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Timeless Twitter Tips for Social Success

Egghead Twitter

 

Which is your favorite social media platform? Twitter is not the answer I hear most often, but those who love it REALLY love it. They tell me they love the short bursts of information, the need to be concise in tweets, and the ease with which they connect with others on Twitter.

If you aren’t using it, consider giving it a go. Take a look at these timeless Twitter tips to help you be the most successful on this fast moving social media network.

Don’t Be an Egghead

Egghead TwitterI can’t tell you how often I still see a profile pic that is the standard egg Twitter uses. This is basic stuff, folks. Upload a high-quality headshot if you want to be taken seriously. Make it engaging for your industry, which would look different for a rock and roll band lead singer than it would for a real estate agent.

Speaking of Profiles

Your profile is the first thing potential followers look at to decide whether or not you’re worth following. Fill in your profile fully, using all 160 characters. Include specific keywords people use to find someone in your industry e.g. romance author, small business consultant, residential plumber. Make sure your website link is accurate. Don’t be afraid to show a little creativity in your description, including a few personal bits about who you are. Here’s my own profile example below.Twitter Profile Melody Jones

Figure Out Your Target Audience

Who, exactly, do you want to reach on Twitter? You’re looking for the same target audience you’ve already identified for your business.

If you are an author in a specific genre, you want to reach readers of that genre and connect with fellow authors who would love a mutually beneficial Twitter relationship. If you own a local brick and mortar boutique selling high-end purses, then you are looking for women who enjoy fashion, accessories, shopping, and who live in and near your local area.

Learn and Use Hashtags

For newbies, hashtags are a source of confusion. Simply put, placing a hashtag (which is a pound sign) in front of a word makes that word searchable on Twitter and is a way to identify a subject or category.

Let’s use the romance author example. The word ‘romance’ is a great general example to use as a hashtag category like this: #romance. However, there are thousands of hits on that word. Consider narrowing it more specifically like this: #RegencyRomance or #WesternRomance. Notice that I capitalized these phrases as opposed to the single word used earlier. Tweet viewers appreciate this as it makes the phrase easier to read.

Tweet Often

Twitter is fast-moving. It’s like a voracious monster that needs to be fed constantly, and so that means it’s the one platform you can and should post often to. Unlike Facebook, where you would limit your daily posts to 2-5 per day at most, Twitter requires more, more, more for best effectiveness.

You can post 10-20 times on Twitter per day and nobody will bat an eyelash. Frequent posting gets you noticed, builds your expertise and credibility, and catches people who log on at different times of day. Never forget the fact that social media is worldwide, so somebody is on Twitter 24/7. If your audience is worldwide, take that into consideration. If your audience is hyper-local, then the timing of your posts must reflect when they are most likely using it.

Engage, Number One

Okay, so that’s a reference to Star Trek: TNG and Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I just couldn’t help it.

Basically, you are on social media to engage with others. It’s social, so don’t forget to reach out to people directly on Twitter. Most will respond in kind, and in no time at all, you’ll develop an ongoing relationship with a fellow user that could turn into a friend, a client, a customer, or a source of expertise from which you will learn.

Follow Someone Every Day – but not in a creepy way

The best way to build followers on Twitter is to start by following others who interest you first. Once you do, don’t forget to engage with them in some way by retweeting their tweets, commenting on a tweet, or reaching out and saying hello. If you stick to a following routine of, say, 10 Twitter users a day, your own following will build up more quickly than you realize.

I hope these simple Twitter tips will help you get going on this roller coaster ride of a social network. You may find that you love it more than you anticipate, or at the least you’ll build your credibility and connect with others.

Go ahead and follow me on Twitter and reach out. Let’s connect.

 

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Top Three Thursday: Social Media News You Can Use

Top Three Thursday- Social Media News You Can Use

Top Three Thursday- Social Media News You Can UseWelcome to my Thursday feature. Here’s where I link three useful and interesting articles from excellent information sources that deal with social media and marketing subjects. As you know, changes are always happening in the world of social media. We have a lot to keep up with!

Video is all the rage in social media right now. It gets stronger engagement than other types of content. I’ve discovered, however, that my clients are not all that fond of seeing themselves on camera – and come to think of it, neither am I! Kim Garst of Boom Social to the rescue. Check out her article ‘How To Make Wicked Good Videos Even if You Are Camera Shy.’ She tells us that Facebook has already had 4 billion video views this year! Let her walk you through getting yourself on camera.

Let me quote you a statistic from Convince & Convert: at last count on Google, “there were 60 trillion indexed pages, which is double the 30 trillion from 2013.” How in the world will your content EVER get seen? Read ‘Winning the Lottery Is Easier than Finding Your Content’ for guidance on getting past all that noise.

I’ve said many times that Facebook is still the big gorilla in social media. You need to have a business page. For help on how to make your page and your business stand out, I suggest reading Rebekah Radice’s ‘5 Facebook Marketing Techniques to Get Your Page Seen.’ She says with a little commitment and planning, you can make new contacts daily on Facebook.

See you next week with another edition of Top Three Thursday: Social News You Can Use.

Melody Jones is your social media aspirin. She helps take the pain out of social media for you! Check out her services and see which one can reduce your social media pain the most.

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I Started My Own Group: The Birth of Colorado Women in Social Media

Colorado Women in Social Media

I’m what you might call an accidental entrepreneur. I never pictured myself as my own entity, always assuming I would continue in my former career until retirement. Somebody else could worry about paying me an income and benefits, and I would just go to work.

I had a built-in support network, friends and colleagues who understood the issues inherent in that particular field. There was always someone who got my pain, challenges, good days and bad days. The support was there when I needed it.

Career pathAnd then one day I wasn’t on that career path anymore.

It took a while to find my way. I didn’t know what my identity was, and at the very least, I missed the built-in network I had developed over those many years.

Along came social media – or Facebook, to be precise – and I realized I’d found my calling. I was a natural at social media, blossomed and grew with the field, and figured out one day that I could help those who didn’t embrace it and love it as much as I did. Thus Social Media Management Services LLC was born.

Well look at that – I’m a business owner. Social Media Management Services Logo

One cold fall day I was typing along on my computer as I often am in my business, alone, and randomly thinking about how unsatisfying the networking groups I’d been to were. I was acutely aware of the network I’d lost and it seeped into my brain that I would have to create my own network of support and camaraderie to regain that sense of community and collaboration.

That little seed of a thought grew into a vague idea, and so I threw out some feelers to a few women I knew in the social media business. To my utter surprise, I got immediate interest.

Welcome to the world, Colorado Women in Social Media.

Colorado Women in Social Media
Left to right, back row: Aimee Skillin, Beth Johnston, Valerie Morris, Michelle Hoglan, Joyce Feustel, Kimbirly Orr, Melody Jones. Front row: Erin Cell, Lisa Haas, Hollie Clere. Not pictured: Rachel Moore, Lauren Gibbs, Laura E. Pence.

I started the group simply by inviting women I knew who worked in social media and asking them to invite others they knew.

My initial goal was to gather together in an informal setting where we could get to know each other, develop camaraderie, provide mentoring and education for each other, and figure out the ever-evolving world that is social media.

It was clear I was not the only solopreneur working in social media that wanted connection with like-minded women.

We’ve grown tremendously since then, and now we are a focused, energetic, professional, and fun group of women who’ve developed strong bonds through trust, dedication, and common goals.

I cannot imagine my life without the fantastic women of Colorado Women in Social Media.

Watch for another installment about our group, including group growth and the power of collaboration. Our story is only beginning!