Twitter - Using Twitter can increase sales

This week has seen Twitter launch Twitter 101; a guide for businesses of how to use Twitter. We’ve looked before at how organisations can use Twitter, and this guide covers the basics as well as showcasing a few cases studies of what some businesses are doing.

The guide itself is part a how-to guide, part an explanation of what Twitter is and part a set of ideas and examples. The fundamental recommendations from Twitter can be summarised in four simple steps

1.Listen to what people are saying about your brand on Twitter
2.Set up your own presence and be honest about who you are
3.Follow people that are relevant to you
4.Respond to discussions about your brand and business
This approach of listening first is a great way of starting to develop a strategy of how your business should use Twitter. Once you know what people are saying about you, what issues they are discussing and what problems they raise, you will know what kind of responses might be expected of you when you get to stage 4. But I would suggest an additional stage that builds on this information. Getting your strategy right.

There is a strong argument for brands being on Twitter. Experimenting and finding out what works for you. However, you will get most success if you take a step back first and think why you are doing this. What are your business aims and what do you hope to achieve. How will you measure your success and evaluate if you are getting out of your use of Twitter what you hoped?

This needn’t be a lengthy and complex process but it is one worth doing. It helps to focus what you are doing and gives the use of Twitter a real focus and direction. Different businesses will be in different situations, with different business needs and different strategic aims. Think about where you are and where you want to go and then brainstorm how you might use Twitter to help you get there.

Innovation is great and social media is a fantastic medium through which to innovate. But a little bit of focus and strategy will help turn this innovation into something that you can evaluate. Something that you can assess and something that you can improve on.

Only if you think about what you want to achieve will you really be able to measure what you have done and the success it has brought your business. Then you’ll be able to add to the great case studies from the likes of Dell and Pepsi that are listed in Twitter 101.

Article Quoted from the Fresh Network Blogs

Garden Furniure

As summer comes and you are ready to enjoy the great outdoors, or at least your back porch, you may notice that your patio furniture is not as bright and attractive as it once was. The sun, wind, and dust that your patio furniture is exposed to on a daily basis do quite a number on its looks. If you are looking to learn how to clean patio furniture, here are some tips you should know.

Cleaning Resin or Plastic Patio Furniture

To clean resin or plastic patio furniture that is light in color, make a solution that includes 1-gallon of warm water, ¾-cup of bleach, and 1-tablespoon of laundry soap. If there is any coloring on the furniture, test a small, inconspicuous area first to make sure it will not damage the color. If the color brightens but does not become discolored, you can clean the entire piece.

Use the solution and a scrub brush with soft bristles to clean the entire piece. Then, leave the water solution on the furniture for around 15 minutes. Then rinse it thoroughly.

If the furniture is colored, use a solution made out of 1-gallon of warm water and 1-tablespoon of all-purpose cleaner. This eliminates the bleach, which can damage the coloration of the colored furniture. Again, after washing let the solution set on the furniture for around 10 to 15 minutes and rinse completely.

Unfinished Wood Patio Furniture

Unfinished wood furniture is really abused by the elements. One problem you face when cleaning unfinished wood is the fact that it tends to absorb excess water, which can cause it to warp or crack. To avoid this problem, make a solution out of a gallon of water, 1 cup of ammonia, and ½ cup of vinegar. Scrub down your wood furniture with this solution, and then rinse it completely. After rinsing, use towels to take up any excess water.

Cleaning Patio Furniture Cushions

The cushions on your patio furniture are probably one of the most likely items to need a good cleaning. Most patio furniture pillows and cushions are washable, but check the label before you attempt washing them. If they are, wash them with soapy water and a sponge. Make sure that you rinse them well and wipe them as dry as you can.

Cleaning a Patio Umbrella

Patio umbrellas often grow mold. This happens because they get wet and then sit closed in the warm weather, making a moist, warm environment for mold to grow in. Not only is mold unsightly, but it is also a health hazard, so you need to deal with it.

To clean the mold off of a patio umbrella, make a solution with 1-gallon warm water, a squirt of liquid dish detergent, and ¾-cup of bleach. Test the color first on the inside of the umbrella. If it reacts well to the bleach, open the umbrella, don some rubber gloves, and scrub the umbrella using the solution and a brush with soft bristles. As soon as you are done, rinse the umbrella. If you find that the solution fades the colors on the umbrella, look on the tag to see what cleaning agents you can use. Always let the umbrella dry completely before you close it, as this can cause new mold to develop.

Aluminum Patio Furniture

To clean aluminum furniture, scrub the piece down with a plastic scrubber or steel wool using dish detergent. Put in plenty of elbow grease to make sure you get it good and clean. Rinse the furniture completely to remove all of the soap.

If the furniture is baked on aluminum, use a sponge instead of the plastic scrubber. Soak it with the dishwashing detergent. Work the sponge and the cleaner into the outdoor furniture and rinse. Dry it using a cloth and then finish with some car wax. Make sure the car wax does not get on the fabric or webbing on the piece of furniture. This will preserve the finish the furniture.
The staff at Patio Furniture London Ontario would like to invite you to visit one of our locations to experience our approach to Casual Living and Complete Customer Satisfaction.

Other Gardening Advice Blogs

Here is another great gardening advice blog that I have come accross. Please dont ever think I dont like to try and help you guys out of this recession. This blog will provide you with loads of money saving ideas and ways to save money in the run up to Christmas on both Christmas gifts and general advice on the best way to look after your garden. http://www.mysod.co.uk/ Great gardening advice as well as money saving advice. Any feedback on this site would be greatly appreciated.

Its time to buy from UK websites

With the downturn in the UK Economy and the WEAK Pound, now is a great time to shop on UK Websites. The conversion rate from the pound to other currencies is making UK Websites great value for both UK Buyers and those Buyers outside the UK.
For UK Buyers shopping outside the UK it’s a bad time for your money as everything will cost you MORE! If you spend $500 on a US site it will cost you approx £274 whereas only a few months ago it would have been approx £251 and if a UK Buyer spends 500 Euros in todays exchange rate its approx £409 whereas a few months ago it would have been £396 so definately the UK websites offer the best value for money.

For NON UK buyers the weak pound is making UK websites great value for money and for those websites offering VAT Free Prices for non EU buyers there has never been a better time to shop in the UK. £500 spend on a UK site for non EU buyers is now only $910 whereas a few months ago it would have been $995 and if you get VAT free prices you can save another 17.5% on that figure approx $770

Poplar Tree is a great place to buy gifts for any occasion such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, new homes & Christmas. With a massive range of low cost products it is easy to find something. Poplar Tree has recognised the changing of the times and has responded by offering high quality products at affordable prices with FREE Nationwide delivery on all items over £50 and if orders are processed before 2pm they will shipped that day to arrive with you the next working day.