Blogs

As you might expect using Twitter for business can be a bit different from running a personal account.  Your content will obviously circulate around the product or service your business offers, rather than social posts, but there’s a bit more to it than that. Here are 5 easy to follow tips that will help you get most out of Twitter and it won’t cost you a penny.

1. Use Lists

The lists functionality on Twitter can be a very handy tool. It is what it sounds like, lists of Twitter accounts. It allows you to select a group of accounts on a theme of your choosing. This way you can focus on one aspect of your business at a time, rather going through a timeline filled with topics on various themes. It is also worth noting that when you put an account on a list you can set it to private. This means that accounts you have on your list won’t know they are being viewed, unlike when you follow the account in the traditional sense. (Yes Twitter has been around long enough to have traditions.)

2. Engage Directly

To get the most out of Twitter it is important to engage with your followers. Find ways to connect with people throughout the day. When someone comments, comment back. You may not want to follow everyone who follows you, but it is always nice to follow back when you can. It’s nice to be nice, and people like nice people.

3. Keep It Relative

As point 2 says, you want to engage with people as much as possible, but remember you are running a business. You want to stay on topic, and find ways to make the talking points of the day relate to what you are trying to promote. If it doesn’t either reinforce your brand or image, or sell and promote your product or service, it might end up doing more harm than good. You don’t want your Twitter feed to seem like a forum for an unrelated topic.

4. Keep A Routine

People will come to expect certain things from you in terms of the frequency of your content. You can decide what content is best and the timings of your posts, but once you do, stick to it. If you regularly post a blog on a specific evening every week, for example, your followers will be keeping an eye out for it, hopefully looking forward to it.  If you suddenly start posting that blog at different times on different days you risk losing people’s interest.  Also, if you start posting it at different times of the week your followers can potentially miss out on information.

5. Use Analytics

There are several sites you can use to analyse your account, however Twitter’s  Analytics function is free and easy to interpret.  It provides you with a lot of useful information that you can use to track your Twitter data.  You can work out what type of content works best for you, improving your presence and efficiency.  It allows you to monitor information on things like  how your content is being received, the posts people are engaging with most or the number of views.  This means you can address any issues you’re having and also get confirmation of when you’re doing a good thing and getting it right.

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@Scruffy_Dug

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We’d like to take this opportunity to announce that we’re working with Kirsteen MacGregor and Hidden Heart, she specialises in upcycling furniture taking abandoned pieces and giving them new and amazing life, such as this Jewellery Box

Which amazing and gorgeous, click through to see it in all its fantastic detail and loveliness (okay I admit I’m totally taken with this piece, I love snowscapes and the tiny footprints leading to the door I adore. In one painted box it pretty much tells the entire story of Red Riding Hood).

Kirsteen has everything sorted with her wonderful designs and we’re sure she’ll be a success no matter what, but what we’re doing is helping out with her website, and helping out with her social marketing, just lending a hand and offering our advise and experience.

So, please check out Hidden Heart and find the full array of her work on her website (www.hiddenheart.co.uk),  Facebook and Twitter.

Find us on Twitter and Facebook

@Scruffy_Dug

www.facebook.com/ScruffyDugDesignSolutions

There are several books and online articles out there that compare the management styles and strategising techniques (amongst other, more obscure, traits) of various fictional characters and apply them to real-life scenarios.  Some franchises do a roaring trade in self-help style comparisons, take Star Trek for example.  Many a blog and book have been written on the merits of Kirk’s characteristics or how to follow Picard’s methods for conflict resolution, each containing advice that you can genuinely use in your own business.  Having already pondered and concluded on which incarnation of the Enterprise I’d like to live on, I started to think about other franchises and fictional characters that would make good start-up business partners.  That got me wondering how many of you would pick the same ones.  So, here are five shouts for fictional characters that would have something to offer a start-up company.  Let us know who you’d pick or who your own ultimate start-up partner would be in the comments!

1. Samwise Gamgee

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this one only works if you’re opening a garden centre, there’s a lot to be said for loyalty and compassion in the often cut-throat world of business.  Unwaveringly seeing a goal through to the end, no beef with uphill struggles, resistant to the pull of evil distractions…is Samwise your ideal new business partner?

2. Daenerys Targaryen

Perfect credentials for a start-up partner because, well, she’s started from scratch a few times.  Daenerys knows how to corral entire armies so the work force of a small or new business would be like water off a dragon’s back to her.  She’s not afraid to make difficult choices and shows outstanding resolve when times are tough…does she have what you’d want in a business partner?

3. Batman

Not much of a team player but he’s got plenty of capital and some truly ingenious inventions.  He’s certainly a charitable enough fellow and never afraid to stand up for what’s right, with a strong moral compass that will keep your company heading in the right direction, Batman could be a great choice for partner, plus you can car pool to the office in the Batmobile…

4. Han Solo

Every business needs a scoundrel, someone to push the boundaries and take your start-up to the next level, a risk taker, someone who always has a few cheeky manoeuvres up their sleeve, someone with influential friends and of course he’d probably bring Chewy down to the office every once in a while…

5. Lisa Simpson

There’s a lot of goodwill attached to that name.  Someone who is happy to do their homework could be extremely useful for a start-up, all that research would be taken care of and she’d probably nag you to keep on top of your own tasks too.  She could create a sense of calm and well-being by busting out some funky sax music while you enjoy what would likely be a very healthy vegetarian packed lunch.

Some of you may be aware of the Boaty McBoatFace story that has been apppearing in the press in recent weeks. The basics of the story are that the UK Government is launching a new science ship to operate in the Antarctic ocean, and they had an online poll to decide what the ship should be named.

Now their first mistake wasn’t to choose a list of names, and get the public to vote for their favourite, it was to allow the general public to choose their own name suggestions. This led to the suggesting of the name “Boaty McBoatface” as the name for this science vessel, a name which hooked into the public consciousness and led to it getting four times the votes of any other suggestion, and becoming a popular meme, with buses in Glasgow having “Bussy McBusFace” on their boards when not in use, trains in Newcastle’s Metro system having the similar Trainy McTrainFace on them, and many others.

Now after winning the public vote, did the academics and bureaucrats in charge of this poll let the public decision stand? Of course they didn’t, and while there were some fairly reasonable reasons for not going with that name, I personally think they missed a massive opportunity, wasted public goodwill, and wasted a wonderful public relations opportunity.

So, imagine for a moment, the world where they launch the UK science vessel, Boaty McBoatFace, imagine the school outings to see it launched, imagine painting a big cartoon smiling face on the front of the ship. The toy opportunities, the interest you’d get from young kids in science when it’s fronted by a large smiling ship. The joy from people as it returns to port, taking the family to see the silly named, but joyful Boaty McBoatFace. Hell, you could even do a merchandising deal with MacDonalds to get toy ships in Happy Meals, which might not be good for the health of the nation, but better to get some of that money going to – and promoting science rather than to promoting the latest animated movie.

With good planning this could have been a coup, getting and keeping exposure far beyond that a science ship would normally get. And the public would have remained engaged and have formed a connection with the ship they named. Whereas now, the ship has been given a different name, and it will forever be the ship that the public never got their will to name Boaty McBoatFace.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the ship has been named the Sir David Attenborough (the favoured name of the man who actually suggested Boaty McBoatFace), a fine name for a science ship and a fine thank you to a man who has brought natural science to the masses for many decades, and if they’d just made it one of many options, instead of letting the public suggest their own, I’m sure it would have won, I’m sure that a public wave of support could have rallied behind that name, and the beloved celebrity the ship has now been named after.

Their reason for discarding Boaty McBoatFace has been stated as, the ship will be operating in dangerous seas, and reporting any bad news related to Boaty McBoatFace would disrespect those serving aboard and risking their lives in the name of science. While perhaps a consideration, in my mind, reporting that 3 sailors were injured aboard Boaty McBoatFace in an accident, or 3 sailors were injured aboard Sir David Attenborough in an accident, doesn’t improve the situation greatly.

What can we learn from this . . . Firstly, never underestimate the silliness of the general public and how they love to bring a little chaos and disorder to public institutions. Secondly, never discard something just because you think it doesn’t provide enough gravitas, or take your idea seriously, maybe, just maybe, that sense of fun might add a whole new level to your endeavour. Thirdly, if you don’t want silly suggestions, sometimes the only way to avoid them is to not give people the choice of giving them at all. Fourthly, if someone suggests something and everyone else says it’s good, perhaps it really is good and you should be flexible enough to accept that your ideas aren’t always the best.

This of course is only my opinion, please feel free to comment below and let me know whether you think I’m right, or wronger than a very wrong thing.

Thank you for reading.

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@Scruffy_Dug

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When selling a product or service it’s important that your branding and design say the right thing about your business.  Sometimes you will have to say a lot with very little space.  This got me thinking about the how difficult this can be in industries like alcohol where ads are restricted and the market is so competitive.  Wine labels, for example, are small and have to provide certain information, while showing the consumer why they are unique.

I regularly succumb to the manipulative powers of strong branding and choose a wine based on the label.  However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, when the image or style of the product is effectively conveyed in the packaging it can help consumers to make choices.

Continue reading “A Small Space For Branding Is Nothing To “Wine” About”

1. Be sure you are connecting with the right people

There are many social media platforms out there for your start-up to use.  Before you venture into social media you need to know your target demographic.  Create a table of the people and businesses you want to target and split them into categories based on age, interests, business type, etc.  Then do some online research to find out which social media channel each group prefers, this way you won’t waste time or resources on the wrong platform.

2. Don’t spread yourself too thin

Once you know which platforms are best for you, focus on one to begin with.  Once it’s up and running and you’re happy with it you can start to add the other platforms as appropriate.

3. Keep social media social

Whenever you receive a share or follow make sure you publicly acknowledge it.  They’re showing an interest in what you do and helping your business grow so it’s nice to be able to thank them in whatever small way you can.  Shares, likes and follows are a great way of doing this.

4. Connect your content

Once you’re comfortable you can start to build on your social presence by using other social media platforms, so these should be linked.  For example if you write a blog make sure it’s linked to, and shared on, your other social media outlets.  Don’t forget to remind them at the bottom of the blog where they can find you on other platforms.  It is also a good idea to link your social media through a website to keep your ranking high, and also avoid being lost if the algorithms change on one of your chosen social spaces.

5. Keep a cool head

We’ve seen businesses ruin their reputations overnight by getting caught up in arguments on social media or responding aggressively to trolls.  It’s rarely worth letting it get to you and it’s never worth publicly losing your head over it.

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@Scruffy_Dug

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So, you’ve set up a business, you’re making hats, or making beer, or selling on your knowledge and experience, you know about the internet, but how does it relate to you. Why do you need a website, why should you pay out for this perhaps superfluous service, and why would you pay someone to do this for you.

Well today we’ll concentrate on the first of these.

Google,

Google is hugely massively successful and becoming integrated into part of almost everyone’s lives. How do you find out about almost anything these days? You Google it! So getting your name out there is essential, whether you’re selling worldwide, or just selling locally. When people are searching for the needs they’ve got you can fulfil, you want to be there to be the answer to their question. So if you’re a pizza restaurant, and someone is asking where they can get pizza, you want to be there online, saying come here, this is what I can do for you.

Branding,

While you could rely upon social media to communicate with your customers, having your own website is the ideal way of getting your brand out there. A place to group together all of your products and services, and organise and present them in the best possible way. Creating the one stop shop for all a customers needs to deal with you, from customer service, questions, online shop and product information.

Communication,

Don’t get us wrong, Social Media like Facebook and Twitter are incredible tools for communicating with your customers, the best way is to have your own website. This gives you full control, but also allows you to create a non-time related way of communicating, putting important information always in a prominent place rather than letting it get lost in the history of more recent postings as can happen on the social networks.

Competition,

You can bet your competition are out there, even if you’re the first in your town with your product, if people can’t locate you, then there are others further afield who can be easily located and are more than happy to snap up customers for themselves.

Increase Revenue,

This is the biggie, and I should probably have led with this instead of burying it back here, but if the others haven’t swung you over, then this one should. According to the Small Business Association, small businesses that have websites average around 40% higher revenue than  competitors who do not have websites. That’s an extra 40% of business you could be doing, an extra 40% money in your pocket, an extra 40% that if you don’t take, your competitors will.

If you’re interested in getting in touch about getting a new website, or redesigning/refreshing an old one, then our contact information can be found here.

I was having a conversation with a client today, and I found myself reciting the above phrase, an old one from the dawn of web development and design which still holds true to this day.

Content is King is the number one rule of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and is the cornerstone of building any successful website. What it means is that putting useful, interesting and unique content onto your website beats any other technique for driving traffic to your website.

While the algorithms which power Google can be fooled by various techniques and tricks, these fixes will only ever be temporary, What Google is designed to do, and what it has a moderately sized army of engineers making it do, is to find relevant content which matches any search entered into it. So to get to the top of the search rankings, all you need to do, is have relevant content on your website.

And in the long term, the tricks and techniques used to fool Google and bring sites without their own relevant content to the tops of the searches will work against those sites, because as soon as the Google Engineer Army discovers one of these techniques is getting used, they add filters to the Google Algorithms which lower the ranking of these sites. Meaning that anyone using these techniques is fighting a constant war to keep their unwarranted ranking on the search engines. Whereas anyone with a warranted ranking has nothing to worry about, and as more people recognise them as a source of good content, their ranking will only get higher and higher, as the Google rankings take this into account.