Twitter listened – and Twitter Lists are now in Beta.  It is currently a limited release but will become open to everyone very soon.  It became active in my profile tonight and I must say I am impressed.  This is going to be a huge marketing tool.

Let’s look at this from a Small Business point of view.  Some of the complaints that local small business owners have mentioned to me are:

• There is no easy way to follow people on Twitter
• Twitter is overwhelming
• Twitter is a waste of time
• I don’t sell to the world
• I need local customers

Twitter Lists will address all of these concerns in one fell swoop.  This is how it works – Twitter allows you to create any list or way to sort your connections.  You can have as many lists as you want to create.  Let’s think about this for a minute.  I went into my account tonight and created 3 lists -

• Vancouver Wa (Where I live)
• Portland OR (Very close to where I live)
• Renegade ( Online Marketing Teachers)

I will be going back and creating lists for potential clients, potential power partners, current clients, and new ideas or gadgets in the Internet world.

After creating these lists I went through my people I am following and sorted them into respective lists.  They will get notified in their accounts that they have been put into a list.  They then have the option to follow the entire list of people if it is a list that interests them.  For people marketing locally this is HUGE!  For a new person or business in the Vancouver area coming into Twitter they now have a way to find and follow many of the Vancouver Twitter users instantly.

This also lets me read and follow just the people locally, or just my potential clients, just my clients, just my power partners – you get the idea.  It will make using Twitter way easier and way more focused.  I see this as a huge advancement for businesses that market locally on the Internet.

Dotty

I will be speaking 3 times this week on Social Networking and getting more clients from the Internet.  If you:

• Have no idea why to use Social Media
• Are using a few Social Media Sites but do not know what to do with them
• Feel Social Media is a waste of time
• Just want to learn more about using the Internet to gain clients

Come and hear me explain how and why to use Social Media in your business – in easy layman’s terms.  Even if you are a complete Technophobe – you will understand the importance of Social Media if you come.

I will be speaking at:

Sunrise Bagels – October 6th from noon to 1:00pm

808 Harney St, Vancouver WA

Round Table Pizza – October 7th from noon to 1:00pm

16550 SE McLoughlin in Milwaukie Oregon

IHOP – October 8th from 7:30 am to 8:30 am

7951 NE Vancouver Plaza Dr
Vancouver WA 98662

Hope to see you this week!

Dotty

I attended WordCamp (#wcpdx) for the first time this weekend.  I have never attended any event in the past where Bloggers, Designers, Coders, and SEO Experts were all together in one place.  It was way more than I expected.  I expected to learn:

• Tips and Tricks about WordPress
• More Plugin information
• How to get the most from your WP install
• Pushing the limits of WP
• SEO Tips and Tricks

I did learn all of these things, but the best lessons were more intangible.  I learned that in Portland there is a very close nit community of Bloggers and Tech people in general – and they all get along, talk to each other, and help each other out.  There was people of all learning levels – from beginner to very advanced (Matt Mullenweg) and nobody felt “talked down to”.  I am so used to tech people making the average person feel like an idiot – it was very refreshing to see the professionalism with all the attendees.  I think everyone walked away form the WordCamp with new information and a desire to make WP better and get more out of their blogs.  I left the conference knowing there are more people out there like me.

One of my favorite parts of Wordcamp was meeting some of my Twitter friends in person.  Until this weekend these people were just online friends, now I can put the face to a personality and a real individual.  Some of the people I met are:

• Brandi Kajino
• Lorelle
• Dale Chumbley
• Matt Mullenweg (never thought I would ever meet the creator of WP)
• Ed Bejarana
• Cami Kaos and Dr. Normal
• Numerous other local Bloggers

This weekend was a great learning opportunity for improving my WordPress skills as well as my business skills.  I will definitely be attending more of these events.

Dotty

Enjoy my tip for the day!

I will be speaking and teaching this topic on Monday June 15th 2009 at the Round Table Pizza on the corner of Thurstan and Vancouver Mall Blvd.   I will be at a Networking meeting that meets there every Monday at noon.  The meeting is over at 1:00.  If you have ever wondered how to use Twitter in your business effectively then come and learn about some tools and ideas that will make it work for you.  Here is a Twitter story  taken from an article called Conversational Marketing with Twitter by Kalena Jordan

In February 2009, Utah-based Mexican restaurant chain Costa Vida sent a one-day-only offer for a free burrito to its 80 Twitter followers.  As part of the promotion, Costa Vida required customers to have an electronic coupon on their mobile phone.

The burrito was designed to test the effectiveness of leveraging social media websites like Twitter and FaceBook in brand building and driving restaurant traffic.  However, Costa Vida customers tweeted about the promotion and forwarded the offer to friends via mobile phone.  Their followers told their own followers and so on, until more than 2500 people inundated one of Costa Vida’s stores looking for their free burrito.

Want to learn how to do this for your business?

See you Monday
Dotty

I attend different Networking Groups (Leads Groups) each week – roughly 80% of my business comes from Word-Of-Mouth referrals generated from Networking.  Would you like to know how to “work” a Networking Group?

This Monday (June 8th 2009) from noon-1:00 pm we will be having an open meeting with a Special Guest Speaker – Ronnie Noize The Marketing Coach – everyone is welcome to attend and check out our group.  We meet at Round Table Pizza  near the Vancouver Mall – on the corner of Thurstan and Van Mall Blvd.  There is no cost to attend – if you want lunch just order from the menu.  Here is an excerpt from Ronnie’s website -

Hi, I’m Ronnie Noize, the Marketing Coach. I help small office/home office (SoHo) businesses attract more clients. And not just any clients — more GREAT clients (the kind that pay with a smile, stay as long as you have products or services they want, and refer their friends, neighbors, relatives, and colleagues until you’re so busy you raise your prices, add more staff, and start actually going on those quarterly vacations you’ve always wanted to take).

If you’re looking for help attracting more clients, and better clients, building your business, and earning more money, you’ve come to the right place.

Dotty

LinkedIn has added Applications to help your profile stand out in the crowd – why not use them? I am taking advantage of them on my profile – Dotty Scott

When you are signed into your LinkedIn Profile there is a navigation box on the left hand side. The bottom option says “Applications”. Clicking it will take you to a page that lists the available applications you can add to your profile.

I am using the WordPress App to link my blog to my LinkedIn Profile. This pulls the last 5 blog posts into my LinkedIn profile so people can read excerpts from my posts then click to go to my blog for more of the post. LinkedIN supports WordPress through the WordPress Application and TypePad, Movable Type, Vox, Wordpress.com, Wordpress.org, Blogger, LiveJournal and more through the BlogLink Application.

Do you have a professional PowerPoint presentation for your business? Are you an Artist that would like to display a portfolio? There is an App for embedding a PowerPoint Presentation, Word Documant, or PDF file into your Profile. It is called SlideShare Presentations.

Google Presentation is another Application that will like any Google App presentation you have for your business into your LinkedIN Profile. It can:

• Showcase a recent talk or presentation.
• Display a visual portfolio of your professional accomplishments.
• Introduce yourself to recruiters and professional contacts viewing your profile

Are you reading any really great business books? Share them with Reading List by Amazon.

Would you like to create a Poll to gather data for a business presentation? Add the application called Polls.

There are 10 different business related applications that LinkedIN provides to create a really professional and very unique profile that can greatly benefit the exposure your business gets from the Internet. By not taking advantage of these free tools you are letting your competition get ahead of your business. Who wants to do that?

Dotty

I have built my business from nothing to extremely busy by using Networking Groups.  It took more than 60 days (kudos to your Ronnie!) but it is very doable for anyone with persistence. The main local group I use is i Take The Lead – I also attend many free groups and events.  My group is having a guest speaker tomorrow – Abigail from Straight Edge Solutions – she has many innovative marketing ideas.  I always take something helpful for my business away when I listen to Abigail.

For my local readers – I invite you to come and hear Abigail as well as check out the possibility of advancing your business through Networking Groups tomorrow morning.  We meet at Sheri’s near Vancouver Mall – It is next to Azteca.  The meeting is from 7:30 to 8:30 am – take an hour out of your morning and learn how to build your customers and client base.  80% of my business comes form groups like this one.

There are 6 easy steps to market online to a specific niche.

1. Define your niche and their needs
2. Talk the language of your niche
3. “Hang out” where your niche is on the Internet
4. Create content targeted towards your niche
5. Post content on the Internet and link it to your services, products, website
6. Be consistent and as your content grows so will your traffic

Let’s look at each of these  steps a little closer.

Define Your Niche and Their Needs

Many business owners fail to completely define their niche.  Some fail to recognise they even have a niche.  Marketing to everyone that breaths will get your company to broke very fast.  Look at your top clients, what do they have in common?  Analyse your business and determine what type of client you really want to work with – then define the niche a little more.  Choose from the “cream of the crop” and go after more of your very best clients.  While you are defining who your niche are, remember to note their needs and be sure your business is offering services or products that these people are actually looking for.  A prime example is a supplement distributor deciding that everyone needs their products.  While everyone could improve their health – not everyone cares to try.  Finding people that are already thinking healthy is a step in the right direction.  Then narrow it down to people that are actively seeking advice or are searching for an answer to a problem.  Forget about everyone else – they will come to you when the time is right for them.

Talk the Language of Your Niche

Don’t talk over peoples heads.  Use the language that people in your target market are already using – even if you have to “dummy down” and speak to them directly.  People are comfortable in their own little worlds – don’t make them feel they have to get out a dictionary to understand what you are saying.  If your niche are technical people then use the vocabulary that works for them.

Hang Out Where Your Niche Is On the Internet

Discover where your niche hangs out on the Internet, then join those Social Sites.  My niche is Small Business Owners and the leading site I use is LinkedIn.  There are so many different Social Sites on the Internet and every industry seems to have sites that cater to them specifically.  Search Google until you find where your target market is socializing and hanging out;  then join that site and get to know people and let people get to know you.  Do not go in spamming or pushing your services.  Social Networking online is just like social networking offline.  I would never go into a crowded room of people and start to sell my products to everyone.  It is rude and a very easy way to get banned from the site.

Create Content Targeted Towards Your Niche and Post it on the Internet

This is the most important step.  Find out what your target market is searching for then create content with those keywords.  Flood the Internet with your content so when a potential client searches, your content comes up high in Google and they get the answer to their question from you.  Make sure all your content is linked to more of your content and to your blog/website.  If you are selling something then link your content to the exact page where the potential customer will find the product or service that will solve their problem.  Do not make them hunt it down – they will just go to somewhere easier.  If your niche likes to watch video and listen via podcasts then make sure you are offering them a content format that they want and are used to.  Not everyone like to read!

Be Consistent and as Your Content Grows So Will Your Traffic

Don’t feel like you need to spend hours on this every day.  Do what you can do and be consistent.  I know people that block out 1 hour per week to work on Internet Marketing.  I know others that do something every day.  Find what works for you and then commit to doing it on schedule.  Over time your content will grow and links to your site will grow.  This will make your traffic grow and sales increase.  This is not an overnight success plan – it is a slow and proven plan to get traffic to your site.  The more you can commit to content the faster you will get results.