Small Business Guide - Mobile Marketing

Okay, let’s face it! Mobile phones are here to stay!

They have gone from the brick-sized version that weighed as much, to the stylish, chic version that fits in any pocket and goes with you everywhere. You literally will not leave home without it! In fact, you will turn around and go back home for it. Mobile phones are everywhere and now a vital part of our lives!

Mobile Marketing, a new marketing trend, is the result of the growth in the use of mobile phones and other mobile devices.
I have written this guide for the business owner who is ready to take advantage of this new marketing trend that is set to take off like a rocket. Mobile marketing is for the business owner who wants to be ahead of the trend - instead of trailing it long after it’s been around for years and used successfully by others.

If you own a salon, a coffee shop, an auto repair shop, a pizza shop or any other local business, you know that a regular paying customer is worth more to you than a customer you have to acquire. You may not, however, have any way of keeping track of your customers – who they are, how many of them you have, what they buy when they come in to your shop and therefore, you haven’t been marketing directly to them.

You do your marketing the old-fashioned shotgun way – blast the market with advertising, hoping you’re aiming at the right potential customers who need your product or service.

In this report, we are going to focus on laser targeting your marketing to your local customer base in an affordable, very effective way ¡V using mobile text message marketing.

We will cover the following topics:
• Mobile devices
• What mobile marketing is and what mobile marketing is not.
• Trends in mobile marketing
• Why you, as a business owner, should be very concerned about mobile marketing.
• Who needs mobile marketing
• Mobile friendly websites
• Mobile marketing tools

What is a Mobile Device?
A mobile device is a wireless-enabled computing or communications device that will maintain its function while on the move. It travels with you anywhere you go.

Mobile devices include two basic types of devices: phones and non-phone mobile-enabled devices.

The feature phone is the basic mobile device we’re all familiar with. Feature phones make up about 75% of mobile phones and it is important to realize that. These phones are limited in their capabilities and therefore they place limits on the strategies that can be used to market to them. We can reach customers who carry feature phones using text messaging (SMS), multi-media messaging (MMS), voice and limited mobile internet.

The smartphone is a newer device which combines the functionality of a phone with features we usually associate with a personal computer, such as the internet and email. Most of these phones also have a camera.

This is an exciting category to market to, but it’s important to remember that since smartphones represent only 28% of the market, feature phones are still the majority of phones being used. We want to remember the majority of phones have a more limited access when we create our marketing campaigns.

The connected device is the third category we want to know about. This device is not a phone and includes iPads, e-readers (Kindle, Nook) and portable gaming devices. We are able to market to these devices as well.



IDC.com – July 14, 2010- Smartphones, or Mobile devices, will soon become the dominant computing platform for humanity and supplant the PC.

Replies And Twitter Applications

You can reply to someone's Tweet simply by putting the @symbol in front of their name. This makes the tweet stand out to them as it appears in their reply column or page instead of in the general Tweetstream. It is a very useful way of starting conversations with people in order to build relationships. Simply comment on one of their tweets.

Retweeting
People appreciate retweets and it is a good way to get noticed by others. All you do is put RT in front of the @username. If other people retweet your tweets, make it a habit to thank them. It's common courtesy. Simply tweet @username Thanks for RT :-) and send.

You could even have a contest for customers that retweet your specials.

Useful Twitter Applications for Small Businesses

Twellow
Twellow, at http://www.twellow.com is another great way of finding people to interact with. People here are categorized into all different areas and you can search for those with similar interests to your own.
The main page shows you all the categories, which then have sub categories as well. You just click on a category and the list of people in that area are displayed.

You don't have to be registered with Twellow to be displayed, but at the time of writing there were nearly two million people showing on the site, so you will have plenty to choose from. By all means though, register yourself and set up a profile so others can find you.

When you click on a category, Twellow displays a list of people in that category and they are ordered by the number of followers they have. If you are already logged into Twitter via the web, you will be able to follow people directly from the screens where the profiles are displayed.

Mr Tweet
Mr Tweet at www.mrtweet.net is another way of gaining new followers. All you have to do is follow Mr Tweet on Twitter and your tweets will be monitored for content and then you will get a Direct Message from “him”.
You then go to the site and login and you will get a list of suggested people. You will also get a list of people who are following you that you aren't following so you can then follow them if you choose.
It's a really nifty little site and worth registering at.

Grader
Grader is on Twitter as @grader, but also online at http://twitter.grader.com/ and is a site of some interest. As you get going on Twitter, you can get “ranked” by Grader on a score out of 100. It is based on some secret algorithm apparently so people can't game the system.

Apart from that aspect of Grader, you can have a look at who the top Tweeple are in a particular area or even by topic using the search function.

When you use the search function, it will list the Tweeple by their score in descending order. For example, if you search for “gardening” on Grader, you will get a list of all the top 100 people interested in gardening on Twitter. You can see their “bio” from their Twitter account and if you click on their Grader score, it will take you to their Twitter account from where you can follow them. Naturally, you must already be logged in to Twitter yourself to follow anyone.

Listorious
Listorious has the best Twitter people search on the web so you can find anyone by topic, region or profession -- powered by data from the tens of thousands of list curators.

Formulists
Formulists is a list creation and management tool that allows users to effortlessly generate dynamic and personalized Twitter lists that continuously self-update. Formulists offers a broad range of stock lists that can help users both manage and expand their Twitter network.

Tweetworks
Tweetworks is a Twitter application that makes it easy to find and participate in relevant conversations. Enjoy fully threaded conversations, join and create groups on any topic imaginable, and share media with single-click tagging.

TweetDeck
TweetDeck is a personal browser for Twitter and other social media applications. The desktop application makes it easy to organize lists and followers. TweetDeck is also available for iPhone and other mobile devices.

Followfriday
Followfriday is one the most popular hashtags on Twitter. In this format it is a way to get recommendations of who to follow. Followfriday.com has generated a ranking based on these recommendations which makes it easier to follow the most recommended users.

Happn.in
For each Happn.in city, there is a current list of local Twitter trends Happn.in pulls out useful information from the noise, specifically, local information.

TwitPic
Use your phone, computer or email to post pictures directly to Twitter with TwitPic.

HootSuite
HootSuite is a social media dashboard where you can monitor keywords, manage multiple Twitter, and other social medial application profiles, schedule messages, and measure your success
Twaitter
Schedule twitter posts and manage posting calendars with Twaitter. Set up recurring twitter messages and write bulk messages.

Advanced Tweeting Tips
Once you're all set up, you can get into some advanced Tweeting tips and applications that can really power your Business Twitter usage up.

Twitter Backgrounds
We discussed earlier about setting up your Twitter background so that it didn't just look like the default Twitter page. Leaving it like that shows a lack of care on your part. You need to distinguish your business from the crowd and attract more followers, or at the very least impresses people with your professionalism.
Now if you're a bit of a Photo software whiz, then you can do your own background, full of bells and whistles and load it up to your Twitter profile. But if you're not, or you just want to save time, then you can contact me to speak about any aspect of your Twitter or Internet Marketing strategy. My contact info is at the end of this report.

Twitterfeed
Twitterfeed at http://www.twitterfeed.com is also a very handy tool. What Twitterfeed does is that you can set up your blog to feed directly to your Twitter account.

So every time you make a blog post, it gets tweeted automatically on your behalf. You can use this in conjunction with Tweetlater with the first post coming through Twitterfeed and then subsequent ones at times you specify via Tweetlater.

Your Twitter Karma
Your Twitter Karma at http://dossy.org/twitter/karma/ is a really useful site for having a look at your followers and who you are following. It's great for seeing your account from a followers/following perspective.

Your Tweets

Promote products and services
One of the simplest ways to effectively use Twitter as an online marketing tool is to tell followers about what you do and who you are. Tweets should be informative and not overly promotional.

Use casual and friendly language and don't think of Twitter as a bulletin board, but as a way to have a conversation with your customers. Your first goal should not be to sell, but rather to get people interested in your services and products. So be helpful, listen and give your followers relevant and useful information.



Examples are from Jade Teahouse (@JadeTeahouse), Portland, Oregon whose social media marketing campaign allowed them to become one of Portland's most popular lunch destinations within a year of launching, and Emerson Salon in Seattle (@emersonsalon), a hair salon with one of the highest number of followers within the hair salon list. Currently over 14,000 followers.

Create talk in the local community
Before the Tupelo restaurant in Boston even opened their doors, the word spread among their followers on Twitter (@tupelo02139), where they posted updates on everything from inspections to paint choices. On opening night the place was packed.

At least half of the restaurant goers were there because of Twitter according to co-owner and twitterer Jean Deaderik. A write-up in The Boston Globe described how restaurants, including Tupelo, were using Twitter as an online marketing tool. Local businesses can achieve such buzz by sharing sneak peeks of projects and events that are in development.



Offer special discounts and promotions
Use Twitter to broadcast special discounts and promotions, an available appointment or table at a restaurant. Luna Park Kitchen & Cocktails (@lunaparksf) in San Francisco shares tweets with a secret password to entice customers in with 50% off their meal, and True Massage (@truemassage), also in San Francisco, used twitter to announce available appointments.

According to this New York Times article, True Massage often fills its bookings within a few hours of posting. On the other side of the country, in New Orleans, a wholesome pizza restaurant called Naked Pizza (@NakedPizza) decided to track sales driven by Twitter at the cash register and found that one Twitter promotion resulted in a 15% increase in sales that day.



Give great customer service and listen to feedback
Respond to complaints and feedback. When Ramon DeLeon, a Chicago Domino's franchisee, read a twitter post complaining about the late delivery of a Domino's pizza, he and the general manager of the store recorded a video apologizing for their lack of customer service and gave the twitterer a free pizza. Successfully turning an angry customer into an ambassador proves that customer service is equally important online as in the store.

Spread positive endorsement and answer questions and comments directed at you. Use the retweet function to repost an efficacious message from a customer and take the relationship into the real world. Retweeting positive messages is a great way to spread word-of-mouth advertising and build a memorable brand. Berry Chill (@YogiJones), a Chicago based frozen yogurt shop does this well.



With your customer's permission, sharing a picture through TwitPic of a customer enjoying a milkshake, or their newly painted house, is a useful way to integrate multimedia, showcase your business and build a community. More on TwitPic below.

Use Twitter as a focus group. Dechutes Brewery (@DeschutesBeer) in Oregon will often post new creations and ask for feedback from their followers.



Another good way of starting out tweeting is with quotes. Do a search for some quotes of interest and tweet these. Personal development ones are great and also quotes by famous people.

Here's one I just found in the Tweetstream as an example: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." — Aristotle. There are thousands of these all over the internet that you can use.
Another good idea with your tweeting is to keep religion and politics out of them. These subjects can only alienate followers and you can lose them.

Getting Started With Twitter?

Setting up your business on Twitter can be easy, but there are a few things that you should be aware of when organizing your account. This can apply even if you already have an existing account too, so consider these tips and it can improve your entire Twittter experience.

The first thing to do if you don't have an account is go to http://www.twitter.com which is the home page of Twitter. You will be asked to either login or register. If you don't have an account, then of course you will need to register. So let's go through the registration process and explain it all here.

Registration
You will probably want to register your business name, but make sure you use your own name in the sign up process so you are identifiable and connected with the business name you register. The concepts and reasons for operating under each type of registration will be discussed later.
The next screen will ask if you want to add any of your friends from the popular web based email programs. You may want to do this if you have a customer list started or get your account seeded with the friends and family in your contact list.

Your Business Profile
First things first: Write an engaging profile. The business profile should include location, telephone, email and website address if available. Remember, this is about building relationships with customers, not a corporate information sheet. Keep it simple and easy, but share your personality.

You have 160 characters here to “sell” yourself. Take some time over it and do it well. Don't simply enter a bunch of keywords as they appear totally uninteresting to people, although they may get you found. Use keywords by all means, but start your Bio with the words “I help” and then describe the product or services you provide. Using my Local Internet Marketing Business as an example:

-I help small businesses get more customers by making them findable on the online when local consumers are looking for their products or services.

Now that description is only 143 characters, so you could still get some more keywords in the profile.

Picture Tab
This is really important. When you open this page you will see the small avatar on the screen which is the default for Twitter. If you want new followers, putting a company logo or photo of business is imperative.
But just put something so you can be identified in the Tweetstream by your followers. The graphic is often more important than your name when people are scanning Tweets and you will stand out for yours.

Design Tab
Here you can change the background of your Twitter page from the default. Twitter provides a number of alternatives that you can select or you can upload your own background. You can also change all the colors if you wish.
Again, whatever you do, just change it so you are not running the default. It shows you have taken some time setting up your account.

This one component of your presence on Twitter that is worth doing well.


If you need help managing your Twitter or any Internet Marketing for your business you can find my contact information at the end of this report.

How To Ensure You Benefit From The Panda Update

The Google panda update is a new version of Google.s algorithm that is designed to avoid poor content reaching the top pages of search results. Poor content is identified in many ways but most obviously, it should not be copied from somewhere else on the web.

When designing the algorithm Google wanted to detect signals that a user might interpret as poor quality. Naturally their algorithm is confidential – but according to their feedback (extracted from the Google Webmaster Blog), the questions they are dealing with algorithmically are like these:

Would you trust the information presented in this article? Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it shallower in nature? Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?

• Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?

• Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?

• Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?

• Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?

• Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?

• How much quality control is done on content?

• Does the article describe both sides of a story?

• Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?

• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don't get as much attention or care?

• Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?

• For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?

• Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?

• Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?

• Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?

• Is this the sort of page you.d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?

• Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?

• Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?

• Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?

• Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

The most obvious and worst thing you can do is copy or duplicate content as its the easiest thing to detect on a search engine and it (the search engine) will always rank the original content higher.

What this means for you – is that its very important that your press release is published on your website first. That way Google will see you as the source of quality content and not the one of the press outlets.

Google will automatically give you the credit of the origin of the content and provide your press release page higher rankings and traffic.