Twitter and the Hype Cycle

In early 2009, there was a lot of hype around micro blogging and platforms such as Twitter. The research group, Gartner, has produced a detailed report on where micro blogging falls in the hype cycle.

Technologies tend to follow a cycle of adoption and Twitter is no different. While everyone in the media has jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, many users have signed up only to leave their new accounts tweet-less. With a large number of people turned off by the technology, the hard core tweeters are still in full force. It's this core group that will see Twitter through the "trough".

Now you will probably hear less about tweets and Twitter. This doesn't mean that it is going away. Many other companies are looking into ways to take advantage of micro-blogging and build upon what Twitter started. Who knows, there may be another micro-blogging solution that will remove Twitter from it's throne.

Twitter for SEO : Relevance

Lately I have been paying more attention to my inbound keywords in Google Analytics. I have noticed some strange keywords that I have not optimized for on site appearing in my keyword reports. Some of the keywords appearing are "West Virgina SEO". Since I have not mentioned or optimized for West Virginia SEO terms on my blog or web site, the only source I could draw these terms from is my @seanhecking Tweets on Twitter. The Tweets were about a trip to the WV that I took a couple weeks ago.



This could have just been a test Google was running on social media relevance, but I think it's an example of where things may be headed in search engine algorithms. We know that having links from other web sites with content around those links describing your optimized keywords is essential for top rankings. Are search engines taking it one step further and giving more weight to social profiles and the relevance of their surrounding terms to your web site?

Could Google Wave change email?

For anyone who hates reading through a long list of email chains, Wave may be the solution. Google Wave combines real time chat features, video and Twitter like conversation streams. If chat, email, and Twitter had a love child, it might look something like Wave. It will be interesting to see how Wave will impact current email marketing, Twitter and other chat technologies.

Twitter For Marketing from Hubspot

Found a great presentation on how to use Twitter for marketing your personal brand or business. The strategies discussed in these slides are very helpful in establishing best practices. What I found most interesting are the average number of tweets per day, key tweet ratios and bio keywords.

Sean Hecking - @seanhecking
Hubspot - @hubspot

Deathmatch: Twitter vs. Email Marketing

In the graphic above, I pulled searches for "twitter tools" and "email tools" in the United States. (email tools=red, twitter tools=blue) I could have just pulled a report of twitter and email marketing, but I think this gives us a more clear picture of how people are searching. When using a technology, people tend to look for tools to help them manage that technology or make things more efficient. Obviously there are more people with an email address than a twitter account, but this gives you some insight into how much real activity is taking place in this space.

Does this mean that Twitter is going to replace Email?

Lets take a look:

• Tools and Analytics: Both technologies have tools available to measure impact, emails are more mature. (Let)
  
• Subscribe: This one is pretty easy, just follow someone on Twitter, like me @seanhecking (Advantage Twitter)
• Content: 140 characters? please! Email allows you more space for delivering your message with branded content (Deuce)
• Forward to a Friend: Twitter allows for a retweet (RT), the equivalent of forward to a friend. Email allows for traditional forward to groups (Let)
  
• Unsubscribe: Twitter also allows you to unsubscribe (unfollow) and means it! (Advantage Twitter)
• Tagging: Twitter allows for content tagging to help organize tweets. Email: "what are tags?" (Game, Set, Match?)

What are your thoughts on this match?

How to Twitter Links

A couple weeks back, I posted tips on how to Twitter for small businesses. I've put together some additional helpful links to give marketers an edge when it comes to using Twitter for marketing your business or helping your clients understand the micro blogging tool. Enjoy!

• Hubspot Twitter for Marketing & PR
• Video on using Twitter
• Business Ideas from Chris Brogan
• More ideas and tactics from Dosh Dosh
• Grade your profile (handle)
  

Twitter 101 - in plain english

I get a lot of questions about Twitter around the office and from friends. Some ask "why use Twitter when I have Facebook?" "Isn't Twitter just a chat like Yahoo or AIM?"

The video below helps explain what Twitter is and why it's different from other social media websites. Do you use Twitter? Do you think it is valuable?

Twitter How to for Small Business

In a recent blog conversation about small business Twitter, it occurred to me that there is little information on how to leverage micro blogging if you own a small business. I've put together a short list of "how to" tips for businesses looking to leverage Twitter. Getting an account set up is easy. I would like to focus more on tactics and strategy.

Think Big, Start Small - Just as every business starts with a few brave souls, so must your Twitter follow list. Focus on growing your base of followers slowly at first to reach a handful of influential voices. Following hundreds of people out of the gate makes you appear like twitter spam and turns off those who may normally follow you. You also run the risk of missing out on conversations that could benefit your company or connect you to a lead.

Listen - Listening to conversations is as important as posting tweets. Hearing what your competitors or potential clients are saying gives you insight into their business. Finding out what challenges they encounter is key.

Give and Take - It's important to contribute to the Twitter community. Providing valuable resources and answering questions is often the best way to get noticed. Once you have established a presence, it's ok to post links to your site/blog now and then if it's appropriate to your audience.

I hope you have enjoyed these tips for small business on Twitter. Happy Tweeting!

P.S. - If you like my rants, please follow me.

@seanhecking

Twitter and RSS Adoption Trends

Looking into some interesting Twitter search trends using Google Trends. It appears as though Twitter may be making some progress on the adoption of RSS. As you can see in the graphic above, RSS buzz had some real steam from 2000-2005. RSS began to drop off around 2006 and has been on a slide since.

One other interesting trend is the explosion of Twitter searches. It appears as though the increase in Twitter searches suggests that Twitter may be the magic bullet that RSS needed to reach a more broad audience. Perhaps having a brand rather than a technology behind the idea of RSS has helped fuel a user base. What are your thoughts on where RSS and Twitter are headed?