Eating in Portland can perhaps be compared to being on safari in Maasai Mara Game Park – so many great options, too little time, and the scenery changes quickly. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the Africa mention…)
But with Downtown Portland’s new June dining month deals – the incentive to go out and try this city’s amazing fare by our well-regarded chefs increases dramatically! That’s because during the month of June, you can enjoy 3 courses at a long list of restaurants for only $25!
Here’s where the deal works, and the altruistic bonus is a donation to Oregon Food Bank if you book your reservation online through OpenTable!
One of the most important things you can do on Twitter is to engage with your network – frequently. I’m talking about creating a saved search with your Twitter handle in it, and checking it and your mentions multiple times daily. From both a business and personal perspective, this allows you respond immediately to questions and comments from your followers. If you stop reading right now, please tell me you’re leaving to check your mentions.
Good news is that Twitter has just made it slightly easier for you to do what I’m recommending. They now will automatically send you an email when someone replies to your tweet, or when you’re mentioned in another tweet. While this is a helpful reminder to engage with your Twitter network, if you’re already doing it well, Twitter has made it easy to opt out of the emails.
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (or 3/4 cocoa + 1/4 C. margarine)
1/2 C. oil
1 1/2 C. sugar (or 1 1/4 C. light brown sugar, packed)
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 C. powdered sugar
Melt the chocolate (or melt margarine and add cocoa). Stir in oil and sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and vanilla – mix well. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt mixture. Cover and chill well – at least 3 hours.
Drop teaspoonful (no bigger) of dough balls into plate with powdered sugar on it. Place balls 1 1/2″ apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 6-8 minutes, or until they crack and puff slightly.
At some point in the last year, I switched to getting the majority of my news from Twitter, Facebook and RSS feeds. Prior to then, I also relied on TV, newspapers and radio, but no more. Whether it be lack of time, or simply the ease of just checking our phones for the latest news, vehicles such as Twitter and Facebook are the major source of news for most of my friends.
Where did I learn that the Lakers were out of the playoffs? Twitter!
Where did police seize a ton of ivory? Facebook let me know!
How did I hear what happened to Osama? Umm, yep – Twitter.
One of the fundamental benefits of Twitter, and the one I always tell my clients first, is that there’s the potential for users to connect with an unlimited audience. Want to expand your business into Germany? You can target Germans by using the right hashtags, following key German thought-leaders, and developing Twitter relationships with German users in your field.
So then, what’s the importance of a following on Twitter? Well, very simply, that’s your direct audience – ones who are already interested in what you have to say. Build that following up, and you’re reaching that many more people with your messages, strengthening your brand, and increasing awareness.
Here are some ways to build your following on Twitter:
Don’t always promote yourself or your brand. A tweet for one of my clients this morning read, “Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers we know!” No mention of the Mother’s Day events being hosted, the merchandise you could buy for your mother, or why to pay admission and treat your mom to a great experience. This one tweet alone resulted in more retweets, mentions and followers than anything else in the past couple days.
Follow back. Just trying to look cool by having more way more followers than people you’re following? It’s pretty superficial. Follow back others who follow you – they think what you have to say is interesting, so the reverse is likely to be true, too. By following others, you appear as a follower on their Twitter feed, so become visible to their other followers that way.
Use #hashtags. When you hashtag parts of your tweet, those pieces become easily searchable. Hashtag the subject of your tweet (e.g. #traveldeals), or commentary on your tweet and you’ll show up in people’s searches for that topic.
Retweet. Like the tweets of others? Share what they say with your followers and not only will the original author be grateful, so will your followers who have now received more valuable information thanks to you.
Tweet frequently, and consistently. Enough said.
Link to your site, blog, etc. Show people what else you’ve written, what your company does, what your expertise is. Tweeting is micro-blogging – so give followers the opportunity to see the full extent of what you have to say.
Network. Encourage your followers to recommend you to their networks, and do the same for them.
Now go, fellow tweeters, and build that following, speak directly to your audiences, and strengthen you brand! Happy tweeting.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. We all know this to be true. And, I’ll admit, I’ve totally been the squeaky wheel on occasion. In fact, my brother was just the lucky beneficiary of $150 in United Airlines credit I received after a series of unfortunate customer service experiences I had with the airline.
But, what about all the perfectly happy, loyal consumers who don’t make a peep? The “un-squeaky wheels” regularly get overlooked by companies more focused on soothing the loud, angry voices, and the value of maintaining happy consumers is often under-appreciated. They are the ones who have the potential to spread the good word to their network. All it takes is a little love.
Here are some easy ways to get started, make sure that your communications team is constantly keeping track of consumers you don’t hear from negatively – you’ll see great dividends from this kind of outreach:
Make a simple “shout-out” on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to your loyal friends and fans.
Randomly identify one recipient of your newsletters or e-blasts and send them a personal email thanking them for their loyalty and offering them a discount, special admission, free consultation… (you get the idea).
Does your organization rely on donations? Make a point of calling each and every donor and thanking them for making a positive impact on your organization. We’re talking even $5 donations.
In the client service industry? Send periodic, hand-written notes to your clients who send regular business to your firm and pay their bills on time. Don’t overlook how valuable this is!
I’m lucky to serve on the Oregon Community Foundation marketing committee meeting. It’s really the perfect way for me to mix business interests with personal ones, and doesn’t hurt that OCF does amazing things for the state of Oregon. In today’s meeting we talked extensively about OCF’s social media outreach – how donors, volunteers, grantees and the general public are currently being reached. But, for some members of the committee social media was a completely foreign concept. What does it mean, why should I care, and why can’t I just keep ignoring it, hoping it will all go away?
Their minds were changed – I mean a complete 180 – after seeing this Erik Qualman social media video. Looking to convince your clients, your company leaders, or yourself of the value and place of social media in contemporary communications? Look no further:
