April 2010

In honor of this month's Marketing 101 column, I did it. I signed up for a Twitter account and am using TweetDeck to sync my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts with it. I promise to do my best to post pithy and interesting stuff, so if you Tweet, follow me!
Rae Kridel

twitterMarketing 101-- To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Why Twitter Matters

A recent issue of the Indianapolis Business Journal had a feature story on Scott Wise, owner of Scotty's Brewhouse, and how he uses technology to promote his restaurants and engage his customers. In that vein, I asked Amy Stark of Stark Reality, the Indianapolis Twitter Goddess, to write this month's guest column so you can learn how to get the word out about your product or service in a cost-effective way, raise awareness of your brand (and be the company that comes to mind when people think of that product or service) and to create dialogue and get great ideas from others.

Imagine the social media platform -- Twitter -- as a huge room, like an auditorium, or a crowded dance bar like Mickey Gilley's. In this space you can walk over and chat with anyone else who is there. The group of people you approach have the option of interacting with you in 140 characters, or ignoring you. Like a bar you can eavesdrop on conversations among interesting people, then walk over to another group of friends and share what you just heard. There are even bouncers -- twitter employees -- who regularly sweep the room for posers, phishers, spammers and hackers who need to be escorted out.

At this moment in time, April 2010, Twitter has a greater reach worldwide than any other social media platform. As a matter of fact it has a larger potential audience than ANY broadcast outlet (e.g. TV, newspapers, radio, etc.) in the recorded history of our species. Twitter has this reach because of its simplicity and accessibility -- it's a basic text-based platform that can be accessed from ANY cell phone that is connected to a service provider and every Mac or PC that can access the Internet. This means there are well over 4 billion Twitter-ready devices right now. No other social media outlet can boast this potential reach.

There are currently 70 million Twitter users and we know that they have -- at minimum -- a device and a connection to the Internet, so what conclusions can we make about tweeters?

  • Can we infer the bulk of users skew toward the middle-upper class?
  • Would tweeters be mostly literate or illiterate?
  • Would tweeters be more likely or less likely to have disposable income?
  • Would tweeters be more or less likely to have localized influential connections?
  • Would tweeters be more or less likely to have a Star Wars action figure in its original packaging?

The language Twitter uses to convey messages -- Internet protocol (IP) -- is bits of data that travel around the world at the speed of light. Understanding this is of vital importance to businesses in the 21st century because ALL goods and services NOT made of matter can be sold via IP. Knowledge, education, stories, ideas, literature, art, music, video, images, sights, sounds, religions, even certifications and degrees can be sold via IP, and in turn on Twitter. Even if Twitter is gone in a year from now, a Twitter-like platform that uses IP as a message conveyance will take its place and the skills learned will only become more important. So the answer to the title is a resounding YES! It is far better to Tweet than Not to Tweet.

If you want to learn some Twitter basics there is a FREE webinar on April 2 at 3:00pm EDT entitled, "Tip Toe through Twitter." You may also download The Tweeters Almanac - First Edition as a free PDF. Now go get tweeting!

Amy
Stark reAlity Enterprises, Inc.
amy@starkreAlitycheck.com
http://starkreAlitycheck.com
http://starkreAlity.ning.com
http://twitter.com/amystark
317.844.0688
317.430.9033 mobile

360 degrees

Cool Tool

I decided to rename this section of the newsletter because some of the things I was putting in here weren't exactly new, but new to me and possibly to others. The one thing they had in common was that they were all good business tools, hence the new name.

At a recent NAWBO event, I met Patti Ayars, owner of Turning Point Consulting. Before starting her company, she was Senior VP, Human Resources and Corporate Communications for Roche Diagnostics, so she knows a few things about how people work and communicate. I was fascinated by the 360 Degree Feedback that she does, which starts with a self-analysis of business person, querying things like their effectiveness in communication, strengths and weaknesses in areas of performance, then asks the same questions of others around them, like co-workers, subordinates or managers. The results are often very surprising to her client! Knowledge is power, so contact Patti to do a 360 Degree Feedback on you so you can increase your effectiveness.

Fred & Sons'Welcome New Clients!

AlephMEDIA welcomes Fred & Sons' Hauling & Tree Removal Service and Fortune Financial Group, both of Indianapolis, and The UPS Store, Avon.

Fred & Sons', in addition to hauling and tree removal, provides construction clean-up, lawn maintenance, bush/hedge/tree trimming, junk removal and much more. Fortune Financial Group provides financial services from insurance to reverse mortgages and finding other sources of planned income, including a Charitable Legacy Program for non-profits. The UPS Store in Avon has all the great mailing and shipping services you've come to expect from a UPS Store, and in addition, handles printing services (including large format and banners!) right in the store.

Healing LoveAlephMEDIA Recommends...

...Rivka Rose of Healing Love. Rivka is an incredibly intuitive Certified Natural Health Therapist, providing a wide range of services from Reiki and Reflexology to Energy Healing and Vibrational Medicine. You can contact Rivka for an appointment in her home studio or at another location at 465.0027 or 490.0953, or e-mail her. You can find out more on her Web site. And to make it even better, Healing Love is now accepting ITEX!

 

Do Good...

Watch this video before April 30 to help ensure the donation of a truckload of pet food to needy pets. It takes about four minutes.

Upcoming Networking Events

This is a far from exhaustive list of networking events in the area. If you'd like your organization's events listed, please send me an e-mail.

 
 
 

 

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