Archive for March, 2009
What are you doing? If you’re an active member of the Twitter community, then you probably already know that you can enter updates beyond the typical Twitter homepage. Armed with cell phones and other devices, an explosion of Twitter platforms, clients, and applications have emerged. To get you up to speed, consider the following selections:
Tweetie: Full-featured Twitter client for iPhone and iPod Touch – available at the iPhone App Store.
Tweet Deck: An Adobe Air desktop application (currently in public beta) that involves more than one social media outlet with a unique display featuring a columned user interface.
twitterfeed.com: Provide this service with the URL for your blog’s RSS feed and enjoy direct posting to Twitter.
Power Twitter: This Firefox add-on enhances the features found on the Twitter Web interface, such as Facebook status updates, custom settings, and photo uploading.
HootSuite: With an easy-to-use interface, you can use HootSuite to manage multiple Twitter profiles and pre-schedule tweets.
Twhirl: Using the Adobe AIR platform, this social software desktop client runs on both Windows (2000/XP/Vista) and Mac OSX.
How to Shorten Your URL for Twitter
With Twitter, you’re only allotted 140 characters to share your daily gripes, ever-changing activities, and call attention to any information you deem worthy. So, let’s say you’d like to include a link to your latest blog post or an article you found interesting. That can surely eat up your 140 characters. With the following options, you can transform long URLs into shorter links for your Twitter updates:
While you’re at it, why don’t you follow us on Twitter!
Never Underestimate the Power of a Comment
If you want to increase traffic to your blog, never underestimate the power of a comment. For starters, it is highly recommended to respond to the comments that people leave behind on your blog. Answer questions, thank them, or create dialogue. This not only shows that you are interested in what your readers have to say, but that you also value their opinions.
Don’t miss out on the perfect opportunity to enhance the loyalty of your readers. Visit the links attached to their information when they leave a comment on your blog, and repay the favor.
Another way to increase blog traffic is to leave comments on other blogs, especially when they are within your niche. Keep in mind that readers with the same interests are more inclined to follow a link, so don’t forget to leave the URL of your blog attached to your comment, which creates a link back to your blog.
Lastly, a real no-no in the world of blogging is to spam the comment space of a blog. Posting blatant and irritating advertisements, regarding your own blog, products, and/or services will only anger the online community. If you don’t have anything significant or thought provoking to say, keep to yourself.
In conclusion, the best way to embrace the usefulness of a blog comment and attract new readers is to:
- Respond to comments left on your blog
- Participate and encourage relevant dialogue
- Post interesting and engaging comments on other blogs
By Kevin via Flickr
During sluggish economical times, it only makes sense to cut back on spending. We’re eating out less, clipping more coupons, and eliminating unnecessary expenses at home – but what about your business?
Chances are, your business has probably taken a hit as consumers tighten their purse strings and you’re left searching for ways to balance lower profits with the expenses required to keep your company operating. Unfortunately, most business owners are starting by cutting their advertising and promotions budget.
Your Business Needs Advertising, Especially Now!
Too often, we overlook the actual benefits our marketing efforts provide. If your current clients have disappeared or decreased their spending, effective promotional tools and affordable advertising campaigns will bring in new customers and can even bring back some of your old ones!
Instead of eliminating your advertising budget, reevaluate your promotional spending and take advantage of less costly methods. For example, a local newspaper ad costs around $90 while posting an ad on Craigslist is free. From my own experience, the free Craigslist ad will typically bring in about 10 times the number of leads generated through the newspaper. Cost effective advertising allows you to increase profits without elevating your expenses.
Affordable Marketing Ideas to Promote Any Business
- Press release. If you thought press releases were only for startups or restructures – think again! A well-written news release, distributed through the right outlets, can revive your business regardless of what you do or how long you’ve been doing it. Press releases give your company the visibility of a television commercial at a fraction of the price.
- Build a website. A website is a must for an online business; an internet presence is just as essential for offline companies as well. More than likely, a big percentage of your target audience turns to the internet for their news, weather, and even shopping needs before turning through the Yellow Pages or picking up the newspaper – make sure you and your business are there! There are several free or low-cost alternatives to website design. Even a professional setup can often cost less than a Yellow Pages ad and can be much more worthwhile.
- Sales letter. Whether you’re looking for new customers or hoping to revive some lost ones, a professional sales letter is your key to increased profits. Home improvement contractors, eBook authors, and local law firms can all benefit from a well-planned sales campaign. A compelling letter that reminds consumers of the advantages of your product or service can do wonders for your business without breaking the bank, whether it’s delivered via post, sent through email, or simply published on the web!
- Online directories. Before you renew your telephone directory ad, look into more valuable internet directories that typically work much harder for a lot less cash. Free directories are a great place to start! Check with your local chamber of commerce or small business association for possible listings in your area. There are also an assortment of subscription based business directories that can give your company a boost – Angie’s List, Service Magic, and a number of industry-relative websites are some to consider. Ask about limited trials or basic memberships to get a good impression of how the service may benefit you before paying too much.
- Start a blog. Even if you hire a writer, a business blog is the most cost-effective marketing tool you can have. You can connect with new clients, build upon your relationship with existing ones, and ensure that your service or product stays fresh in your audiences’ minds through a simple blog.
Saving money is important, but building your brand with marketing and advertising is essential to success. There are plenty of affordable and effective tools available to increase profits and sales. Take the time to weigh your options before completely eliminating your promotional spendings.
Need a professional sales letter that demands action, web content that attracts attention, or just advice on starting your blog? Contact us – we’re your original content specialists!
In any sort of copy you take on, something that you should keep in mind are the headlines and sub-headlines. Why? Because headlines and sub-headlines do two things for your copy –
1. Make Website Visitors Stop and Pay Attention to Your Message.
2. Compel Your Visitors to Keep Reading.
For your business – this can mean many things, including more profits, more sales and more sign-ups. In this post, you’re going to learn some creative and helpful tips for writing great headlines.
1. Consider Your Target Market
If possible, when creating your headline, address your target market. This is especially important if you’re creating a headline for a sales letter. When you speak directly to your target market, they will listen. Look at the two headlines below and notice how the bottom one demands attention by addressing the target market.
‘How to Make More Money Starting Today’
‘How Stay-at-Home Moms Can Bring in a Fat Check Every Week’
By considering your target market, you can really create a headline that is going to work for you.
2. Tell the Reader What Is In It for Them
One thing you want to do when thinking about your headlines is consider what value the reader is getting. That value should be made plain in the headline. With sales letters this is easier, because they’re getting the solution to their problem. Of course, the solution is typically your product or service. But what about regular articles, blog posts, etc?
Consider the headline of this article – 3 Tips for Writing Great Headlines. The reader automatically knows that he or she is getting 3 tips for writing great headlines. This is the value. Think about what you’re offering to readers with your articles, blog posts, etc. Then, make sure it’s plain to the reader what knowledge they will gain or problems they will solve if they read. Here are a few examples:
• ‘How to Change a Tire’ – Here, the reader knows he or she is going to learn how to change a tire.
• ‘What is the Red Ring of Death on my Xbox 360?’ – Here, the reader knows that he or she is most likely going to find out what that ‘red ring’ means and how to fix it.
• ‘13 Creative Ways to Find a Job’ – When nothing else is working, the reader will find new ways to get a job in tough times.
By promising the reader something, you’ll ensure that more people actually stop and read your copy.
3. Keeping Readers Engaged
Sub-headlines are great for keeping readers engaged in your copy. This is why they’re used so often in sales letters – the whole point is to keep the reader interested. You may notice a small block of text and then a sub-headline under it which is something like, ‘And then I learned why I had been having so many problems,’ or ‘then I discovered a breakthrough solution that anyone can use.’
These sub-headlines keep the readers engaged because they want to know what that solution was or why that person was having so many problems. For typical articles, it could be as simple as letting the reader know what they’ll learn in each section of the article.
For instance, a medical article could be broken up into the ‘causes’ of a condition, the ‘symptoms’ of a condition and the ‘treatments’ of a condition. By dressing it up a little bit, you might have sections that look like these:
‘How Did This Happen?’
‘How Do I know it’s really _______?’
‘What Do I Do about It?’
The reader will continue reading to get the answers to those questions. The entire point of sub-headlines is to break up the text of your copy, make it easier to read and keep the reader engaged.
By using these great tips for writing headlines, you can ensure that your copy gets more attention and works harder for you.
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