Twitter 101

At only 140 characters per tweet, the same as an SMS (Text) message, Twitter has been used as a tool by many celebrities, businesses, and organizations to get the word out about what it is they’re doing and how it affects “Tweeple” or “Tweeps” (a.k.a. people of Twitter) around the world. With Twitter, it’s not about quantity, but instead it’s about quality, and when tweeting (a.k.a. posting information) on behalf of your business make sure you are always aiming to interest others. Be aware of the target audience, and what it is they want to hear. Always retweet (a.k.a. Tweet another person’s exact tweet) interesting tweets, but only if they pertain to your company or the focal topic of your Twitter. Retweeting is a great and easy way to gain followers and spread important and interesting information.

Another benefit to your business or organization is the concept of a hashtag (represented by #____). Using a hashtag in a tweet will put your tweet on a twitter feed (a.k.a. list of tweets) sharing the same hashtag. For example: “I’m trying to take my #dog to a #dogpark. Where can I find a good one in #Sacramento?” is a tweet that will show up in the #dog feed, #dogpark feed and #Sacramento feed. Someone is more likely to see it and help answer this Tweeter’s question quickly. This Tweeter may even gain followers who have the same question or common interests, like owning a dog in Sacramento. Hashtags are very simple, and it’s recommended to start one to help brand your company. However, be wary: don’t just flood your tweets with hashtags. It is only recommended to have, at most, 3 hashtags per tweet. Flooding is frowned upon in the Twitter community and can lead to a loss of followers.

In reality, this is only scratching the surface of the vast Twitterverse. Remember: Twitter is about quality NOT quantity. Twenty random posts per day is not as great as one or two posts per day about a specific topic. Tweeps (a.k.a. Twitter “friends”) follow you because they wanted to know more about your company and your topic. Less is more, and if you have a lot to say, there’s always a way to link your larger posts from other websites (like this blog, for example) to one of your tweets… but we can save that lesson for Twitter 202.

Tweeting is like texting

Twitter has slowly become one of the best ways to get the word out about your business or organization. Each 140-character “tweet” can pack a powerful punch if used correctly. Not only does the 140-character limit make your tweets concise and to the point, but it also opens up access to all cell phone users, and not just smart phones with a Twitter app.

SMS messages (or text messages) on regular cell phones are limited to 140-characters before “spilling over” into a second text message. Part of Twitter’s early success was based on the fact that any cell phone user could text a command to Twitter’s special number, “40404,” and control their personal Twitter feed. From a cell phone, a Tweep (User of Twitter) can: tweet, follow another user, block another user & Retweet (“RT”) someone else’s Tweet.

A user can also handpick which Tweeps are privileged enough to have all of their updates sent to his or her phone. So, if your company or organization Tweets quality information that other Tweeps want to know about, you may just end up with a few Tweeps who are text message subscribers.

Stay tuned as we will have a Twitter 101 for the month of June. Here’s to good Tweeting from the company that Always “Tweets” You Right!

Social Media from an Intern’s Point of View

Social media is a full throttle expanding industry. You close your eyes for a good night’s sleep and wake up to find Facebook has a new look or new updates, Twitter has new features or hashtags, or there is a new sensational video on YouTube that has the world talking. Facebook now has more than 600 million active users and continues to expand globally. Facebook was first used to find friends and today has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Companies create fan pages for customers to visit and learn more about the company and products or services offered. The marketplace is an online store for Facebook users to post items they want to sell or give away or buy items. Facebook statuses are being used to inform customers of promotional events or giveaways. It is rare to find a company that cannot be found on Facebook today. Even though Facebook is increasing among companies, it is constantly growing for personal use. People want to connect with their friends and Facebook helps keep in contact with friends in a timely fashion. Twitter is utilized as status updates to keep customers engaged in what is new or developing with a company. Companies are coming up with creative ways to keep customers “following” their Twitter page. For example, Best Buy uses their Twitter for customer services, E! News tweets all the latest Hollywood gossip, and politicians are getting involved to increase interaction with their followers. For personal use, Twitter helps keep followers updated on their daily lives and is a convenient way to share pictures, websites, or recommend virtual and real places to visit. YouTube is a video-sharing website that users can upload, share, and view videos. Once you sign into YouTube, time flies. The videos are addicting and make you never want to log off. Companies are reaching out to their customers by getting involved in video marketing. The social media trend is ever growing and continues to transform the Internet age.

I use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to get more involved with companies and to follow my friends. Today’s technology is rapidly advancing and it is harder to manage my life and keep in touch with companies and friends. Facebook helps me engage in conversation with my friends by posting on walls, commenting on pictures, and updating my status. Twitter keeps me knowledgeable about the latest companies’ news and my friends’ daily outings. YouTube helps time fly when watching videos that capture the mind of millions, it helps build brands and promote individuals. Social media is a tool to manage your time and life. While social media networks serve their own niches, many companies and individuals use them to drive traffic to their website, so we recommend remembering that it is your website that sells you and shows you off to the world, so make it a good show when visitors arrive.

What One Thing Do People Associate With Your Business?

It may not be what you think, such as your main product or service. It might be something seemingly insignificant to you, but particularly memorable for them. It may not be as simplistic or as silly as associations children may have with a place (e.g. “the red store” or the bank where “the nice lady gives out candy”). However, remember each interaction a consumer or prospective client has with your business, whether it be in person or online through social media, can have a direct impact. Your business may stand out from others simply because your tweets or Facebook updates feed them valuable tips or make them laugh. Your business might stand out in their minds from your competitors if you went above and beyond your normal business routine to give them exceptional service or follow up to see how they are doing some time after the sale or time of service. The good news is, through social media, you can tailor your message daily to help sculpt the positive experiences and interactions with your customers and seek their nearly immediate feedback as well.

Sharing Documents on Twitter

Don’t let Twitter’s 140-character limit fool you to think you can’t share larger documents with your fellow Tweeters.

TwitDoc.com gives you the capability to easily “tweet” documents and pictures.

It allows you to upload…

•  an array of files (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, PS and Open Office)
• images  (JPG, GIF, PNG, etc)
• videos (avi, mov, qt, mpg, mpeg, mpeg4, m4v, wmv, and flv)

…and gives it out on your tweet as a shortened URL for your followers.

Your maximum size for a document file is 15MB, image file is 10MB and video file is 25MB.

TwitDoc.com is just one more efficient tool you can use to share press releases, brochures, articles and other documents to create a buzz about your information. 

For search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, it can be used in combination with an HTML page on your website of the same information.  

Happy Tweeting!