In the not-so-distant past, Twitter seemed to be the stepchild compared to other social media marketing methods. It was available, but as a small business, you were a little intimidated and not quite sure how to use it to your advantage. You have heard other small businesses take advantage of Twitter as a social media marketing tool and become successful using it. Why not join the crowd and start microblogging?  Here are a few tips and strategies on how to do it right.

Who is your audience?
This is marketing 101 – finding your audience or the people who you want to reach. Take some time to research the leaders in your niche on Twitter as well as the key followers too. If your business is already active on social media sites and blogs, this should help you build your online presence. Make sure you follow these key people too.

How important is Twitter in your overall marketing plan?
Twitter is capable of connecting with all kinds of professionals and customers but do you have any idea how it fits within your overall marketing plan. Will you focus on new customer acquisitions or connect with journalists?  Figure this out before jumping into microblogging.

By figuring out your goals, you will get a better understanding of scoring.
Whoa, don’t get too excited if you attract a huge following on Twitter one day.  It does not mean you are guaranteed a huge impact. Again, you need your key followers who will re-tweet -- spreading your links and spreading your message. 

Zoom-in on your tactics and methods.
Make sure you add high quality and interesting contributions online and every day. Also, don’t forget to link your Twitter account to other social media such as Facebook or LinkedIn. Lastly, reach out and get your followers involved by hosting Twitter events such as a webinar, and again, do it frequently.

As a small business, you can take advantage of this social media marketing tool. It’s easy to use and proven to be a successful method for other small businesses.

Social networking is all the rage. Even in Adams and York counties, Pennsylvania, you can benefit from promoting your business through social networks. You've probably heard of Facebook and Twitter, maybe even LinkedIn. But have you heard of Google+?

Yes, Google now has its own social network, and it's growing by one million new users per day. Industry experts are predicting that by next year it will have grown to be the second largest social network on line - larger even than LinkedIn and Twitter. 

Facebook will likely hold the No. 1 spot for a long time, though some people are predicting that Google+ will continue to outpace Facebook. 

There are good reasons to get on Google+ right now (but you have to be invited by someone). 

One thing that makes Google+ more valuable than any of the other networks - including Facebook - is its Circles feature. This feature allows you to group your contacts according to your own definitions. Then, you can share information only with the circles you designate. This is in contrast to Facebook where you can group your friends, but you still share your links and status updates with all of them rather than pick and choose the groups you share with.

I think Google+ has hit upon the one feature that every social networker in the world appreciates more than anything. You can use it to share information with your family and closest friends while shielding that same information from your business contacts. You can then share business information with your business circles and shield it from your family. That's true social networking and Google+ is working on the future. That's where you want to be today.

What is Twitter? Should you use it? It's a timeless question yet one that should be answered in a timely manner. Even in Adams County, Pennsylvania, you can find useful ways to reach the right audience for your business even if you consider that not many residents of this area are on Twitter.

If you decide to use Twitter, know that the term for publishing a message there is "tweet." If you tweet, you publish a Twitter message. Simple, right?

Now that we've got that out of the way, why should you tweet? Why should you use Twitter at all?

1. First, Twitter is a great place to get blog ideas. You can follow your favorite Twitterers within your niche and often come up with unique topics to blog about. As long as you don't plagiarize, it's a good place to get ideas.
2. Another reason to use Twitter is because you can often develop new relationships with prospective customers. While there aren't a ton of people from Adams and York counties using Twitter, there are people from this area using Twitter so don't be afraid to jump in. You can find them at Twellow.
3. Real-time search is something you're going to want to learn about. The search engines now return search results for Facebook status updates, tweets, LinkedIn updates, and other social media interactions - in real time. That means if you tweet a message right now and someone in Adams County conducts a search right now for the very information that you are publishing, then there's a good chance that your tweet will appear in their search results.

So there are three reasons to use Twitter. Should you use it every day? If you were doing business in a major metropolitan area, then I'd say probably so. But for local Adams and York county businesses, maybe just a moderate usage is ample enough. You have to do what is right for your business.

What is a QR Code?
A QR Code is a two-dimensional bar code created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The "QR" is derived from "Quick Response", as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

How do I read a QR Code?
If you have a smartphone, go to the app store and search for a QR code reader. You’ll find several free apps. We like the AT&T QR Code Reader. Run the app and then hold your phone’s camera over a code to read it. Most codes you’ll come across have a URL encoded, so chances are when you read the QR code it will take you to a web page. These codes link offline information to online content. A QR code can be printed on packaging, magazines, and promotional items to enable smartphone users to go directly to a web page without having to type in the web address. These little pictures truly are worth a thousand words!

How do I create a QR code?
There are several QR code generating sites out there. We like Delivr. www.Delivr.com generates QR codes quickly, and allows for immediate downloads of PNG and EPS files.

Go ahead and try it. Open your App and click on the QR code shown above. Then enter for your chance to win! 

Curious about Twitter and what it can do for you? If you are wondering exactly what a 'tweet' is... watch this 90 second video to learn more. Ask us how we can get you connected today!