What would you do with 140 characters?

I suppose you could discuss business ideas with them?

World Cup is just around the corner – how about a natter about England’s chances?

Find out how tall your followers really are?

I can’t wait to find out what interesting stories @northwestscenes has dug up in the last month.

Last time I met @kayhebbourn, she was telling me about an unbelievable new business opportunity.



Are you coming to Britain’s most exciting Tweet Up next Tuesday?

If you enjoy a Tweet now and again, come along to 140 Characters – the UK’s largest ever Tweet Up.

Meet Twitter followers from all over the country.

Enjoy the evening.

Make valuable contacts.

Meet 140 characters.

The Mill, Ulverston. Tuesday 23 March 2010. 5pm

RSVP here:

http://twtvite.com/qj8r20

See you at the party!

Tweet Up with 140 Characters in Ulverston

Twitter enthusiasts are encouraged come out in force to make Ulverston’s latest Tweet Up the biggest in the UK.

The Tweet Up, aptly titled ‘140 Characters’, will take place at The Mill, Ulverston, on Tuesday 23 March.

Tweet Ups are fun Meet Ups for people who love to use Twitter and other forms of social media. The idea is to meet your online friends and have a good time finding out more about each other.

The last event was held at The Mill in February. It was attended by Barrow’s Labour candidate John Woodcock, CancerCare and LakesTV, amongst numerous other Twitter fanatics.

Kay Hebbourn, organiser of the event, has been amazed by the level of interest. She said: “Following the success of the last Tweet Up, which was the biggest in Cumbria, we have decided to have another and would love anyone who loves social media to come.

It's an excuse for a bit of a social, and to find out what everyone else is up to.”

There will be a variety of prizes up for grabs, and also charity donation opportunities.

Award-winning photographer Lesley Wood will be donating a particularly special prize to one lucky Twitterer. She explains: “I will give the winner a free photo-shoot. It will be for half a day, at your home or an outdoor location of your choice.”

Lesley is currently the “UK Pet Photographer of the Year” and specialises in portraiture of people with or without their animals. She is currently based in Cheshire, but is due to relocate to Ulverston this year.

The Evening Mail will be there to cover the event, which has already attracted interest from all over the UK.

Music and nibbles will be provided by The Mill, who will also be donating a special prize to a winner drawn from a hat.

Plans are still in the pipeline to introduce a Twestival to the area, later on in the year. This will be a whole weekend of events, meet-ups and fundraising.

Everyone is welcome to join in the fun – even those who haven’t yet become captivated by Twitter. The event is due to start at 5pm on Tuesday 23 March.

Customer Service Enters the 21st Century

How can you use Facebook and Twitter to substantially boost your business?

The extent to which Social Networking and Social Media websites are used is spiralling almost out of control. Hundreds of millions of people from all over the world are now logged on to these interactive websites. That’s a lot of potential customers, right?

There are still some very stern and astute marketers out there who believe you cannot make profit from the use of Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. I for one, am pretty pleased to be in competition with them.

With consummate ease you can find masses of people who are interested in the services you have to offer.

People buy from people.

It is so easy to interact with and meet new people.

‘People’ means ‘Customers’!

Establishing relationships with contacts on Twitter and Facebook is the equivalent of providing great customer service in your business place. The whole point in providing great customer service is to establish a relationship with the potential customer.

The first thing that crosses the mind of a customer in a purchasing situation is: “Do I want to do business with this person?” If the sales person is stroppy, has a bad manner, or has no time for the customer’s individual needs – then the answer will be a firm “No”.

By being polite, friendly, helpful and informative, the salesperson develops a relationship with the customer. They are more likely to want to do business with this person than they are with anybody else.

The same rule applies online. However, online, it is much, much easier.

Social Media is all based on relationships. There is no point in being on Facebook if you have nobody to interact with.

Social marketing is based on the relationship you have with your followers, prospects and customers. You cannot create a website and create a Twitter account and then expect for sales to shoot up. You have to work at it over a period of time – gaining followers and gaining trust.

People love to feel connected. It is part of human nature to feel like you want to be part of a group and have connections with like-minded people. Therefore most people will be responsive to your outreach of wanting to make a connection with them. Obviously you can’t just bombard them with “buy my product buy my product buy my product” – you have to work at building a relationship and building that level of trust.

Comment on what they are tweeting, help them when they ask questions and ask them plenty in return; let them know that you need their help and encouragement. Let them know that you trust them; this will make it an easier decision for them to trust you in return.

In addition to the theory that you cannot constantly be “throwing” your products in the faces of customers (“buy my product buy my product”), it is important to remember the one basic rule.

The number one rule:

People buy from people.

Do I want to do business with this person?

Relationship is key. You must build a relationship with customers first. And during. And after.

Generally, about 80% of your tweets, messages and interactions must be social. These are social networking sites after all. Don’t barrage potential customers with products. It will scare them away.

You need to show them that you are human. You are normal. You are just like them. You can help them. How? “Oh, I notice you need some help with your business…I think I may be able to help you there.”

Only 20% of your outgoings on social networking websites should be marketing based. It’s all about who you are, and not what you are offering. People go on these websites to connect and form relationships. Let them do this with you, and they will be much more likely to trust you when they have a business requirement.

As an extension to online relationships, Tweet Ups have formed all over the world, giving the chance for users of social networking websites to meet up and get to know each other in person. This forms a great opportunity to gain real trust with your contacts.

If you get a chance to attend a Tweet Up in your area, this is a perfect way to introduce yourself to the people you have been making friends with online.

People buy from people, remember.