Twitter

[cactus_jeanl]

I'm just curious if anyone is using Twitter around these parts and what they think of it so far. I've been hearing a lot of great things about it in terms of networking, viral media & even as a news source. I just signed up for an account myself and so far so good.

Jennifer Laycock at Search Engine Guide did a great 5 part series about the benefits of Twitter: From Twits to Tweeple, Why I Embraced Twitter and You Should Too.

The idea of 'retweets' is probably the most useful advice I found for business owners. Tweet a great article or blog post and if it's interesting enough & your network is large enough, there's a good chance other users will repost it, sharing it with all of their networks. You can potentially get a lot of exposure with the power of retweets!

If anyone else is using Twitter, you can find me here.

[cperry]

I have been on twitter about a month - so too soon for an opinion.
Use it for some blog posts, photo contests etc....
Carol
Big Paw

[cactus_donnat]

Originally Posted by cperry

I have been on twitter about a month - so too soon for an opinion.
Use it for some blog posts, photo contests etc....
Carol
Big Paw

Thanks for reminding me. I signed up back in May- nearly a year ago. My last update said, "Waiting for my fiance to get home so we can go shopping!" Haha. That's a long time to wait. Just updated and will try to Twitter more!

[cactus_jeanl]

I think a lot of people are still feeling their way around. I added some friends, blogs & industry leaders that I'd like to follow. It's definitely something you'd need to be active in and build up a following before you could use it effectively for social marketing.

[mattb]

I actively do a lot of twittering. I'm "bastawhiz". What's everyone else's screenname?

[candypam]

Hi everyone...
I'm sitting here almost afraid to ask my question because I just can't keep up with all these new do's and don't...

Facebook, my space, utube, tweeter.. etc etc etc oh my ~... I have no clue what they are about, and I found out over the weekend several of my other Yahoo store friends don't either. So let me be the first stupid one and elaborate on my confusion
All I know about myspace or utube is my younger son has a space on them for his band and he talks about it all and shares their music etc. He keeps telling me to put Blair Candy on them.... then I read on here where business have taken advantage of them.

I have these visions of me setting it all up, then what? Do I talk about how this candy or the candy tastes... do I film my employees eating all our candy... I just can't figure out how this would help me in anyway.

Maybe a session at Boot Camp would end my confusion.. Maybe I shouldn't be on any of them, but in the same breath I read how this person has a page and that person has one.

Maybe it's my age, maybe its my old school thinking that I can't seem to break out of for fear( unknown) of it all.

SC people, you know what I sell, and some of you know me pretty good... do you feel having a page on these things would help? I'm still trying to break out of my shell and begin a blog...... what's strange is.. I'm never at a loss for words about anything, but yet I feel so uneasy, unsure of it all.
Thoughts please!
Thanks
Pam

[cactus_jeanl]

Hi Pam!

Don't be afraid to ask and most definitely do not feel stupid! There are so many different social media outlets that it can get overwhelming. Even as just a personal user, I try to limit myself because there are only so many hours in a day.

Pages on Facebook, Myspace and the like can give you some increased exposure and strengthen your brand. They don't necessarily have the straightforward cost & revenue model you'd find with something like PPC. If you're not entirely comfortable with everything yet, I would suggest picking just one or two sites that you think you'd like to explore. You can get your feet wet and if you find something you like or that works for you, expand from there.

I do think a blog would benefit you. There are a lot of things you could be talking about: how certain candies are made, the history of different candies, what are the most popular candies for each season, candies to go with different gifts & occasions, etc. It's your blog, so you can talk about anything that is important to you and your customers.

People of all ages & types are getting involved in social media, so don't think it's not something you can do. Just take it at your own pace and always ask questions if you're not sure. (that's why we're here!)

[mattb]

Hi Pam! I'm a developer at Cactus and sometimes get to work with some of the things you mentioned, so maybe I can help to answer some of your questions.

YouTube is a website that enables you to post videos. For instance, I produce short animations in my spare time and post them. I've seen some Y! store owners posting product reviews as videos. You can record videos very easily--all you need is a webcam with a microphone and a high-speed internet connection. Simply sign up for an accout on YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. and press Upload (the yellow button in the upper corner). Fill in what you would like to talk about and press Use Quick Capture. Follow the onscreen instructions, and you've just posted your first video! You can then take the code that YouTube makes for you and put that either in your store, blog, or webpage (it's HTML).

Facebook and MySpace are almost the same. They are essentially places where you get a personal webpage that you can post information about yourself. You can then find your friends pages and "link" your pages together. If you have a business, you can draw attention by setting up a MySpace or Facebook "group". A group is like a personal page, only it is designed more like a club. Creating a group can help draw a customer base by showing a link to the group on all of your customers' pages. If you have questions about this or are interested in something like this, please feel free to PM me!

Twitter is a neat little service. Think of it like having ESP, only you need a cell phone or computer to use it. Twitter essentially wants you to write in what you are doing at all times. Just like on MySpace and Facebook, you link in your friends. Your friends will then get a message on their computer or cell phone when you write in what you are doing. You will also get a message when they write what they are doing. It's as simple as that. Starting an account for your business gives your store a more personal touch. You might write in, for instance, when you are updating the inventory or lowering prices. Solid Cactus can even put a listing of your most recent postings on your store, if you like.

As Jean mentioned, you should probably consider getting a blog. A blog is almost like a diary. It logs a date and time, the person that wrote in it (you), and your message. You can include pictures in it, YouTube videos, and sound clips.

I'm the primary blog developer at Cactus, and I've seen some pretty neat ideas. One company, Marker Supply (MarkerSupply Blog), posts creative uses of their products by their customers. Another company called The Ryde (The Ryde Blog :: Happenings & T-Shirts from TheRyde.com :: We Make The Clothes That Make You Smile) posts the latest offerings and deals.

Yahoo! makes it very easy to set up a blog using what you already have: just visit your Web Hosting Control Panel and click the Create and Update tab. Under the blogging section, choose to create a simple blog. This is a great starting point for blogging. As you get more and more into the blog, you may want to consider getting a full-blown custom blog design by Cactus, as it keeps with the look and feel of your site. We can even put your latest posts on your store homepage or sidebar.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you might have about any of the websites and services I've mentioned. I'd be happy to answer and questions you might have.

[candypam]

Hi Matt,
wow... Thank You for so much info. I actually understand it all now and I'm sure many others do too! I'm going to give that blog thing you mentioned a try and may get one of my employees to give Utube a stab. We have so much to say and show, considering everyday a new candy product is born or put to rest ha ha.
I had my logo kid made into a 3 foot puppet and he would be great for Utube.
Thanks again
Pam

[mattb]

I'm glad I could help.

Those are some great ideas! Definitely shoot me a message when you get everything up and running! I'd be very interested to see how everything comes out.