Talk and Tweet More With Twitter’s New Conversation Thread

Talk and Tweet More With Twitter’s New Conversation Thread
Twitter Announces Plans to Acquire MoPub for $350 Million
Give Your Brick and Mortar Store Curb Appeal
Microsoft Releases Windows 8.1 to Manufacturers
Why Email Marketing Is Small Business’s Best Friend

Posted: 10 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Twitter, with its defining characteristics of conversation, makes our life easier in today's world. It is one such platform, where individuals can gather and talk about what's going on around the world – be it politics, sports, entertainment or emergencies.

But this popular social media channel was difficult to follow conversations on.

Twitter Conversations

With the aim to make its followers again fall in love with this social network, Twitter revamped the way Twitter conversations unfold in your timeline. This introduction has been marked as good news for its mainstream users who, for a long time, had been asking for a sensible way to follow longer conversations. It has also released an update for iOS, Android and Web application with a new interface for conversations to take place and enhanced the sharing and abuse reporting capabilities.

This is undoubtedly a great update for the users who can now see the entire Twitter conversation between the people they follow in their timeline against the standalone @replies that have been sent. This will allow context-free tweets and users will get a better understanding of what's being tweeted back in forth in a conversation.

Conversations are an important part of the Twitter world as it's essentially how users interact with each other and build threads around any topic of interest. While Twitter's native app allowed an individual to track and follow conversations if they happened to appear in their timeline, those apps did not make Twitter conversations an integral part of the user's timeline.

With this new interface, conversations will appear in a chronological order in your timeline. The first three tweets that are a part of the conversation will be connected with a blue colored vertical line (as pictured above). In a nutshell, users can view more than one tweet at one time. Most importantly the entire Twitter conversation thread can be checked with a simple click on any one tweet. Users can also see the replies given by other people they do not follow.

Does Twitter Have a Plan for Android, iOS and Web Apps?

Yes, it most likely does. The biggest advantage with this update is that the iOS and Android apps also allow users to share any Twitter conversation with anyone over email. Android apps allow the users to share their tweets through direct messages and offers a 'report tweet' button in the app as part of the update.

Here lies the difference. Previously, this specific feature was available on third-party apps and this is not the end, there will be more updates. The new change has also brought the ability to report abuse or a spam tweet directly from Twitter to the Android app and Twitter Web interface. Although some of you had seen this feature on Twitter for iPhone before, it will be rolling out gradually to other users as well.

The apps now come in handy on phones with limited internal storage. But how, is probably your next question in mind. Twitter has reduced the size of its Android app for entry-level Android Smartphones. The twitter app is now half the previous size making it faster to download and providing more space for other apps in the phone.

The change in the Twitter conversation pattern will theoretically introduce endurance into the mix and thus keep people more engaged in micro conversation within real-time discussions. The video below explains more.

Images: Twitter

The post Talk and Tweet More With Twitter's New Conversation Thread appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Twitter Announces Plans to Acquire MoPub for $350 Million

Posted: 10 Sep 2013 01:30 PM PDT

mopub

The mobile market is becoming hugely important for online publishers. After all smartphone shipments now outpace those of “regular” phones worldwide and the mobile market is projected to generate $400 billion in sales by 2015.

So Twitter’s announcement today that it plans to acquire MoPub, a mobile ad exchange startup, makes perfect sense.

TechCrunch reports the purchase price will be $350 million.

What the MoPub Deal Means

MoPub offers publishers the opportunity to monetize their sites using direct ads, house ads, an ad network and real time bidding through the “MobPub Marketplace.”

The company claims it already serves thousands of mobile publishers.

Twitter plans to continue expanding MoPub’s existing advertising offerings to mobile publishers. At the same time Twitter hopes to integrate MoPub’s real-time bidding into its own ad platform.

In a post on the official Twitter blog, Kevin Weil, vice president of Revenue Product explained:

The two major trends in the ad world right now are the rapid consumer shift toward mobile usage, and the industry shift to programmatic buying. Twitter sits at the intersection of these, and we think by bringing MoPub's technology and team to Twitter, we can further drive these trends for the benefit of consumers, advertisers, and agencies.

In a similar post announcing the planned acquisition on the official MoPub blog, CEO Jim Payne said the move would be a benefit to mobile publishers too. Speaking to the company’s customers he wrote:

It's important to underscore that our commitment to you, the publisher, will not change. In fact, it will be strengthened. Twitter will invest in our core business and we will continue to build the tools and technology you need to better run your mobile advertising business.

Founded in 2010 by former employees of Google and AdMob, MoPub has nearly 100 employees worldwide and is focused on the mobile advertising market.

Founded in 2006, Twitter is a global microblogging platform with approximately 400 million visitors and 200 million active users each month.

Image: MoPub

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Give Your Brick and Mortar Store Curb Appeal

Posted: 10 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT

store curb appeal

If you've ever bought or sold a home, you're familiar with the concept of "curb appeal." A home with curb appeal looks inviting from the street, with fresh paint, attractive landscaping and a well-maintained appearance making you want to go inside. The same concept applies to your retail store and with eCommerce growing by leaps and bounds, curb appeal is more important than ever in attracting customers to a brick-and-mortar location.

But too many small retailers neglect the concept of curb appeal from the get-go. Others let their once-sparkling storefronts disintegrate through lack of maintenance.

How can you ensure your store has curb appeal?

The secret is to look at your store through your customers' eyes. Pretend that you've never been to your business before and take a tour.

Create Brick and Mortar Curb Appeal

Start with Parking

Drive to your store. Is the signage easy to see? If you had never been to the store before, would you be able to find it? Does getting to the parking lot involve a life-threatening left turn across six lanes of traffic, or is there an easy way to get in? Is the parking lot well-lighted and safe, or scary and dark? Are there plenty of parking spaces?

Take in Your Surroundings

Stop and look at your shop from the outside. Is the area outside your store clean and inviting?

Recently, I saw a new cupcake shop with a cute logo and yummy cupcakes in the window, but the whole effect was ruined by an overflowing trash can and disgusting food trash right outside. I didn't go in. (The shop has since gone out of business…surprise, surprise.)

Yes, this technically isn't your responsibility, but you can call the landlord or take a broom and trash bag outside yourself.

Watch the Signs

Do your store name, signage and displays clearly indicate what you sell?

Last month I saw a new business with a great graphic displaying its name, "The Joint." That's a clever name for a medical marijuana dispensary, I thought. Then I got closer and realized it was actually a chiropractor's office.

A logo or display of a spine or skeleton would have helped a lot here.

Make a Display

Do your store's window displays draw you in? Do they convey the "brand" of your business (old-fashioned, chic, streamlined, modern, fun, creative)? Are your hours of operation easily visible to someone driving by?

Use signage, lighting and open or closed doors to tell people whether you're open or not so they don't waste time parking and get out only to be disappointed.

Put Out the Welcome Mat

When people enter your store are they greeted immediately? Does someone look up and smile at them, or do clerks continue their conversations or shoot them daggers for interrupting their day?

Since you can't test this yourself, have a friend or family member your staff doesn't know try it and report back.

Create an Experience

When someone enters your store does it feel as inviting as it looked from outside? Are there pleasant sounds and smells?

Depending on what you sell, you may want to add background music, scented potpourri or other sensory attributes to make customers relax, stay a while – and spend more money.

Sell It

In-store layout and signage are a science unto themselves. Paco Underhill is a retail expert whose books offer fascinating tips about increasing your retail sales through layout. One of his tips: Most people are right-handed and naturally go to the right when entering a store. Put your high-margin items there to get customers touching them.

Speaking of touching, did you know customers are more likely to buy something if they touch it? Those "Please don't touch" signs near your breakable items might be a mistake.

Keep It Clear

Inside your store, can customers easily find what they need? Are sections of the store marked so they can see where to go? Is in-store signage, such as prices and sale items, clear and easy to read?

When a hot new gourmet grocery opened in my area, I was excited to try it. But the prices on the shelves were in such tiny type, I couldn't easily compare and I never shopped there again.

Check It Out

Last, but not least, how enjoyable is the checkout experience? Is the line to wait clearly marked so shoppers don't waste time? Do clerks acknowledge people waiting in line? (Just quick eye contact and a smiling, "Thanks for your patience. We'll be right with you" can make all the difference). Do you place tempting impulse buys near the register to entertain customers and make more sales?

Visit any Sephora store for an example of how this tactic can make shopping more fun for customers, and more profitable for you.

Give your brick and mortar store a curb appeal checkup at least once a year to keep it inviting – and to keep things selling.

Curb Appeal Concept Photo via Shutterstock

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Microsoft Releases Windows 8.1 to Manufacturers

Posted: 10 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT

windows 8.1

Small business owners may soon be getting the tools needed to add even more mobility and productivity to their operations. Microsoft, which last week announced its plan to acquire mobile phone maker Nokia for $7.2 billion, has released its Windows 8.1 update directly to PC manufacturers ahead of its mid-October availability at the consumer level.

Writing in the official Windows for Your Business Blog back in June at the time of Windows 8.1′s unveiling, Erwin Visser, General Manager of Windows Commercial Marketing at Microsoft explained:

We built Windows 8 to bring the most powerful and modern computing experience to businesses and to help professionals stay connected to their colleagues and clients from anywhere, anytime. Windows 8.1 advances this vision and introduces new manageability, mobility, security, user experience and networking capabilities that will be available later this year. And our goal for Windows 8.1: offer customers the best business tablets and versatile, next generation business PCs driven by the most powerful operating system designed for modern businesses.

The release of Windows 8.1 allows PC manufacturers to adapt their new hardware devices to the operating system. You can see a brief preview of the updated Windows 8.1 available on the company website.

What Windows 8.1 Offers

Aside from the return of the iconic start button, Windows 8.1 offers some minor tweaks to the way the operating system works. See a full review of the refreshed desktop environment below.

But Microsoft insists the big news for businesses is how the Windows 8.1 environment increases both mobility and security in a world where multiple devices are a business reality.

First, the new Windows more fully integrates SkyDrive, Microsoft’s soon-to-be-renamed cloud storage service, making it easier to store files in the cloud and access them from any device.

For businesses with security concerns over mobile access to private networks, Microsoft says Windows 8.1 will also offer features like easy but secure sign in to virtual private networks like your company’s intranet site.

Better controls will also allow IT departments to limit access to company data through personal mobile devices. Microsoft says the system will allow personal devices to access and store company content but will also provide an efficient means to remove that content later without affecting personal data.

ComputerWorld.com reports that the full version of Windows 8.1 will be available at the Windows Store on Oct. 17. The update is free for customers who have devices running Windows 8 now. The operating system will be available for retail sale the next day for people running older versions of Windows.

Image: Microsoft

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Why Email Marketing Is Small Business’s Best Friend

Posted: 10 Sep 2013 05:00 AM PDT

small business email marketing

With all of the forward thinking hype surrounding social media marketing, its older brother, the email campaign, is often seen as something of a relic of a past. But for small businesses, email campaigns are still an important part of any marketing toolbox and may even drive more sales than social media campaigns.

Consider the following if you're contemplating launching a new small business email marketing campaign.

Email Marketing and Social Media

A recent study of online marketing techniques found that email marketing generated new customers for online retailers at a rate of roughly 7%, while social media had a conversion rate for new buyers of less than 1%. That's a huge finding and it's a little bit surprising to everyone who's been saying email is old news and social media is the way of the future.

I'm by no means saying that you should deactivate your Facebook account and pledge to never post another photo to Instagram again. There's no one way to market online that will cover all your bases. Those forms of online marketing that rely on social networks do work, and they're a great way to build a brand image and interact with customers even if they don't always directly translate into immediate conversions.

That said, social media should be thought of as more of a long game, big picture strategy, with email working to gain more short-term conversions.

Tips for Small Business Email Marketing

Of course, like any online marketing, you need to have a strategy for your email campaign. Throwing together some text and sending it out willy-nilly is not the way to get that 7% conversion rate.

Try some of the following tactics to grow your subscriber list and send out high-quality emails that will actually be read:

Subscription Calls to Action

Post subscription calls to action on your blog, at the end of website pages and even on your social media pages. It's no use sending out awesome written content if it's not going to land in any inboxes.

Content That’s in Demand

Send the content subscribers want. Upon sign-up, allow subscribers to choose whether they want deals, business updates or tips about products. This ensures that subscribers will stay subscribers, and it gives you an idea of what kind of content is most popular.

Editorial Calendar

Create an editorial calendar. Know well in advance what you're going to send out so you don't find yourself scrambling to produce something.

Brevity

Keep it brief. Make sure that readers can quickly scan your content and get all the major information. Ideally, they'll be interested enough to read the whole thing, but no one is going to commit to reading a big block of text without some idea of whether or not it's relevant.

Check Spam Regulations

Don't land in spam folders. Before you send anything out, make sure that it complies with all of the major spam regulations so it doesn't get automatically funneled away from inboxes.

If you’re looking for more tips for getting an email campaign off the ground, Forbes's offers a guide to email marketing for small businesses.

Email Photo via Shutterstock

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