Yoke is a new design studio. Run by Jay Bigford and Alister Wynn here at Spike Island, the company is six weeks old today and it’s looking like a runaway success. In just six weeks they have landed their dream client, have just about all the work they can handle with a stream of good leads coming in – and all this without having to resort to ‘cold calling’ too.

Yoke have their launch and marketing strategy absolutely right. Here is their story:

The Cornerstones of YOKE’s Marketing Strategy:
- A clear, honest, positive mission that runs through all that they do
- A targeted, niche approach with absolute certainty of who they want to do business with
- A beautifully designed website with valuable content at its heart
- Writing and sharing relevant articles on topics close to both their own and target clients’ hearts
- Building relationships through Twitter
- A web strategy that’s wider than their website

Sonja: “What is the big idea behind Yoke?”

Jay: “We are both experienced freelance designers, with a background working for digital agencies on web design projects for global brands. Alister and I been friends for 12 years and from the start it was clear that we shared the same goals and values. We have always loved design but we wanted to do more than just earn our keep: we want to make a difference too.

We launched Yoke so we can offer our services to people or organisations we think are really trying to do something positive for our planet.  Often these organisations don’t have big budgets for online marketing services. Our aim is to take our knowledge and skills and help their causes by giving them the digital tools they require, at a significantly lower rate than that of a large agency. We really want to help.

Sonja: “How did you come up with your launch ideas?”

Jay: “We thought long and hard about how to start our studio. Many people who do so take a client with them and build their company off that relationship. We couldn’t do that: many of the clients we’d worked for previously didn’t fit our selective work ethic.  Our policy is to collaborate with those who are contributing towards positive change in the world.  We looked at the design companies who inspired us.  Their websites were way more than just beautiful portfolio sites – they talked about more than just design; they seemed to write a lot, sharing their expertise in the widest sense.  We decided to do the same but take it one step further.  We write about subjects that interest us on a personal and professional level which we feel helps us connect with our clients.  We wanted to prove our ideas without being smug or judgmental. Content and tone were absolutely key.

Sonja: “Tell us about the steps you have taken so far.”

Jay: “Our first step was to get our website right. We couldn’t launch the company without it. We paid close attention to design, layout/usability, content and wording – they all had to work together to provide the right platform for our business. We wanted a site people learn from and start conversations, not just a portfolio site.

We had a clear idea of the organisations we wanted to help. Our next step was to write articles and reports on subjects close to their hearts (for example one on using social media for social good, another on trends in online grocery shopping). We wanted to show that we understood their issues, and give them something useful to think about.

Before we started we thought we might have to cold call to make contact. We weren’t looking forward to this I can tell you! We noticed that many of them were on Twitter. What has really surprised us is that just by connecting with them on Twitter and swapping news and our reports was enough to get their interest. The ‘Twitter handshake’ is amazingly powerful – you get a totally different response to a cold email or call. You can really build relationships via Twitter.  You have to make sure you get your bio just right: this gets delivered to their inbox and can make all the difference.

The other thing that has worked well was to get our site up on design inspiration sites across the web. I put us on one or two and had a great response. It’s gone viral – we’re now on 20-30 sites!  We’ve landed a couple of really interesting projects in the States this way. We’ve just won the ’site of the day’ award on a fantastic site called awwwards.com. We were up against loads of other sites and reviewed by an international panel of judges. Part of the prize is getting featured in a book they produce. It just doesn’t get better from a marketing point of view.

Sonja: “What success have you had to date?”

Jay: “We thought we’d have to do a lot of free work for small companies to get to where we are now, but three weeks in and we are working with our dream client – The Sustainable Restaurant Association – on a really important campaign to reduce food waste in restaurants.  The campaign has been endorsed by the likes of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and other chefs and celebrities, so will make a big impact. We have created the identity for the campaign as well as delivering a cutting-edge responsive website that is optimised for mobile use.

We have also landed two jobs in the States working with online marketing agency Thoughtlead.  After discovering our site on design award sites Thoughtlead got in contact: they shared similar goals and ethics to us as well as loving our style and design.  We are really overjoyed that people are actually connecting to our message and contacting because we have shared beliefs.  This has far exceeded our expectations.

We have now got a steady stream of work coming in and are feeling good about the fact that we can turn down work that doesn’t fit our market and ethics.  We have turned away at least eight projects so far because they don’t fit with our values. We now have six projects booked in, not bad for six weeks after launch!

Sonja: “What advice would you give others looking to launch a new business?”

Jay: Stay positive and play to your strengths. There is no point trying to sell yourself as something you are not.  The main reason for us starting the business was because we had something valuable to add to the discussion, a voice worth hearing. It is important to find your voice and give it a defined tone that people can relate to. The content of our site was key: images can only say so much and we really want to start discussions, change behavior and influence change – hopefully by people engaging in our writing we may achieve this. I would also recommend treating everyone you work with amazingly, it helps your business reputation and also makes people happy which is what it’s all about!

Alister: Specialise in a sector and create a connection with your market that is personal.  At Yoke we believe strongly in sustainability and working towards a better future.  This comes across in our work and people connect with this: it’s why they get in contact.

Sonja: Thanks very much Jay and Alister. What a fantastic start! We love the idea behind Yoke and we think your marketing approach is just right. We’d like to award you this month’s Valuable Content Award for your beautifully designed, content rich website with a sound message at its heart.

• Narrow Your Niche For More Leads
• Pack Your Website Full of Value
• The Perfect Couple: Content and Design
• What is Your Crusade?

Twitter is a remarkable social media platform for businesses. We love it as a way to connect with new people, keep in touch with those we know, find out what’s going on in our world and get our message out there. And all in 140 characters too!

But if you’re new to Twitter it can be more than a little confusing. You’ve set up your account but just exactly what do you say? What sort of information should you share? What rules do you have to play by?

Here’s a quick guide to the type of Twitter activity we see to work best. We hope it helps.

1. Fill in your Twitter profile completely. You’d be amazed at the amount of people who don’t put any effort into this. You have about 3 seconds when people check you out so make sure you write it well.
2. Have a good icon or image. Photos work best for a personal feed. Professional shots are best of all.
3. Include a link to your website or blog. This is VITAL if you want to be trusted on Twitter.
4. Find people to follow. Connect with others who you find interesting, people you know, clients, organisations you rate, authors, commentators in your field or journalists you admire. What type of Tweets do you respond to best?
5. Follow back. If people follow you and they look interesting, follow them back and see what they’ve got to say.
6. Be polite. Thank your new followers, acknowledge those who mention you or ‘retweet’ your posts.
7. RT, @, #, DM? Get up to speed with Twitter lingo. Learn from Twitter’s glossary here – http://business.twitter.com/basics/glossary.
8. Stay on message, most of the time. What do you want to be known for? Put thought into what you want to talk about. What’s the ‘red line’ that runs through all that you do? Have an opinion. A strong theme to your Tweets really helps.
9. Write for your particular clients and customers. What do they want to know? What do they ask you? Educate, inform and entertain them. That’s the point.
10. Share valuable content. Post information you think they’d find useful or interesting – links to articles or video, share quotes, relevant news, books you’ve read, opinions, tips.
11. Make sure it’s not all about you. Me, me, me is seriously off-putting.
12. Use shortened links rather than full blown URLs. Bit.ly is good for this.
13. Don’t sell. This is not the place for a stream of high pressure sales messages. Think of it as an online networking event, if you like that sort of thing. Promote your services occasionally but this should not be the main event. Far too many people get this wrong.
14. ‘Curate’ good content. Share posts and articles by others that you think your readers will find valuable or back up your approach.
15. Engage. Talk to people directly by using @theirname. You’ll be surprised by the depth of relationships you can create here.
16. Ask questions. You can learn a lot from your followers (we’ve learned loads!). It’s incredible how supportive and useful this platform can be.
17. Tell them a bit about you. What are you up to? What’s news? Your choice about how much personal information you feel comfortable to share. You’ve got to find a voice that feels right for you.
18. Recommend others you rate and say why. Twitter is a trusted referral engine. Recommend suppliers, clients, commentators, friends, other Tweeters.
19. Organise your connections into lists. This will make it much easier for you as your Twitter connections build, and enables you to check into conversation on a particular subject.
20. Show up regularly. It doesn’t have to be every day (although that helps). Consistency is all. Check what people are saying about you often and reply promptly.

And finally….here are a three very different Twitterers we think do it really well. Watch and learn from the best.

• Author Charles H Green: @charleshgreen – on the subject of trust in business relationships.
• Nick Hall, The Local Expert: @nicklocalexpert – championing quality independent businesses in Devon.
• MD of law firm Silverman Sherliker: @london_law_firm – Chris Sherliker shows professional firms the way.

Chocolate, wine, and shopping for shoes – just three of the things that aren’t on Valuable Content’s list of things to give up for Lent. 

We hope you’ll find our real selection more useful. Read on for a quick-fire list of the things we’d like to kiss goodbye to today.

1. Jargon.  There’s always a better way of saying it. Make your content clear and accessible to all your clients – like this. An independent view on what you’re writing can be handy to ensure you’re not slipping in phrases in that will alienate your readers.

2. Flashy websites with no useful function. There are still a few about, and we’d like to see them gone.  Design your website with your user in mind.  We guarantee they’ll want useful information that helps them solve a problem over something gimmicky any day.

3. Spamming people with unrequested sales messages, over and over again. If you’re not getting results, you need to try something else. Search our content toolkit for a better approach.

4. Websites you can’t update yourself. Your website should be the hub of your marketing – the living breathing centre of your business – bursting with relevant news, blogs, and information that potential clients will love.  If every change demands a phone call to your designer, the chances are you won’t make them. Switch to a platform you can update, we’re sure you’ll thank us for it!

5. Tweeting without listening and engaging. As more and more businesses wise up to the marketing potential of Twitter,  the good Tweeters are becoming clearer, and rarer. They’re the ones that talk as well as promote.  Good Tweeters retweet others’ links, and say ‘thank you’ when you retweet theirs. Twitter is not a free listings page, it’s a conversation that can engage and entertain as well as inform.  Join in and play nicely, that’s the Valuable Content way. 

What’s on your list? We’d love to know. And if we can help you with social media, new websites, or content for your business, please get in touch.

Your inbox (and head) is no doubt brimming with good advice & resolutions for the coming year. If you are still grappling for clarity on the marketing aspects, here are a few recommendations to build into your plan:

1. Make your web strategy bigger than your website

Your website is a vital marketing tool but it’s not the only place on the WWW that needs your focus. Most businesses put all their web energy into their company site and wonder why they don’t get much benefit from it in terms of leads.

“75% of your focus should be on what is happening outside your website,”

say Halligan and Shah in their brilliant new book ‘Inbound Marketing’. They recommend an increase in general web activity in order to draw people back to your website. Good advice. For 2010, consider social media, posting articles on affiliated websites, contributing to related forums, pay per click campaigns & email newsletters; all with links back to useful content on your site. For maximum exposure: ”make sure you and your company’s DNA shows everywhere, across hundreds of sites” (Seth Godin).

2. Produce useful, informative content

The purpose of marketing is to connect with potential customers. Marketing literature that simply screams ‘We’re the best!’ is no way to start a relationship and build trust. Instead of shouting at your customers, try connecting with them. Create useful, informative content that helps solve their business problems. Become a useful resource.

The attitude should be not ‘Look how great we are!’ but ‘Look how useful we are – we have the answer to your problem’.

In terms of content, there are many options open to you: articles, ‘How to…’ guides, whitepapers, case studies, webinars, videos, e-books – the list goes on. Whatever medium you chose, make the content valuable to your buyers: help them: educate them; prove your expertise and earn their trust until they are ready to buy. Valuable content sells.

3. Think niche

Struggling to position your company effectively and generate leads? Step back: stick your stake in the sand and target your marketing efforts at a particular niche. The more precisely you can describe your customers and address their issues the better. This is a contentious subject as Guy Kawasaki describes:

“Many entrepreneurs are afraid of being ‘niched’ to death and then not achieving ubiquity. However, most successful companies started off targeting specific markets and grew to great size by addressing other segments.”

If you want to sell successfully, you can’t be everything to everyone. What do you want to be known for? To make your life easier start by identifing a target market and develop your service to be ‘remarkable’ in that niche. Anchor your pitch by telling your chosen customers how you will solve their specific problem. Don’t be afraid to turn people away.

4. Get into social media

Face it – social media is now mainstream and for good reason too. Sites like LinkedIn and Twitter are immensely valuable business tools for professional businesses and consultants. Used effectively they’ll help you to build your community of contacts & extend your reach; they are easy-to-use broadcast channels for your ideas and content; they open up a dialogue with other experts, customers and contacts, refining your own expertise. Social media enables buyers to ’see who is talking sense’ in the sector they’re interested in, giving information to build knowledge and trust before entering the sales phase. NB: This route is most effective when combined with a business blog (to share your ideas) and a newsletter (to maintain contact).

5. Remember your existing customers and contacts

“Stay in touch. Too many businesses chase new businesses chase new business when existing customers and contacts are far more valuable.”

So says smart marketeer Mick Dickinson and he is right. If you want to make life easier and more enjoyable this year, don’t just focus on trying to wrestle strangers through the conversion process: devote more time and effort into communicating with your current contacts regularly, in ways they appreciate and find useful.

Keeping in contact in ways your customers find valuable is the most effective route to consistent sales. If you communicate regularly in ways they appreciate, they’ll reward you with referrals and new business. A monthly email newsletter is a very effective way to do this – Mel Lester, a US-based management consultant I follow on Twitter, produces the most valuable, targeted newsletter I’ve seen to date: see - http://tinyurl.com/yenvzqd.

I really hope these 5 suggestions help you. As ever, I’d be fascinated by your feedback: how are you going to promote your services this year? Anything important I’ve missed off the list?

Sonja

 In these still uncertain times most professional service businesses are thinking hard about how to attract new customers and win business. Many companies had no burning need for a formal approach to marketing in the boom years. They comfortably relied on repeat business and referrals and their companies grew very successfully as a result, thank you very much.

Times have changed. The old methods of lead generation are no longer sufficient. If you want your company to survive this downturn and come out of it stronger, you need to get serious about marketing.

Looking at the problem from the client perspective is a good place to start. If you understand how they approach supplier selection you can implement an informed marketing strategy with the greatest impact on your ability to win new clients.

I’ve recently bought the Raintoday 2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing and Selling. The results of this comprehensive survey give a fascinating insight into how clients buy, and what they look for in potential suppliers. It’s a compelling read for any professional business who wants to market effectively.

Here are the highlights…..with a few comments from me:

How clients initially identify providers

Raintoday asked buyers, when searching for potential providers of consulting and professional services, which methods they use to identify and learn more about them.

• Unsurprisingly, referrals come out on top.  Referrals from colleagues and other providers remain of critical importance to those looking to purchase services of any kind…..The challenge is to make yourself ‘referrable’ – do your contacts know what you do, who you do business with and the value you bring? Can you increase your pool of contacts?
• Referrals have been joined at the top of the list for the first time in 2009 by ‘Personal Recognition or Awareness’. Buyers want to buy from companies they feel they know: name recognition and reputation are increasingly important…..Get your name out there and make yourself known.
• Seminars and presentations are a popular method, as they give buyers the chance to evaluate providers in action, face-to-face. They help to position you as a leading expert in your field and are a great way to generate good leads…..a worthwhile investment.
• ‘Influential content’ is becoming more important. Useful, educational content, disseminated via the web, is shown to be a critical element in the new lead generation mix. In the past, the only way that a potential buyer could find out about your company was via a direct approach from a sales representative. Now, prospects research you carefully before deciding whether or not to meet…..Invest in content marketing – make sure you give them the information they seek – articles, case studies, whitepapers and books – promoted via the web.
• Social media has joined the list for the first time – c. 1/4 of buyers were somewhat or very likely to identify and learn about service providers through online media such as social networking sites or blogs…..Ignore social media at your cost.

The growing influence of the web

 ”83% of buyers said that the service provider’s website influenced their decision to engage in initial discussions with that provider (compared to 65% in 2005).” Raintoday report.

No debate; the first stop for potential clients is now a visit to your company website. The results show that buyers are increasingly influenced by websites when deciding who to contact and do business with. Your website is the place where buyers go to interact with your brand…..It’s never been more important to make sure that your website is up-to-date and reflects your brand effectively (see previous article on ‘The 4 pillars of a successful business website’ for some tips).

How Buyers Decide to Hire Service Providers

What factors are most important in a buyer’s decision to choose a service provider?

• Buyers want firms to demonstrate how their services would add value and deliver results for the client business.
• Companies tend to prefer companies who have direct experience in the field in which they work. They hire the firms that seem to best understand their problems and needs…..Demonstrating expertise and understanding in the client’s particular niche is vital.
• Cost and fees are seen as increasingly important…..In the current climate, expect a ‘dogfight’ to win new business.

This is just a brief overview of some of the results in Raintoday report. They surveyed 200+ buyers in 8 service areas (including accounting and financial consulting; architecture, engineering, and construction services; human resources consulting; IT consulting and services; legal services; management consulting; marketing, advertising, and PR; and training services). 

The research was carried out in the US and it would be interesting to know whether buyer behaviour is similar in the UK. My gut feel is that the same principles apply.

What are your thoughts? Does this reflect your experiences of how clients buy your services? Any surprises?

I hope you find it useful.

Every small business entrepreneur knows that a credible web presence is a must have if you’re serious about getting your venture to fly.

For most start ups, one of the very first things on the ‘To Do’ list is the company website. You pick up the phone to a creative web design agency and instruct them to build you an impressive site.

From a quick poll of my small business clients, this can set you back anything from minimum £1000 for a basic version, to between £3000 and £5000 for more functional, better designed site. Some of my customers have paid up to £10,000.

No doubt, if you’ve picked the right web design supplier to help you, this route can get you a great looking corporate website. But if funds are tight, it may be reassuring to know that in terms of creating an effective web presence, this is not the only route open to you. There is now a plethora of free and very powerful web tools you can use to communicate with potential customers and start promoting your company online.

Here are 3 cost effective ways to represent your business on the web:

1. Start a Business Blog

A business blog is an easy way of publishing information and ideas online. Don’t just dismiss these as naval-gazing online journals; a well-written, regularly updated blog is a massively useful tool for small businesses who want to prove their expertise and communicate with potential customers.

Go to Blogger or Typepad or Wordpress, select a template and start to publish information, articles, and news about your new company. There are some very professional-looking templates out there. For one of the best, in my opinion, see Wordpress’ Thesis theme. 

2. Participate in Social Networking

Like it, fear it or loathe it, online social networking is here to stay, and it can bring real benefit to your new company in terms of reach, contacts, credibility and sales.

Two of the most popular and effective tools for UK small businesses are LinkedIn and Twitter.

• LinkedIn is a business networking site which allows you to publish your profile and get connected with other business professionals. It’s a kind of online CV; you can explain what you do and your experience, show recommendations and even presentations you’ve created in Slideshare to demonstrate your expertise.
• Twitter is a ‘microblogging’ site. You create a page for you or your company and communicate short messages with links to things that interest you, articles you have written, books you like etc etc. Done well, this reinforces what your ‘brand’ is all about. You can extend your network and reach by following others in your field, and making connections.

3. Create a Google Profile

In the last couple of months Google has launched a new product to enable people to quickly and easily get their personal profile online. See www.google.com/profiles.

A Google profile is like a virtual business card. You can add a photo, content, links to other places on the web your company can be found and contact information. It takes minutes to complete and is a great way to make sure that, when someone searches for your name, they find the right information on you and your company. 

Once funds become available, you can invest in creating a traditional corporate website. But don’t ignore the free tools – link them to your new site, add informative content regularly, build your networks – and watch your business grow.

Remember: web presence is more than just a company website.

VALUE – TRUST – USABILITY – PRESENTATION

I’m often asked to evaluate a business website before we get down to rewriting the content.

As an independent outsider it’s easier to give a fresh perspective, without being mired down in the detail.

I try my hardest to think like a customer and review the site from their point of view.

Here are the four crucial elements that customers have come to expect from a company website, and some ideas on how to fulfill them.

1. VALUE

Does your website provide information that is of real value to me, the customer?

Once upon a time, in the beginning of all things web, company websites were merely over-designed, hype-filled brochures, pumped up with their own importance and bursting with impressive phrases such as ‘world class’, ‘cutting edge’ and ‘…..’ (feel free to add more meaningless gobbledygook here).

This approach was supposed to wow customers into action: the flashiest, ballsiest website would win the war for new business. Very 1980s, don’t you think?

It worked for a time when we were web-green and gullible, but today customers rightly expect more.

We want value. We want to know how the sites we visit will help us solve our problems and achieve our goals.

• Focus on customer problems. Tell your customers, in language they understand, exactly how you help clients in their position.
• Segment your customers. For each group, describe their business problems and say how you will solve them. Show the benefits you will bring.
• Make yourself useful. Serve your customers with valuable content – educational articles, papers, resources, ebooks, video clips, audio files, cartoons – whatever content will best help them to solve their business problems.
• Prove the value. Show that current customers have had success – provide case studies and testimonials that show the real benefit of what you do.

2. TRUST

Is this a bona fide company I can trust?

Trust and credibility are big, big issues on the web. There are millions of company sites up there and not all of them are reputable. Web users are a suspicious bunch. How can you win the confidence of your visitors? Here are a few ideas:

• Provide information on your people – your management team and key customer contacts. Show photos of real people so they know who they’ll be dealing with. Enable your customers to make contact with your team directly.
• Use social media and provide links from your website. One of the major benefits of getting your company into social networking is the ability to show that your company is made up of real people with opinions, passion and expertise in their marketplace. Social media enables you to connect with your customers. Whether it is via a company blog, Linkedin, Twitter, another platform or a combination of the lot, social media makes good business sense.
• Keep your website up to date - provide fresh content, regularly updated. Don’t let your website go stale – if you last updated your company news in 2006, visitors may think you’ve gone out of business!
• Provide testimonials from customers and case studies that tell the story of their success thanks to your services or products
• Be approachable and genuine. People like to do business with people. Genuinely communicate through your site and you’ll form a connection.

3. USABILITY

Can I get to the information I want, fast?

People visit websites for their utility. As usability expert Jakob Nielsen states: ‘The web is a tool. If it’s convenient, people will use it; if not, they won’t.’ Today, users are far less tolerant of difficult sites. Usability is more important than ever.

It’s all very good providing information that gets customers to trust and value your services, but you’ve got to make sure people can find it. Make your website easy to use, so your customers can get to the information they want, fast.

• Pay close attention to navigation - plan and organise your content carefully. If you’re redesigning your site, build a wireframe first.
• Test your navigation with real customers. Give them a task and see how easy it is for them to achieve this. Tweak the navigation accordingly.
• Follow web conventions such as recognisable page names. Web layout has become standardised.
• Write for the web: poor writing makes web sites fail.
• Design your home page carefully. This is where web usability usually succeeds or fails.
• Make contact easy. Make your contact details very, very obvious.
• Don’t make me think. If I have to think about it I’ll click away – to the competition.
• Usability for all. Make sure your site is accessible to everyone, including the disabled – follow WC3 guidelines.

4. PRESENTATION

Is this a professional company? Do I like how they look?

You’ll notice that presentation is fourth in the list. Colour schemes, branding and imagery are important of course, but must not be prioritised at the expense of usability and content.

• Hire a professional web designer to make the site visually appealing to your customers: bad design can frighten customers away, good design adds interest and will help to draw them in. NB: hire someone who specialises in web design.
• Don’t overcomplicate things – make it interesting but also simple, consistent and free of clutter.
• Pay attention to typography as well as graphics – make sure your content is easy to read.
• Avoid bloated design and splash pages - these will detract from your content.

I hope this evaluation technique is useful. Is there anything else you’d add?

 I first set up a Twitter account in October last year, but to be honest I was fairly sceptical about its worth. I’d seen the cutesy Twitter logo on many of the blogs that I follow; I’d read about it in the Sunday papers; I’d heard Stephen Fry rave about in on radio 5. I was curious to know what the fuss was all about, but I was pretty sniffy about its value as a business tool. Our working days are busy enough. Do we really need yet another ego-massaging, time wasting social networking site?

Having said all this, I don’t like missing out on a party, even a bad one, so I thought I’d give it a go. Like most bewildered newcomers to Twitter (note: I refuse to use that hideous social networking phrase ‘newbie’) I was totally clueless about what to do with it. I signed up and my first post just read something ineffectual like ‘Help! How does this work?’. At that point I got cold feet and, feeling pretty idiotic, fled at top speed without looking back.

It was only in January, having read yet more glowing articles, that I resolved to restart my Twitter experiment.

What a revelation!

• In just 5 weeks I’m pretty sure I’ve learned more about my field than I did in the whole of last year.
• I’m now connected to 140 clued up marketing experts/business types around the world. I follow their ideas, read their resources, and share their thoughts.
• I’ve had some well-informed answers to my questions about marketing small businesses, got instant feedback on my ideas and articles and stayed up-to-date with the latest news, often before it’s even broken on mainstream media.
• It has prompted me to buy 3 new business books, which I was unlikely to discover otherwise (authors, take note!)
• Yesterday, a brilliant Indian online training company contacted me about creating a ‘visual case study’ on my approach to marketing with content (no charge – we both benefit) – see: Telezent
• Oh, and I’ve got a meeting with a potential new client too.

If you too are curious about Twitter, and want the real low down on what it’s all about from a business perspective, here’s a quick resume of what I’ve found out to date:

What is Twitter?

 Twitter is a website www.twitter.com where you can broadcast very short messages (maximum 140 characters) to anyone who has signed up to receive them. It’s a communication tool; a bit like a cross between a blog and a chat room; kind of text messaging but to a larger audience. It’s free.

As you post on Twitter, you also get updates from all of the people that you are following. You control who you follow and can also block people you don’t want to receive your updates (useful function, if you make the mistake of following someone who continually tweets about what kind of pasta sauce they’re having for lunch!).

These short updates often contain links to articles and resources but they can also be questions, insights, thoughts, jokes – anything really. You can pay as much or as little attention to this stream of ‘tweets’ as you like. Unlike email, you aren’t expected to respond to, or even read, every message. You can dip in and out of the flow of the conversation as suits you.

So what?

Here’s a quote from a consultant and Twitter user which sums it up for me:

“We’ve always known that networking, connecting, mentoring and collaborating better are extremely valuable for business. You miss out – massively – when you dismiss stuff as new-fangled and faddish…The value (of Twitter) is not substantially different from the value of reading and writing articles, building business relationships, networking and surrounding yourself with successful people.” Laura Fitton

I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but this experiment with Twitter is yeilding unexpectedly positive results for me. It has broadened my reach to a wider network/community and is helping me learn a lot more about what I do, very quickly. I’m finding it a useful database of links to interesting articles and resources I want to remember. It may even get me work.

What to expect

To give you a bit of an idea about what to expect, here are a few ‘tweets’ that have landed on my Twitter page recently:

Useful:

• “Great article from @dmscott ‘People want to do business with people’ http://tinyurl.com/aljb6h“
• “Thinking about “Why Architects should Twitter “ -  http://tinyurl.com/de5tc3“
• “B2B current trend: Social media makes sense for frugal CMOs http://tinyurl.com/bchdfw Cost-effective, collaborative, authentically yours”

Not so much…

• “Up and bouncing, ish. Must stick myself under a shower before biffing off into the morning traffic. Hope you’re not all triskaidekaphobic x” (Yup – this last one is from Stephen Fry!)

The more you give on Twitter, the more you’ll get. As in face-to-face networking if you share useful information, add value and participate regularly in the general conversation, you’ll attract more followers and get more value out of the experience. 

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it

Twitter is difficult to describe unless you’ve seen it in action. Even when you’ve signed up it takes a bit of time to ‘get it’. Sure it can be a time-waster (it really is quite addictive – I’m having to ruthlessly ration Twitter time) but it can also be a great news source, a research assistant, a networking device and a very valuable business tool.

My advice? Don’t poo-pooh it until you’ve tried it. If you don’t see any value you can always choose to close it down, but it could just be useful to your business. At the very least, it’s a fascinating experiment. And it’s a lot less annoying than Facebook!

Further reading:

• Chris Brogan, social media consultant: 50 ideas on using Twitter for business
• Laura Fitton at Pistachio Consulting: Using Twitter for Business
• Raintoday: Guide to Social Networking for Professional Services: how to add social media to your networking plan

Connect with me on Twitter, if you feel so inclined: www.twitter.com/sonjajefferson

LinkedIn has just hit the 1 million user mark here in the UK. With over 2000 business professionals signing up every day, it can no longer be discounted as a US phenomenon: LinkedIn is now a mainstream tool for business professionals here in the UK, and a highly useful one at that.

Most business people have heard of it, many have their profiles on it, but, as independent consultants or small professional businesses, how can we use LinkedIn to bring in work?

Often referred to as a ‘networking tool for grown ups’, LinkedIn is a social networking site developed solely for business interaction.

“LinkedIn takes your personal business network online and gives you access to people, jobs and opportunities like never before.”

Built around your résumé, the site lets you create and maintain a network of people you know and trust in business. You can invite anyone – whether a user or not – to become a ‘connection’. It’s a free service. As of May 2008, there are over 20 million registered users worldwide, making it the world’s largest business network.

Creating a LinkedIn profile is a good idea.

• It’s a way of getting your profile online. Your profile looks professional and is very easy to update. Some commentators see the LinkedIn profile as a replacement for the traditional CV. It will ensure people find you on the web as Google loves it. For those who already have an online presence it can improve your ratings and increase the chances that you are found. My LinkedIn profile appears at the top of the list when you type in my name. Try it.
• It gives more information than a traditional CV. It shows the extent of your network and recommendations from others, plus easy links to other online information that backs up your case.
• It makes networking easy. As one independent consultant said: ‘it’s like they are making the networking aspect of freelancing too easy to fail.’ It’s a useful database of your contacts that is easy to grow. It builds a professional community and reminds you who you know.
• It gives you permission to keep in contact. If someone accepts your invitation to join your network, they are giving you permission to keep in touch. Using LinkedIn to keep in contact is a more personal and less intrusive method than email. It is a form of permission marketing; you can remove connections too.

Getting started is easy. All you need to do is complete your profile, as fully as you can (remembering to include your web address or blog address if you have one). You can then start making connections to past colleagues, clients, friends and contacts. You can ask them to recommend or endorse you on the site. These recommendations are clearly visible on your profile and are a great way to lend credibility to your claims.

It’s time to get proactive. Here are 5 simple ways to use LinkedIn to grow your business:

1. Develop your network: The process of connecting is a marketing opportunity in itself. The people you contact are likely to view your profile (so make sure it’s good!). You can use the ’I want to add you to my LinkedIn network’ feature as an opportunity to briefly introduce what you do and ask for connections to people who might have an interest. Promote your LinkedIn URL on your website and emails.
2. Ask for introductions: Ask to be introduced to other professionals, businesses or potential clients through people in your network. LinkedIn allows you to do some research. You can often see who your contacts are connected to (NB – this is not always the case. Users have the facility to protect their network so you cannot see it. At the moment, the majority of networks are open). You can find potential clients or partners and ask your contacts to make an introduction.
3. Use the ‘what are you working on’ feature:  This is a valuable, non-intrusive way to tell people what you are up to and keep you in their minds. Jane Northcote promoted her new book in this way. Robert Middleton tells people when he’s speaking at an event. Other independents have used this feature to tell their network that they are available for work.
4. Produce and market valuable content: if you create useful, educational content (such as white papers, articles or books), LinkedIn is a great place to promote it. Communicate this to your network and ask them to send it on to anyone that might be interested. LinkedIn is a great way to get this content out there.
5. Use LinkedIn Answers: LinkedIn Answers allows you to give and receive business related advice. You can show your expertise on a subject by passing on knowledge and insight to the community. This helps to brand you as an expert in your field, helping you to generate new contacts and business opportunities.

I think LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for independent consultants and small professional businesses here in the UK. I’m working on websites for several small consultancies and I recommend that they promote their LinkedIn URL on their sites, and invite people to connect. LinkedIn is a great way to establish and formalise your network and promote your services.

If you’re not signed up already, have a look at www.linkedin.com. If you are, please join my network: www.linkedin.com/in/sonjajefferson.

I’d love to hear your views on LinkedIn. How do you use it and how does it benefit you?

Want to be seen as an expert in your field? Traditionally, you had to either hammer down the door of a well-read industry magazine or tread the boards on the conference speaking circuit. Luckily for today’s consultants and professional companies, it is now far easier. If you want to take the first step on the ladder of thought leadership, start writing a business blog and reap the rewards.

In the last year blogs have become mainstream. They are everywhere: newspapers, radio stations, celebrities, politicians, schools and companies are all getting in on the act. But for many businesses, blogging can be a daunting prospect.

Why should I start a blog? What will it involve? How much time will it take? What should I say? Why do I need one when I’ve got a website? Will it open my organisation up to unwanted criticism? Will it really benefit my business? Have I got anything to say that the whole world wants to hear?

In this article I wanted to share my own reasons for starting a blog and offer up advice from seasoned experts in an attempt to dispel some of the misconceptions around blogging. Hopefully, this will motivate other consultants and professional businesses to take the leap.

No mystery – it’s just a communication tool

There is a mystery around blogging. Depending on who you talk to, a blog is either a self indulgent personal diary, a forum for the disaffected or the future of communication (blog or die!). No wonder many people are confused and a bit scared.

But, going back to basics, a blog or weblog is just a website with a twist. Blogs are different from conventional websites for a number of reasons:

• It’s a matter of style. Traditional websites give information in a more formal sense whilst blogs publish personal opinion, normally in a conversational style.
• Websites are about one-way information, blogs are a two-way conversation. They are interactive, connected and seek feedback from readers.
• Blogs are easier to create than standard web sites. Created using instant publishing software they allow you to become an author quickly without much techie expertise.
• Blogs are frequently updated, so almost always get higher rankings in search engine results than static sites.

A blog is a best seen as a personal publishing platform. It can contain important posts or innocuous personal ramblings of little interest to anyone but the writer; the platform doesn’t differentiate. It can be whatever you want it to be. It’s just another communication tool, a quick and easy way to get your ideas out there, and you can use it as you want.

And an immensely valuable tool at that

Blogs do have many different uses. Here are just a few examples I’ve come across:

1. I want to communicate what’s going on in my company/school/organisation.
2. I want to get my message out to a worldwide audience.
3. I want to get press coverage without going down the traditional PR route.
4. I want to educate my clients.
5. I want to test my ideas and get feedback, to help me develop my proposition.
6. I want to publish my opinions and stimulate discussion.
7. I want to talk with my customers.
8. I want to promote my ideas and sell my books.
9. I want to market my services in a way that doesn’t alienate customers.
10. I want to put a human face to my organisation.

A blog can do all these things for your business. How do you (or will you) use yours?

My blogging rationale

For me, my blog is the place where I write, store and show articles I’ve written. I have a website, but I wanted a place where I could post my ideas, show what I know, generate some interest and maybe get some feedback too.

I may or may not build a community of people who are so interested in what I’ve got to say they sign up for email updates and spread my ideas around the world. If that happens, I’d be delighted. But at the moment I am happy that I can quickly and easily publish my opinions, and send these on to my clients and contacts when relevant.

As to what I write, I take my lead from projects I’m working on or clients that I want to get an idea across to. I’ll write articles with a particular client in mind, relevant to a challenge they are facing (you’ll know who you are!), and I’ll take responsibility for sending these articles to them and others I think might be interested.

Already this approach has paid dividends. The Drupal article has just landed me one new project, and it’s only been up a week. I sent a link to one of my existing contacts who then understood how I could help him with his web project. That’s the quickest sales cycle I’ve experienced in a while.

Jump in

So why not take the plunge? Log on to Blogger or WordPress or Typepad, design your layout and start writing a blog. You can use it as you like and it’s a powerful tool. This blog is absolute proof that it’s easier than you may think.

If you want to find out more before you leap, The Corporate Blogging Book by Debbie Weil is a great place to start. As she says:

“This is not about being cool. This is about where everyone is going – online. This is where your customers will be soon, if they’re not already.”

What do you think?

I’d love to know about your reasons for blogging or not blogging (yet). Do please send me your feedback.