Twitter For Business - The Twitter Effect

Microblogging can help, or hurt, a business

I really have to chuckle: Hollywood is all a buzz about The Twitter Effect.

Where the heck have they been?

Newspapers Tell About Hollywood's Fear Of People Who Send Tweets

Did you see this article in your local paper? (You DO still read the newspaper, right? If Baby Boomers are part of your market you should - THEY still read papers almost as much as they read online information.)

The headline was, "Hollywood a flutter about the 'Twitter Effect.'

It's as if Hollywood producers just woke up.

Didn't they see all the reports about Iran's election when the population sent messages around the world? Don't they believe the reports that people like Proctor and Gamble (you can't get much more "main stream" and "institutional" in advertising than P&G) are using Social Media. Don't they see that the "kids" are using text messages in the THOUSANDS each month, going one on one with their friends... and then using the same texting technology to use Twitter to go one to MANY?

So... what is Hollywood so afraid of?

YOU. Me. And THOUSANDS like us being able to communicate freely and within seconds of discovering what we like or dislike.

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog - I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting.

And then see MY blog: Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog - Click HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More! This is much more complete than the few points I made here.


Twitter For Business - The Twitter Effect



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Website - Make Yours Really Sell

Marketing - Hold Onto Your Leads When They Arrive

I cringe when I see the "old-style" websites - you know, those places where you arrive at the front page, have no idea what the site is about, and they expect you to know which button to press to learn enough about them so you can make sense of what is in front of you.

And most of them are static, hardly ever change, and though they may be graphically appealing, they don't help the visitor and they don't encourage Google either.

What's The Biggest Problem With Most Websites?

Most websites are created by graphic designers who don't know marketing. But even that isn't the biggest problem with most websites.

Most websites are created without a Clear Goal In Mind.

What do you want your website to DO?

With most of my clients, they generally are building an email list, so THEIR goal is to capture the name and address of the visitor. Period.

Not convince them you are a genius. Not sell them three of your best products. Not to amuse or entertain them.

All of those are FINE goals, but YOU must define the ONE goal of your site and then be sure you meet it.

What Should You Do To Hold A Visitor?

Here is a quick list that should help your visitors once you get them to your site (getting them there is a whole other topic!).

1. Always have a headline that calls out to your visitor. The NAME of your site or YOUR name means no more to any of them than Joe's Bar and Grille means to you. Give them a statement in a headline to tell them why they are at your site and what you want them to do.

2. Offer something immediately - and it's best if it's free. A free downloadable audio. A free report in pdf. A free with shipping offer. GIVE something so you get their name and email address. THEN let them see more of your website. Most people search the internet for information, not something to spend their money on... so show them that YOU have that information and give it to them - when they want MORE, they can get it from you (and by then you will have their name and email address so you will be staying in front of them). NOTE - If you are a site where people go already expecting to buy something (like QVC, Staples, Amazon, etc) the rules are different because people DO want to purchase - give them a chance with very few clicks!

3. Ask for as little information as you really need. JUST getting an email address is easier than and email address and name. And email address and name are easier to get than email address, name, physical address. Start where you know you want to begin, and that is, at a minimum, getting their email address.

4. Take as small a step as you can when someone first comes to your site. Think of it as a conversation between two attracted people. Clearly you wouldn't see the person of your dreams and say, "Will you marry me?" But that's what LOTS of people do to people first coming to their sites: they want TOO much information and they ask the visitor to take a big leap of faith, trust them, and buy from them. Hey, it's not IMPOSSIBLE to sell to someone the first time s/he visits your site... but it's MUCH more difficult.

5. Be different, stand out from the crowd, have people remember you and your site. Be sure not to use the same template that everyone else in your industry uses - people want to work with people, not a carbon-copy of someone else.

6. Have a Welcome and a Welcome Video. Say hi to people when they join your site. Realize that lots of people view your website at work and often work does not allow speakers, so you need a text message there too. But welcome people, tell them quickly what your website is about and how they can use it, and then get their name and email address.

7. And one more thing: check how your website looks in a variety of web browsers. For my OWN websites, I find that close to 40% of the viewers still use the very old Microsoft Internet Explorer 6... and with today's advances, that old browser doesn't correctly process all the new advance techniques. So check to see how you look to avoid any bad curb appeal.

There are SO many more things you can do... but these 7 are a good beginning.

Hope this helps.

And then see MY blog my clicking HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More! This is much more complete than the few points I made here.


Website - Make Yours Really Sell



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Blogging - Julie and Julia, The Movie

Blogging - Find out what passion you have and keep writing!

My wife, Pam, and I saw the movie Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, and I thought I should blog about it.

It is a movie about the life of Julia Child AND the life of blogger, Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two true stories: Julie and Julia by July Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child.

The story lines are interwoven and the two never meet, being separated by time and locations. (The way the story is told reminded me of Cabaret which was originally written as two stories (inside the Cabaret and then the story about Sally Bowles) which was meshed together by legendary director-producer Harold Prince like the fingers of your hands when clasped together.

Julia is the world-famous American chef and Julie is the completely unknown blogger in the early turn of this century when blogging wasn't really known. (I admit that MOST people STILL don't know what blogging is, but since you are reading this YOU do... but in 2002 or 2004, I have a feeling you didn't know what it was!)

Why focus on this movie in this blog?

Because Julie found something that interested her and she started writing. She didn't know if she'd find an audience, she didn't search thousands of keywords, she didn't probe deeply into Google to see if she'd gain traction: she just started writing.

And NOW look at her success.

My parents, in their late 80s, love the movie and so did Pam and I. I, however, saw it on a much deeper level from my other family members: as a blogger, podcaster, and consultant, I felt what Julie was going through when writing to an undefined audience. I felt her pain of doing it day after day. I shared her triumph when the NYTimes discovered her and let the print-world learn about her.

See the movie if you need a pick-me-up... it's bound to give you a bit of cheer just when you need it.

And then see MY blog my clicking HERE!

Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Blogging - Julie and Julia, The Movie





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Unemployment and the Bad Economy

Unemployment - You never forget that time you were fired

The Philadelphia Inquirer is probably like a lot of newspapers in the world - understaffed, losing money, trying to stay afloat.

And as it does, it features a series of articles about Being Fired. Well, that's not what THEY call it; their title is Jobs At A Loss - Upheaval in the Region's Job Market but believe me, those PEOPLE who are listed as statistics know what it is: they've been fired.

The Headline is:

The ax falls, and then what?

The article by Inquirer Staff Writer Alfred Lubrano is filled with statistics and anecdotes. And it's filled with one more thing: pain.

Human pain.

Human suffering when 13.2 million people in the USA are unemployed (that only counts those still looking for work - those who have given up don't count, it seems) and 210,000 in our immediate 8-county area.

"But while the Philadelphia region is papered with pink slips, a layout can still hit with the potent surprise of an unforeseen meteor."

It has been known for a long time by psychologists that being fired is as difficult on the individual as a death in the family, divorce, or other traumatic, stress-producing situation.

And what goes deeper is what happens to the individual, and it's repercussions are long-lasting.

"Shame, fear, and panic can barge into a person's head after the initial trauma."
People have pointed out that in this Great Recession people who thought they were recession-proof are now on the unemployment lines - in Philadelphia, as an example, a major law firm collapsed and closed. (And when I was selling investment real estate in the 80s and 90s, this was THE real estate law firm.)

Where Did The Dream Go?

I've often written about and created a video about The Dream - Where Did The Dream Go? It's gone for many people.

We were told to grow up, do well in school, select a major carefully, specialize, earn a good living, get married, raise 2.5 kids, help them grow well, get married, and the circle continues.

We did that, but things have come crashing down for many people.

I started a whole website to help people who were fired, unemployed, thinking about working from home.

See if this movie, which I created, speaks to you: Where Did The Dream Go - Click Here To See Short Movie!

What can I do to help YOU?


Best,


Charlie Seymour Jr
Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!
If you struggle with writing and want to turn your words into gold - Go Here To Learn More!

Unemployment and the Bad Economy





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