Month: October 2012

How to Use Twitter Hashtags – 4 Simple Tips

You might think that businesses are so ‘au fait’ with Twitter as part of their marketing strategy that they’ve got nothing new to learn – right?

Wrong.

The fact of the matter is, they still aren’t maximising the potential of their tweets. You know why? Because they don’t get #hashtags.

twitter hashtag
Image by joe0153

A Twitter hashtag is essentially a keyword phrase or topic with a hash sign in front of it to identify it, and it works by connecting users who are talking about the same topic so their tweets appear in the same stream. Hashtags are searchable in Twitter search so users can easily find the topic they’re interested in – if it’s popular enough it will be deemed ‘trending’.

But what you really need to know is how you can use them to boost your Twitter profile.

So here are some simple, actionable ways you can use hashtags to your advantage and move your Twitter marketing forward:

Be Original

When creating your hashtag you’ve got to be original both to stand out and to ensure your chosen hashtag hasn’t already got a lot of activity around it. The easy way to do this is by using the Twitter search engine to check out the number of hits your hashtag gets. If it gets too many you’re better off selecting something different – it will mean less competition and you will run a lower risk of people outside your target market detracting from the conversation.

Don’t Saturate

Pace yourself! It’s important to tweet your hashtag regularly, but don’t swamp your followers with it -people will start to ignore it and it could be perceived as spam which is totally the opposite of the desired effect.

Put it into Context

This might sound obvious, but let your audience know exactly what your hashtag means. You could choose to create a hashtag with a self-explanatory name, explain what it means in a tweet, or provide a link to a page with a more detailed article or description – particularly good for events and products.

Add value

Ideally you want to give your followers something valuable with your hashtags. This most often applies to when you are using hashtags to advertise an event like a webinar, competition or product release. Make sure you decide on a single hashtag to represent your event early on so you can use it throughout the event promotion. Choose a hashtag that’s got a bit of pizzazz to grab attention – keep it short and snappy.

Remind your followers of the event regularly – and by that I mean several times daily. However mix it up with tweets on other topics and keep it light-hearted not pushy. Make sure people are aware that using your chosen hashtag will mean everyone can track anything related to that event easily – demonstrate its value.

So if you’re one of the many entrepreneurs who aren’t sure how hashtags can help their marketing campaigns – these tips are a sound starting point for you. Get to grips with these simple basics and you’ll be well on your way to being a hit hashtag success!

About James T Noble: James makes small businesses bigger. He’s worked with some of the world’s largest brands and companies to market their products and services online – including Disney, Microsoft, 20th Century Fox, Virgin, Coca Cola, MTV and many others. Find out more and read business growth tips at http://www.JamesTNoble.com

Increasing Your Return on Investment Via Advertising

Advertising is one of the only ways to let customers know about new products and special sales. Since marketing managers want to reach customers who are most interested in buying their products, they are willing to pay more for targeted groups. Most advertisers are aware that online advertising reaches more customers, but only those who are Internet-savvy know that targeted groups may be found on the Internet.

An increasing number of companies use a technology that tracks websites that Internet users visit. The website is recorded, and interest content is accumulated. Knowing the subjects that interest the user is beneficial to both the user and advertisers. Subjects that interest the user are made available to him or her in additional information, then so are recommendations on finding information that would otherwise be missed. For example, when the user makes a search about baseball, he may be given an opportunity to access the latest information from news sources, blogs and videos.

targeted online advertising
Image by cliff1066

Advertisers are guaranteed a targeted customer because the user has already been verified to share an interest in a specific niche. Knowing that the customer is interested, the advertiser can make specific offers, and tailor the ad to be more personal and relevant.

The service is contracted through ISPs and may not be available in some areas. Although the service is free, the user must subscribe to it through the ISP. Since random numbers are assigned to browsers, the user’s identity is always protected. In addition, no records are kept, so the user’s privacy is always protected as well.

If concerns over privacy persist one might consider learning about PhormDiscover, which is at the forefront of the targeted advertising industry. Companies of this caliber will always give you access to the latest information, though some topics–politics, gambling, religion, race and ethnicity, use of drugs, psychological conditions and others– are considered too sensitive and are excluded. Most customized ad developers strive to provide the best environment for possible for those who practice good business. Everyone in the industry has an invested interest in maintaining a stellar reputation among consumers.

In another example of industry innovation, the Open Internet Exchange has made it possible for advertisers to target audiences with greater precision in larger numbers than ever before. By suggesting websites to users, this service draws them to the advertiser’s website, resulting in more profits and greater returns on advertising investments.

Once the user is drawn to the advertiser’s website, the advertiser’s imagination must convince the buyer to buy the product. Naturally, good products sell themselves, but the advertiser has limitless possibilities. Those possibilities exist because the advertiser knows about targeted advertising, and the potential to customize advertising campaigns based on niche demographics and individual tastes.

Starting a Small Business Using Minimum Investment

Starting a business is always a daunting exercise that needs a lot of strategizing and planning to execute. This exercise becomes more challenging when it comes to starting large enterprises. This is why most business gurus of this world start out small before graduating into acclaimed entrepreneurs. There are numerous advantages associated with starting a small business company.

Small enterprises are beneficial since they are easy to operate especially for business upstarts. For example, they can easily record transactions and monitor the progress of the business. Owners of small businesses are also spared from the hassles associated with management of liabilities and assets. Investments are the other reason that makes small businesses an appealing prospect for many people. These enterprises do not require humongous amounts of money to start.

Starting a small enterprise using low investments

Even though small business can do with minimal investments, some people do not how to make these investments. This is quite worrying because these investments will be influential in the success of the business. Those who know how to invest in small businesses will therefore be able to profit greatly from their enterprises. The following steps could be helpful for those grappling with how to make the perfect investment:

Arrangement of relevant skills

Before thinking of an investment, it is important to list the important skills that might benefit the business. Business upstarts must think about the relevant skills that would be in great demand among the residents in their areas of operation.

Think about the business type

The next step is to consider the type of small enterprise to start. Generally, people can create separate entities from their enterprises or start as sole proprietors. In the latter’s case, such individuals need not undertake any tedious paperwork. In most states, they can use their legal names as their basis for their business operations. The main problem is that they cannot protect their personal assets from the enterprise—this would be a major problem in case of bankruptcy.

Creation of portfolio

After establishing the business, the new entrepreneurs would have to start looking for prospective customers. In this regard, a website or portfolio would be helpful in reaching out to customers. Alternatively, they can make use of testimonials from people who have previously sampled these services or products. Since the business is still on its feet, entrepreneurs can provide part of their services at no fee or slash their prices considerably. This would have the desired effect of attracting customers.

Advertising campaign

This is arguably one of the most difficult tasks that await business people after forming their enterprises. However, it is a necessary exercise for those who want to create publicity for their products or services. Fortunately, there are many advertising strategies that can work wonders for small businesses. By researching the Internet, owners of small businesses can discover these affordable ways of publicizing themselves among their target markets. Such helpful methods include word-of-mouth, mail campaigns and flyers.

Business entrepreneurs must be wise enough to make wise investments in their small business. They should ensure that these minimum investments multiply into high profit margins. Granted, the infancy stage of all businesses is usually rough. However, the fruits of wise investments in small businesses will eventually come to fruition.

About the Author: Tom Clark is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast. His blog Insurancecompanies.org  focuses on insurance. You can follow him on Google+

How to Get Your E-commerce Business Idea Funded

Introduction

As technology has taken over the marketplace with ecommerce many entrepreneurs decide to begin there journey with an online business. It makes sense; online businesses are attractive options due to the gaining popularity of ecommerce among consumers across the globe. And, in most cases, online businesses require less capital investment as compared to traditional models, especially stores selling goods. However, it is not without a justifiable amount of seed money that you can start and online business, it does require its share of capital. This article discusses how to understand you’re the financial requirements of your online business idea and subsequently raise the funds needed.

money
Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/30360780@N02/3328400343/

The business plan

The entire saga begins on paper with a watertight business plan. A well researched and carefully drafted business plan will help you understand the real requirements of your online business. Once you start penning down the details, you will be surprised at the number of revelations a business plan surfaces. Many new factors will come forward and you will become better prepared to take on the challenge.

You must include every facet of your business in the plan and take the pain to make each sectioned meticulously detailed. Special focus must be given to the financial section for that is where you will determine how much money you plan to invest and what are the revenues you are aiming at. This section will also be the first one your potential investors will scrutinize.

Roping in the Investors

Unless you have existing sources of steady incomes that generate extra cash, you will need to approach funding sources or lenders in the market. Banks are usually more interested in funding traditional businesses over virtual ventures. However, this trend is slowly changing and some banks are considering online businesses for loans. It is a difficult option but also one which shouldn’t be ignored.

Your friends and family can be a great source of funding if they are willing to show confidence in your ecommerce plan and back it up with their money. Don’t for a moment think that a smile and familiarity will get you through to their bank accounts; the only way is to present a solid business pan with exact future projections.

Other more professional lenders include angel investors, venture capitalists, peer and peer lenders. These lenders can we found through the internet and funding is again based on the promise that you business plan brings to the table. These types of investors are usually fully involved in the business they invest in, as a result, their levels of interest in you plan and projections will be much higher than your acquaintances. Some might loan the money to you on interest while most will be looking for a stake in the business.

Whoever you approach you will need to be presentable and show credibility. Any financial source who will bet his money on you and your business plan will need to know that they are going ahead with a trustworthy person and a feasible business plan. It is your job to portray these requisites and get your funds releases.

About the Author: Penny, the author, is an expert associated with Ezbob.com, an online financial solution for that provides instant business loan to e-commerce and other online traders for their working capital and operational expansion requirements.

Employees Worry as Managers Track Their Activities

Employees have a reason to get anxious about the security of their cell phones and invasion of privacy of their personal lives. Employers are now taking advantage of Google that has come up with the latest tool which works as a cell phone spy.

This tool will enable employers to detect movements of their employees outside the office.

Google Maps Coordinate has joined hands with employers to facilitate them with a new cell phone spyware that will be available to them for payment of just $15 a month per employee. The application will allow employers to keep track of the activities of their employees and save them time in giving instructions.

employee tracking tool

All team members can be tracked via a Google Map – image from Google Maps Coordinate

Employers spy with Google Map

Employees will be shown as moving pin-points, monitored by the employers anytime of the day. These pin-points work as a navigation tool to allow employers to track their employees anywhere at any part of the day.

This tracking device comes in handy for companies when they send their employees on outdoor work. Through the use of this application, employers can stay connected to their employees working in the field. However, employers would have a hard time tracking them if the device is switched off. Not only does the device locate people in open air, but it also picks signals inside a building or covered area, reports Daniel Chu, senior product manager, Google.

Service Industry makes the most out of tracking device

Google understands the importance of time. The device helps the service industry perform maximum in a limited time. Mr Chu is hopeful about the success of the device. Chu said employers in the field of financial services, manufacturing, sales and repair services will find the application extremely useful.

Mr Chu gave a demonstration on the use of Google Maps. Suppose an electric company receives a complaint about failure of a powerline in a suburban area quite far from the office. The entire town is out of power and the line repairman would take at least an hour to reach the town – what will you do in such a situation? Google Map comes to your rescue – you can detect the location of a line repairman in the vicinity of the town, contact him and get the job done in minimum time!

iPhone users skip the spy radar

Cell phones have become a basic necessity of life. According to a study done by a research firm, IDC, the number of cell phone users will increase to 1.3 billion by 2015, which accounts for roughly 37% of the employee workforce.

Google assures employees of complete security of their privacy. Employees will be able to switch off their tracking device when they are off duty or during luck breaks. A notification will be shown on their cell phones to inform the user of activation of the tracking device.

However, iPhones and iPads users need not worry, as the device is not compatible to the functions of their cell phones. It operates in Android phones as an Android spyware and monitors every move of the user. But the relief of iPhone users can be short lived as Google is working rigorously to make the app compatible for Apple’s iOS within a year.

Author Bio: Natalia David, an author significantly contributes towards cellspyexpert mobile spy software and android monitoring software. If you want to know more about Natalia you can follow her on twitter @NataliaDavid4.