45 stages of twitter *tongue placed firmly in cheek*

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past 5 years, you will at some point have heard about Twitter.

The dictionary definition of Twitter is: A social networking and microblogging service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called "tweets", to your friends, or "followers."

The following was forwarded by one of my most favourite clients, it made me laugh so much I nearly fell over, we "believe" the original author was Shane Nickerson. Enjoy...

(If at the end of this you are still scratching your head, or you want to see how Twitter can help your business, check out "Twitter Search in Plain English".)

45 stages of Twitter
1. Hear the word Twitter. Scoff.
2. Hear it again from someone else. Scoff again.
3. Hear about famous celebrity who is apparently "On Twitter." Scoff, but make mental note to check it out.
4. Log into Facebook to comfort self.
5. Sign up for Twitter.
6. Give up because it seems dumb.
7. Loudly criticize others on Twitter.
8. Follow @bluedaisymktng, and one other person you actually know.
9. Post tweet that is a variant of: "Trying out this Twitter thing."
10. Attempt to dig a little deeper into Twitter.
11. Notice rampant usage of words: "Tweet," "Twitter," "Twitterverse," "Tweetie," "Tweetdeck," and something called "RT."
12. Scoff again, this time in confusion.
13. Tell friends you "tried that Twitter thing, but didn't get it and it's stupid anyway."
14. Log into Facebook because that site at least makes sense.
15. Read story about Twitter somewhere.
16. Log back into Twitter.
17. Try to avoid saying Tweet, Twitter, Twitterverse, Tweetie, Tweetdeck, and ReTweet.
18. Respond to @bluedaisymktng.
19. Curse self for fanning out.
20. Log off for 4 months.
21. Come back, just to see.
22. Post something relatively funny.
23. Get RT'd.
24. Discover that RT means ReTweet.
25. Make it your life mission to get RT'd.
26. Install Twitter app on your phone.
27. No longer ashamed to say "I've gotta Twitter that."
28. Attend events with the sole intention of "Tweeting" them.
29. Pray to get RT'd.
30. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
31. Close computer.
32. Open computer. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
33. Think in 140 character sentences.
34. Compulsively check phone all day every day.
35. Tweet that you compulsively check phone all day every day.
36. Alienate actual people in your life in an attempt to impress ones you don't know.
37. Lose weight because you forget to eat.
38. Place phone by bed so you can check first thing in the morning.
39. Defend Twitter to the death from detractors.
40. Hear self, and vaguely recognize that you have become "That Guy."
41. Vow to quit Twitter to preserve sanity.
42. Read this and change mind.
43. Think to self, "I should twitter that."
44. Recognize irony.
45. Twitter it.

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Posted in: Twitter

The Winnie the Pooh Effect

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear."
Winnie the Pooh
Eeyore, Pooh's Little Instruction Book

I am not suggesting that your customers and prospects have fluff in their ear, but whilst recently reading this lovely story to my son, I began thinking about the importance of ongoing communication and how (sometimes) we all have a little fluff in our ear.

We are busy people. We are flooded with information which we try to consume on a variety of devices and I, for one, appreciate a gentle reminder about things that are of interest to me. It would appear that the same is true of others. I'm always pleased to see this theory proven by increased response rates to emails which are re-sent, 2-3 days after the original, to people who opened the first message but didn't take the expected action (registration, survey completion, contact etc.).

An excellent way to avoid "Ear Fluff Syndrome" in email marketing is with a well planned e-communication programme that includes creating a relevant reaction for every action. Examples include: an automated response to anyone who downloads information, a follow up email to people who open your message, a phone call to anyone who lands on the contact page, a survey that ascertains satisfaction levels, a different message to people who don't open three emails in a row, an incentive for those who do - and so on.

Reader beware: Be responsible with your communication techniques, your customers need to be treated differently to your prospects, you need to be consistent, you need to be concise, you need to be mindful of the basics of emarketing communication. Regular communication is key to customer retention, development and growth.

I shall finish this post as I started, with a quote from a very wise old bear:

"You can't stay in your corner of the forest, waiting for others to come to you; you have to go to them sometimes."
Winnie the Pooh
Piglet, Pooh's Little Instruction Book

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Posted in: email marketing,email marketing mistakes

Email Marketing 101

When done well, email marketing is the PERFECT low cost way to regularly communicate with customers and uncover new prospects.

An effective email isn't just about getting the message right, or ensuring the formatting is legible on any device, or that the links all work (see our confessions of an emarketer post!), nor is it about delivering the message at "the right time", or having the best subject title in the world, and it certainly isn't just about ensuring timely follow ups to people who click . . . An EFFECTIVE email is about ALL of these things.

Our latest Marketing in a Minute fact sheet is crammed full of handy hints and tips and things to remember when you create your next marketing email.

We have a number of these bite sized overviews on key areas you'd like to know more about but simply don't have the time to research, they are free to download and only take a few minutes to read - perfect for today's busy professionals!

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Posted in: email marketing,generating leads