August 30, 2010

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3. Learn your Apps

Twitter.com can only do so much. Just like certain email programs have more features than others, so do Twitter applications. I personally use Tweetdeck for my day to day Twitter activity, which I have downloaded onto my desktop.

With Tweetdeck you can sort and categorize people you are following into columns to better streamline their tweets (e.g. Magazines, Blogs, Retailers, Industry, Celebrities, Friends, etc) create “Mention” and “Direct Message” columns for your own account, even create search columns. (Which, by the way, are GREAT for Twitter Stalking.) On the go? I recommend using ÜberTwitter for mobile tweets. It even has a drop-down feature that suggests your followers’ Twitter names as you’re typing them – so you don’t have to have them completely memorized.

4. Maximize Social Media

If you’re on Twitter for your business, you most likely have a Facebook Page for your business, or utilize other social networking sites. Maximize them by cross-promoting. Want to increase your # of Facebook Fans? Tweet out content or photos you post on Facebook linking back to the page.

Want to increase your # of Twitter followers? Announce your Twitter name on Facebook and ask your Fans to follow you! Incentives of course always help any brand increase # of fans – whether they’re on Facebook or following you on Twitter. If you’re a product, hold giveaways. If you’re a service, offer comp treatments to first time clients. If you’re a retailer, offer a discount code. You get the drift.

5. Set Limits

It’s no secret Twitter is time-consuming. You can tweet and retweet all day, every day, and never be “finished.” Set limits for yourself so you don’t get overwhelmed, like following ‘x’ amount of people per day, sending out ‘x’ amount of tweets/retweets per day, limiting yourself to 1 hour of Twitter in the morning, 30 mins at night, etc.

Don’t be afraid to utilize help or outsource either. Social Media is a rapidly growing industry – besides PR and communications agencies, social media marketing agencies are sprouting left and right, and there are always interns. If you do decide to outsource, be sure you interview carefully and find someone you are truly comfortable with acting as the voice (quite literally) of your brand.

And there you have it. Twitter 101. Hopefully convincing you that yes, you DO really need to be on Twitter.

Be smart, be strategic and Happy Tweeting!

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