Getting Started with Twitter

 

Founded in 2006, Twitter is now neck and neck with Facebook for the most popular social site of 2013. It’s also one of the more complicated social media sites used by businesses today. Whether you’re evaluating if your business should be on Twitter or just want to learn more, here are the details you need to know:

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a powerful microblogging site that allows users to communicate their thoughts in 140 characters or less. Microblogs like Twitter allow users to share short updates publicly or with a group of specific people - and these posts can be read either on a computer or a mobile device like a text message.

Why would businesses use Twitter?

Unlike Pinterest (which we discussed in my last post), Twitter can be powerful for both B2B and B2C companies of all size. Twitter allows businesses to reach their users in a more personal way than simple advertising - and users can actually speak directly with a representative of a business on Twitter without waiting on hold. Twitter customer service is growing as well, with average response times on Twitter sometimes even shorter than waiting for a response through traditional avenues like phone and email.

How can I get started?

1. Sign up. Visit www.twitter.com/signup and fill out four boxes, and you’re ready to get moving.

2. Set up some apps to help manage Twitter. The company offers desktop applications like TweetDeck to manage your interactions and lists and the Twitter app for your phone so you’re always up to date on the go.

3. Build a profile that’s consistent with your brand. Just as we discussed with Pinterest, make sure your username is the same as your Facebook, Instagram or other social media accounts you have so your business is easy to identify. Upload the same picture and use the same description (or a shortened version if necessary).

4. Learn the lingo. This may be the most difficult aspect of Twitter to understand. What in the world is a DM, hastag or FF? Browse the Twitter glossary to discover what this slang means and much more.

5. Read more about the ins and outs of Twitter. As I mentioned above, Twitter is one of the more difficult platforms to figure out. There are many short handbooks that describe how to best find and gain followers, create lists and more. The Twitter support page describes how to use the platform to the best of your advantage.

6. Cultivate a following that matters. It’s easy to get caught up in simply growing the number of followers you have to increase your overall audience, however, this number doesn’t matter if your following doesn’t care about what you’re saying. Search for your industry experts, friends and even competitors; connect with people who are tweeting content that’s interesting to you. Odds are, if you’re adding value, these people will follow you back and viola! Your following will be of a very high quality.

Although this is a great guide to getting started, there are many more Twitter for business techniques. Leave your comments below and I’ll be sure to include them in my next article - Twitter for Business: Advanced Techniques.

 .And as usual, if you’re looking for feedback or have any marketing questions, please feel free to check out my website or email me at jackie@jackiesteinmetz.com.

How to Market with Pinterest

Pinterest is sometimes viewed as a social media tool intended more for recreational use than marketing. However, for the right kind of business, Pinterest can be a very powerful customer acquisition and brand awareness tool. How, you ask? Let’s start from the beginning:

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies. Users can browse other pinboards for images, "re-pin" images to their own pinboards, or "like" photos (read more of the details on Wikipedia).

Why would businesses use Pinterest?

Businesses of any size who sell products to consumers should examine using Pinterest to reach a wider audience than they would be able to by driving traffic to their website. The best thing about Pinterest is the likelihood that lucrative products go viral--being posted over and over again on different pinboards and then shared on other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

How can I get started?

Pinterest is one of the more simple social media tools to set up and adapt to. There are no hashtags, no follower lists to manage and it’s quite simple to get started. Follow these easy steps:

1. Sign up for Pinterest. Registering is simple - it just takes a few seconds to connect the site with your Facebook account or fill in a few fields and register with your email address.

2. Build a profile that’s consistent with your brand. Make sure your username is the same as your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media accounts you have - that way, your fans will be able to easily identify your business. The description should be the same, picture should be the same, and link to your website or another social site to increase traffic.

3. Create boards that relate to your products and post. Are you an apparel store? Create a board for clothes, outerwear, shoes, accessories. The more specific you are, the better the chance is that other Pinterest users will find and share your content. Post products from another source (like your website or Etsy store) so Pinterest users have a way to find out more and purchase the product.

4. Use hashtags. A newer feature in Pinterest, hashtags are a way to categorize posts and a search shortcut. Hashtags are used differently on each social media site - whereas on Twitter, it’s really only advantageous to use two or three in each Tweet, you can get away with using more on Pinterest. However, I would keep it around a handful - we all know how obnoxious posts with 20 hashtags can be. If you’re interested, this blog discusses the use of hashtags on Pinterest in more depth.

5. Have fun. Show your personality. Don’t post only your own products. Make connections: comment, favorite and share other people’s posts. Build a community and the Pinterest traffic will come to you.

Are you a Pinterest user? If so, I’d love to hear the tips and tricks that work for you. And as usual, if you’re looking for feedback or have any marketing questions, please feel free to check out my website or email me at jackie@jackiesteinmetz.com.

https://www.facebook.com/LikeToSharePages

http://liketosharepages.com