Twitter is a ‘microblogging’ tool in which you can provide updates to others that choose to follow you. Originally, each update usually answered the question, ‘What are you doing?’ Now Twitter has evolved to include breaking news, helpful tips, business messages and words of wisdom, all limited to 140 characters.
Twitter has become incredibly popular and it is doubling in size each month! Originally a personal application, Twitter is an increasingly valuable tool for business and a great way to follow breaking news. For example, Twitter users always break news stories first such as the recent jet landing in the Hudson River. It is also a fun way to follow friends and celebrities. You can click here for a list of the top 50 celebrities on Twitter including Brittney Spears, Shaquile O’Neal and the first to have 1,000,000 Twitter followers, Ashton Kutcher.
Here’s a beginner’s guide to Twitter with ten steps to getting started and some advanced ways to use Twitter for business or personal branding.
Step #1 – Sign Up Now! (Get your name before it’s gone!!!)
This is easy, go to Twitter.com and create your account. It is free! Reserve your name if it’s available or select a ‘brand name’ that is consistent with your other social media identities. If it is still available reserve your company name at an alternate email address (each Twitter name must have a unique email address). Names are going fast; it is like the domain name rush of the mid 90’s so make sure you protect your name and company name ASAP!
Step #2 Create a Basic Profile
Start with a simple description about yourself and good close headshot. Once you have a basic profile you may want to make it more creative or business-like by adding logos and backgrounds.
Definitely include a link to your website or Blog. When people find your profile they’ll read your past ‘tweets’ and click the link to your website to decide whether they want to follow you.
Step #3 – LISTEN FIRST!
As you would in any new environment, come in to Social Media and ‘listen’ before you speak, or in the case of Twitter, read before you type. Get a feel for how people use 140 characters. What are the leaders in your niche regularly Twittering about? Recognize how rarely popular people on Twitter actually promote themselves. Similar to the best practices for networking, ‘Give to Get!’ When you give away great content, great ideas, great links, breaking news etc. you will get a large and loyal following.
To get started, have look at some of the popular people on Twitter and search for other folks who are influential in your field of interest. It is easy to find people who are connected, when you look at one person’s Twitter screen you will be able to see everyone that they are following. So, if you look at http://www.Twitter.com/JayBerkowitz and hover your mouse over the images on the right, you’ll see the folks I am following. CNNBRK is CNN Breaking News, if that would be of interest to you, click on the icon and you’ll see a history of their most recent posts. If you’d like to follow CNNBRK simply click the ‘follow’ icon on their page and you’ll see all of their ‘Tweets’ on your ‘Home’ twitter screen.
Please note - I recommend holding off on following too many people until you’ve built some good content on your Twitter page.
Step #4 – Write Some GREAT Tweets
When you follow people they get an email with a link to your Twitter page. They’ll have a quick look and decide whether they are going to follow you. Set a strategy for what you are gong to communicate about. If you share daily dribble about what you had for breakfast and how long you had to wait in line at the grocery store most people who aren’t very close friends won’t follow you. If you share smart insights and links in your area of passion or specialty you will steadily build your following.
Some ideas for great tweets include commenting on big news in your area of specialty or expertise, linking to popular blogs or Tweets (short for a Twitter post) with added insight, sharing tips or valuable suggestions, Re Tweet valuable tweets by experts (see below for more on ReTweeting).
Don't spam! When you reply in DM (direct message) or post Tweets make them useful and never simply message another Twitter user just to get them to follow your links. Spam is ugly in any platform and will turn off your followers and maybe even get you booted from the platform altogether. Spam is never the most effective way to market. Make informative posts, pique your reader's interest and they will follow, and they will click your links because they are curious, not annoyed.
Step #5 – Follow the Leaders
A site called TwitterGrader.com lists the top Twitterers based on a simple algorithm, you can also identify the top people to follow in your area.
Here are some of the most well known Twitter internet marketing celebs www.Twitter.com/GuyKawasaki, www.Twitter.com/Scobleizer, www.Twitter.com/JasonCalacanis, www.Twitter.com/TechCrunch, www.Twitter.com/Mashable, www.Twitter.com/GaryVee, www.Twitter.com/LeoLaporte
Another great way to build your initial list of people to follow on Twitter is with a site called We Follow. This is a valuable site, you may search in your area of interest to find the top people by category.
Step #6 - RT (ReTweet) with an @ sign
The common practice in Twitter is to ‘RT’ or re-tweet messages and links that you want to share with your list, and when you do this you credit the original tweeter by mentioning their Twitter name with an @ sign. This practice often leads people to click the @name in your message to view the home Twitter page of the Twitter that you recognized. The better your tweets, the more re-tweets you get and hence the more traffic to your page. When you include the @name of a popular Twitterer they will likely track who is referencing them and come to check out who you are! Lastly, it is good form to thank people who RT and @ your Tweets.
Step #7 – Search.Twitter.com
The search function at Twitter is amazing, and fast. It is found at the top of your home page with the tab marking 'Find People'. That takes you to a page with four sections, one for finding people on Twitter by name, one for searching networks through your email for those who are already on Twitter, a section where you can invite those from your email lists to Twitter, and a final page with suggestions from the Twittersphere of popular members you may be interested in.
There is another, more advanced Twitter search where you can really spice up your marketing or search priorities. It is located at: http://search.twitter.com/advanced and contains boxes for criteria such as popular words or phrases, people, places or dates, and even attitudes. This dedicated Twitter search engine allows you to find extremely pinpointed audiences, friends, or fine-tune your marketing to targeted subjects for those with niche markets or specialized campaigns. Many of the current upgrades on Twitter are designed to put the most timely and popular subjects right on your sidebar. For all other subjects you wish to find specifically the advanced search provides the most thorough search possible.
Twitter Search may propose the first significant risk to Google’s market leadership as Twitter Search is instant. People search Twitter for what’s being said on the Network, news, trends etc.
Step #8 Upgrade your profile
Your profile is your Twitter 'calling card'. It tells others about you in a nutshell and should be visually appealing as well as enticing. Try to inject your personality or an accurate feeling of your company in your profile description so that others are attracted to follow you. Add images and logos, company names and update with call-to-actions, offers etc.
Your Twitter image or avatar should depict you not just a logo. People are more drawn to personalities on a social network than they are a symbol or logo. They want to feel they know the person behind the logo or brand. The thing that makes social networking work so well is that potential consumers or clients feel they have a relationship with you and want to do business with the person. To add an image to your Twitter profile click on 'picture' from your settings area and you will be prompted to upload an image from your computer.
Your logo works great as a background and it is easy to include in the Twitter platform. Click on the 'settings' tab at the top of your Twitter toolbar. Then click on the 'design' tab at the top of the page and then click on 'change background image'. You will be prompted to scan your computer for an image that will upload to the back of your Twitter page.
Step #9 Upgrade your Twitter application
Can't be online to Twit? Don't worry you can still stay connected if you have a mobile phone. Twitter allows simple text updates to be sent through any cell phone. You can set it up from your 'settings' tab under the 'device' tab. Follow the prompts and then anytime you are away from your desk but want to send an update to 'what are you doing' you can.
That's not enough? Once you've Twittered for awhile you probably won't be satisfied with simply getting your Tweets on air from your phone but not be able to read what others are saying at the moment. You can do that too. The most common apps for that are for the iPhone but many other applications are available for most modern cell phones that will let you see your Twitter messages as they come in. There is also the 'Twitterberry' specifically for Blackberry users. At the very bottom of any Twitter page you will see a list of links. Apps is included and when you click on it you will find a multitude of great applications for your phone, your desktop, and even other websites.
You can add Twitter widgets to your blogs, your websites, and even your email so others can follow every Twit you Tweet. For your desktop you can incorporate an application like Tweetdeck (http;//www.tweetdeck.com ), one of the most popular Twitter applications that lets you get all of your incoming Tweets as well as make your own Tweets, and see direct messages, re-tweet, reply to direct messages right from your desktop without going to the Twitter page itself. Tweetdeck has a large layout that shows you everything at a glance. Other smaller applications like Twirl are popular for those that only want to see incoming Tweets and Tweet back from their desktop without using up a lot of space.
Step #10 - Follow the Three E’s of Social Media – Educate, Entertain and Engage!
If you are using Twitter for business or for building a personal brand and reputation, your followers will stay interested if you are a valuable place for information and links, I call this the first E of social media Educate.
The second E Engage encourages you to develop a two way dialogue with your users. Ask questions. Reply to their comments and happy and sad news. The Twitter celebrities have a Twitter timeline filled with @ replies and re-tweets as they engage in a two way dialogue with their followers.
Lastly, have fun. Entertain your followers with a funny YouTube video or a Blip.FM song selection once in a while. Going above and beyond and having some fun outside your niche keeps it light and lets your personality shine through.
You can also post pictures to Twitter via a direct link to Twitpics, Visual Twitter, Twixxer or others. The most commonly used one is Twitpics. On Twitpics you can upload any picture from your computer and immediately send the link to it and a message to your Twitter account.
I regularly post about internet marketing but I recently drafted a list of the Top 50 Celebrities on Twitter. Don’t be all business and try to use the Three E’s of social media, because after all, Social Media is—Social.
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