This week it’s all about Twitter. I’ve written about Twitter before but, as you know, things are always changing in the world of online marketing. Here are some Twitter “latest and greatests.”
Before you read all about it, here are some reasons using Twitter benefits your business:
- Robust Twitter presence gives your business credibility
- Easy access to industry news and research
- New opportunities for networking and
- Allows you to identify new prospects
Oh, and I’ve included a free Twitter editorial calendar you can use or update however you like.
Why?
Because I love you!
Twitter Content Curation
Finding great content for your tweets can be tough.
Here are some suggestions:
- Spend time on Twitter and retweet things you discover as you go. It’s easy and it fleshes out your timeline.
- Set up a Google Alert for keywords associated with your brand, such as “San Francisco Financial news,” “back pain innovations,” “insurance for startups” or “tax law.” Check your alerts daily and see if anything interesting pops up.
- Check out this blog post I wrote about content curation.
These three suggestions should be more than enough to get you started (especially number three!).
Twitter Editorial calendar
As your online marketing and digital strategies grow ever more sophisticated, you will want to plan your content for every social channel in which you participate. Think about it, in March, people like to know about shamrocks and green beer. Often in April, your customers are thinking about Easter or Passover. Think about your customers and lay out content that will interest them throughout the year.
Don’t be afraid to think in terms of both your content and that of influencers (people online with larger followings, perhaps, than yours) whose content you admire and you believe will be entertaining or useful for your clients.
Here is a link to the Twitter Editorial Calendar I created just for you so you can do just that:
How to Use Your Twitter Editorial Calendar
Here are some suggestions that will help you get the most out of your calendar:
- Make a copy of the calendar and rename it. That way your calendar will be private and not editable by other people.
- Choose 4 topics you would like to tweet about and put them in the top cells.
- Using the above content curation tips, start gathering links and information.
- Remember to use a mix of quotes, photos, links, and other content of interest to your readers.
- Only promote yourself 10 to 20 percent of the time.
- Start by tweeting at 9, noon, 4, and 8 — you can refine those times as you get to know your audience.
- Try the Twitter apps suggested below. They will help you do all this tweeting without having to sit in front of your computer or stare at your phone all day.
- Whenever you run across an interesting link or topic, note it in your calendar. That way, you’ll always be ahead of the game.
If any of this is confusing, don’t hesitate to leave a comment, below, or contact Anna Colibri (that’s me!).
Twitter Apps
Here are three Twitter apps that will make your life on Twitter easier:
HootSuite. After you decide on content, use HootSuite to schedule your tweets in blocks. You can schedule endlessly into the future, so you can even re-use and repurpose great content. Say you have a very cute Valentine’s Day photo you want to tweet? Schedule out for next year!
You can also customize which parts of Twitter you see (such as “sent tweets,” “direct messages,” or “mentions”) and even create saved searches so that you’ll know when your brand is mentioned on Twitter or the latest industry news.
Like everything worthwhile, learning a new app takes some time, but, in the case of HootSuite, it is definitely worth it.
Oh, and it’s not just Twitter you can schedule on HootSuite but many other channels as well, including LinkedIn and Facebook.
Twitpic. This app makes it easy to tweet photos from your phone. In a nutshell, register with the app and get your own, unique email address. Then, when you take pictures, you can email them to Twitter, putting all the 411 into your subject line. This process takes just minutes. Super handy for tweeting images on the go.
ManageFlitter. The free version of this service allows you to analyze who you follow on Twitter based on a variety of criteria, including whether they follow you, whether their account is fake, how often they tweet, and more. Paid versions allow you to “power tweet” at optimal times throughout different time zones, among other features. Check it out just to see the possibilities.
Still not convinced that Twitter can benefit your business? Let me know why in the comments.
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