Twitter traffic report

HubSpot report on Twitter traffic.
http://bit.ly/4nU7A3

Does this help support my previous posts on breaking through the noise as well as prediction number 5 on my Top 10?

A few musings on 2010

Looking back in 2011 this list will probably read closer to a David Letterman Top 10 but here are a few thoughts on things that could happen in 2010.

1. Microsoft buys Salesforce.com. MSFT needs to get into the SaaS world in a better/bigger way and SFDC would be an instant, game changing move
2. Walmart does not buy Amazon again.
3. Google buys eBay to boost its mobile strategy and m-commerce
   
4. Leadership development in corporations becomes a hot topic to retain and reward people who have survived.
5. Twitter will have to change its business model or die. Big danger in it just becoming a spam platform.
6. In the theme of #5, new technologies will emerge to help marketers calculate an ROI for different SM platforms. Those that can't prove it will become irrelevant.
7. The economy will slowly recover as the consumer starts to spend in the second half of the year.
8. Infrastructure tech firms will do well in 2010 as companies replace old systems that have been neglected for too long.
9. The SaaS model continues its rise in importance for several reasons including a move away from the  perpetual/maintenance model, the variability (add/subtract users) and the impact on the balance sheet.
10. Clouds everywhere but end users become confused on how, when and why they should use them.
    

Good example of a nice initial approach

I recently received the below email and I thought it was a very good way to approach someone who may have a need for your service. No hard sell, just an introduction and a request. Well done. Here it is. I left out the senders name but check out the firm.

Hi Barrett-

I was recently doing some marketing research and came across your blog. You offer some great insights in to the world of marketing, particularly online marketing. Your post about "Death of a Salesman" had some great points. The more the consumer can be directly involved with the process, the more it becomes being what they are looking for, and less about selling to them.

I work for an online marketing start-up, Kutenda (Kutenda.com). We have created a toolset with PPC management, email marketing, website management, SEO and more- all in one place. Our goal is to help small businesses increase their visibility online and grow their business. To this point, online marketing is often seen as overwhelming and complicated, especially for small to mid-size businesses. That's where we come in. Our suite of tools is simple to use, with expert knowledge built in. In addition, we also provide training too, to walk people through the process, start to finish. We are working on getting our name out there and having people experience all we offer. I know how busy life gets- particularly after a holiday!- but if you have a moment, it would be great if you could check us out. Kutenda.com- we offer a great free trial program and a demo to learn more.

If you feel we would be a good resource for your readers, a link would be much appreciated. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks for your time and happy new year!

Sincerely,