3GC Interactive | Website Development and Marketing

If you’re already familiar with Twitter, stop now, this post is not for you.

As Web developers, we are full of passion for our industry; we truly are inter-nerds. Quite often we assume our clients are as savvy as we are about the workings and happenings of the Web and how they have enriched our lives one way or the other, after all, who doesn’t use the internet?  So, why Twitter?  Let’s put it in personal terms…

As a species, we share common traits, we have interests, passions for things, and we are social. Think about it, music, sports, vintage cars, food (foodies), the list goes on. When we’re interested in something we tend to seek it out. If there’s a radio show, TV show, or periodical that caters to our interest we tune into, or follow it. We’re so interested in what that Radio show host, TV commentator, or writer has to say that we follow them. Think of Twitter as all of those mediums rolled into one convenient package, albeit on a more personal level, moving at the speed of now. Traditional mediums (Radio, TV, Print) are passive, where Twitter adds interactivity. It’s your choice you have free will! You can take part in the conversation, or hang back keeping an eye on what’s happening.

Twitter is part search engine, entertainment pastime, gossip machine, news feed, marketing platform, and your own personal soapbox. What you read or write is limited to 140 characters including spaces. However the limitation does not restrain the medium, it enhances it. Think of it as a gateway to what’s relevant right now.

Wait a minute, isn’t that basically what I can do now on the Web? We have search engines, forums, and the usual suspects of social networks, why now do I have to jump on Twitter? You don’t, though it sure is a convenient, concise, and powerful tool.

Think local! I can’t tell you how many times we sit around and someone asks: What do you want to do? Response: I don’t know, followed by, what do you want to do? Enter Twitter… I follow a tweeter who tweets (posts) nothing but events and things to do in our area; ah… saved by Twitter from boredom, followed by temporary insanity. I might even re-tweet the event I just heard about so my followers know about it too. After all, they might be following me, and not the tweeter who originally posted the event.

Ok, that’s one, simple-useful “Why Twitter?” illustration. However, I hope at this point the light bulb is going off… Twitter is not one-sided, there’s not some type of segregation for those who can tweet and those who are relegated to being in the audience. Twitter allows the individual, the small business owner to be both the audience member and the broadcaster. You have a passion or interest that you can share with those who share your enthusiasm and who happen to follow your tweets (posts).

Twitter is so much more than what has been covered in this article, more to come…

We all have our favorite restaurants. There are many reasons why we choose one restaurant over another, but I predict there is one thing they all share, we know what we are getting. Imagine if one of our favorite restaurants decided to change the menu, decoration and personnel monthly, weekly or even daily? That restaurant would not survive. There is no consistency, no predictability no expectation. What it’s missing is the “uneventful experience.”

What is an Uneventful Experience?

When you walk into a Starbucks in San Diego, Los Angeles or even New York you know what to expect. You can rest assured that the coffee that you receive in one will be very similar to what you would receive at the others. When you order at a Starbucks you are greeted with a smiling face and prompt service. This you can expect. If you frequent a particular Starbucks often, you may be presented with your favorite drink and your name. We all feel pretty confident that we can get a great coffee and a great experience no matter which Starbucks we go to. Our Starbucks experience is taken for granted and they want it that way. They want it to be easy, habit forming and uneventful. Their Uneventful Experience is how they build loyalty and business.

Can we build an Uneventful Experience online?

People are creatures of habit. We like consistency in our lives. It just feels good. We as users of websites also like consistency. When we have a reliable experience online we remember it. A reliable experience online could be finding the information you are looking for in a very easy way. When you are a reliable resource for your users you create that “unevenful experience.”

Another way to create that uneventful experience online is to make sure your website is easy to use. Don’t be too creative with how you name the pages of your website. Have your products page be “Products,” your services be “Services,” etc. The more descriptive you are with your page naming the better.

Your layout can also contribute to that uneventful experience. Your navigation should be across the top or the left side. Some sites can get away with possibly doing a different navigation if it’s an artistic or movie site, but by and large people now expect the navigation to be across the top or on the left. If you try to do something different on a conventional site, you will most likely lose visitors interest.

Creating the “Uneventful Experience” online is really providing an active destination for your users.  A place that is updated regularly with quality content.  Don’t just regurgitate the news of the world, break down the information into bite sized chunks with your own opinion so that people are getting your expertise.  That provides value.  Want to know if you are already providing an “Uneventful Experience,” just do something that you don’t normally do on your site.  Create that unique “event” that will throw people off.  Ask a crazy question like, “What did everyone have for dinner last night?” and see what happens.  An Uneventful Experience doesn’t have to be negative, just different. The more testing you do with your users the more you can tailor your content to what they expect.

Welcome to the 2009 CrossFit Games! 25 years in the making, CrossFit burst onto the scene, promissing to breed superior athletes. Created by Greg Glassman, with the help of some of his friends, incorporating cross training techniques, kettle bell workouts and olympic lifting, CrossFit has become the workout of choice for military, firefighters, police, MMA fighters and more. Enjoying explosive growth over the last few years there is now an annual event called the CrossFit Games. Every year it has doubled in size. 2009 marks the year this event has trippled in size and welcomes competitors from all over the world for a chance to be the Fittest Athlete in the World.

CrossFit is perpetuated by passion

In a recent CrossFit 101 seminar held at CrossFIT By Overload in Murrieta, California, Greg Glassman is adamant about how CrossFit has become so popular, “there is no business plan. You guys have made CrossFit what it is today.” Their affliate model creates an affordable opportunity for people who are passionate about fitness to have a unique business of their own. CrossFit was voted by Fortune as one of the top businesses to start in 2009.

People are attracted to CrossFit because it works. Through trial and error CrossFit has developed a series of workouts and procedures that ensure it’s success. It’s this understanding combined with the competive nature of the workouts, that keeps it going. With every workout you are competing with youself and those around you. As you get better so is everyone else, which drives you more.

How has CrossFit suceeded?

The timing is perfect. In a time when large corporations are struggling with internal ethics and sustainability, CrossFit is inherently transparent. Either it works or it doesn’t. CrossFit has also fostered their community online and off. Brilliantly, CrossFit members tune in daily to the main and affiliate sites to see the Workout of the Day (WOD). They post their own workouts and comment on others. This easy access has proliferated the CrossFit message while giving tremendous exposure to local affiliates. CrossFit members also enjoy the smaller venue of the gyms and are willing to pay more for the one on one service. What ends up happening is these gyms become hubs where new friendships take place. Members are very loyal and the comraderie exciting. Everyone defnitely has the work hard play hard atitiude.

What all businesses can learn from CrossFit

1. Be honest and sincere with your clients.
2. Create a community online and off.
3. Maintain a sustainable business model that incorporates people, passion and profit.
4. Let your business grow organically. Consider every opportunity.
5. Empower others. You know you can’t do it all on your own. Let others help and reward great ideas.