Lets talk about Twitter.
If you’re in the world of social media or already an avid user of Twitter, this post might not be that helpful. However, many of our clients are what we affectionately call “late adopters” — no shame there, we just mean they have not yet taken the plunge and gotten active on social media.
If you’re a late adopter, this post is for you.
Twitter is a social media platform we at Algumwood utilize on a daily basis and have found to be an easy and practical tool to help us connect with our clients and friends.
The basics: Twitter allows you to send short snippets of information to followers in 140 characters or less. It is a way to connect through following people, companies, and organizations of interest. Companies generally use tweets as a way to involve people in their realm of influence through status updates, special offers, or general advice, and when used effectively, Twitter can to be a means of sharing new or innovative ideas and even facilitating further discussion beyond the 140 character limit.
Learning Twitter Lingo:
- @mention: when mentioning another account in a tweet, use the @ symbol and enter their twitter name. Example—“Check out our newest blog post by Algumwood team member, Christy @CTK206.”
- #hashtag: When joining in a larger conversation, the # symbol followed by the name of the conversation is used to track all tweets in the dialogue. Example—“Joining the #socialmediaconference2013 chat, can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts!”
- Retweet: A retweet appears as RT and then the original message. This is automatically added when you retweet another message previously sent by someone you follow. To RT someone, click on the circling arrows at the bottom of the original tweet.
- Direct Message: Direct message or DM is a way to send a private message to another person on twitter. This is great for connecting on a more personal basis. To send a DM, click on the envelope at the bottom of the original tweet.
There are so many great resources out there to help people engage well on social media platforms. This resource from Computer Hope has some particularly helpful hints for Twitter success, and I wanted to share a few of my favorites:
Customize. Use a custom profile picture and background that clearly represents your company or organization. Keep in mind that this icon will distinguish you from others so choose something that stands out and conveys the image you want people to know you by.
Tweet Often. People are more likely to follow you if you are consistently sending out great messages. If you are only tweeting once a month, people will begin to unfollow your feed.
Engage your followers. Retweet your followers and engage with them through responding to questions posed or adding additional thoughts to what is posted.
Create Interesting Tweets. The reality is that you only have 140 characters, so make it worth the creative, leave people wanting more. Add hashtags to join in particular conversation.
Advertise your account. Mention your Twitter page on your business cards, email, blog, facebook, etc. If appropriate, connect your accounts so your Twitter feed shows up on the side of your blog, or posts as a status update on Facebook.
Are you new to Twitter? Still wondering whether you should take the plunge? We’re here to help walk you through the nuts and bolts. Get in touch to schedule an exploratory phone call to see if Algumwood’s team can help you begin connecting on Twitter!
