Twitter is a "micro-blogging" service that allows you to make posts of no more than 140 characters (including spaces). This allows you to send very short messages to people and therefore has a range of useful business applications.

Initially, when Twitter was launched in October 2006 it was seen as a method of updating people with your current personal activities. So, it quickly became populated with messages such as "I'm just going down to the shops" or "Had a bad day, off to bed now". These mini messages are called "Tweets" and their random and personal nature has meant that Twitter has not been seen as a serious business tool; but it is.

There are several ways in which Twitter can be used positively within businesses and organisations of all sizes. For instance, the Los Angeles Fire Department has its own Twitter account to alert people about current emergency situations; that could save lives. The University of Texas is using Twitter to pass on useful information to students. Hewlett Packard is delivering press release headlines via Twitter and the BBC is using Twitter as a breaking news service.

Clearly, there are plenty of organisations and companies using Twitter in innovative ways. But how can your business benefit from this micro-blogging tool? Well, the first thing to do is ignore the notion that it is just for people who seemingly want to tell the world they've just fed their cat, or made a cup of tea. Instead, think of all the kinds of short pieces of information a business needs to pass on. These could include:

• Staff in/out status
• News headlines
• Emergency information
• New staff appointments
• Event listings
• Price list announcements
• Stock availability
• Share price index

There are literally dozens of different types of short pieces of information that every business provides already - perhaps via phone messages, on web sites or in person. Twitter merely provides an extra delivery mechanism - and the means of automating existing ways of getting short items of information out.

The 140 character limit for Twitter is there for a reason - it means your Tweets can be sent via SMS (text messages) on mobile phones. Your customers, for instance, could choose to have your Twitter information sent to them on a mobile, or as an RSS Feed, or via email. As a result, Twitter can deliver short pieces of information in exactly the way your users want.

Twitter as a PR tool
As an example, consider the delivery of press releases to journalists. At the moment, it might come as a surprise, but almost no press releases ever get read by journalists. They are far too busy to read the millions of words that are sent to them each day. But what if your business had separate Twitter accounts for the, say, four groups of journalists you would like to keep in touch with. They could subscribe to your specific set of Tweets relevant to their interests. They would be able to read the 140 characters and only then look at any more in depth information if they are interested. The "old" way of delivering the news meant that journalists were presented with the in depth material first - and this put them off right at the outset. The Twitter way of PR means increased engagement with the media. And this is just one possible way of using Twitter.

Twitter as a sales promotion tool
As another example, consider how you currently let customers know about price reductions or special offers. You might change your web site, or send emails, or print special promotional leaflets. Whichever way you choose, your customers either need to come to you or your web site to get the information, or you need to send them the information which makes them feel "overloaded" and hence it gets ignored. Now, with Twitter, you can update selected customers with a Tweet for each individual price change all via SMS or an RSS feed. In either case, customers only get the new price information they need, in a short bite-size chunk, making it much more acceptable.

Whatever kind of short pieces of information you send out already, Twitter will provide you with a way of making that material more accessible and more acceptable. Without using Twitter for short pieces of information, your business will start falling behind the competition which will be using Twitter as a business tool.

Using Twitter in business
How do you start? Firstly, draw up a list of all the kinds of short pieces of information you currently produce or could produce. Then, write down all your separate audiences you would like to reach. With both of these lists you can then decide on the specific Twitters you can set up.

Having got your target audiences and sets of information organised, go along to Twitter and set up your free account. You will need one account for each target group you are aiming at. Once your accounts are set up, click on the Settings link for each one and then on the Notices tab and add a mobile phone account. This will allow you to update Twitter by adding Tweets from your mobile phone when you are away from your desk or don't have Internet access. You can also add a picture and change the design; you may want to do this if you have several Twitter accounts so that you can distinguish between each one.

You should also get a Twhirl account organised as this will allow you to manage your multiple Twitter accounts in one place. Twhirl is a desktop computer program, so it is only of value when you are at your PC; even so, it makes using Twitter much easier if you have several Twitters for your business.

Another multi-Twitter tool is Tweetlater. This allows you to arrange Tweets in advance. You could, for instance, programme in a series of price reductions into a price promotion Twitter that were automatically added over a series of days, or weeks.

One more essential tool is Twitterfeed. This allows you to automatically post items to a Twitter account from an RSS feed. So, going back to the press release example, you could publish the entire press release on your web site but use Twitterfeed to submit just the headlines to your interested journalists. That way, all you have to do is write the full press release on your web site and let the combination of Twitterfeed and Twitter do the rest.

Join the Twitter Club
The Twitter Club is a useful source of information and help for anyone using Twitter. There are plenty of other Twitter users there who provide ideas and support; join in the discussions to find out more. There is also an active blog and discussion about Twitter at Twittown that is worth reading. You should also check the Twitter Fan pages to find a long list of downloads and services which can all enhance Twitter.

Twitter is not something you can ignore; there are increasing ways of using Twitter and every business can benefit from having at least one Twitter account. There are over 100 competitors to Twitter and Google has recently bought Jaiku. However, it is likely to have an uphill battle because of the vast number of Twitter users alerady in place. Google's argument is they don't need the Twitter users, as they already have millions of their own. What Google is forgetting is that Twitter is currently integrated with virtually every social networking site around. Adding members to Jaiku might be straightforward for Google; but disconnecting Twitter from the networks will be much harder. So, even though Google is currently working on the micro-blogging boom, using Twitter is a pretty safe bet. Besides which, if you don't start using Twitter, your competitors will.

Labels: blogging, marketing, social networking

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While some bloggers may focus exclusively on only one blog at a time, there are many bloggers who manage to maintain several different blogs concurrently. However, not all bloggers do this successfully. Some bloggers compromise quality of content as well as quantity of content by trying to maintain too many blogs while other bloggers have the ability to keep several blogs up to date and interesting to visitors. There are a few key elements to maintaining multiple successful blogs. This article will discuss some of these elements including keeping content original, keeping blogs up to date and budgeting time to work on each blog.

Keeping Content Original
Bloggers who maintain multiple blogs must be careful to keep the content of each blog original. Even if the blogger maintains several related blogs it is important to ensure each of these blogs has original blog postings. This will help to prevent blog visitors from feeling as though the information they are receiving is not original. It will also help to prevent readers who frequently visit one or more of the bloggers blogs from deciding to start only visiting one of the blogs because they feel the postings are redundant.

Bloggers are also advised against stealing posts from other similar blogs. This is not only illegal but is also not likely to help the blogger much because dedicated readers of the original blog are likely to realize the new blog is simply stealing content from a more successful blog.

Keeping Each Blog Up to Date
Bloggers who maintain multiple blogs are also advised to ensure each blog is kept up to date. This means they should take care to post on each blog regularly. Doing this will help to avoid problems which stem from blog visitors feeling as though the blogs are stagnant. Even the most interesting and informative blogs can lose traffic quickly if the blog visitors do not see new content on a regular basis. The Internet is continually evolving and updating. As a result Internet users can afford to be finicky and are not likely to remain dedicated to a blog which does not post new information regularly because they can likely find other blogs available which do provide updates on a more frequent basis.

Finding Time to Work on Each Blog
Bloggers who maintain several blogs are also tasked with the dilemma of finding time to work on each blog. However, this is very important because bloggers cannot afford to neglect one or more of their blogs. Doing this can result in a marked decline in blog traffic. Therefore bloggers who wish to maintain multiple blogs must budget their time carefully to ensure they are dedicating sufficient time to each blog. This time management exercise may start out by assessing the needs of each blog.

Some blogs may require a great deal of time and effort each week to keep the blog functioning properly while other blogs may require only a small amount of time for the same purpose. In general blogs which require a great deal of research will require more time and energy of the blogger than blogs which are based on the bloggers opinions and feelings and are therefore not as research intensive. Once you have determined how much time it will be required to maintain each blog, you can schedule his time accordingly. However, you should plan to evaluate how well each blog is operating and may have to make adjustments to the schedule as needed. Additionally, you may also need to make a decision to eliminate a blog or enlist assistance in keeping the blogs updated if necessary.

One particularly important factor in successful time management for blogging is the production of an "editorial schedule". This is a plan for what you will write about in each of your blogs. Get this plan set up in advance and you will find it easier to think about what to write. Newspapers, for instance, always divide their pages into sections meaning they always know what to find for each part of their publication. If you do the same for your blogs, planning what to write becomes so much easier.

Labels: blogging

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Daily posting in your blog is essential if you are to get visitors. Think about it from the readers' perspective for a moment. They come to your site because your information is valuable to them. But like readers of newspapers they expect more than just an occasional snippet of information. Newspapers get readers because they come out regularly and because they contain several items of information.

A newspaper does not come out only when the writers can think of something, or "every now and then". Newspapers come out every day, or every week, even if the writers get stuck. The space gets filled no matter what. The reason behind that is psychological. If your favourite newspaper changed its publication schedule willy-nilly or changed its format - two pages today, 22 pages tomorrow - you would soon give up because of the lack of consistency. And so it is with blogs; if your blog does not come out on schedule you will lose readers. So too will you lose readers if you don't write enough.

New analysis of web site traffic suggests that the best sites are publishing around 25 posts per day. That might be too much for you to manage, but blogging multiple times each day is now essential if you wish to gain high traffic levels. Yet, this sound difficult if you are only using blogging as a promotional tool. However, it can be done. Here are several strategies you can use.

1. Set up a production schedule
Instead of blogging when you feel like it, blog to a schedule. Consider how many posts you want to make - say 10 a week. Set up a schedule that works with your other commitments. Perhaps one blog every day of the week and then five on Sunday, perhaps. It doesn't matter too much exactly what you do, but by setting a schedule with deadlines you are more likely to achieve the multiple posts you need.

2. Develop theme ideas for your blog
In your planning for your blog, divide your subject into several themes. For instance, my blog, has seven themes, one for every day of the week. Monday it is about running a business online, Tuesday is blogging, Saturday is Internet shopping and so on. By establishing themes for your blog, you will find it easier to write. For instance, on Tuesdays I know it is "blogging" day, so I have to think about writing about that subject, rather than waiting for inspiration to write on any subject.

3. Set up Google Alerts for your themes
Go to Google Alerts and set up daily reports for your themes. By setting up these alerts, Google will send you an email, together with appropriate links for any new web sites, news items, or blog entries on your particular theme. That way you get notified each day about new information that could stimulate your blog writing. All you then do is look at your theme for the day, then go to your inbox and pick out the Google alerts on that theme and then see what you can write about.

4. Personalise your Google Home Page
Set Google as your home page but use the "personalise" option to add all sorts of relevant news services to it. In this way your browser will always show up to date information, blogs and other useful resources on your desired subjects. Blogger Personalised Home also allows you to set up "tabs"; you could have one for each of your themes, providing you with even more resources to trigger your writing.

5. Allow others to contribute to your blog
No matter which blogging software you use, it is possible to allow other people to contribute to your blog. By giving a trusted partner access to your blog you can get them to add content, thus increasing the value of your blog. Give your contributors themes, deadlines and word counts to achieve. That way you are sure your blog will not get repetitive, plus it will contain valuable content, rather than a one-liner and a link.

6. Invite "guest bloggers" to take part
Have a look around using Google Blogsearch for bloggers writing on the same subject as you. Then, invite them to write a "guest" entry for your blog. Give them a deadline, a topic and a word count. Tell them that all they need to do is email the text to you and that you'll post it on your blog within a day or two. Also, let them have a link to their own blog. You could also suggest you write a guest posting for their blog too, to help promote your blog.

7. Use articles from directories
Go to Ezine Articles and search for articles on your themes and topics. Copy the articles and add them to your blog, crediting the author. Contact the author and let them know you have done this - they may become a regular guest blogger or commenter for your blog.

8. Edit material from "private label" sites
Private label sites provide you with text you can use that you call your own. It's like having a permanent "ghost writer" on your team. Private label sites, such as Infogoround or Private Label Monthly allow you to take articles written by other people and include them in your blog and put your own name to them. Although this sounds great, the problem is that thousands of other web site owners do the same. This means if you use the private label content as it is, your blog will not be unique and this will help you lose ranking in search engines. However, if you take the private label material, edit it and adapt it to make it unique, your blog will benefit. Often editing material is quicker than generating it from scratch, so private label sites like these do have a place.

9. Hire a ghost writer
Get someone else to write some of your blog entries. Go to Elance and post a project for someone to write blog entries for you. You will get offers from all sorts of writers and you will be able to select the best one for your particular needs. Prices vary according to what you want, but someone who writes around 150 words a day, every day of the week for you should cost around $175 a month.

10. Pre-write your blogs
TV soap operas have their storylines set up for many months in advance. Indeed, TV schedulers will now what is happening two to three years ahead, otherwise the programmes could not be commissioned and prepared. Their way of working could be your way of working too. Devise a "schedule" of your blogs for the coming three months, say. Then spend a couple of days just writing all the blog entries you will need for that time span. All you will need to do in the coming months is copy and paste each blog entry as and when it is needed - you could even pay a junior assistant to do that for you.

So, as you can see there are several ways you can dramatically increase your blogging output. Follow these ideas and the content of your blog will rise dramatically and that will, in turn, have a significant impact on your traffic.

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The first known ‘blog’ appeared on the web in December 1997. A year later, at the end of 1998, there were only 23 web sites that were of the same kind – constantly updated snippets of information written by one person. It was not until the middle of 1999 that software services were provided to enable non-technical people to write their own web logs (blogs). Since that time, the phenomenon of blogging has risen exponentially. Nowadays, around 400 blogs are added to the World Wide Web every minute.

Blogs are web pages that can be updated quickly and easily by anyone. You don’t need special skills, nor do you need any special software programs. If you can type, you can blog. Typically, a blog consists of several entries, called ‘posts’. Each post can be anything from a few words, to several thousand words. The posts can be about things you have seen, ideas you have had, places you have visited – anything really. Some people use blogs to record a daily journal of their life. Others use them to promote their business. Some people use blogs to exchange ideas or to get people interested in a particular topic. There are blogs on hobbies, sports, management, families, technology – you name it, there will probably be a blog about it.

Blogs are here to stay
Blogging is not some ‘flash in the pan’, here today, gone tomorrow idea. It is permanent; true the technology may change, but the concept of blogging is likely to endure. That’s because it provides an online alternative to the diary, the notebook or the filing cabinet full of clippings and notes. Blogs can bring all of those things easily into one central location for you. Indeed, the business world is taking to blogging in huge numbers. Some businesses believe that blogging is now an essential tool in their marketing and image. And don’t just take my word for it. Business Week magazine recently ran a cover story on blogging and said that blogging was a ‘prerequisite’ for business.

Many large international businesses are turning their attention to 'blogs'. McDonalds, for instance uses blogs within its advertising campaigns; Disney uses blogging for its Intranet. However, blogging has a 'bad name'. That's because there are many dreadful blogs. Many people just type in their daily routines; who wants to read that they've just let the cat out? Or, who wants to read some rant from a weirdo? Well, you can if you want.

Blogging can have positive aspects.
For instance, look at http://www.elliotjones.co.uk. Elliot is my son; he was born on 24th November 1999 and has been blogging since before he could read and write! OK, he's had some help from me. Each month, Elliot's blog gets around 800 visitors. Not that many, but most of them are 'regulars'; nice that they care. But the real reason for the blog is that it helps us keep in touch with family and friends spread throughout the world. For instance, Elliot has aunties and uncles in the USA and in Canada, as well as friends in New Zealand and Australia. They all take a regular peek at the blog so they can keep up to date with what's going on; it's so much easier than letters and cheaper than phone calls. But there's another reason for running this site as a blog – it's easy. If suddenly we decide to add some text, we can do it in a few minutes. However, if it were a traditional web site it would take ages to set up a new page. With blogging, the whole process is automated. Plus, it doesn’t cost any money. With traditional web publishing, you may need to get a web designer to change the pages for you – and that would cost and take time.

Blogs show the world who you are
If you look at a blog, you get an instant idea of the person behind the page. You can peek into their personality, from the very words they write. You get an idea about their preferences thanks to the items they choose to write about. In short, a blog allows you to understand the writer and form a relationship with them, if you become a regular reader.

For people who simply write a blog for entertainment or for personal reasons this may not be a problem. But for the rest of us, the fact that other people can view our blogs and find out more about us could be a problem. What if a potential employer checked out your blog as part of a job application? What if a customer of your business looked at your blog and disliked you? What if a colleague found it difficult to work with you after reading your blog? As you can see, a blog reveals more about you than you might want.

Conversely, a blog can have other effects. Potential employers may look at your blog and discover you are just the person for the job. Customers may find out about the real you and be more willing to do business with you. And your work colleagues may discover that you could be more of a friend than they thought.
A blog allows you to show the world who you are.
Blogs are part of your brand

Clearly, showing the world who you are can have positive impacts on your business and career. But having a blog means that you have an additional piece of ammunition in letting people who matter know more about you. For instance, you may wear particular colours, have a specific hairstyle and use particular accessories to help identify you. The mobile phone you choose, whether or not you use taxis or a bus are all part of the individual you reveal to the outside world. Everything you do helps establish your identity.

Having a blog is part of that identity formation, so you need to ensure your blog is consistent with your brand. This means your blog needs to be written ‘from the heart’. Use your emotions, your instincts and the real you to drive what you write in your blog. Trying to be clever or business-like will mean your blog will be too removed from your own identity and so it will not help support your brand.

Take a look at http://www.tompeters.com. Tom Peters is the world’s leading guru on management. You’ll see that his entire web site is a blog. His brand as a management guru is well established; he has been at the peak of his profession for decades. Yet nowadays, he is using his blog as a central component in his brand management. Clearly if one of the world’s leading management thinkers is so keen on blogging, it must be important.

But because blogs are an essential component of your personal brand it means you should avoid using all the ‘default’ values and designs provided by the blogging services. Otherwise, your blog will look just like another blog and it will not reflect your individualism. For this reason, you should at least adapt the templates provided by the blogging services, or design your own pages or buy in a bespoke layout and style to match your brand. The Tom Peters web site does not look like a typical blog, but it is a blog nevertheless.

How to get a blog
By far the easiest way to get yourself going with a blog is to go to http://www.blogger.com. Just sign up for a new account, which is free, and then you can start your blog in a few simple steps. It is perfectly possible to get your blog up and running within an hour.

There are alternative systems to blogging, such as TypePad, WordPress and others. However, Blogger is by far the simplest and is extremely flexible. It is owned by Google and so comes with the backing of a solid, international business that knows a thing or two about the Internet.

Whatever you do, though, you need to get blogging fast. Businesses, employers and colleagues are increasingly reading blogs to find out more about the real person. If you don’t have a blog, you could lose out to those people who do, because your brand is not complete without a blog.

Labels: blogging

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