1. Why do I want to follow people I don’t know?
Twitter is the online version of a networking meeting. It gives you the prime opportunity to network with people at all hours of the day with no location issues. It helps to build relationships with people online that you can one day hopefully nurture in real life.
2. Should I follow everyone that follows me on Twitter?
No, when choosing who to follow. I ask myself the following questions:
- Do I want to network with this person?
- Are they in my target area?
- Are they of interest to me?
- Are they a leader in my industry?
- Can I help them in some way?
If they do not fall into one of these areas, I do not follow them.
3. What is a HashTag?
A Hashtag is a way to easily group and search tweets with a common topic. They are recognized by the # sign followed by a term Example #RGR2012 is the Hashtag for The Real Growth Retreat and #reddeer is the Hashtag for Tweets related to Red Deer. Anyone who uses this Hashtag will have their tweet added to the subject stream. When you search for a Hashtag rather then getting a bunch of random posts you only get posts that include that Hashtag. Hashtags are a great way to create online communities that are interested in the same topics.
4. Isn’t it rude to jump into a conversation?
Every conversation on Twitter is open to the public. The whole point of Twitter is to network and mingle. Just remember to be polite and you will be fine.
5. How do I find local twitter users?
One great way to find local Twitter users is to use www.twellow.com . It is a service that allows you to search Twitter users by location.
6. How do I search for people I know?
There are a few options when it comes to searching for people on Twitter.
- Type their name into the Search bar at the top of your Twitter page
- Type their user name directly into your search engine www.twitter.com/jenni_belanger
- Do a twitter search from your email account for people already on Twitter
7. What are Twitter Lists and How do I use them?
Twitter Lists give you the ability to separate the people you are following into categories. You can then choose to only view the posts from that one list instead of seeing all following at one time. Some ideas for Lists would include “Local Tweeps”, “Photographers”, “Faves”, “Friends”. These lists can either be made public or private.
8. Can I change my User name on Twitter?
Yes, Twitter Usernames can be changed under settings. This is a good choice when changing company names rather than starting a new account.
9. What is a @reply and @metions?
Whenever you see the @ symbol it applies that ,the message is either directed to that person or is mentioning that person. These messages will appear in that person’s @mentions. You do not need to friend someone to send them a @reply.
10. How do I send a private message on Twitter?
Anything that you post in the Twitter feed will be visible to the public. If you want to send a private message, you click on the Direct Message link at the top right hand corner of your page.
11. Do I use a headshot or a logo?
When it comes to business, the answer to this depends on your social media goal. I prefer to use a head shot since Twitter is a networking platform and I want people to recognize my face and feel like they know me. However there are times when a company will set up a company profile and will have more than one twitter user using the same account, or their goal is to grow company awareness and not a personal brand, then they would use a logo.
12. When and why should I use the location option?
The location option is great when you have a store front, when you are at a tradeshow, community event or networking event. I want to caution people against using the location option when working from home or when at a generic location like Walmart. Unless your tweet specifically has to do with Walmart no one cares you are there.
13. How do I shorten a link to save on Characters for twitter?
When adding a link to Twitter you should always shorten the link to avoid taking up to many unneeded characters. You can use services like www.bitly.com and www.tinyurl.com to shorten the link. Services like Hootsuite also have built in link shorteners.
14. How do I get followers on Twitter?
- Start following other people – Use the search functions to follow local Twitter users, Industry Leaders, Those who are in your target market
- Get rid of your egg and show your face – Nothing bothers Twitter users more then the sight of the Egg
- Write a fun and informative Bio- How does anyone know if they want to follow you if you don’t tell them who you are?
- Jump into some conversations- By jumping into conversations people get use to seeing your name and it draws attention to your profile.
- Write some fun/interesting posts- When starting out you can add tips for your target market, your favourite quotes, invites to your networking groups, funny images, funny things that happened to you, Recommendations to services such as great places to eat
- Avoid sales posts- Social Media users are all tired of sales pitches. Instead of asking for the sale, give them quality reasons to follow you and then you won’t have to sell. They will be contacting you for sales
- Retweet useful content- A Retweet is a compliment and a great way to catch someones attention. It can also be a great way to share quality information with your followers
- Tweet on a Regular basis- 80% of Twitter users sign on to Twitter use it once and never come back. Don’t be one of those 80% dive in and show us that you are serious about being on Twitter and here to stay.
- Don’t use auto responders- Auto Responders are viewed as spam and annoying. Avoid them. Instead send a personalized thank you for following message.
- Remember numbers are not as important as quality followers. It doesn’t matter if you have 10,000 followers if none are your target market or interested in you.
Want to learn more about Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and how to use them successfully. Check Out my upcoming Social Media Boot Camps in Red Deer and Ponoka.
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