“helps itself “get found“- by people already learning about and shopping in your industry.
– Has a website that is a “hub” for your industry
– Has a website that attracts visitors naturally through search engines
– Uses the blogosphere to influence market opinion and attract prospects.
– Uses Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook,Twitter and Google+) to engage with clients and prospects
– Builds fully Opted In Email Lists where clients and prospects have asked to be kept in touch with your latest news and information.
– Uses Business Networking to generate ‘Referrals’ from prospects .
I am not saying cancel all your traditional Outbound marketing in 2012 but what I am saying is understand the value of traditional Outbound marketing has decreased .Look at changing the balance of your Marketing activities and putting much more of your time and effort and a little money in to ‘Inbound Marketing ‘ .Remember you heard it here first .
To keep up to date with the latest Inbound Marketing News ,Views,Hints and Tips SUBSCRIBE to our EMAIL UPDATES –You can also find more information on how we can help you on our Website or Contact Us if you want to know how we can help you.
Richard
Richard Dawson
Harlaco Webb
Came across this excellent article by Jennifer Bishop on Social Media Today
‘Goodbye 2011, welcome, 2012. Why not make 2012 the year you learn how to make LinkedIn really work for you and your business?
For professionals who have engaged with LinkedIn to grow their professional network and their business, there is often a dual feeling of both enthusiasm and uncertainty. This lack of knowledge of how LinkedIn can impact your brand reputation, findability on Google and business development, has left many aspects of this incredible business tool untapped.
Here are 5 ways you can resolve to improve your LinkedIn presence and activity for productive networking, lead generation and branding in 2012 …..’
Full Article at http://ow.ly/8ksdr
How the Internet Got Started
In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.
And she said unto Abraham, her husband, “Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?
And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, “How, dear?”
And Dot replied, “I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah’s Pony Stable (UPS).”
Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent. To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures – Hebrew To The People (HTTP).
And the young men did take to Dot Com’s trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.
And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. And indeed did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates’ drumheads and drumsticks.
And Dot did say, “Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others.” And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or eBay as it came to be known. He said, “We need a name that reflects what we are.”
And Dot replied, “Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators.” “YAHOO,” said Abraham. And because it was Dot’s idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.
Abraham’s cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot’s drums to locate things around the countryside. It soon became known as God’s Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).
That is how it all began. And that’s the truth.
A FREE Boost for your Business in 2012 with Free Google Adwords !
We’ve just become Google Engage Partners and to celebrate we’re giving away 10 £50 Google Adwords vouchers for customers who have never advertised with Google before .
If you want get more enquiries and more sales and really boost the growth in your business we can help not only can we give you a £50 head start on Google but we will also give you a free online marketing audit to make sure your website,social media and email marketing are fully up to speed.
Remember we’ve only got 10 packages to give away and its first come first served.
Contact Us for more information .
RT @ActiveProfileUK 81% of journalists turn to corporate websites to find story ideas- how does yours shape up? http://bit.ly/w2HCNb
RT @douglasi: 13 Ways to Reach Your Audience on Social Media http://twrt.me/tyv1dg by @JamieCrager
We are at Employer Benefits LIVE on 3rd November come and join us
http://ow.ly/7h9hw
Below is an extract of an Email I received today from Michael Heppell that addresses that old age problem of what to do about the ‘Summer Slowdown’ that we all ‘seem’ to suffer from you know the fact that key decision makers are on holiday and anyone who is in is covering for them or clearing their desks for their break !
I like Michael’s stuff especially his ‘ Flip It ‘ thinking .
‘There’s a popular myth that suggests the summer isn’t a good time for business. Really? Actually it’s the perfect time to do some Flip It thinking and clean up while others are napping. Here are five easy things to do:
1) Call everyone. “Hi just calling to see how you are and to find out if there’s anything we can do for you right now?” Better still call in.
2) Send your top ten contacts a post card. Plan ahead and make a note of names and addresses. You may want to be cheesy and say how you never stop thinking about them, or just say something sincere and from the heart.
3) Planning and preparation. So even if EVERYONE is on holiday, there’s no-one to call and you’re stuck in the office, this is a dream time to do some planning. Prep up your September and come out of the blocks firing!
4) Create some media attention. The summer is a notoriously poor time for the press. They are keener than ever to find good stories. So now’s your chance to raise awareness about your new product, make an announcement and contact your local business pages.
5) Invest in some reading for your holiday. There are loads of great books which make you better. Autobiographies, business and personal developments books cost a few pounds but contain masses of great information.
Here’s a tip: If you are looking for a personal development book for the beach then choose one that makes you smile as well as makes you think.’
I would also add rather cheekily you could always come on our Linked In Masterclass on 27th July in Liverpool and learn how to generate tons of new business !! see http://linkedin-masterclass2.eventbrite.com/
You can find our more about Michael Heppell at http://www.michaelheppell.com/
Digital Excellence Experts 