Friday, February 13, 2009

5 Reasons to Avoid Twitter, and Why You Should Not

If you are not familiar with Twitter then you are probably not up to speed on social networking.But if you have not decided to create a Twitter account, you are definitely not alone.Many internet marketers are wary of using Twitter for a number of reasons.Here are the top 5.

1.Useless Information.It is true that many Twitter users update their Twitters with completely useless information.Do you really need to know that someone just finished their second cup of coffee or is leaving the office early for a pedicure?The good news is that if you find that you do not particularly enjoy a person s tweets, you do not have to continue following them.But do not eliminate this option altogether.One of the most important aspects of Web 2.0 is engaging people in all aspects of their lives, even the mundane stuff.Share yourself, welcome the opportunity to let others share themselves with you, and you will go a long way toward building a loyal customer base.People are much more willing to do business with you if they think you have a vested interest in their needs and thoughts.

2.It is a Waste of My Time.This is probably the most valid reason of all.But the truth is that many marketers generate traffic and leads when potential customers find them through Twitter.When the content you share is relevant and high-quality, you can drive visitors to your website to learn more.Twitter is simply another tool for online marketing, so do not write it off until you have given it a shot to see what it can do for you.Do some of your own research to discover the multitude of business uses for Twitter and you might just be convinced that It is not a total waste of time after all.

3.It is Time-Consuming.Like any online endeavor, you can blow a lot of valuable time following your streams and entering your own tweets.But you can salvage some of your time by using RSS feeds to follow relevant conversations.Visit search.twitter.com and click on the link to Feed for this query.You can then follow the conversations that are most important and relevant to you and your business.If that is not optimal for you, simply discipline yourself to check only once or twice per day.

4.Twitter Does not Cater to My Customers.Before you decide that your customers are not on Twitter, look for yourself.Go to Search(dot)Twitter(dot)com.Search for the name of your company, the name of your product, and keywords relevant to your business.If you are afraid that your market may be too niche-y for Twitter, remember that your job as a marketer is to find people where they are.If there are a few folks on Twitter within your niche, put yourself there as well.

5.It Could Lead to Bad Press.Whether you are on Twitter or not, people are still talking about you, and you need to know about it.Even if there is poor feedback on Twitter, you need the opportunity to let folks know that you are aware and that you are going to do something about whatever it is that has disappointed them.If you respond quickly to the concerns of your detractors, you will go a long way towards putting out potentially damaging fires.Thoughtful responses make a huge difference in customer attitudes.Remember that if a critical mass of bloggers pick up on negative press and write about it themselves, things can get out of hand very quickly.On the other hand, you can make a great name for yourself if you address customer concerns promptly and tactfully.

There you have it.No more excuses for avoiding Twitter.Even if you think It is the most ridiculous tool ever invented, you still need to check it out for yourself.Give it some time and see what it can do for you.Explore different applications of this valuable tool and let it help you grow your business.


About the Author

Seomul Evans is a SEO expert with a leading SEO company specializing in Internet Search Engines and a contributor of Social Media articles


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Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Basics Of Business Card Marketing

One of the most frequent requests I have heard throughout my career is "May I have your card?" Whether it's a sales call or business-to-business (B2B) networking, the practice of swapping business cards is the most common way to make an introduction.So why do so many merchant level salespeople (MLSs) arrive at meetings and trade shows without them?

I'm always surprised when, during the "get to know you" part of a committee meeting, someone in the room announces they have "forgotten their cards." Or when someone visits our booth at a trade show and is unable to leave a card because they don't have any with them.In sales, forgetting your business cards is like forgetting your pants.

The most effective way I've found to remember people I've met is to retain their business cards.During our conversations, I often take quick notes on the back of the cards that I can refer to later, such as jotting down a reminder about something from our meeting, an action item I have agreed to or something they have committed to me.

Once back at my desk, I review the stack of cards.I write thank you notes, delegate action items, pass along leads and the myriad of follow up details that occur after a business trip.Without the cards, I'm left only with an attendee roster and pads of paper.

Your cards should include your name, phone number, fax number, e-mail and street addresses and company logo.This information should be produced in a color and font that are easy to read.I recently received a business card that had been printed with pale lavender five-point type in order to fit all of the information the proprietor wanted on the card.A lot of information was there, but I couldn't read it-even with my bifocals on!

Make sure you proofread your business cards before they are printed.You may think that the instructions you gave the person at Kinko's were clear, but did they set your information correctly?Here's an easy trick to use when proofreading to ensure what is to be printed is correct: Read each line backwards, from left to right and from bottom to top.This will force you to look at each word and number, instead of only skimming the information that you are so familiar with.

Also, have your cards printed on a paper stock that someone can actually write on.If your cards are plastic or a dark color they will be less useful to those who receive them, especially if they, like you, take notes on cards.While business cards that look and feel like credit or gift cards may be a novelty, they will most likely be tossed rather than kept as useful reminders for further action.

Check your sales agreement for instructions regarding logo placement on your business cards.Card associations and many banks and vendors have specific rules regarding the use of their logos.Additionally, be sure to include any logos (that you are entitled to use) that might lend further credibility to your business, such as from a trade association, chamber of commerce or Better Business Bureau.

If you conduct business in languages in addition to English, you might consider having your contact information printed on the back of your business card in these other languages.Or, you might add a line to your business card such as, "Se habla espa_ol."


Keep a supply of business cards in your wallet, briefcase, car, computer bag and desk, and invest in a simple business cardholder to protect the cards and keep them looking crisp and clean.

Most importantly, give your business cards away.

Many sales managers monitor their sales staffs' activities based on the number of business cards each rep collects during the day.You can easily rate the effectiveness of your daily routine by counting the cards your collect.You'll have a better idea of how many leads you're generating if you give a card each time you receive one.

Your business cards are one of the most productive pieces of collateral you will generate.Consider them the seeds of your business, and scatter them widely.


About the Author

Kishor Nayak is a Business Consultant working with International clients.

Did you find this information useful?You can learn a lot more about how

business cards can help your business.

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Moving Visitors Of Dental Web Sites Onto The Best Customer List

Promotion is the main focus of dental web sites, but this isnt going to help you transform visitors into long-lasting patients that make your practice profitable. There are real, root problems that prevent current patients from visiting when they should. Failing to keep these same issues in mind when building a dental web site design also prevents visitors from scheduling appointments. This can essentially cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Surface Excuses For Postponed Appointments

Dentists hear patients tell them all the time why they waited to come in, but they are rarely the real reason. Unfortunately, these excuses are what many dental web site designs use. While they make work somewhat, they propaganda grant you as well as the ways out you were anticipating to get cherish your dental web places.

One of the more all-purpose is revealing a dread of the dentist. This does impede a few patients cherish creating blind dates. Some professionals take on this and sedation way. This helps, but it isnt the delicately answer and all the time not the advantageous one. Insufficient money and age as at any rate as a lack of savvy around precise complications and drugs are other ceaseless excuses. Choices such as patient teaching, convenience, and financial help are all accurate. However, these hardly ever translate into a fuller daily agenda.

Mistrust In Dental Professionals

Dental professionals are one of the more underappreciated professions in todays society. This is the biggest pretext clients dissatisfy to variety blind dates or postpone them as a good deal of as they can. Beforehand the arrival of the Cyber web, dentistry experts were trusted to a higher degree. This is because more patients came across their dentists by receiving a suggest relishes a faithful friend or family unit member. Oral affection professionals further had the uncertainty to get to grasp their patients on top of their teeth. These days, a abrading increase in expenses means that doctors crave to get additional patients by the use of their place of business in one day to variety their exercises profitable.

Dental web region arrangement shouldnt resemble that of a hand-me-down car lot and be jam-packed as well as exaggeration and full-size deals that arent so big subsequent to the whole thing is stated and accomplished. Use dental web locales to class browse cyberspace visitors believe welcome and battle to create a hoping relationship like the initiate. Illuminate pains and confer all of the close by selections letting an truthful outline of each quite than easily advertising the numerous profitable alternatives. Put put concentration on your acumen and expertise. Once you pass through stepped forward consider, your shoppers will be added likely to brand their accredited rendezvous and will be further possible to accept the cures you hints. Be guaranteed to recommence creating accept as true with when the patient arrives in the workplace as nonetheless.

Wonder Preventative

On the internet guests and different patients constantly defer their visits since they without difficulty dont recognize the benefits of preventative medicines such as checkups and cleanings. The significance of contending and problems beforehand they get more regretful is steadily forgot as in any case. Patients ceaselessly wonder that as long as their teeth arent worrying each other they dont appetite to restlessness on the subject of it.

Dental web locales and offline communications crave to emphasize the dignity of preventative friendliness and why pains should not be departed unchecked. Be guaranteed to illuminate the results of dismissing their oral medical and the advantages of proactive fondness, such as cleanings and general checkups, in your dental web site organization list. It is further helpful to connect these guidelines in addition to the monetary savings that come bask in themselves. This allows you to publicize frequent business in a way that is accurate to all and sundry while taking away excuses such as a lack of occasion and financial statement. You can then invest epoch and battle in an efficient conduct allowing you to book niftier and not less attackable.

Profitable dental web location design boils losing to relaying your moral to shoppers fruitfully. You simply appetite to be definite you are sending the correctly messages in addition to your dental web locales. Take off by competing also the principal excuses appropriately derive pleasure the originally articulation in addition to a buyer and integrate these beliefs during every sphere of your practice.
As regards to the Architect

Christine OKelly is an architect for the experts in

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