By Robert Lockard

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but according to one blogger, the key to getting more website traffic from your Twitter account is to tweet less frequently. Of course, Dan Zarrella is not just any blogger – he’s a self-proclaimed social media and viral marketing scientist. That’s a pretty cool title.

In his blog entry, “Want More Clicks? Tweet Less,” Zarrella made the bold statement, “If you want your Tweet to get noticed and ReTweeted, you should slow down your posting rate.” Twitter is all about speed, though. It’s an instant message service. Why would a smart blogger suggest you slow down your tweeting?

According to this study, Twitter users who only tweet one link an hour have a much higher rate of getting that link retweeted than those who post two, three or 13 links an hour. The same is true for days. One link a day gets a better click-through rate and more retweets than multiple links a day.

What does all this mean? I’ll try to interpret. I think it means Twitter users can tell the difference between people sharing genuinely interesting news, ideas or offers and robots or marketers who are just trying to sell their products through Twitter. Twitter users like people who listen as well as share. That’s called a conversation, and it’s what customers expect more and more from ecommerce companies in our current marketplace.

What does this mean for your Internet-marketing strategies? I think it means you should be just as eager to talk about your company as you are to talk about your customers’ needs, industry trends and other things outside of your company. Twitter may not be easy to navigate when you first start out, but as you learn what you’re doing you should try not to focus too much on yourself. Sharing one link or one promotion a day can be more effective than sending a barrage of offers in a short period of time.

Think about your audience. Think about how you respond to tweets. Sometimes it seems like there are way too many to ever keep track of, just from the people you follow. Keep that in mind as you formulate your Twitter strategy. Keep the line of communication open, and try not to jam the line with too many messages.

This blog entry is a complete version of the eHarbor Blog post, “Successful Twitter strategy: Tweet less.” The photo of the birds on a fence is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Sister72.

By Robert Lockard

In the Wall Street Journal article, “Why Email No Longer Rules,” I found a fascinating argument against email and for social-media sites, like Twitter and Facebook. Email is on its way out as the primary means of sending online messages.

For a dozen years or so email was the freshest, easiest way to keep in touch with people over long distances without having to pay big phone bills. Now it’s old hat. Basically, the paradigm of online communication has changed and we’re all going to have to change with the times.

What do you think? Is it a good thing that email is being replaced by instant communications? I think it’s great for ecommerce. With the aid of instant messaging, tweets and wall posts, online marketers can serve their customers much better and faster than ever before.

Response times for online communication have shrunk from hours to minutes, to now just seconds. By responding to our customers’ needs at a rapid pace, we can increase our customer-retention rates and make sure the people we do business with feel valued and respected. We can also quickly identify and assist potential customers and other leads who visit our ecommerce websites.

I don’t think email will go away anytime soon, though. It’s still a great tool for holding somewhat private conversations away from the peering eyes of other Internet users. There is definitely something to be said for privacy and discretion online. We don’t want to reveal confidential information in public forums, but we want to have a positive presence on Twitter and Facebook. It’s a fine line we have to walk.

As search engines keep working harder to add social-media sites to their search results, the value of tweets and Facebook updates could increase. Just make sure your social-media communication points people to your website where people can actually make purchases and build your online rankings.

If you would like help getting a great website design, I recommend you contact Submit Solution’s professionals. They are extremely effective at delivering captivating website designs that help increase your conversion rate of visitors into customers.

This blog entry is a complete version of the eHarbor Blog post, “Is email finished?” Keep coming back to the Submit Solution Social Media Blog for more exciting updates like this.

By Alyssa Udall (@udallyss)

Social media’s power has been fueled by an intense growth of users and popularity, which has given free speech extraordinary weight in the online community. What does this mean for your business? Anyone who has come into contact with your company is able to voice their satisfaction, or lack thereof, to millions of readers across the world. Every company with an online presence should create a thorough social media marketing plan to control their online reputation and harness the incredible power of social media.

Here are some of the greatest ways to make sure social media doesn’t drag your online reputation under:

Resolve Complaints

1. Ripoff Report: When customers have a terrible experience, they like to vent their frustrations to anyone who will listen. Ripoff Report allows anyone to file complaints against companies who have “ripped them off” and helps warn other customers of poor business operations. Try searching for your company name and see if any complaints have been filed against you. Resolve these issues by posting your rebuttal and explanation of the problem. These issues are usually misunderstandings of some sort and clearing up the problem, while trying to lobby your interests, will help control negative feedback.

2. Get Satisfaction: In a similar manner to Ripoff Report, Get Satisfaction allows you to create a network around your business. Customers can interact with employees of your company, ask questions and post complaints. This is a great way to provide customer service and resolve issues that would otherwise negatively affect your reputation.

Build a Community

3. Twitter: By creating a Twitter account for your brand that you regularly update, you can conveniently connect with your customers and others in the community. One of the greatest resources that Twitter offers is the ability to connect your blogs and forums to individual Twitter accounts. This way, visitors will be able to “sign in” to your site through their existing Twitter account to post their thoughts, answer and ask questions and become generally connected to your community. This is a great way to create a following for your brand!

4. Facebook: Facebook is another great way to create interest in your brand. Through Facebook Connect, you can also allow visitors to “sign in” to your site with their Facebook credentials. This way, your customers will be able to interact with you through their favorite social networking tools. Your visitors will be able to update their status and publish their comments made on your site, giving your brand instant advertising.

Connect with Professionals

5. Industry-Related Networks: Social media is all about connecting with others who have interests similar to yours. When you join a network as a business entity, this still applies! There are many social networks geared towards specific industries, which allows you to become an active voice in your related field. Here are some examples of the industry-specific social networks: Active Rain (for real estate agents) and Sphinn (for marketing and advertising professionals.)

6. Linked In: Linked In is a social network for professionals in all fields. With a Linked In account, you can connect with business contacts, department chairs, professionals in your industry and customers. This account will help build your corporate rapport among professionals just as social media helps build brand awareness among your customer base.

While this is a great overview for beginning social media marketers, the real key to success here is in management. Once your company profiles are created in these networks, they need to be constantly nurtured with frequent updates, interacting with your peers and quick response times to inquiries and issues. This will tell your followers, fans or other readers that your company is well-managed and thorough.