Why Should You Tweet? It’s a great way of finding out what others in your field are up to; it helps you meet new contacts; you can alert people to what’s new with you; and you can reach new potential contacts.
For my money, Twitter is more social than Facebook, thanks to the ease with which users can retweet content — in other words, share with their followers a post that they liked.
So how do you start tweeting and retweeting? These five quick steps will get you set up.
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Go to www.twitter.com and follow the directions. They’re supereasy, honest.
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When choosing a Twitter handle, try for something that’s as close to your brand or your name as possible. Sounds self-evident, but I’ve seen some bizarre permutations out there.
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Include a profile photo. I’ve seen some studies suggesting that users are more likely to trust, and therefore follow, other users who post a photo over those who can’t be bothered and stick with the default. If you’re tweeting exclusively on behalf of your brand, you probably want to use your logo as your profile photo. If you’re tweeting under your own name, you really should go with a headshot, even if it’s a stylized one, such as a cartoon.
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In the bio box, include a link to a Web page. Some people suggest going with a dedicated landing page. That can certainly help you track Twitter-generated leads, and if you want to offer Twitter followers special promotions, that’s handy as well.
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But a link to your company home page or your personal blog page, depending on whose behalf you’re tweeting, will suffice. If you don’t include any link, though, you lead potential followers to believe you’re a scammer.
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Make use of the bio box. So many Twitter users fail to include a bio. Do they assume we know who they are? Do they have nothing to say about themselves? Ugh.
Now you’re ready to go. For specifics on following other users, getting followers and posting on Twitter, visit http://bigfatmarketingblog.com/2010/06/09/twitter-so-easy-even-a-dog-can-use-it.
BLOGBIT
Are you checking out the Big Fat Marketing Blog (www.bigfatmarketingblog.com)? Editor at large SHERRY CHIGER loves Twitter and she wants you to love it too. She recently shared several tips for getting started on Twitter on the Big Fat Marketing Blog.