It’s been interesting to hear all of the feedback about our new Forge3 website, and more specifically, about how we’re using social media, like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more, to stay engaged and share information with you, our audience.

Enjoy the video, and be sure to become a “fan” on our Forge3 page on Facebook!

If you’re not, you’re probably at least curious about what the fuss is all about. So, let’s take a quick, high-level look at Twitter.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is all about connecting us with our audience – whether it’s our target market, clients, friends or anyone else that we care about. It’s a public forum to represent who we are and what we do.

And, more importantly, it allows us to keep our fingers on the pulse of what matters most to our businesses. If you engage the Twitter community, we’ll see market trends, hear feedback and engage with our target audience. This is powerful stuff.

How does it work?

Twitter is a very simple messaging system that allows us to send and receive messages to one another. These messages, called “tweets,” are limited to only 140 characters.

Here’s what a message could look like:

forge3
We’re ready to launch the new Forge3 website. What would you like to see on it?

This message is automatically sent to everyone on Twitter that cares about what we’re doing and has chosen to “follow” us.

But, Twitter is really about listening. So, anyone can send a “reply” to us using the following format:

clientABC
@forge3 I’d love to see some information on how to use Twitter.

The @forge3 part of the message is telling the system that the message should be sent to Forge3. It’s as simple as that.

Some real-world examples

OK. Now that you know the basics, why should you care? Here are a few real-world “tweets” to get kick-start your creative thinking.

JetBlue was one of the first big brands to use Twitter. The following example uses shortened links (from a service called bit.ly). This allows us to stay within the 140 character limit.

JetBlue
Our Sample Sale is going until 11:59 p.m. MDT today only. http://bit.ly/samplesale Mobile users: http://bit.ly/mobilesample

JetBlue also listens to messages written about them. And, more importantly, they respond publicly, like this:

JetBlue
@matthewfong We will honor the lower airfare & issue you a JB credit if your flight prices drop before departure :)

Should you use Twitter?

Absolutely! Why not?

• It’s free
• It’s an easy way to keep up with the latest news and trends concerning your business
• It offers a direct channel into your target market and your customer’s minds
• It provides transparency and breaks down the barriers between you and your customers
• Everyone else is doing it – if you’re not, the perception is that you just don’t get it

And, be sure to follow @forge3. We’ll see you on Twitter!

To determine the effectiveness of your website, you need to track the activity generated by it and measure it against the cost the create and maintain the website. Here are a few suggestions to consider.

Google Analytics

This one is a no-brainer. Every website should be connected to Google Analytics – a free reporting system that provides a ton of info about your website visitors – including how many, where they came from, how they found you and much more. You could spend a day drilling into the data that Google Analytics provides.

So, if you only care about website traffic, Google Anlytics can help determine your website’s ROI. However, if you’re like most businesses, you care more about selling a product or service. So, we need other ways to track and determine ROI.

Dedicated Website Phone Number and Email Address

Let’s assume that you sell a product or service. When someone calls or emails, how can we determine that they came to you via the website?

At the very least, you should establish a dedicated email address that is only used on your website (something like website@yourcompany.com). Then, each time you receive an email to this address, you know that the customer came through your website.

The same is true for phone numbers. Using a dedicated phone number helps track website activity. But, it might be tough to setup a dedicated phone number with your phone company or existing phone system. We need an easier option.

We often use and recommend a service called Grasshopper. This web-based service allows us to setup a dedicate toll-free and/or local phone number for your website, and automatically forwards incoming calls to your current phone number. The beauty of this solution is that it’s cheap (about $10/month), and provides detailed reporting on call activity.

Just Ask!

When I get a call from a new client, one of the first questions I ask is, “How did you find Forge3?” I then take note of their response and store it next to their other contact info. This “old fashioned” approach works just as well as the high-tech ways above – as long as you’re consistent about it.

Pulling It All Together – Determining ROI

Once you have the tracking pieces in place, the final step is to relate the website activity to the cost of the website.

For example, let’s assume that your website costs $10,000 to create, and that, on average, you receive 25 sales per  month via the website totaling $2,500. Doing the math, you’ll break even during month four, and begin to make money in subsequent months.

Prep your clients and colleagues BEFORE you check-out for your hard-earned trip.

Here’s how to do it.

A week before your scheduled trip, add a simple line to your email signature. Something like this is what I use…

NOTE: I will be out of the office with limited email and v-mail access Sept. 12th – Sept. 19th. Please contact me ASAP with any time-critical items.

–

Jeff Teschke | Forge3, Ltd.

610.555.1212 office | 610.555.3434 mobile | www.forge3.com

Forge ahead.

Then, during the time that you’re away, add an “out of office” message to your email account letting folks know that you’re wrapped up and won’t be able to respond as quickly as normal.

Here’s one from a recent trip I took to Aruba.

Hello, and thanks for your email.

I will be traveling internationally until Saturday, September 19 with limited access to email and voice mail.

If your request is urgent, I will reply to your email as quickly as possible. Alternatively, feel free to call my hotel directly at 1-800-845-4226.

Otherwise, I’ll be in touch upon my return.

–

Jeff Teschke | Forge3, Ltd.

610.555.1212 office | 610.555.3434 mobile | www.forge3.com

Forge ahead.

This approach works really well, and allows you to sit back, relax and enjoy the trip.

And, feel free to send a postcard my way!

Forge3, Ltd.
P.O. Box 108
Center Valley, PA 18034