By CarolAnn Bailey-Lloyd. Follow her @CarolAnnB.

New kid on the twitter block? Then you’ll love this innovative list of twitter ice breaker tweet posts that open lines of communication…and beyond:

1. Adulation. If you want to follow a particular person, then you want to introduce yourself in a genuine approach. For example, if you are interested in following me, you might say something like: Hi @CarolAnnB - I really found your last post on twitter helpful. I’m following u now 2 get the latest twitter tips & related info. Thx!

Sincere flattery will get you into my good graces and on my TwitterExpress!  It’s also a great way for you to get recognition in a sea of endless followers.

2. Animal Attraction. Most people have respect for animals - dogs, cats, horses, monkeys, etc. If you have a pet story you’d like to share to introduce yourself to the twittosphere, use a one-liner that’ll attract potential followers like: Hi @eHorses - love ur horse avatar. What types of horses do u own? I’ve got a black foal named Hercules. He’s a real riot!

3. Poetry. Are you poet and don’t know it? There are plenty of poets and lyricists on twitter pining to meet like-minded writers. You don’t even have to be a poet, per say, but just share a love of reading prose, haiku, parodies, and acrostic verse, among others. As an ice-breaker tweet, you might draw a prospective follower with: #Haiku –> The moment two bubbles/ are united, they both vanish./ A lotus blooms. - Kijo Murakami (RT via @Haikuluv)

4. Comedy. Everyone loves a comedian…okay, most people love a comedian. If you’ve got a funny bone and you have the extraordinary ability to make people laugh, hop to it! You might also enjoy comedy; so a great post to attract a potential comedian to your twitter may go something like this: Hey @MagicMike - feelin’ kind of down, got something funny 2 inspire me?

5. Inspiration. In this economy, anyone could use a little encouragement, so inspirational quotes and passages are a super way to bring people to your twittosphere. If you’re at a loss for words, don’t sweat it. You can facilitate online quote sites like BrainyQuote.com - excellent source for uplifting sentiments.

Remember, when you shine your light brightly, even just a candle’s flicker, you’ll draw more light to you…and more positive followers as well! 

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.

When the going gets tough, the tough advertise.

By Suzanne Driscoll | Entrepreneur.com

When sales slump due to a slow economy, a business owner’s first inclination is often to cut the marketing budget. After all, one has fixed costs and cash flow can be irregular. But marketing should be the last activity you eliminate or you risk an even faster downward spiral. Advertising your business and attracting new customers should be an ongoing process, and there are many things you can do that cost absolutely nothing. In these times money might be tight but the need for revenue is continuous, here are just a few suggestions.

1. Become the expert
   Submit articles related to your business to the local paper, trade journals and professional organization’s newsletters. Choose a topic that reflects your expertise on the subject and make sure your business is mentioned. You might also find a website that may be interested in letting you host a guest column. Whenever you get published, make copies and send them to all your current and potential customers.
2. Be a great public speaker
   Professional meeting planners are always looking for presenters and workshop leaders for conferences. Research contact names in the Directory of Meeting Planners or start with your local Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club. If, like most people, you dread the thought of public speaking, join your local Toastmasters [http://www.toastmasters.org/] club; this is also a great way to meet potential customers. When you do get the opportunity to make a presentation, be sure to collect business cards for a drawing to win a book or other prize related to your business.

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Social media has its place, but e-mail remains the king of online relationship marketing.

By Chris Johnson of Guerrilla.me - Follow him @genuinechris

One reason alone is why I’m on twitter. To make money. I don’t mean to give Lara the willies. But it’s true. I also post stuff about my kids. I also have made great friends from twitter. I’ve also learned a ton about the world. Still, at the end of the day, twitter is about earning customers for me. Or, should I say, helping people. It’s working. I’m doing enough business to support my family of 4, just from Twitter.

[Honesty Box: We live in the Midwest and are radically cheap.]

This is the ethos you need to have starting out:

1.) Value And Honor Every Relationship Possible. Twitter is about relationships. It’s about small communities, ideas bouncing around. You’re there to help everyone possible. You’re there to be of service. Get it? You have to help people. Let’s get specific: be of maximum service to 100 people at and around your level. Get to know them. Go out of your way to help. For free. If you need to, put a spreadsheet down to remind yourself to interact with them and encourage them.

2.) Stop Broadcasting & Automating. OK, you can repeat stuff. And you should. You can use Twuffer. And you should. But if you’re gonna roll with the “Hey, here’s a widget that gives you 9,000,000 indifferent followers in 5 minutes,” you’re not giving anything good. You’re not adding value, you’re the guy at the wedding trying to hook you into MLM. You’re also marking yourself as a newbie. Use search.twitter.com to follow keywords as I mentioned in this post.

3.) Stop begging for love from the big names. I see people trying to get attention from “name brand” blogger with 25,000 followers with nothing more to give than “Hey check out my site, what do you think.” You don’t make it big by getting a @mrskutcher to notice you. You make it big by giving value to someone with 500 followers, and having him get so happy he refers his friends to you, on and off twitter. Help people first and you’ll win.

4.) Get Local, dog gone it. Probably the biggest mistake I made was to eschew the local market to chase other business. That was dumb. It’s something I’m correcting, but I’ve lost the first mover advantage in Columbus, OH. I’ve just started reaching out. What I’ve learned? Twitter provides instant rapport when you call on them. Twitter + your local area makes it even better. Had I done this a year or more ago, I would have had results much sooner.

5.) Don’t Follow So Many People. Following is a promise. To care, to watch, even if intermittently. To link, to help. I “follow” 1800 and that’s far too many. I can only watch about 300-400. I am representing that I care about people I don’t know, and that, I find deceitful. Your mileage may vary depending on how you use twitter, but following people you don’t watch isn’t my thing. I’m in it and about relationships. True fans, true friends. Not mass numbers.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.

By CarolAnn Bailey-Lloyd. Follow her @CarolAnnB.

Now that you’ve joined the twitter bandwagon, you’re trying to figure out the best way to attract quality followers to your twittosphere. I don’t know too many folks who want a wave of spam bots following them, but sometimes that’s what we might end up with if we’re not careful with our twitter approach. What’s a twitter newbie to do when she’s new to the twitter-scene? Use the following twitter tips to create a presence that’s both clear and notable:

1. Did you create your twittosphere for a professional agenda? Identifying your niche market is the first key to attracting the audience you want on twitter. It’s also the most excellent way to develop enticing tweets to engage twitter users. If you’re on twitter for pure professional grounds, then you must offer tweets that invite potential clients. Remember, consumers (whether in virtual time or real time) want value for their purchasing dollar. As a professional twitter-tweeter, you must provide quality and relative information regarding your product (or service). And just like any bricks-and-mortar business, friendly small talk is in order. Tell twitter users about yourself — how you got started in your business, why you got started in your business, why you feel strongly about your business, who facilitates your business, and what makes your business a step ahead of the grain. Add a splay of links to your Website…but tread carefully; too much of a good thing isn’t always the best method to earn patronage. Offer links to associated information as well. There’s a right way and there’s a wrong way to achieve professional success on twitter. If every tweet contains a link, you’re probably talking at your twitter base - that’s the wrong way. If your tweets offer engaging dialogue, a random splay of links, and an answer/question-type format, you’re communicating with your twitter base - that’s the right way.

2. I joined twitter to establish friendships. If you joined twitter simply for personal reasons, then you’ve got just about free reign on how you approach your twittosphere. Common sense, however, plays a major role in how you develop and expand your personal twitter network, too. Don’t be the twitter playground bully and expect people to like you. If you come onto the twitter playing field to simply dump your negative energy, then you won’t attract quality friendships. Instead, you get what you receive: misery loves company.

Monkey-see, monkey-do… Our twitter followers often mimic our personalities (and visa vie) to some degree. For example, if you share music through Blip.fm or other twitter-aligned musical sites, you’ll find that your followers are more than likely music connoisseurs. If you like baking pies and pastries, your followers can probably offer you the latest recipe for homemade apple pie. And that is what it’s really all about; twitter — that is. Twitter is the social networking scene that allows ordinary…and sometimes extraordinary folks to strike common grounds in a mutual network of millions. Where else in the world can you go and have the opportunity to touch the mind, heart, and spirit of multi-generational cultures, creeds, and races?

3. Love…American style: I want to find true love on twitter. While twitter is a great social networking portal, I can’t say whether or not true love has blossomed on this media giant. Just like any social scene, individuals must exercise caution when attempting to develop any relationship - personal or otherwise. Unless you can confirm a potential significant other’s intent beyond a shadow of a doubt - tread carefully.  In today’s fast-paced virtual society, we get easily side-tracked by the now-moment of time. This often translates into making ourselves readily vulnerable to online predators, which have less-than-desirable intentions. Don’t offer personal information (home phone number, address, etc.) unless you absolutely trust an individual. Just because it’s twitter, doesn’t make it safer.

4. Trying to expand your group’s reach? If you’re like other hobby-loving creatures of habit, then twitter is perfect for you and the expansion of what it is you like to do. It’s also an excellent venue to expand outreach for independent causes like cancer, the Humane Society, and Eco-friendly organizations, among others. If your intention is to acquire more members and/or support of your cause, twitter gives you the perfect platform to get in contact with interested individuals. On twitter, you can post your concerns, your needs, and your goals. Learn who is researching resolutions, how you can become part of the solution, and where you can go to learn more. That works, too, if you’re offering information and resources about your group. But again, remember to keep your conversations light and friendly. Too much chatter and not enough dimensions to your communication can be a real buzz-kill.

5. I want to explore my philosophical side on twitter. Now that’s a topic I can personally get into. On twitter, there’s an explosion of diversity. From orthodox religious individuals to those seeking Zen enlightenment — spirituality and philosophy is alive and well here. Twitter is home to psychologists, spiritual mentors, personal and professional coaches, psychics, astrophysicists, astrologists, astronomers, actors, musicians, clerics, engineers, and more. The best part about the twitter climate is that every one has something to offer to the virtual hemisphere of knowledge. Teaching and learning is an everyday occurrence on twitter because it’s almost guaranteed that you will learn something new each time you login. And if you’re a real people-person, you’ll be able to share your ideas, philosophies, theories (and maybe conspiracies)…and in return, you’ll gain a wealth of retrospection, investigation, and potential answers.

Most importantly, keep it real on twitter. Don’t go beyond your area of expertise. Don’t lead individuals on with superficial tweets. Don’t give advice when no one has asked for it. Don’t be rude. And yes, learn how to “listen” on twitter before you respond; part of being a good communicator, means knowing what to tweet and when to tweet it.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.

Blogs are a marketing tool you can’t afford to ignore. Here are tips on how to create one successfully.
By Lesley Spencer Pyle | Entrepreneur.com

If you work at home for yourself, whether as a consultant, writer or virtual assistant, you need clients. You already know that marketing is a must. No doubt you’ve heard that blogging is an important tool in your marketing toolbox. It helps you connect with potential customers, and it allows them to get to know you and your work.

If you haven’t started blogging yet–or if you have but you’re looking for blog inspiration–here’s some advice from a pair of active bloggers.

Offer Value. Determine your audience and create useful content. A blog can’t simply be an ad. If it is, no one will come back to your site. Hallie Vanszl, owner of La Retro Gifts, a toy boutique store, just began her first blog. She says her goal was clear: “I wanted it to be more story and less product–with just a mention in a place or two, rather than the majority of the post being related to product.” So while you’ll find the occasional link to a specific toy, you’ll also find her recipe for snow cream, sample love notes to leave in lunch boxes and play ideas for children with special needs.

Show Your Creative Side. Blogs can showcase your ability. Your portfolio of projects for clients may be limited to fairly serious or otherwise “dry” material. You can show those as an example of work for satisfied clients, but your blog can be a place to shine. Show pictures of what you’re working on, describe a particularly successful event or post a personal project that showcases your unseen abilities.

“Besides being another place and way for my name to be out there (and being in the right place at the right time is everything when your door’s always open for more work), my blogs give me a place where I can ‘untether’ on topics just a bit,” says freelance writer Tracy Morris.

It can enhance both partners—or put a dent in one. Make sure you pick a partner that’s a good fit with your company’s products, values, and image

By Steven McKee | Businessweek.com

The moment Roger Penske announced his planned acquisition of the Saturn brand from GM, Saturn dealerships around the country initiated a spontaneous and organic co-branding campaign, erecting banners and billboards to celebrate the alliance.

Saturn of Wichita’s advertising proudly proclaimed: “Finally, a car guy owns a car company.” Scott Davies, owner of the dealership, explained the resulting traffic increase by saying: “People want to buy from someone they like. A lot of customers won’t buy a car from GM, but they will buy a car from Roger Penske.” That’s why Davies—and many other dealers like him—were so eager to associate Saturn with Penske.

It was an odd and unintentional (at least from GM’s perspective) co-branding effort, but it paid off. Saturn’s marketing director, Kim McGill, said the Penske announcement led to a 35% sales jump in June over the prior year.

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If you’re going it alone, avoid these pitfalls.

Twitter is the easiest form of social media to measure, so make sure you’re getting the most from it.

By Marshall Sponder | Entrepreneur.com

The news is slowly sinking in that Twitter can help small businesses succeed beyond answering customers’ questions, networking and providing education. Within a fairly short period of time, Twitter could permanently change how small businesses operate to include hyper-local marketing, advertising, financial information, customer service, data mining, product and service alerts and micropayments.

Immaturity of business models and metrics and ROI questions surrounding social media are making Twitter cumbersome to use for many small businesses, but change is coming as more startups are building Twitter into their business models; meanwhile, Twitter metrics and tracking have also been rapidly evolving. New metric tools such as Twitoaster and ViralHeat are constantly being released to track Twitter’s effect on sales and marketing.

Twitter is the easiest form of social media to track, due to its open interface and data. Any kind of actionable data is worth tracking. For example, business owners can start by tracking how many followers they have at any one time, how many times their posts were shared and how many replies they got. They can also track more complex calculations such as how much their Twitter followers are worth. For example, Hillstrom’s Twitter Quality Score is calculated by dividing the number of followers by the number following, and a score of 1.5 or above demonstrates that a Twitter account is worth following and has quality information and offers for its followers.

Next, track your sales or word-of-mouth mentions back to your Twitter account. Use a URL shortener, to track how often your content appears on Twitter, and tie it back to sales. For example, you can establish a shortened link to a specific promotion and track how many times it has been clicked on and shared, which is important in social media.

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/ebusiness/webmetricscolumnist/article202516.html#ixzz0M2A1pEXc

5 ways to save money and still get your message heard.

Meeting payroll and covering overhead are the first orders of business when times are tough. But too many entrepreneurs and small businesses look to their marketing budgets as a way to cut costs–a big no-no when clients and customers may be that much harder to come by. Here are five simple ways to save money while still reaching as many clients and customers as possible.

1. Cheap? Let everyone know
Cost is paramount in the minds of many consumers–the less expensive a product or service, the better. If that’s your business, have your marketing materials reflect that cost-conscious focus. “Right now we’re in a price-driven environment,” says Jay Lipe, author of The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses. “If you’re using marketing materials that show that price-driven personality, it really reinforces that image. Bare-bones positioning these days can really work effectively.”

That’s been the case for Monsoon Co., a Berkeley, Calif.-based software development consulting firm. While the company has long touted its low-priced services, it recently mailed out some 150 rather grungy-by-design mailers: five-by-seven pieces of cardboard, broken from a used box, with a handwritten “recession message” that read, “OK, this is a lame way to save money. Call us about smarter ways to save on design and development in 2009.”

Sandeep Sood, 32, president of the $2 million company, explains that the mailer “plays with the paranoia” that people have about the recession. “Yes, it’s bad, but it’s not as bad as many people might think,” he says. “And this message really made people chuckle.” Moreover, the results have been great. “We kept getting calls from people saying how much they liked the card. And any time a client calls is an opportunity to engage.”

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