SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING WITH TWEETGRID

Technology has really changed the way people share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences about businesses. Thanks to social media websites like Twitter and Facebook, a company’s positive image can be bolstered or destroyed overnight.

Those who take the power of social media communities seriously allow themselves the ability to steer through the minefield of public opinion and continue with great success. But companies who chose to ignore the new paradigm we have experienced for the past several years are destined to hit mine and fail.

Reputation monitoring is the big new thing in the world of business today. Community relations now takes place online… in real time… and there’s a secret weapon you can use absolutely free of charge called TweetGrid that will allow you to keep track of what people are saying about your brand as it is happening.

According to Twitter.com, there were 140 million Tweets posted just last month. You better believe that a small but significant fraction of those little messages posted on the hottest micro blogging social community board were from people expressing their thoughts, feelings, or experiences about a business product or service.

Now then… considering the massive amount of traffic pulsing through Twitter each and every day, do you think it would be worth monitoring the site for any instances where your brand is being talked about? Would you like to know when someone says something positive? Or perhaps be in-the-know when someone says something negative about their experience with your business so that you could have the opportunity to corral the unhappy customer and show them that you truly care?

I should hope that you do!

That’s where TweetGrid comes into play. All you have to do is launch the website and set up as many grids that you need in order to monitor what is being said about your business. Pick a few keywords that you think people would use for your business, enter each word into a grid, hit the <enter> button, and there you have it. Each and every time someone makes mention of one of your keywords, it will pop into TweetGrid in real time.

The key here would be to test as many keywords as you possibly can. If there are variations of the names of your business, enter them all. You could even enter common misspellings of your business name. The more the better. The bigger the population of people that frequent your business, the more chances there could be for people to talk up your brand.

If you own a restaurant or a service-related business, you might be surprised at how many people are commenting about your establishment on Twitter. People tend to Tweet a lot about the service they receive, and the quality of food at restaurants, for example. Your goal should be to reinforce and reward the positive comments, and transform the negative comments into good customer service buzz.

Throwing a “thank you” out for positive comments is a no-brainer. But what do you do when an individual says something critical or negative about your business or service? Is it possible to transform such an occurrence into something that could end up building up your reputation?

You bet it is!

If a customer tweets something that doesn’t put you in a positive light, your immediate response and offer to remedy the situation could end up transforming that unhappy person into a happy camper. At worst case, even if they are not ultimately satisfied, more people will trust you and take a chance because they will see that you care.

Simply showing that you care enough to respond is one of the best ways that you can bolster your business’s reputation. However, it goes without saying that you would need to have an actual Twitter account in order to post responses to mentions of your brand, so a little bit of research on how to get started using Twitter and knowing the best way to share your online presence would be in order.

As a side note, most businesses actively posting to Twitter have absolutely no clue as to what to post to be most effective in their marketing efforts. A lot of careless business owners “spam” the Twitter timeline with constant ads, and never interact with others in the community. That is a big mistake. Even if your only activity on Twitter was to respond to people posting about your brand, you would be leaps and bounds ahead of the majority of business Twitterers.

Make the decision now to start monitoring your brand on Twitter and take charge of what your customers reactions are. Turn every situation into a reputation-building opportunity, and watch your business grow leaps and bounds!

Do you have ideas on how to use sites like TweetGrid to better your social media monitoring efforts? Do you have a question about the strategies mentioned in this article? Share them in the comments section below!

Carlton Flowers
Marketing Strategist

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WHAT IS MORE VALUABLE THAN A GENERIC TWITTER FOLLOWING OF 10,000?

These days, people are more focused on building a massive list of Twitter followers than anything else. I’ve seen people build up to 10,000 followers within months just by randomly following different accounts. The goal is to increase influence and build a huge list of potential customers.

But I’d trade 10,000 useless bulk followers for 10 “Personal Walking Ambassadors” any day of the week.

What the heck is a “Personal Walking Ambassador”, and why would I place such a value on these individuals? They are real people that you have made a personal connection with who are willing to shout your message to the world, free of charge, because you have made a powerful impact upon their lives.

If you had 10 people promoting your mission and message on their own accord, of their own free will, you would make a bigger splash in the world that that of having a junk Twitter following of 10,000 or more. In all actuality, I think the 10,000 person figure is very conservative.

Want a good example of a “Personal Walking Ambassador”? I am one myself! I just happen to be a big fan and promoter of the book “The Go Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

After listening to the audio version of this book, I contacted Bob Burg and John David Mann on Twitter to express my gratitude and to let them know how much their book affected my personal mission in life. They both responded, and I instantly became a “Go Giver” Ambassador! I had been a Bob Burg fan for 10 years already, so this meant a lot to me.

Go take a look at some of the Personal Walking Ambassadors that Bob & John have amassed from their great book. Read some of the biographies of the people listed on this page, and tell me if you would rather have ten of these or 10,000 randomly generated generic Twitter followers! Which do you think would skyrocket your influence?

Follow Bob & John on Twitter by clicking here —> @bobburg @johndavidmann

Last but not least, if you have not read it yet, do yourself a favor and get the book! Now!

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TWITTER TRAINING COMING TO CENTRAL MISSOURI!

Today I was blessed to have been interviewed by the awesome David Lile on KFRU Radio in Columbia (1400AM). David is a very charismatic gentleman who carries quite a large following with his radio broadcast. He had some great questions waiting for me, and admitted that he has not spent much time at all on the social media front, nor was he entirely motivated to do so. But by the end of the interview, he saw value in social media participation for business owners and professionals, and even stated that he may look into getting on Twitter and Facebook himself!

We had 3 callers in the latter half of the interview who all had excellent questions. I was surprised that all were interested in learning how to use Twitter, and wanting to know ways that it could be integrated into their marketing strategy. From the questions that were asked, I get a good feeling that there is a need for fundamental Twitter marketing training in Central Missouri. I plan on helping people get the basics of Twitter marketing by providing basic info in my marketing strategy podcast, and also through live webcasts. In the future, as demand dictates, I will be offering workshops and individualized consulting.

My goal is to help business owners and sales professionals explode their current market base and expand the extent of their reach by utilizing the popular social media networks, thus increasing traffic to their businesses and increasing profits. All of this is possible with the right methods and a solid strategy. For more information on social media marketing, listen to the audio podcasts on www.carltonzone.com/blog and chime in to the discussion.

Do you have a question about using Twitter or Facebook to promote your business or organization? Write in a response to this blog post, or contact me via email at carlton.flowers@gmail.com. I’ll be waiting to help you!

Carlton Flowers
Marketing Strategist

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THE SIMPLE STEPS TO CULTIVATING CUSTOMER TRAFFIC USING TWITTER

This week, Kim of the Kingdom City, Missouri Comfort Inn hotel posed a simple yet important question to me that many businesses and sales professionals often ask… “how do you drive traffic to your Twitter presence on the web?” This is an excellent question! I have a simple,  straight-to-the-point strategy that you can use right now. In today’s podcast, I’ll cover the details of getting quality customer traffic to your online business presence using Twitter as your main tool. The steps are as follows:

• First, make a nice Twitter landing page for your bio address
• Do not sell directly on your Twitter page. Make it fun. Get to know people!
• Give benefits, features, or special offers for your business AFTER your introduction
• Give people a reason to contact you on Twitter for a special offer or giveaway
• Give a link to your company website and tell people what they will see if they visit your site
• Give a steady tweet stream daily, but do NOT overdo your frequency
• Interact with as many people as possible via Twitter
• Create a Facebook fan page and link to it on the Twitter bio page
• Give every customer that visits your place of business a reason to get on Twitter BEFORE they leave your store

The details are covered in the audio podcast. Do you have questions or comments? Post them below. Or, if you would like to call and leave a 30-second message, use our new Google Voice number by dialing 636-377-0006. I’ll be looking forward to hearing your comments!

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 How To Drive Traffic To Your Business Presence On The Web Via Twitter [9:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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BUILDING A MASSIVE TWITTER FOLLOWING – IS THIS THE BEST WAY TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS?

In today’s podcast, the topic of discussion centers around Twitter marketing. Is it really advantageous to spend time building a huge Twitter following for business exposure? We’ll discuss the pros and cons of Twitter “list building”, and whether or not you are really getting the most bang out of your buck. Also up for discussion: paid list building services and what you really get for your money.

We are now seeing everything from website sales pages to even eBay auctions promising to add a certain number of followers to a Twitter account for a certain fee. Some are even charging an exorbitant amount of money for their service, but what do you end up with? What is the quality of the list that you have paid your hard-earned money for? And who’s to say that the list sellers aren’t pulling a scam on their customers?

As easy as it is to create fake Twitter accounts, I would be cautious about the validity of purchasing guaranteed followers. Even with real accounts, there’s still no way to qualify the list members. I caution any sales professional or business owner to seriously think about delving into list purchasing before wasting their money. Many Twitter community members now frown on others who participate in artificial list building. In the end, you may not be able to “buy” your online reputation back if your fast-track idea turns sour.

Last but not least, I give my insight on what metric you really SHOULD be tracking instead of the size of your Twitter following or the number of clicks you generate from your link posting. Most marketers gauge success by the number of clicks they receive for an online advertisement or pitch. However, there is one metric that goes far beyond click counting. What is it, you ask? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out!

Click the podcast icon below to listen in and then share your thoughts, questions and comments on the blog!

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 The Truth About Twitter List Building For Business [9:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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NEW FTC GUIDELINES CRACK DOWN ON PAID BLOG PROMOTERS

New rules from the FTC could trigger $11,000 fines per incident of non-disclosure on bloggers who are being paid to promote various products and services.

If you are an internet marketer using a blog to promote an affiliate product, you may want to pay special attention to this new ruling. The basic premise of the ruling is to curb the activity of “fake blogs” that purport to be unbiased individuals who are actually being paid a commission for driving sales to a particular product. For example, everyone has seen the blog site and advertisements that claim some stay-at-home mom has discovered a natural way that you can whiten your teeth for under five bucks. It attempts to come across as a person breaking information about a new discovery, but leads to an advertisement for a teeth whitening product.

In a nutshell, the rule states that you can no longer include testimonials for your product you are promoting without being truthful about the “real” average person’s experience. Previously, you could get away with stating “results not typical” at the end of the advertisement. But that won’t work any more. If your typical customer doesn’t lose an ounce after taking your weight loss product for 6 months, then you would have to include a statement as such. You would either have to disclose the truth or just don’t include any testimonials at all.

Some people think the new FTC rule means bigger government delving into the private affairs of citizens. Others think it is a necessary action to cut down on deceptive advertising. What do YOU think? Click on the Podcast icon to listen to the audio, then share your thoughts below!

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 FTC Declares War On Bloggers [7:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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TWITTER DOMINATES THE NEWS AS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING CONTINUES TO RISE

For the past few weeks, it seems that Twitter has been dominating news reports, television & radio discussions, and even household discussions. We have finally arrived at the point that it is a difficult task finding someone who has not at least heard much about Twitter. Television stars, radio show hosts, network news reporters, and even top athletes are being turned on to Twitter at an alarming rate. Chad “Ocho Cinco” has even made plans to post a tweet during an NFL football game as a touchdown celebration!

But what does the future hold for Twitter and social media marketing as it relates to the business world?

I think this marks the beginning of what I predicted last November (2008). The groundswell is about to start, and we will see a tidal wave of change in the business community. We’re on the cusp of that 6 to 18 month “gestation” time that we talked about. This is where it will begin to be an exciting time for everyone.

I’m going to step out on a limb and tell you that social media may be one of the few sectors that has a positive effect on reversing the current economic trend. It has the power of leverage, and is generating the excitement needed to attract investors from all levels. The reason I say this is due to the fact that the valuation of the major players has risen to astronomical levels (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube). Facebook is sitting on a market value of about $15 billion. Twitter could be worth a few billion. Both companies are starting to attract suitors.

We saw Youtube get purchased by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006, only 2 years after the site was launched. I believe Twitter is next. And I also believe that Google will be the purchaser, and they will pay a premium. I’m not sure how much it will be, but I look for it to be more than the Youtube purchase price.

This major investment talk is going to trickle down to the business community quickly. When local businesses, both small and large, see the seriousness of the potential buyout, they are going to start paying attention to the power of these social media websites. It’s bound to happen.

Until then, I am going to focus on helping to educate small business owners and professionals on the potential of social media marketing. I have a free audio offer (you just have to pay the cost to have it shipped to you) entitled ”The Seven Secrets of Revolutionizing Your Business Through Social Media Strategy” which is located at http://carltonzone.com/seven-secrets.php. Get a copy of this audio and heed my advice!

To your continued success,

Carlton Flowers

Marketing Strategist

573-893-9498

carlton.flowers@gmail.com

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INTERNET SALES SET TO GROW 14% IN 2009

With the recession looming and financial institutions nursing their wounds, can you believe that internet sales will actually GROW by 14% in 2009? Yes, it is true. Right smack dab in the middle of the worst recession our country has ever seen, spending will increase on the web.

Experts (other than myself) are predicting a total market share of $141 billion for web-based retail sales & service this coming year. This is mind-numbing. I tend to believe the prognosticators who are making this rather bold prediction. As people tighten their wallets, the general tendency is to find bargains any way possible. What better way is there to find the lowest prices and highest value other than the internet?

I’ve been saying for quite some time that we will be seeing two major shifts in the local business world. The first will be the impact upon traditional media advertising due to the meteoric rise in social media site usage. The second will be the stampede of local business owners and professionals rushing to get connected to the majority of local residents who are using the social media sites on a daily basis. Critical mass will occur once the first local business owner reports tangible gains utilizing social media for marketing purposes.

This brings me to the question in the title of this post. Local business owners and professionals, when it comes to advertising and marketing investment, where’s YOUR wallet? (forgive me, Capital One, I had to use your snappy catch phrase to make this point!)

Right now, the overwhelming majority of local business owners are keeping their advertising bucks in stonehenge media (my pet name for the age-old media venues). However, while the status quo continues pouding their hard-earned dollars into stonehegne media, a select few are going to flank their business sectors on the battlefield for customers and launch a surprise attack with social media marketing. Smart business owners will start to balance their advertising dollars between stonehenge media and online social media. If you don’t believe it, just watch what happens in 2009 and call me in a few months so I can tell you “I TOLD YOU SO!”

There will be a large percentage of local business owners and professionals in due time who will wise up and want to make the investment in social media, but many will be completely clueless on how to go about doing so. When the time comes, Mr. & Mrs. Local Entrepreneur, you better be looking up Carlton Flowers in the Yellow Pages and making a fast phone call for help.

Carlton Flowers, Social Media Expert

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