Twitter Etiquette

A few weeks ago, we went over some basic etiquette rules for Facebook fan pages. Social media etiquette doesn’t start and end with Facebook, however! While users on Twitter are generally more tolerant of and lenient with brand promotion tweets, there are still a few things to keep in mind…

With Twitter, is it critical that you consistently monitor your mentions, direct messages, and other interactions. Checking your account a few times a day and responding to mentions or messages is a great way to build a rapport with your following. Not only is this kind of activity polite, it can actually result in increased revenues, sales leads, or connections with potential customers, suppliers, etc.

Generally speaking, it is beneficial to follow users who follow your tweets. There are a variety of sites that facilitate this process, as they enable you to automatically follow users who follow you! You will need to open an account with the third-party site and then allow them to access your Twitter account, so be sure to use a reputable site such as www.socialoomph.com. These sites often provide other services as well, such as sending an automatic welcome message to new followers, etc.

Even though it is commonly accepted to post frequently on Twitter, there is such a thing as too many tweets! If you’ve spent some time on Twitter, you’ve probably come across users who tweet about 100 times a minute, repeatedly, in order to get their message across. This approach tends to be detrimental to your Twitter efforts, as followers often become annoyed and unfollow your account. Tweeting several times a day, or even once every hour or so, is completely appropriate… but remember that it is possible to overdo it!

Most Twitter etiquette comes down to common sense. If you are friendly and interactive with your followers, and keep your content appropriate and interesting, your Twitter account should thrive! As always, happy tweeting!

Remember to follow us on Twitter at:  www.twitter.com/instantsocialme

New (New) Twitter

Have you recently logged into Twitter and noticed some changes?

If you’re a seasoned Twitter user, you probably know that Twitter rolled out their new profile design/layout, appropriately dubbed “New Twitter,” about a year ago. This layout did not change anything in terms of content (your tweets, retweets, mentions, etc. all remained untouched), but it did switch around a lot of the components and implement some new features. If you are new to Twitter, you will have started off with the “New Twitter” design.

Now introducing: New (New) Twitter. This new design is somewhat simpler to use and the changes are not quite so dramatic, however, some useful tools have shifted around.

Note that your “Mentions” have moved to the top left hand corner. You can access them by clicking on the “@Connect” button.

There is also a new icon that contains access to all of your settings, direct messages, lists, and the logout option in the upper right hand corner of your home screen.

To access your previous tweets and profile page, simply click on your Twitter handle on the left hand side (right above the words “View my profile page”). Also note that there is now a “Discover” icon (the hashtag next to your mentions) that lists the trending topics as well as a brief synopsis of why these events are trending.

The good news is that Twitter does not move or add new features as frequently as Facebook, so this is likely the last round of changes we will see for some time. Not all accounts have been converted to this new layout yet, either, so you may still be using the older version. In the coming weeks, Twitter will automatically update you to the new design.

If you’ve got any questions about the New (New) Twitter layout and how to access any of your information, feel free to leave us a comment on our blog or respond to this email. Until next time, happy tweeting!

Growing A Twitter Following

Now that you’ve conquered the basics of Twitter, it’s time to start growing your following. First and foremost, it’s mission critical that you get the word out on all of your marketing collateral:  business cards, esignatures, flyers, invitations, etc.

Have your webmaster add a “Follow” button on your website and post Facebook statuses asking your fans & friends to follow you on Twitter. You can easily direct people to your Twitter page with the URL www.twitter.com/YourTwitterHandle (substitute your username for “YourTwitterHandle”).

Twitter is the epitome of “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Well, maybe not your enemies, but at least your competition! Following competitors can give you insight into what other companies are doing that is working (or not working), local industry news and more. Not to mention that if you develop a rapport with some of your rival businesses, you may mutually benefit from each other’s retweets, mentions and promotions.

Unlike Facebook, which will shut down your account if you “friend” too many people you don’t personally know, Twitter actually encourages you to follow people outside of your personal circle. Celebrities that might be relevant to your brand, major news sites, and local hot spots are great accounts where you can find followers who might be interested in checking out your tweets!

Ideally, your Twitter account should begin to grow organically if you are tweeting relevant and interesting information. Make sure to follow us (if you haven’t already!) at @InstantSocialMe and happy tweeting!

Twitter 102: What The Heck Are All These # Symbols?!

Once you’ve got your Twitter account set up (see blog post #3 for details on how to do this), you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the lingo and start interacting with your followers.

Mentions:

You can “mention” on Twitter the same way you “tag” on Facebook, using the @ symbol followed by another user’s Twitter handle (ex. @InstantSocialMe). Think of this as a public shout out, directed at one person or business in particular, but visible to all of your followers.

Retweets:

If you see a tweet that you think is particularly interesting, you can “retweet,” or send an exact replica of the message to your own followers. Simply hover over the post and click on the “retweet” link. The more you retweet others, the more likely it is that they will reciprocate!  And the more your tweets are being retweeted, the more exposure you have on Twitter and the easier it is to grow your following.

Direct Messages:

If you want to send one of your followers a personal, private message, use the “direct message” feature. This is similar to a private message on Facebook. Direct messages (or DMs) are still limited to 140 characters.

Hashtags:

Hashtags are symbolized by the # sign, followed by a phrase with no spaces (ex. #SuperBowl). This is a way of assigning a particular subject matter to your tweet and getting the attention of those who are also interested in this same subject. For example, if you are tweeting about the Miami Dolphins performance in a game, you might include the hashtag #MiamiDolphins. By using this hashtag, your tweet will be grouped with every other tweet that contains that same hashtag and your tweet will be seen by those searching Twitter for information on the Miami Dolphins.  The most used hashtags on Twitter often make up the current trends.

 

In future ISU posts, we will go into the different methods of growing your Twitter following.  In the meantime, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @InstantSocialMe.  Stay tuned!

So How Do I Tweet, Anyway? Twitter Basics

Twitter is essentially a miniature blog that consists entirely of 140-character-or-less status updates, or “tweets,” that are displayed in a rolling feed. Twitter can be a useful tool for keeping people informed of news, activities, events, promotions and much more without having to craft a time-consuming post on the subject.

While networking via Facebook consists of acquiring friends/fans, Twitter connections are called “followers”. When you sign up for Twitter, you will be prompted to choose a unique username or “handle.” You have up to 15 characters (no punctuation, use an underscore for spaces) for your name; your handle is an important piece of the puzzle if you plan to use Twitter to promote your business. Choose a clear, relevant handle that people can easily identify and find in the search function.

Twitter allows for a bit more customization than Facebook does. You can choose a Twitter background and a unique color scheme, as well as upload a profile photo. To change your page design, sign into Twitter and click on your username in the top right hand corner, then select “Settings” from the drop down menu.

Under “Design,” you can select a pre-designed background and theme, or create your own. For a customized background, you might want to consider one large, high-resolution image, a tiled logo, or search for designs on www.twitrbackgrounds.com.

We will be covering more in-depth Twitter strategies, including tips for growing your following, in upcoming ISU posts. Stay tuned and make sure to follow ISM on Twitter at @InstantSocialMe!

 

Social Media and Why Your Business Needs It

Welcome to Instant Social University, your go-to guide for all things social media! Class is officially in session. Consider this first post your “syllabus,” touching on the topics that we will be covering throughout the course of this blog.

Have you noticed the influx of “thumbs up” Facebook icons that have popped up everywhere lately? On your restaurant menus, at the grocery store, on local and national news stations, even in your attorney or realtor’s office? How many times have you heard the phrase “’Like’ us on Facebook!” or “Follow us on Twitter!” in the past several months? These are just a few signs of the pervasiveness of social media.

   

Social media has become much more than a mere fad amongst college students. It is a new way of communicating, socializing, and – more and more – conducting business.  Facebook now has over 870 million users, a staggering figure. This online community has enormous potential for your business, brand, and ultimately your bottom line. But to take advantage of all the benefits that Facebook and other social media sites have to offer, you’ve got to learn to walk before you can run.

In this blog, we will be covering the basics of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as how your business can utilize Foursquare, Yelp, YouTube, Google+, blogging, etc. We will also be providing updates on what’s new in the world of social media, the latest and greatest toys, gadgets and apps that will keep you connected, tricks of the trade, secrets on how to grow your Facebook & Twitter Fans and Followers, how to successfully manage an online Facebook ad campaign and more. ISU is your resource for how to get the ball rolling and for maximizing your social media efforts.

It wouldn’t be “Back to School” without homework, so take a few moments to answer these questions, or at least give them some thought:

• What is my business/team’s ultimate goal through social media? Do we want to simply increase brand recognition or create a community?

• Which social media sites am I most interested in? Which resources work best for my particular business/company?

• How much time am I willing to dedicate to my social media campaign? Do I need to hire a professional (like ISM) to handle it?

Make sure to check out this blog as well as our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InstantSocialMediaCo. And feel free to ask us any questions via comment, post, or email stephanie@instantsocialmediaco.com. Our next post will deal with the basics of Facebook in “Facebook 101.” Until next week, class dismissed!