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Infinite Reach Agency Motivating Employees Feature

Motivating Employees Is Easier Than You Think

July 6, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs /by Kellie Meisenheimer

For any business, motivating employees is important. Motivated employees are happier and more productive than unmotivated employees, and have a profound effect on your bottom line. According to a study by Dale Carnegie Training, unmotivated employees are 2 ½ times more likely to accept another job for any increase in their wages.

For years’ businesses have tried in vain to motivate their employees with raises and other monetary rewards. It has been proven time and time again that extrinsic factors such as raises and cash bonuses provide only short term motivation. Money can inspire some people to work harder for a short period of time but it takes more than a little cash to motivate your employees long term.

Motivated employees are happy employees and are driven by intrinsic factors such as interesting and rewarding work as well as a sense of ownership and accomplishment. Motivating employees is not a difficult endeavor. Most team members can be motivated by autonomy and mastery in their work.

Motivating Employees Without Money

When it comes to motivating employees, money is not the best way to go. Employees want to be good at their jobs and feel a sense of ownership in their jobs and their companies. When your team members feel like they are a part of the company they develop what is called “Psychological Ownership”.

According to Forbes Magazine, psychological ownership is defined as the extent to which an employee feels as though their organization or their job is “theirs” (i.e., “this is MY company!”) to the point that the company becomes an important part of an employee’s self-identity.

Autonomy

The best way to provide your employees with a sense of motivation is by making their jobs more interesting and rewarding. The best way to provide your team with a sense of ownership in their jobs is to give them autonomy. Giving your employees the ability to make certain decisions for themselves has been proven to give them more of a sense of pride and self-identification with their work.

Allowing your employees to make decisions about their work space and how they do their job is great way to motivate them. People are naturally inclined to be self-directing. Children do not have to be told how to play, they figure out for themselves what to play and how to do it.

It is the same way with adults. When you give them the ability to make these little decisions, it gives them a sense of self-direction. They feel like they have control of their destiny instead of being micro-managed and told what to do every second and how to do it.

Giving your employees the ability to make decisions about their work that are important to them but do not affect your bottom line is a win-win situation. You get more motivated employees and they get a feeling of satisfaction in themselves and their work environment.

Mastery

People want to be good at their jobs. When you are good at what you do it gives you a sense of confidence in yourself and your work. When employees don’t know how to do their jobs or have any doubt, they will be more reluctant to do it.

It is the same way with everything. When we are good at something, we generally enjoy doing it, and when we don’t know how to do something we either avoid doing it or do just enough to get it done; work is no different. When your employees know how to do their jobs, they will be happier at work and they will actually be excited to get up and come in every day.

The best way to ensure your employees know how to do their jobs is to provide them with the proper training. A good training program is comprehensive and on-going and can make all the difference. Training can not only help you to educate your employees, if you listen to their advice and recommendations, you may find that they are the best resource for your next training class.

Employees naturally want to be good at their jobs and to help their companies be successful. The proper training program and support can provide them with a sense of pride and ownership in their jobs and provide you with happy, motivated employees who are excited to come to work every day.

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Infinite Reach Agency Saying No Is a Virtue Blog

Saying No Can Be a Virtue

May 4, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs /by Kellie Meisenheimer

We all know that certain someone. That person who is always late for the meeting, who is always frazzled and on their way to or from somewhere in a big hurry. We all know that person who seems like they are busy from sun-up to sundown but they never get their own things done. We all know that person who can’t say no.

People are genetically designed to want to please and to be liked by other people. Saying yes creates positive emotions which we interpret as acceptance and connection to others. When we say no, it is interpreted as a negative thing which creates tension and even distrust.

According to Psychology Today, “Neuroscience supports our hunch that No is going to register far more harshly than we may have intended. The human brain is hardwired to respond to No more quickly, more intensely, and more persistently than to a positive signal. No is stronger than Yes”.

Saying no can even lead to conflict. But, even though it can be viewed as a negative, sometimes no can be very positive. Saying no will not cause others to not like you, on the contrary, it may have the opposite affect and people will respect and value you all the more for your true talents and not simply because you are the go-to guy.

Saying No Is Important in Business

There are many instances in business when not being able to say no can get you into trouble or even hold you back from your ultimate potential. Every office has that person who is always getting into trouble for talking at their desk. They talk to everyone who goes by; they are sure that if they don’t listen to that story about Carl’s cat or Debbie’s mother-in-law that they won’t be liked or appreciated.

Talking to your coworkers and bonding is important, but not at the expense of your own job. You may think that people will be upset or not like you if you don’t have time to talk to them every time they pass by, but you may be surprised. People may start to respect you more for your work ethic and skills and like you for who you really are.

Possibly the most important reason to say no in business is, if you say yes all the time, people will never know where your true talents lie. When you say yes to everything, even the things that you are just okay at, you run the risk of seeming ordinary or average.

When you say yes only to the things at which you are really good, your bosses and coworkers will see exactly what you can do. When you run around doing everything, the things you really excel at can get lost in the mix and forgotten. It may sound counter-intuitive, but saying no may be the most important thing you can do for your career.

Don’t Say Yes When You Should Be Saying No

There are times in life when you should say yes, and there are definitely times in life when you absolutely must say no. There are certain things to keep in mind when deciding to say yes or no. You should never say yes because you’ll feel guilty if you don’t. Don’t say yes when you know you don’t have the time or when saying yes goes against your own personal belief system.

If you are the giving type, there are those people out there who will use and exploit you for their own selfish needs without ever giving a single thought to you or what you want or need. These people are users and don’t care about anything but how much they can get out of you.

When users get their hooks into you, it can be difficult to get free from them. they have a way of making you feel guilty, but you must say no for your own peace of mind. You should just gather up all your courage and give them a firm, unwavering no. It may be hard for them to understand at first but they will eventually get the message when you do not come through.

You should always say no when you know that you will not have the time to devote your full attention to the matter. Saying yes when you can’t really give 100% can do more harm than good. Saying no and letting someone else who has the time to commit to the project, will ensure a more successful venture.

Lastly, and perhaps most important, never say yes when it conflicts with your personal beliefs. We all need to be true to ourselves and the ability to say no, may be the biggest truth of all. So, if you are the type of person who always says yes, take small steps and say “I’ll think about it” instead of automatically saying yes. That buys you some time to think about it and may help soften the blow if the answer turns out to be no in the end.

Why You Should Hire a Social Media Management Company

January 18, 2016/1 Comment/in Articles /by Kellie Meisenheimer

Social media marketing can be tricky. Establishing a successful social media presence requires a massive effort. A lot of people think that social media management is simply posting a picture of what you had for dinner on your Facebook page and then waiting for customers to come banging down your door. Well, that is not the case. Posting cute pictures or inspirational memes may get you some likes but if your posts have not been researched, thought out, and specially designed to reach your target audience, you might as well be talking to yourself. That is exactly what a social media management company does.

They have a team of specialists on staff to create a strategy, or type of road map, focused around your business and brand which guides everything they do. When they issue a press release or social media post, it is branded and works in conjunction with everything else in the campaign. That way it funnels all potential customers to the right place through repetition and recognition.

What is Social Media Management –

Social media marketing is one of the best ways to build a brand. It has become an important way for companies today to build lasting relationships and communicate with their customers or “followers”. People expect to be able to reach out to their favorite companies through social media and have their cares and concerns addressed in a timely fashion. It can be overwhelming trying to post current content related to your business or brand, attract new customers, keep followers engaged, and connect and build your brand all while trying to run and grow your business. That’s where the management part of social media marketing comes in.

By hiring a professional Social Media Marketing Company, you save time and money by gaining access to many things you would not otherwise have. Management companies use expensive software and experts which would not be cost effective for most businesses. Professional social media marketing companies will have the experience and expertise needed to target customers who are interested in your brand. They will select the appropriate platforms for your specific demographic, they will build, grow, and maintain relationships with your network, as well as optimize all content to fit your target market. Beyond posting and creating content and advertisements, professional management companies also scan social media for relevant conversations to join and monitor the web for mentions of your company or brand. They also have access to research and analytical tools to show you how the content is working and if it is attracting the amount and type of audience you are looking for.

Lastly, a management company can not only manage your outbound content, they can manage all inbound content as well; being ready to respond to customer inquiries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, thus taking the pressure off of you and allowing you to grow your business.

Why Not Hire a Full Time Employee –

Many companies choose to hire a full time employee, or Social Media Community Manager to handle their social media marketing. This can be expensive, and as the amount of social media platforms and conversations increase, it can quickly become overwhelming for one person to manage efficiently and effectively. It is expensive to hire a new employee and their salary is just one of the costs to consider. In addition to their salary, there will be the cost of their training, benefits, taxes, equipment, office space, and any other perks offered by your company. The dollars start to add up quickly.

Not only will you save money by hiring a management company, you will gain the benefits of having an entire team of professionals on your side. A management company offers you many benefits, their constant exposure to social media gives them insight into what’s hot right now and trending on social media so they can use it and relate it to your brand specifically.

If you hire a company to manage your social media, they have the resources needed to do the research into areas such as your competitors and target audience, which are important aspects in producing a successful social media campaign. They come prepared with experience from other clients and can provide insights into your business or brand that you may be too close to see.

Social media management is a full-time job best suited for a team of experts, like the one at Infinite Reach Agency, who have the knowledge and experience to react to any situation quickly and effectively and provide you with the best experience possible.

Once You Hire a Social Media Management Company – Be Involved

Once you hire a management company, your work is not done. You can’t just hand over your brand to a management company and expect them to know your story and be able to convey it properly without direction from you. Only you have the insight and knowledge of your brand to make it a success on social media. You need to share your story with them, and I’m not just talking about the 30 second pitch you have practiced a million times and give to everyone. I mean you should really share your story.

Tell them about your passion that first sparked you to start your business. Tell them about your success stories and your failures, your biggest clients and your smallest triumphs. You never know what will resonate with other people and the more your management company knows about you and what your brand means to you, the better job they will do representing you.

You should provide them with pictures and graphics, articles, and any relevant content you have. One of the most important things to remember is…If you build a relationship and work with your Social Media Management Company – Together you will succeed! If you need help with Social Media Marketing Management, Contact us today! Our team can help!

mobile phone with twitter, Search Has Gone Social, Blog by Infinite Reach Agency

Search Has Gone Social: 3 Reasons Why This is Great News!

March 5, 2015/0 Comments/in SEO, Social Media /by Kristi Church

Here’s what I love about search and social media. First of all, it’s our business. Plain and simple. Second, it makes the intangible—well, nearly tangible. More than ever before companies are approachable, available and are listening to what their fans and community are thinking, feeling and saying.

The “old-school” days of cutting off a label from your favorite cereal box and dropping it in the mail are from a different time in history. What used to feel like months in receiving any notification back from a company will happen now in a matter of just hours (maybe minutes) with social media and I believe we all cheer as things are much easier now.

Communication is so much faster and really getting to know a company by way of what they publish coupled with their response time is amazing! Yay, technology!! Right? Right.

Search Just Became More Interesting!

Aside from Google+, Google Search is going deeper in the social game. Their last agreement with Twitter expired in 2011 and a lot has changed in the world of technology since then. It’s been a few weeks and now that Google and Twitter have recently signed their (new) deal, Google will have access to Twitters data feed. Yes, things are about to really get interesting.

While Google hasn’t given us much to go on other than the announcement, great news is that this is going to take some time to implement. Our friends over at Stone Temple Consulting reports that out of 138,635 tweets tested, as of right now less than 8% of tweets are being indexed in search results. Unlike other Google algorithm changes, we have some time to adjust to this one!

Tweets that become visible in online search results will give their potential consumers and extra tidbit of info–the will experience the “flavor” of your company right on page 1. And, according to an article on Hubspot; Google is going to index tweets in REAL time search results. The impact of this deal on SEO and website traffic is huge as these two industry giants bring the two worlds of marketers and consumers together—front and center.

With the billions of websites that are published, Google has no idea whether your company is real or even one that is sharing quality content. Their end goal is an optimal user experience delivering quality content and what people are looking for.

Link building in social platforms does just that, it reinforces your quality information. Google loves links but it also loves reinforcement that your web content is relevant to what the end user is searching for and as those links are shared they receive a little extra juice from search engines regarding which websites are credible and should be ranked for what keyword phrases.

Here’s 3 Reasons Why This Is Great News!

Seriously Impacts SEO

Let’s apply how links get Google juice to how we think Tweets will be indexed. Most tweets will be treated the same way. Knowing how Google works they will implement search algorithms that will populate tweets that offer the greatest value to those searching.

Further, a link that gets several retweets or the number of times a tweet gets favorited could very well contribute to SEO and the probability of a bump in ranking as they reflect the activity that specific link produced among social sharers. It obviously contained valuable information and therefore reinforces everything from brand identity to the outbound company voice and philosophies.

Remember—you are the company you keep. If those that retweet and favorite your tweets have a lot of followers or are considered influencers—this will help greatly! The more followers the better–now is a fantastic time to start growing your audience as Google will most likely index tweets from those that have a lot of followers.

Impacts the Marketer

First and foremost—Twitter just became more valuable than ever to your online social interactions.

Companies will have to rethink their social strategies for marketing as this will make their social media interactions more visible to consumers. This is actually a great thing! Perception is everything and now companies will need to be more cognizant of their message while they sit a little taller and be a little more polished in front of their consumers.

Community managers will be more nimble and work harder at understanding the impacts of their interactions while quick to respond to areas of concern. If there is bad PR coverage it very well could reach Google and blow into a huge PR issue that will need to be addressed and contained.

Fresh Content = Building a Stronger Online Community

This deal will lead to more original content. We can’t stress the importance of how updating your websites with fresh, relevant content on a regular basis is to your business. Google appreciates when a website is updated with fresh and relevant content often, which is also true when it comes to your social media accounts.

Create and curate original content on Twitter, especially. Having social profiles that are not updated on a regular basis is like having a dirty front poor to your business. It only takes once for a prospective customer to stop in to a Facebook page or Twitter feed that’s not being utilized and just as a car runs out of gas on the side of the road, so does that potential customer.

Since your feeds can potentially be seen straight away on the front page of Google, remember to put your best foot forward and gain followers by giving them great, fresh but useful content. This will overflow into those you follow, other influencers, lists and more. Use images, hashtags and links to get more followers to retweet and interact with you. Thank others for sharing–all in all, be a good twitter citizen.

Make it easy—just always be posting! If the social media profiles associated with your website are active with frequent, quality updates then the search engines take into consideration that your business is authentic, engaged, and valuable to readers..AND your prospective clients love you for it.

If you don’t have time, hire a community manager. Or better yet, hire us! It’s what we do and we take your entire internet strategy into consideration when planning your posts. We call it the Power of the Triangle. Click here to understand more or fill out this contact form for a complimentary 30 minute consultation! We’re happy to invest our time to help you figure out a solid strategy!

Again, for most, tweets aren’t going to appear in search results overnight. It’s going to take some time for Google to get on top of their tweet indexing game. That means you have some time to make internal adjustments on how you can leverage this new change for the better. It’s great news, really and certainly news that we’re excited about. Yes, search HAS gone social!

online search, seo, smm, sem, Infinite Reach Agency

Strong SEO is a Start. But Wait…There’s More!

February 23, 2015/0 Comments/in SEO /by Kristi Church

First–don’t shoot me for saying this. Traditional advertising isn’t cutting it anymore. I remember back in the day when I worked as a sales rep for a local TV station in Alaska, KYES Channel 5. It was 1998 and the station owner, Jeremy Lansman, wanted me to start selling ad space on our website. I thought he was crazy. Who in their right mind was going to spend money on website advertising when I could sell them $8 rotators? Looking back I have to giggle. Kind of ironic considering now I’m an internet marketer, however, it took a lot of years before I admitted it—but he was and still is… well, brilliant.

Lansman is the kind of forward thinker that naturally sets himself apart from other people just by seeing into the future. He was the “Steve Jobs” of our station. He’s gifted and I’ve come to realize that having that kind of foresight comes with years of experience—and I am excited to say that I feel we as team are truly getting to that place.

While print, television, and radio advertising are still very relevant in some industries, online marketing has become a necessary addition to traditional marketing plans, especially for businesses to be found by their audience. Let’s face it, we’re more plugged in than ever! Thousands of people go to the web to search for goods and services rather than use a phone book (which, by the way, my mother-in-law will be the last person on earth to own one as she’s “not the techy type” –her words. True story.).

Just for the sake of online search alone–there were 2,954,252,063 Google searches already performed today–at the exact time I wrote this piece alone!

Further—most of them aren’t using a laptop or a PC. They’re on their smart phones searching in real time. For businesses today, the key to being found is no longer the Yellow Pages, but having a presence online and one that’s mobile responsive. Basically what that means is that the site is the same on web, tablet, or mobile, and when visited “responds” by changing itself appropriately for a quality end-user experience.

With this kind of importance—we take search a step further. Something that sets us apart from our competition is that at Infinite Reach Agency, we believe in the Power of the Triangle – using SEO, SEM and SMM. Partner that with fresh, relevant content in a well thought out, strategic manner will not only improve the online visibility of our clients—we help them dominate.

It’s all about your business being relevant to what your potential customers want and with the new Google Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird (and the rest of the Google zoo…) algorithm updates, relevancy is nearly at the top of the ranking list. Especially when we consider the recent partnership between Google and Twitter where a company’s tweets will now appear in online search engine results. First impressions matter–if you look like a dingle-berry on Twitter, you’ll definitely look like a dingle-berry on Google. Yep, this relevancy thing is super important. You’ll have to get this right.

Breaking it Down- SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

Think of SEO as the foundation to your home. When you have the right keywords in place and all of your on-page SEO is set, all of the other efforts that you build on bring that house to life. You need that foundation all the time and on-going. You need to trust that foundation will be strong enough to hold the house in place if there’s an earthquake. Here’s an example:

At the rate that Google changes its algorithms your website needs to be constantly updated to accommodate them. Fresh content that is relevant to your audience, proper keyword usage, and knowledge of the latest Google updates are just some of the critical ingredients to SEO.

Here’s some stats to get your attention:

61% of Global Internet Users Research Products Online
Google owns 67.5%of the search engine market share, Bing 18.4% and yahoo 10.3%.
60% of all organic clicks go to the TOP 3 organic search results.
70-80%of users ignore the paid ads on the results page, focusing on the organic results.
75%of users never scroll past the first page of search results.

What does this mean for your business? You’re familiar with the riddle–“If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound?” Exactly my point. If your potential customers can’t find you through a search engine, they. are. NOT. going. to find you. A good SEO strategist is necessary so your website be visible to the people who are looking for your goods or services. They’ll concentrate on your foundation and also the framing as the rest of your house gets built. Such as off page SEO strategies by way of citations and NAP (name-address-phone listings) consistency, among others.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

You’ve read the articles and know all the stats. Social media isn’t just for kids anymore. Platforms like Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and so many more are the medium for communicating with a wide number of people.

Here’s an example of power behind social media. Singer and performance artist Beyonce ignored traditional marketing methods (television, radio, print) and instead launched her new album on Instagram to her 8 million followers. She sold over 1 MILLION copies of the 14 song/17 video package in 5 days.

Not convinced yet? How about this…I’d even go so far as to say that the power of social media has changed the world.

We were there and witnessed the downfall of Gaddafi in Libya and how the rebels used Twitter. The country was locked down from communicating outside their borders and their regime controlled the media and messaging until this happened—the rebels, not having any internet used their flip phones (gasp!) to communicate out by text to family members who took their story to the web.

Hmmm.. But is Social Media Good for Business? If done right, YES!

The average American spends 37 minutes on social media a day. If businesses are going to reach potential clients, they are going to need to have a robust social media strategy as part of their overall online marketing plan. However, the key is to unlock the engagement.

You can post to social all day long, but that’s not going to bring any traction. I witness so-called marketers do it at the expense of their clients’ marketing dollars. They go in claiming to be an authority to help small business owners by taking the social tasks off their hands while at the same time doing their clients an injustice.

The results are…well there really ARE NO results. There’s no organic growth and a serious lack of engagement which equals no traction. It takes a strategic approach to break away from mediocrity and not simply spew junk content on their client’s social channels just to have something to post. Again.. back to the dingle-berry reference above.

Enter SEM—Search Engine Marketing

Yes, we love social media but where we make a difference is when we start with the foundation of SEO and build our social around the overall marketing strategy for our clients. We have a proven strategy that works; when a social plan is combined with a strategic search engine marketing campaign, the results are astounding!

In a study by Marin Software, they found that marketers who combine search engine campaigns with social media campaigns had nearly twice as many conversions and DOUBLED their revenue vs. using only social or search campaigns. According to the study, people who clicked on social AND search ads spent nearly twice as much as people who only clicked on social ads.

What does all of this mean for you and your business?

Implementing a strategic marketing plan that uses both SEM and SMM with a solid foundation of SEO is the much needed approach for being relevant in all aspects of your online presence. We’re here to help!

Our team at Infinite Reach Agency uses what we call the Power of the Triangle, to elevate our clients’ presence on the internet. We are committed to bringing you the traffic you need to be found, be successful and grow.

To find out how we can help your business, please contact us at 602-535-2188 to schedule a no obligation consultation. Seriously, we love to meet people and learn about your business!

Or.. just click here to send us an email!

The Elevator Speech

November 28, 2014/0 Comments/in Marketing /by Kristi Church

Do you have an elevator speech? You know, that 30 seconds with a captive audience that gives you the opportunity to spew everything you can about your company? And MAYBE come up for air?

Personally, I really dislike the term elevator speech aka your 30 second commercial. It’s all about pitching your goods/services/next great thing to a stranger. In this day and age, people don’t want to hear a super condensed version of what your company is all about. They want to learn about you, what makes you different, and why you’re someone they want to do business with.

So, if your pitch goes something like this, “Hi, I’m Bob with WidgetsRUs and we make everything from nuts and bolts to coffee makers and we really should do business sometime!” the results will likely be less than stellar. At best, you’ll get that blank stare, a polite nod and smile, and the person moves on.

Crafting Your Elevator Speech

Here’s a few things to think about when you’re crafting your elevator speech:

1) Know who you’re speaking to. Are you presenting your business in a networking situation when everyone goes around the table? If so, they’ve probably heard it already a million times. Think about what kind of help you need from them and craft your speech around the topic.

2) Keep it short. Focus on the one aspect of your business you really want to get across. If you’re having a great sale on widgets, you have no idea if the person you’re talking to needs them or not.

3) Have a conversation. Don’t speak in industry lingo, unless you’re talking to someone in the industry! Avoid those TLAs. Your 30 second commercial should be a conversational introduction to your business. You want them to WANT to talk to you some more.

4) Create an interest. Your goal in a 30 second commercial shouldn’t be selling that great widget, because that will rarely happen. You should be creating an interest in your business and opening the door to future fact finding conversations.

5) Always have your business card available. You don’t want to create interest, and then have no way for them to contact you. Scribbling your number on the back of a napkin is probably not the best first impression!

6) Ask for a follow up meeting. If the situation is appropriate, schedule a meeting then. If not, follow up with a phone call to schedule a meeting. Use that time to really learn more about their business and find out what solutions you have for them.

7) Practice! Don’t underestimate the value of practicing your 30 second commercial. Do some roleplay with a friend or co-worker. They can help you define your goal and refine your speech.

So, say you’re at a networking meeting, and introducing yourself to someone new. Your 30 second commercial might go something like this:

“Good morning, I’m Sonja with Infinite Reach Agency. As a business owner, I’m sure you know how hard it is to convert website traffic into leads.” (pause here to gain agreement). “As a full service internet marketing agency, we help our clients do just that by increasing their rank in search results and converting their website traffic into leads.”

Remember, your elevator speech might just be the first impression someone has of your company. Make sure it’s a stellar impression!

Tweet Like a Pro | Social Media | Infinite Reach Agency

Are You Tweeting Yet? Tips to Tweet Like a Pro

August 21, 2014/in Social Media /by Kristi Church

So you want to Tweet. That little blue bird can be so confusing. We’re unsure what to do, how to Tweet, who to follow. There’s an entire new vocabulary to learn in order to send a message of only 140 characters out to the electronic masses. We’ve done a bit of research, and these are a few of the most helpful tips for becoming an expert Tweeter.

Six of Our Best Tips to Tweet

Have a Plan – A content marketing plan is key to social media marketing. Have a plan designed to communicate your brand, events, and marketing information in a consistent manner. Forbes.com has a pretty good article on integrating Twitter into your marketing plan. Focus on building your brand, incorporating your identity into every Tweet you tweet.
#Hashtags – Make sure they are relevant to your tweet. Use them sparingly. Media Bistro recommends limiting your hashtags to 2 per tweet. It makes reading cumbersome to have to wade through 5 or 6 hashtags in a tweet! Your followers will appreciate limited #Hashtags!
Know Your Audience – If you don’t know your audience, you don’t know what is relevant to them! Learn how your products and services can improve their lives – learn how you can give value to your customers.
Consistency – Keep your message consistent. If you’re all over the place, you’ll confuse your followers. Remember, Twitter is a conversation between you and your followers. If you make a left turn when they are expecting you to continue along the same road, you might just lose them!
Keep it Simple – You only get 140 characters to convey your message. Keep it simple and easy to read. Read up on Twitter short hand – you can find a nice little Twitter Dictionary that will get you up to speed on Twerminology and allow you to abbreviate and still be understood!
Share the Twitter Love – The Twitterverse is not a solitary place. It’s a worldwide network of conversations. Take some time to thank you followers, engage in discussions, and promote or endorse other businesses you know and like. Practice good Twitter Karma and it’ll come back to you a hundred times over!

The Long & the Short of It

Twitter is a valuable resource to help you market your business, build a brand, and engage potential customers. Treat it with the same care you would the rest of your marketing plan. Need help with your Social Media Marketing plan? Contact us for a consultation!