1. Branding: Just as you would in-person, dress to impress on your Twitter account page. It’s important to use your Twitter background, avatar, profile bio, tweets, and overall tone of voice on Twitter to further reinforce your brand and compliment your other marketing efforts. Your Twitter represents your company so make sure it’s sending the right message.

“Twitter is much more personal than tools like LinkedIn, where you basically spread out your entire professional life for someone to see on one page. Twitter requires ongoing participation and rewards it by allowing you to get to know people over time – not just as a representative of some company but as a real person with real interests including and beyond their work.” – Debbie Campbell (@redkitedesign), web designer and owner of Red Kite Design

2. Networking: Meet and stay in touch with colleagues, both locally and globally, who share your niche market or trade. Twitter integration at conferences and workshops is becoming the norm using hashtags (#) to create relevant feeds and creating Twibes (translation: Twitter tribes) to help you connect with others. So next time you’re at a networking event, be ready to swap Twitter user names as you mix and mingle in-person.

“Build your network before you need it. I see a lot of authors getting onto Twitter the day before their book launches, or companies getting on the week before a new product comes out. Sorry to say, but you’re a little late. Yes, Twitter can be useful the first day you use it, but it’s going to be a lot more useful a year after you’ve been using it. The more you can invest in building your network before you need to get something out of it, the better.” – Darren Rowse (@problogger), a full-time blogger who’s been making a living from the medium since 2004

3. Drive Traffic: Consider it a must to include a link to your website or blog to bring your audience on Twitter (your followers) to your “homebase.” Not doing so is a missed opportunity. In addition, an incomplete profile is a signal to Twitter users of spammers and you don’t want that.

“The most important aspect of Twitter Marketing is to gain followers. Not just any follower you can get your hands on but quality followers who will value your content and what you have to offer. The first step is to monitor the Twitter feeds. Next, you can find people in your industry/niche and follow them. Follow their followers and so on.” – Jonathan Thomas (@jonathanwthomas), British blogger and SEO expert at Imagination Publishing

4. Water Cooler: Twitter is a virtual water cooler where conversations with customers and clients can happen (in 140 characters or less) through tweets and re-tweets (aka RT, translation: re-posting someone else’s tweet). It’s an opportunity to be available to respond to immediate needs of your audience and provide memorable customer service.

“Don’t be afraid to provide customer service through Twitter as long as you offer exceptional service. It’ll give you top of mind in your customer’s eyes and their followers will see your interactions (depending on the structure of the tweet). The worst thing you can do is treat Twitter like a billboard and incessantly spew garbage about this promotion and that sale.” – Jason Drohn (@jasondrohn), business consultant and social media marketing strategist

5. Build Relationships: Following others on Twitter can help bridge the gap of time in between meetings or conferences. Staying connected and up-to-date with the people your network gives you a conversation-starter next time you meet face-to-face. Most Twitter users are looking for people with common interests or those who are local. While you may develop online relationships with people around the globe, don’t neglect your backyard. Fostering mutually-beneficial relationships with those in your area can be a wealth of opportunity.

“Value and honor every relationship possible. Twitter is about relationships. It’s about small communities, ideas bouncing around. You’re there to help everyone possible. You’re there to be of service. Get it? You have to help people. Let’s get specific: be of maximum service to 100 people at and around your level. Get to know them. Go out of your way to help. For free.” – Chris Johnson (@genuinechris), entrepreneur and Guerrilla.me blogger

6. Research Tool: Asking a simple question of your followers can be useful research and it helps invite conversation with your audience. In a matter of minutes, you may get personal responses on Twitter in a way that other, perhaps more formal, survey research would not.

“Be a good conversationalist. When you go to a party, when you go to a conference networking event, we are drawn to people who are relevant, who are interactive, who are not just talking at us, who are useful, who are engaging, who are like us. Listen to what others are saying on Twitter.” – Darren Rowse (@problogger)

7. Humanizer: While your website may seem faceless, Twitter can have a humanizing effect for your business. Try to avoid appearing like a robot. Sure, import your blog feed to auto-post on Twitter and schedule a tweet now and then, but make sure your followers know you’re a human.

“Concentrate on showing that there’s a real person and a soulful organization behind the Twitter username and get into conversations with your followers!” – Sara Rosso (@rosso), digital strategist and blogger at When I Have Time, “bridging the gap between the Meek and the Geek”

Remember, you can follow Dallas Wedding Planner (@BigDweddings) on Twitter and let us know how you’re using Twitter to promote your wedding business. Tell us about any successes or mistakes you’ve discovered in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

“There’s no question that Twitter became mainstream in 2009. I won’t rehash all of the examples, but suffice it to say that when your local news outlets are suggesting you follow them on Twitter, it’s mainstream.” – Scott Monty (@scottmonty), head of Social Media Marketing at Ford Motor Company

According to a BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor study, 9% of small and medium-sized businesses use Twitter to market their businesses. And 32% of those businesses said they plan to include social media in their marketing plans in the next 12 months by using a page on a social site.

What are you trying to accomplish?

Like any marketing effort you do, start by asking yourself “What do you want to accomplish?” Keeping your business goals in the forefront of your mind should remain a central part of any marketing you do, online or otherwise. When setting goals, remember to make them SMART goals. That means they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. If you’ve never gone through the exercise of writing out your business goals or a statement of your business objective, grab a pen and paper and do it now. Tack it up on the wall, stand back, and take it in. Now, with your goals in mind, answer the question, “How can Twitter help me accomplish this goal?”

“I feel like Twitter is a tool that all small business owners should use as part of their overall efforts to build a distributed social media footprint.” – Mark Hayward (@mark_hayward), creator of a non-profit organization who blogs about social media

Businesses are using Twitter for a variety of objectives including Customer Service, Marketing, Public Relations, Branding, Driving Traffic, Networking, and Research. Some businesses monitor Twitter for mentions of their brand, business opportunities, trends in popular culture, and company reputation.

“I use Twitter as an outpost. My blog is my homebase, my site is on my own domain which I control, and then I interact in other spaces such YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter as a way to build the homebase. It drives traffic, but also builds the brand, and it builds the community and network around my homebase. This is how I justify spending hours on someone else’s site because I now do see the benefits building my own homebase.” – Darren Rowse (@problogger), Twitter skeptic turned addict

Who is your primary audience?

When thinking about your clients and potential clients, ask yourself, “Are they on Twitter?” The average age of a bride in the United States is 25 (first marriage). Studies show that Twitter users have a median age of 31 compared to 27 for MySpace, 26 for Facebook and 40 for LinkedIn. Twitter’s largest user groups are 18-29 year olds (33%) and 35-49 year olds (22%).*

Perhaps as you explore the answer to this question, you may find another online platform or social media network is also well suited to reach your online audience. For instance, wedding videographers have a more obvious inclination to build a social media presence on YouTube where videos are the primary content, and likewise, for photographers on Flickr or Picassa. However, integrating multiple social media platforms may be a wise move. Over time, one or two may prove to be more successful for your brand or service. Stay tuned for our upcoming article “Facebook 101 and Your Wedding Business.”

“Introducing relevance and focus, we realize that we don’t have to be everywhere in order to create presence.” – Brian Solis (@briansolis), Principal of FutureWorks, a PR and New Media agency in Silicon Valley, California

Okay, so where do you start?

If you’re new to Twitter, we recommend you review Twitter 101 for Business to help you learn the lingo. Ask people you know for insight from their Twitter experience. Let someone be your tour guide to show you the basics. Before you start tweeting for your business and allowing employees to tweet on behalf of your company, take some time to educate yourself and your staff about Twitter and Twitter etiquette. Get yourself off on the right foot by reading Twitter’s own “best practices” guide.

Here’s some simple advice to start with:

“Manners in real life extend to manners in Twitter.” – Laura Fitton (@pistachio), founder of OneForty.com and co-author of Twitter for Dummies

After preparation, the first action step is to register your Twitter account. Identify key players on Twitter within your niche market or industry, especially locally. Listen and observe before you begin tweeting anything. Review your outline of objectives, purpose, and audience. Leverage your audience on other forums, sites, and printed items to include links and mentions of your Twitter account.

Begin tweeting, being active on Twitter at peak times based on your audience. If your Twitter audience is wedding planners, then you should be aware that they’re likely working a events on weekends and their peak activity time is more likely weekdays (especially, Tuesday – Thursday) during business hours. Similarly, if your desired audience is a bride, then keep in mind that her age and lifestyle will influence when she’s most active on Twitter.

Decide now how much time you want to spend on Twitter. Consider it an investment, but stick to your limitations. We teach in our Roots Training Program workshops how essential boundaries and guidelines are to any small business owner, so that you use your time wisely and maintain a healthy work/life balance. Using Twitter is no different. Scheduling your Twitter time is a safe way to avoid getting lost in the Twitterverse (translation: Twitter universe).

“Twitter marketing is not direct, it’s not always that you can just plug in the formula of the amount of time you spend on Twitter divided by the generated sales. You can’t measure the immediate impact of your brand’s Twitter presence. Trying to plug Twitter into a formula won’t work unless the formula results include brand awareness, exposure and word-of-mouth.” – Anna (@LucidAnna), jewelry designer, entrepreneur of Lucid New York

Happy tweeting! Or, twittering (whichever you prefer). Oh, and if you’re not already, start following Dallas Wedding Planner (@BigDweddings) on Twitter and let us know how you’re using Twitter to promote your wedding business. Tell us about any successes or mistakes you’ve discovered in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you. After all, we’re in this together.

Stay tuned for our upcoming article next week “7 Benefits of Using Twitter for Business.”

*Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey conducted from Aug 18 – Sep 14, 2009.

It is so easy to become overloaded with the facts that you need to stop and slow down to access your business and think out the future and success of your business and how you need to get there. As a business owner, we have to evaluate and plan the small details of our business as well to create growth, income and stability. Otherwise, we will often find ourselves just putting out the next fire. Schedule time on your calendar to organize and plan those most important details of your business. I know for me when it is on the calendar it happens.

Make a plan on where you need to go and how to accomplish those tasks.  We all have areas that are in need of improvement.

Here are just a few of the questions to ask yourself:

• Which one of our ads produced the best returns this quarter?

• Is my website current and up to date?

• Who is our average client?

• How did we acquire our best clients?

• Do I have a system of referrals and testimonials in place with my clients?

• How many brides initially inquired through email but did not schedule an appointment?

Selling your business and maintaining the daily necessities of your clients goes easier when you have a solid plan. Good luck and mark your calendars today!

I often think as small business owners, we often do not understand the power and the importance of a strong brand. Many feel like you can start a business and wing it and never really develop the brand that explains who you are and what you do. You may have seen recently the commercial that Marshalls is running where the shop owner opens up her new business selling shoes.  The store is called Clothing Optional. People from a local nudist colony come in to shop wearing no clothing.  They took her name literally.  The commercial goes on to tell you that she has to shut down her business and re-structure, rethinking about a new business name.

I love this commercial because it does a good job of telling us how important your selections are in choosing a business name and branding your business so that you can become successful. In today’s market, you need to stand out to be noticed by the consumer. It’s hard work to stand out but worth every effort to do so. You have to pay the price to be exceptional and to be noticed.

In an effort to help business owners, struggling to find their brand and their purpose for their business, Dallas Wedding Planner is continuing to offer Brand-in-a-Box for event and wedding professionals looking to find a solid brand to build their business.  We have recently added added additional selections to our Brand-in-a-Box options for purchase and are working on more to be added in the future.

If you are trying to figure out where you fit in this event planning business world and want to stand out in the crowd, maybe you need to re-focus your business with a strong brand.  Take a look at our Brand-in-a-Box options and see if something works for you and where you want to be headed with your business.

Whether someone mentions your ad is not an indication of whether it’s working or not. It’s only an indication of whether they need to mention it to receive any special benefit or treatment. In other words, if you don’t tell them to mention it and why, they’re not going to. You need a strong call to action for them to tell us where they saw your ad or there is no benefit to them.

When is the last time you mentioned to someone that you saw their ad when there wasn’t a coupon or special offer attached? Probably not often, if ever. Sales tracking is essential to your business but it is not important to your customer so they need an incentive.

Most marketing consultants suggests the use a coupon or special offer that they have to bring in order or mention on the telephone to receive the value. Make sure there is an expiration date, not too far out, to increase the sense of urgency. This is called a “Direct Response Vehicle”. If you don’t get any responses on this approach it could be indicative of other problems such as bad or irrelevant offer.

Personally, I used a coupon offer only once in my business lifetime, offering a discount on services if the contract was signed by a certain date. It definitely worked, I signed ten brides with this coupon offer. The savings the brides received I made up in selling them more product. So it was a win-win for everyone.

Good luck with your advertising options.

One of the items Kevin Eikenberry states in his book is a list of leadership behaviors. Here’s the list:

Remarkable leaders learn continually.

Remarkable leaders champion change.

Remarkable leaders communicate powerfully.

Remarkable leaders build relationships.

Remarkable leaders develop others.

Remarkable leaders focus on customers.

Remarkable leaders influence with impact.

Remarkable leaders think and act innovatively.

Remarkable leaders value collaboration and teamwork.

Remarkable leaders solve problems and make decisions.

Remarkable leaders take responsibility and have accountability.

Remarkable leaders manage projects and processes successfully.

Remarkable leaders set goals and support goal achievement.

This is a great list. Kevin Eikenberry says, “What makes you remarkable are those things at which you truly excel. If you have two or more skills at which you truly excel, you will likely be seen by others as highly effective.”

One of the things that I believe and I have stated in the DWP training workshops, is that either you are remarkable or you are not. You are either visible and people see you for the remarkable person you are or you are invisible to them. We all want to be a remarkable business and stand out amongst our competition.

Maybe this book Remarkable Leadership is a great tool to lead you to be a remarkable leader in your business.

Source: Remarkable Leadership

Ninety-nine percent  of effective marketing is understanding what your customer really wants. What motivates them? How to they speak? What keeps them up at night? The more you understand your prospective clients, the higher the chances are your prospects will connect with your brand and pick up that phone.

So many wedding planners websites say exactly the same thing. Blah, blah, blah. Venture out. Think like a bride. Think emotionally and reflect those thoughts on your website.

I believe that statement is true. Your services are not for every bride out there and that’s ok – different strokes for different folks. Your goal is to make your service the best it can be. Don’t copy what everyone else is doing in town. Think on your own and come up with what makes your services unique and you! Remember your strengths and play them up in your business.

Recently, Seth Godin, foremost expert on business marketing, wrote on this very topic. Viral marketing [does not equal] word of mouth. Here’s why:

Word of mouth is a decaying function. A marketer does something and a consumer tells five or ten friends. And that’s it. It amplifies the marketing action and then fades, usually quickly. A lousy flight on United Airlines is word of mouth. A great meal at Momofuku is word of mouth.

Viral marketing is a compounding function. A marketer does something and then a consumer tells five or ten people. Then then they tell five or ten people. And it repeats. And grows and grows. Like a virus spreading through a population. The marketer doesn’t have to actually do anything else. (They can help by making it easier for the word to spread, but in the classic examples, the marketer is out of the loop.) The Mona Lisa is an ideavirus.

This distinction is vital… It means… viral marketing is like winning the lottery, and if you’ve got a shot at an ideavirus, you might as well over-invest and do whatever it takes to create something virus-worthy.

Most small businesses should focus on the “word of mouth” that their business creates. This can be both good and bad word of mouth. You don’t want to be the bad experience a bride has, who in turn tells six of her friends. You want to be the meeting or website that got a bride gabbing to her bridesmaids and blogged about it. You want every “touch point” with your clients and potential clients to be a positive experience that sets them in motion to tell someone else about you or your business. However, keep in mind, that word of mouth fades. In order to keep getting word of mouth, one must continually tend to it like a garden.

So, what are you doing to help give you word of mouth in the marketplace?

– This is a guest post by Branding Queen, Dallas Wedding Planner’s brand consultant.

Try on for size this simple advice on creating a small business website direct from the marketing whiz himself, Seth Godin:

Start with design… I’m going to go out on a limb and beg you not to create an original design. There are more than a billion pages on the web. Surely there’s one that you can start with? …Not a site to rip-off, but an inspiration. Fonts and colors and layout. The line spacing. The interactions. Why not? Your car isn’t unique, and your house might not be either.

If you’ve got a site that sells 42 kinds of wrapping paper, why not start by finding a successful site that sells… I don’t know, shoes or yo-yo’s… something that both appeals to your target audience and has been tested and tweaked and works. No, don’t pick a competitor. That will get you busted. Pick a reasonably small but successful site in a totally different line of work.

Say to your designer: ‘That’s our starting point. Don’t change any important design element without asking me first. Now, pull in our products, our logo and our company color scheme and let’s take a look at it.’

Read the complete article here. Do you have any suggestions for your colleagues on a good place to start? What is your website inspiration?

c0c0c0;">– This is a guest post by Branding Queen, Dallas Wedding Planner’s brand consultant.