I was recently reading a post on LinkedIn, a popular business networking site.  The post was an answer to a blogging question – the post explained that the new “millennium generation” has a very short attention span.

I would suspect resulting from a mass of information, quick television ads, computers, cell phones, and all the other technology that seems to whip past us at light speed, caused this short attention span.

Leading to applications such as Twitter and other Live Web sites.

Maybe Twitter limits its posts to 140 characters because that is the limit of peoples attention span nowadays?

The writer went on to say that not only do people not have time to thoroughly read much in depth, but with tweets popping up every 10 seconds, they basically have to extreme multi-task just to keep up.

How do they do it?

They scan very quickly.  Unless it is something that directly relates to their interest or job function, people now give about 2 seconds to scan a post or tweet to see if it warrents further examination.  Even if your post IS interesting, if it comes in the middle of an extreme scan by a reader, it still might get passed over.

So, as a blogger or business owner, how can you get your message out to the new attention span audience?

Keep your introductions short.  Keep your tweets short, succinct, and to the poing.

People tend to notice messages that are new, different, and exciting.

Of course, it depends who your target audience is, and what your call to action is (what action you would like your reader / customer to do when they get to your site or store).

What is your attention span?  Post a comment and let the world know.

Talk to the wing!

This post is third in a series about the Live Web, Tiwtter, and your business.

The new “Live Web” applications, such as Twitter, can be a great source of news and ideas, as well as an outlet for your business ongoings, new developments, marketing, and advertising.

But – be warned – if you overdo it, you will be outed.

I’m on twitter (@jcolier), as are most internet users that want to be involved in this latest live technology.  The way it works is that you follow people to see their “tweets”, or entries, and people follow you to see what you have to say.

But don’t take advantage of peoples patience or tolerance – or you’ll be dropped.

I was following one news source (I won’t mention who it is).  The well-known business outlet would post 4 – 5 posts in a row, about every 10 – 15 minutes.  I try to at least read what everyone posts, and since I follow some quality people who post some very interesting news and links to sites, I end up reading further as to what they suggest.

By getting an influx of postings from one particular source not only bumps the other postings down the list, and eventually off my visible page, but also keeps me from getting into any depth any interesting articles that come my way.  I gave it a couple days, but eventually decided to stop following that source.

So – some general rules which your readers will appreciate you following:

• Keep your posts short and to the point (you only have 140 characters to post anyway)
• Always leave about 10-15 characters under the maximum so other people can re-tweet you (therefore, keep your post to the 120-125 mark).
• Make sure your post is succinct and to the point – people will only take a second or two to decide whether to follow through on information you post.
• Limit your post to once or twice an hour, unless you have something VERY important to pass along.
• Make sure you respond to people who send direct tweets to you – it’s considerate.
• Remember that people who join twitter are not only there to read information, but also to be heard by others.  Everyone wants their 1 – 2 seconds of fame.
• Check out the blog twitip for more information and tips on twittering.

It’s true that the internet is a very crowded place, but there is room for everyone.  Don’t try to hog it all for yourself!  Play by the rules, be fair, and be considerate, and you will be taken much more seriously on the new “Live Web”.

Do you have experience with “over-twitters”?  Post a comment and share with the world!

This social media thing is getting the best of me.  It is getting very crowded, and quite chaotic.

For example – if you go to the bottom of this posting, and click the “Share This” button and expand it downward, you’ll see more than 100 social media sites on which to share this post.  That is far too many to keep up with!

So it ends up that there are a few popular ones, but I still know people that read from an wide assortment of them.  As a blogger, I can’t possibly share or post a link to my blog to all of those sites, which is what a blogger should do.  The more sites you get your post onto, the more it will be shared, and the more people will come and look at it and post comments.

I don’t see the list getting any smaller any time soon.  The sharing sites are free to use, you just have to sign up and post what you like.  Eventually, if it hasn’t already, income streams will have to be generated by the people who host the sites.  With the volume some of those sites get, funding them can quickly get out of control.

Social media is great – it’s the latest tool for internet users to spread news, facts, important stories – even new business news and developments.

I believe once an income stream business format can be deveolped for social media sites, we might see some combining of the sites under “umbrella” companies.  Some of the lesser-used sites might go by the wayside.

What is the blogging community to do?  Have a plug-in that takes your post or news and automatically sends that to hundreds of social media sites?  Hire a public relations firm to do the grunt work of posting news and information on an hourly basis?

What are your thoughts on the number of social media sites out there?  Post a comment and let the world know. Who knows – maybe your thoughts will make it to a few of the sharing sites.

Add some comments!

Whether you know it or not, one of the criteria Google uses on ranking blogs is the number of comments shown on blogging sites.  This holds true for personal or business blog sites.

Having more comments lends to the assumption of more readership, and more site visits.  This results in a higher page ranking, since your site becomes more popular, as evident by more interaction with bloggers, who leave comments.

Thus the question “how do I get people to comment on my blogs?”

The first action is to get more people to visit your site.

One way to get more readers is to comment on other peoples blog sites.  Yes, it is true – sometimes you have to give in order to receive.  That pretty much holds true to everything in life!

Commenting on other peoples blog sites has a few benefits – it gets your name out there, it gets your website out in the public, and intelligent comments draw people to see who you are, and what you write about.  I find that many of my first time visitors to my site come from sites that I frequently comment on.  So include in your day an hour of reading other blogs, and commenting on them. Blog writers appreciate comments as well as you!

The next action is to get people who read your blogs to leave comments.

This can be accomplished mainly by what you write about, and how you write it.  Writing about opinionated issues usually brings comments.  Writing about issues that make people thing brings comments as well.  Don’t be afraid to throw out some “hot” topics every now and then as well.

Another way to get people to comment is simply to ask!  Make the last sentence of your blog a “call to action”, such as “Tell me what you think about the upcoming election”, or “Leave a comment and tell me how many rabbits you see in your neighborhood”.  Whatever your topic is, as people to leave a comment with their opinions or observations.

The trick is to get people involved with your writing, and get them motivated enough to take the time to put down their thoughts.

And now my “call to action” for you – how often do you comment on other peoples sites, and does it help you draw people to your site?  Leave a comment and let the world know.

Immediate Advertising?

This is the second in a series on the Live Web and your business.

It’s coming… yet another marketing path to push your business to the next level.

I’ve been posting about the latest branch of the internet – the “Live Web”, as brought to us by the application Twitter and other immediate information applications.

I told you in my last post how this will help your business – so here it is.

I was driving home last night, and, while sitting in traffic, was noticing the many billboards that crowd the sides of the highway.  I don’t typically look at billboards – with most advertising media, they are pretty much invisible to most people.  There is so much of it, we get advertising overload, and ignore the bulk of it.

But last year, one company put up one of the first digital billboards around Atlanta.  It is pretty much just another billboard – but it is NEW, and it stands out.  I can’t tell if I notice it more because of the brightness of it, the changing images, or the random pictures they put up there to fill in the gaps between paying advertisers.  Some of the images are very nice!

Last night, one specific ad caught my attention.  It read “Today only, 99 cent doughnuts!”

Wow.  I love doughnuts.  That was not what sparked my interest, though.  It was the Live Advertising.  With digital media, you can update your advertising on-the-fly.  Incredible, if you think about it.

Imagine sending out an ad on a platform such as Twitter:

• “50 cent coffee for the next half hour at Jon’s Java Hut!”
• “Buy one get one free until noon at Betty’s Bakery Palace!”
• “Free dog grooming for the first 10 customers at The Dog House!”

Do you get the idea?  Immediate advertising, immediate feedback, immediate customers.

Get your entrepreneurial thoughts running full speed on this one – and get ready for it.

What type of advertising can you see working on this Live Web platform?  Comment and let me know!

I don’t usually write about social networking tools – but Twitter, the latest social networking phenomena, is becoming increasingly popular among business users, so I decided that it warranted at least a good analysis.

I recently starting using Twitter, and have quickly not only found myself using it throughout the day, but I am also finding that many people successfully use it to promote their business.

Twitter started more as a social site – people would basically send short messages, 140 characters or less, about what they were doing throughout the day.  Actions, thoughts, dreams, desires – whatever came to mind.  More recently, twitter is becoming an avenue to spread information and news – related to just about anything you can think of.

People don’t use Twitter to directly advertise their business – that is considered rude, and you will get more than a few remarks about it if you try.

Where Twitter does shine for your business, however, is to let people know what is new with your business, what you are working on, what discoveries you made – things you can brag about, post news about, and alert people about.  It is great for sharing new information, new product launches, meetings, announcements, hiring – whatever social tidbits you can think of.

The postings, or “tweets”, as they are called, go out and are shown to your “followers”.  Where do you find followers?  Well, you start by following other people, and, most of the time, they follow you back.  At the bottom of your twitter home page, there is a search link.  You can search by keyword, and find people that have used that word in their bio or one of their tweets.  You can also import your address book, and twitter will tell you who is on twitter.

If you are new to twitter, there are many blogs out there describing how to best go about using it.  I subscribe to twitip.com – that blog has some great ideas about the world of twitter.

Social networking is becoming yet another important marketing tool for business – it could only help if used correctly and systematically.

Do you already use twitter?  Send me a comment and let me know how you use it for your business or for yourself!

I hear people complaining about the current economy (and rightly so), saying that now is a bad time to start a company and begin working for yourself.

I have to admit that now is NOT a good time to quit your day job (if you still have one, that is), but now is the perfect time to start working for yourself!

Think about it.  Many of the big companies out there are struggling, laying off employees, and facing big cash flow problems.  Mid-sized companies are turning inward, and small companies are going out of business.

There is a glut of talent out there to work with, and many, many unsatisfied and uncared for customers.  Everything is perfectly set up to start up a company. 

Unless you don’t have a regular job to fall back on, you will be starting slow.  Call potential customers in your downtime – in the morning, at lunch, on breaks, in the evenings – whenever you get a chance.  Start putting together a web site.  Put together marketing materials – nothing too expensive – small brochures, email letters, newsletters, direct mail letters – easy and simple, enough to get your name out there.  Make up business cards – print them off of your own printer if you want to.

Start networking with people that could use your product or service, AND network with people that sell your type of product or service.  Many of my own sales were initiated by vendors I bought from, who introduced me to their customers that had a need I could solve.

There are many inexpensive ways to market yourself while you are still employed – check out the book I reviewed last year – Marketing your product for under $500.

Things might look down in the market, but there is always a silver lining.  Start getting your name out there, so you will be ready to take off when the economy starts to improve!

Post a comment and tell me what ideas you have for inexpensive marketing!

I almost did not write this post.  It seems like such a negative to think of a way to take advantage of a situation where your customers are having to let their employees go.  And, it was even more difficult to come up with a suitable title for this post!

But, I thought – the current rising unemployment is what it is.  Due to cutbacks and loss of production, companies are having to cut costs, and cut staffing.

That being said, is there a way for your business to benefit from this?

Yes, there most certainly is.

Your business can benefit from your customers having to cut back on their employees.

It might not happen right away, but you need to start putting a plan into place, and getting the word out to your customers.

There are a few ways unemployment can help your operations:

• If you are one of the thriving businesses, you can hire skilled people at a lower salary than normal.
• There are many more options to hire employees on a contract, or part time basis.
• Group together with other companies to hire someone on contract, splitting the cost.

On the other side of unemployment, there are ways to increase sales:

Sales Idea #1: If you sell a service, many companies that have had to lay employees off still need that service, just not on a full-time basis.  Market your services to those companies, showing them you can provide what they need at a much lower cost than having to hire someone to do it.

Sales Idea #2: Put together a type of co-op for your customers.  Group customers together and sell them your service, spreading the cost around to the companies in the group.  They all win, and you probably make more money than you would otherwise.

Sales Idea #3: Gather some friends that are recently unemployed, and put them to work selling for you, making calls, sending out brochures – whatever it takes to bring in business.  Give them commission.

Sales Idea #4: Find out which companies in your area have had to let people go.  Call them up and introduce yourself.  The people there are most likely not busy, and now is a great time to get in and form some good relationships.  Most other companies are not selling to those companies, since they don’t expect immediate sales from them.

Sales idea #5: In these times, the companies that are still around will do anything to save money.  Call them up, find out if they can use your product or service, and bargain with them.  I don’t recommend trying to undercut prices to the point where you are losing money, but do what is needed.  Offer then a 60-day new customer special on pricing.  Offer them extra services for the same money.

Times are definitely tough right now, and it seems like new job cuts are announced every day.  It is never good to see people out of work, and by you taking advantage of the current economic situation, your small company might just grow, allowing you to hire some of the recently unemployed!

If you have any good ideas about how to sell in a slow economy, please throw me a comment!

Tis’ the season to give!  And, as a business owner, it is often customary to give gifts to your customers, as a way of saying “thanks” for their business.

Where I work, we get a table full of cookies, candies, and other goodies – which quickly get eaten up by everyone in the company.

No one is complaining about the gifts, but most people don’t notice who the gifts came from, or care, for that matter.  Most of the people who partake of the sugary goodness do not interact with you or your company, or have any influence on what they purchase from you.  And once the gift has been eaten, the box goes in the trash, along with the card you might have taped to the top of the nice gift tin.

What I am getting to is that while gifts are nice to give to your customer, they don’t always yield the results that you are expecting.

The purpose of giving a holiday gift is not only to say “thanks for your business”, but to also keep you in the forefront of your customers thinking when the time comes to make a purchasing decision.

Those gifts – which are thoughtful – do cost you money, so you can consider it a business expense.  It is not unthoughtful to desire a return on your investment (forgive me if I sound heartless – I am just looking at an honest point).  There are better ways to thank your customers, and keep you and your company in front of them all year.

Here are a few ideas which are much more personal, and directed toward the people that you do business with:

1.  Send birthday cards. Put their birthday on your computer calendar, and have a reminder pop up a week before their birthday.  Send them a card with a hand-written note.

2.  Personalized Pads of paper. I did this for my customers – they all loved it, and carried it with them all year.  It is not expensive to have pads of paper made up with your logo, company information, and phone number printed on it.  Contact a printer in your area.

3.  Wall calendars. Without a doubt, it will be in front of your customer every day, and they will look at it every day.  Make sure you have one specially printed with your company information on it.

The ideas here are not to frivolously spend money to wine and dine or impress your customers – it’s to give them a thank you gift, while at the same time keeping your company on their mind every day, so when it is time to purchase, or if they have a problem, they will call you first.  Also – make sure you know the rules about giving gifts for the different companies you do business with. Not everyone is allowed to receive gifts.

Good luck, and happy holidays!

Everyone has heard that our long stretch of an expanding economy has quickly come to an abrupt halt, here in the second half of 2008.  There is a minimal amount of credit to go around, consumer spending has fallen, and, as a result, business spending has fallen.

Business is tough out there.

And, as they say, only the strong survive. That includes your small business.

When times were good, and the money was flowing, it seemed like everyone was in need of your product and service.  What most companies did was to specialize – that way they could perform one function, excel at it, and charge a premium.  And they would get paid for it.

You might have been the only game in town that provided that product or service, or you were known to be the best.  You served your customers well, and got compensated for it.

But… now the game has changed.

Companies and people are not spending like they used to.  Production is down, and materials and services that businesses need are down.  People are holding on to their money, making sure they can pay their loans and mortgages.

So – what are the rules now?  What can a business do to survive the next couple of years of tight budgets?

I’ll tell you.  It’s time to generalize.

Yes, as you can probably figure out, it’s time to move in the opposite direction as specializing.  Be more for your customers.  Be able to do more, provide more, and help them more that you have been.

Broaden your products, services, and assistance to your customers.

You should start with your current customers for this method.  The next time you visit with them (and I hope you are visiting your current customers more often), ask them what else they purchase or need that is in line with what you currently offer.  Try not to turn anything down that your customer needs, as long as you can provide what they need in a reasonable time, fair cost, and high quality.

You do want to provide more products and services to your customer, but not to the effect that you degrade your current relationship with them.  Because if you fail, there will be someone else right on your heels to pick your customer up.

It’s easier to keep a customer than to get a new one.

Why should your customer buy goods and services from you instead of their normal supplier?

1.  It’s easier to deal with one vendor than multiple vendors.

2.  You have a proven track record of being there when your customer needs you.

3.  You might be able to provide additional services at a discounted “bundle” rate.

4.  You guarantee 24 – hour delivery?

5.  You can be “on call” for your customers during late business hours.

It’s the “extra” services that will allow you to beat out your competition during these tough times.

Ask your customers what they think.

I’ll bet they will be excited about your new services.