A little secret about Twitter: "NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU ARE DOING"

I was reading a question in Toplinked about a week ago regarding Twitter. I believe the actual question was " "Raise your hand if you don’t really get all the hoopblah about Twitter".  I think I was the 100Th person to comment on twitter (The first 90 or so evidently didn't get Twitter either).  Of course, after I commented I checked the little box to notify me of future comments on the blog.  Over the last week I have been absolutely amazed at the number of comments that say things like this guy "I don't get it either. I think it may work for some business' better than others.  I get followers that I have no idea why they would want to follow a local sign shop. I don't even tweet that much. "

It seems that most people that I talk to have this misconception that Twitter is only about letting your "friends" know what you are doing.  ITS NOT!  I will be the first to tell you that I know that none of the 300 or so followers I have on Twitter care about what I am doing at this very moment, I don't blame them because I don't really care what they are doing right now either. 

There are 6 huge benefits of Twitter for a business:

1)     Information sharing: Twitter has proven to be a phenomenal way to get information out to the masses.  You probably first noticed Twitter during the elections in Iran. Remember; the Government shut down everything they possibly could to hide the rebellion that was occurring in Iran but they couldn't stop Twitter!   Studies I have seen indicate that most of the successful Tweeters share links.  And that's another power of Twitter.....

2)     Links. Links allow you to drive followers to your website, blog, FB page etc... easily. 

3)    Search: A third power of Twitter is Search.  If "Green" was the word of the year for 2009, "Search" could be the word for 2010.  There is a silent war going on right now in regards to search.  For as long as I have been using the Internet, Google has always been where I go to "Search",now there is Twitter Search and FB Search, the Search possibilities go on and on. Google and Bing even index Tweets now for easier "Real Time Search". 

4)    Acquisition and connection: A fourth  power of Twitter is the opportunity to identify  customers and get this.....connect with those customers on a deeper level.  Dell gets it, Best Buy gets it, these are 2 companies that actually have a staff of people that do nothing but Tweet about their products and services and build stronger relationships with their customers.  I have not been much of a Best Buy fan in the past, (they didn't do anything wrong) but since I have been following them on Twitter, I have a whole new experience with them.  I say "them" because BestBuy doesn't seem like an "it" anymore, and its because of Twitter. 

5) Apps. If "There is an App For That" on the iphone you can bet there will be one for Twitter.  Developers are working overtime to design programs like TweetBeep, FutureTweets, Hootsuite, Seesmic etc...  all for the millions of Tweet-aholics.

6) Service.  If you are one that expects great service, (like I do,) get ready for an increase in great customer service.  I mean disgustingly great service. Not only in restaurants but at large corporations and mom & pop stores too. Programs like Tweetbeep that allow you to monitor keywords will also allow business' to be able to respond immediately to customer complaints.  Soon you will be able to Tweet about a poor experience and get an immediate response from the headquarters of that particular company (that scares the heck out of that 15 year old hostess at your favorite restaurant and it will show when she tells you 15 times "your table is almost ready".

Look for companies to include the consumer in the experience in the future as well.  Tweet contests are surely coming where companies large and small will encourage tweeters to tweet about a great experience.....they may even reward us for it with 10% off our next purchase! Hooray!!

Companies like Dell and Best Buy are making money with Twitter, and its not a little either. I read a fantastic article today about Dell's success called "Want to Make Money on Twitter? Take a Look at How Dell Does It" 

I feel confident enough about Twitter to say that those companies that dont embrace Twitter and all its possibilities will run the risk of being the next Blockbuster Video. Because their competitors will embrace it. Netflix took Blockbuster's lunch money and their is very little they have been able to do about it.  Now Blockbuster is saddled with debt and trying to catch up.  Here is a free tip......Don't be the next Blockbuster. 

 

At this point you may be saying, "well I'm not a company, I'm a Realtor or Loan Officer."  Well last I looked, you were independent contractors.  Smart Realtors and Loan Officers will look at their occupation as a business and run it as such.  People still do business with those that they like and trust, Twitter can be a fantastic resource to help you reach that end. @MyTitleGuy

Join my Grass Roots effort to take service to the next level here. http://activerain.com/groups/IDS

 

 

 

 

 

RAINCAMP. The best ROI EVER Received from a 1 day conference

Where do we begin ? There was such a huge amount of rich, viable information shared at Raincamp SF it was astounding! Thank you to Ben Kinney, Brad Andersohn and Active Bob! You guys were are amazing.

I have to admit, until very recently, I have been resisting getting into the whole Social Media world….well, this seminar sealed my intent to jump in further. And here I am, blogging. Not only did the message of the importance of social media for ALL business owners ring loud and clear, but the added talents of those named above were stellar. Brad Andersohn and his family rocked us, Ben Kinney had us in hysterics…and so much more. That said, the audience consisted of realtors, lenders, inspectors, professional home stagers, and many other real estate affiliates. Many of whom were twittering away during the day – taking the Word of mouth to the WORLD of mouth.

A beautiful moment occurred with the showing of the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium – one of the worlds’ largest . What does this have to do with active rain? Well, if you truly want to know, watch the response of the band whose music was playing during the video above. In short: they were thankful to have their work catapulted due to the exposure during the video. Would that have happed so quickly without social media? Chances are good that would be a no.

In addition to blogging tips, tactics and techniques, statistics, and the discussion of various mediums – eg Twitter, Facebook, and the resources available via Active Rain, a huge number of resources (many of them FREE) were shared. A few favorites that I know we’ll incorporate into our Professional Home Staging and Furniture Rental Business:

• issuu.com – huge library of digital publications. And allows you to publish
• slydial.com – when your fingers are tired of texting, connects you directly to voicemail
• goldmail.com – combines voice with visuals resulting in audio slideshows
• picnik.com – photo editor made fun…and easy!
• bannerfans.com – create your own banners 
• steprep.com – manage your online reputation
• avg.com – antivirus & security
• hittail.com - keyword tool to help drive long tail traffic to your site.-- and don't enter a typo and enter hot vs hit. I did. and am still blushing at the porn it brought up.
  

Seriously, there were between 50 & 100 resources mentioned! Do you see my head spinning? There was a panel discussion, comprised of Nick Cameron, Janet Guilbault and Jeanean Gendron bringing real-world examples of success using social media as part of the game plan. At the end of the discussion each was asked for their single most important tip:

1)take training – online, webinars, (RAINCAMP)

2)let it flow – be natural. People see through a fake 

3)be consistent. Be genuine. Be interesting

Was it worth the time and money? You bet. I believe Wednesday's event was the single best 1-day education I've had the honor of participating in. Again, if you have a chance to attend a RAINCAMP, do it! As Ben Kinney said, "what got us here, won’t get us there”. Blog on

"Creating an Invitation to Linger"

Staging and Furniture Rental

Valesca Bogard  www.welcomehomesac.com 916.773.4400

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• Sausage Sandwiches from The Pasta Shop
• Recycle your old cookbooks at our Cookbook Exchange. Bring a book and exchange it for another!
• Wines by the glass from Paul Marcus Wines
• Grilled Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers, Grilled Salmon with Tomatillo Salsa, Lobster Bisque and Gazpacho from Hapuku Fish Shop
• Grilled Miller Hot Dogs, Chicken Satay and Tri Tip Sandwiches from Enzo's
• Cupcake Frosting for the kids with Market Hall Bakery
• Gelato & Lemonade from Peaberry's Coffee & Tea
• Meet the Cheesemakers with The Pasta Shop Cheese Counter
• Wine Tasting with Paul Marcus Wines
• Pumpkin Painting with Market Hall Produce

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Professionally Staged: 6070 Mazuela Dr, Oakland CA - Breathtaking Three Bridge View