Twitter for Business

Twitter for Business

Courtney Maistros@AnnashaeGRP

Twitter Definitions The following terms and their abbreviations (in parentheses) are essential for understanding the network.*

• Tweet: A 140-character message. Characters are letters, numbers, spaces and punctuation.

• Retweet (RT): Re-sharing or giving credit to someone else’s tweet.• Handle: Your username.• Mention (@): A way to reference another user by his username in

a tweet (e.g. @mashable). Users are notified when @mentioned. It’s a way to conduct discussions with other users in a public realm.

• Direct Message (DM): A private, 140-character message between two people. You may only DM a user who follows you.

• Hashtag (#): A way to denote a topic of conversation or participate in a larger linked discussion (e.g. #AmericanIdol, #Obama). A hashtag is a discovery tool that allows others to find your tweets, based on topics. You can also click on a hashtag to see all the tweets that mention it in real time — even from people you don’t follow.

*from The Beginners Guide to Twitter from Mashable.com

How to Tweet

To compose a Tweet click inside the box that states “Compose new Tweet..” where the red circle is.

Remember-the Tweet can only be 140 characters in length. If it is too long Twitter won’t let you send the message.

How to Tweet

Incorrect way to Tweet

In the example above, this message is over by fourteen characters which is noted in the negative red 14. Also the Tweet button is not able to be clicked.

The tweet needs to be revised to be less than 140 characters.

How to Tweet

Correct way to Tweet

This message is able to be Tweeted which is noted by the blue Tweet button and there are no negative numbers. Note where the red circle is marking.

4 Types of Tweets

In the above example there are several parts of these Tweets.

The first example, is the title of the article and the link (noted by the Google shortened link) and a hashtag (#hcsm).

The second example, is the title of the article and the link (noted by the Google shortened link), a mention (@AIG_LatestNews) and a hashtag (#patientsafety).

All of the above Tweets are basic messages.

4 Types of Tweets

This is an example of a Direct Message.

Pacific Cove sent this private 140 character message to Annashae Staffing.

Direct Messages can only be sent to people following you.

4 Types of Tweets

The above are examples of Mentions in Tweets.

In the first example, there is a hastag (#FF) followed by various mentions (@Boston_Police, @Boston_EMS etc.).

In the second example, there are also mentions of other Twitter followers (@rjoem2010, @MassEMA etc.).

4 Types of Tweets

All of the above example are various forms of Retweets (RT).

The first two messages, contains “RT” which means the message was reshared from someone other than us.

In the third message, is a Retweet from Arianna Huffington directly. Her picture appears because we hit the Retweet button on her Tweet. Also in the right corner is the green arrow symbolizing a Retweet.

Twitter Tabs

“House/Home” Icon: Click here to see the news feed of all Followers Tweets/Messages.

“@Connect” Icon: Click here to see your interactions and mentions “# Discover” Icon: Click here to see Stories, Activity of other Followers, Who To Follow/Suggestions from Twitter, Find Friends and Browse Category.

“Person Profile” Icon: By clicking here you are able to see your Twitter profile.

“Blue Box with a Pen” Icon: Click here to Tweet or to send a message/post an update.

“Wheel or Gear” Icon: By clicking the triangle located next to it one can see the following information: Direct Mentions, Lists, Twitter Help, Keyboard shortcuts, Settings and Sign out.

Setting Up Your Profile Go to Twitter.com 1. Pick a Username (@username)

Consider company name and branding i.e. @AnnashaeGRP for Annashae Staffing

Setting Up Your Profile

2. Filling Your Bio, Logo, and ImagesAlways keep company branding in mind

Click the “Wheel or Gear” icon to edit your profile. Notice where the red circle is marking.

Setting Up Your Profile3. Fill in your photo and header images

Click on the “Profile” or “Deign” tabs on the left side to add in your Photo, Header,

and background images.

Setting Up Your Profile The images will appear like this:

Photo Image - Company logo

Header Image - Solid color

Setting Up Your Profile4. Name, Location, Bio

include important keywords and company website 160 Characters max in the Bio

Fill in the appropriate information in each the Name, Location(s), Company Website, and Bio

sections.

Completed Profile

Another View Completed Profile

This is the view of someone who is not following the Annashae Twitter account.

Think of it as how Twitter lists us to other Twitter users.

Content Ideas

Ask and Answering questions is a way to get great insight from your followers about anything.

Tip #1: When answering questions make sure to use the appropriate hashtag, in order to make your Tweets a part of the conversation.

Tip #2: When answering questions always mention the original source.

Content Ideas

Inspiring quotes or quotes from company leaders, customers or industry members are good pieces of

content to posts.

Content Ideas

Images are always a great thing to share on Twitter just like on Facebook. These get twice as much engagement as just text posts.

Not sure what type of images are good top post?Tip #1: Infographics which is shown above is a way to show data with engaging images.

Tip #2: Pictures of products used by customers, of industry leaders as they relate to your company, new products, etc.

Content Ideas

In the above image two types of messages are shared: Company and Industry News.

In the first example, we have shared an article about the healthcare industry.

In the second and third messages, are about us as a company-who we are hiring for.

Building an Audience

1. Connect to others already on Facebook, Linkedin, or who already know your brand, company and business.

2. Add Twitter follow button on all materials-online and print.

3. Add Twitter ReTweet button to all blogging materials.

4. Add Twitter account into other Social Media platforms. For example, connect Twitter to Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest etc.

Finding People to Follow

1. Import contacts from email accounts.2. Twitter Search- Twitter’s serach engigne.3. Followerwonk website- used to find

people who have similar interests by typing in keywords.

i.e. search for Twitter users who live in Ohio

4. When you read blog posts, tweet them and use the company’s Twitter handle.

Engaging with Audience

• Ask Questions – a great place to get advice about products, companies, and industry news.

• Always respond to people who Direct Message you or Tweet your content (@username).

• Participate in Twitter Chats for your industry.

Advertising with Twitter

• Promoted Tweets-Spread the reach of your messages on Twitter by promoting your Tweets. These tweets show up at the top of your Twitter news feed.

• Promoted Accounts-Shows up on the left sidebar on Twitter under suggested follows to your targeted users as well as in the suggestions Twitter offers when you follow a similar account.

Check Twitter Business for more information.

Courtney’s Recommendations

These are the programs I use most often and recommend to others*

• Hootsuite- Scheduling tweets to send out in the future, similar to Tweetdeck.

• Commun.it- #hashtag monitoring or who to follow or for lead generation.

• Tweriod/Followerwonk- Demographics of your followers.• Google Shortener- Shortening website URLs also great for analytics

of content posted. • Google Alerts-Gathering content sent via email about specific topics.

This cuts down on time to search for articles to post.

*I use the free accounts for each of these sites.

Twitter Resources

• Twitter Glossary: https://support.twitter.com/articles/166337-the-twitter-glossary#

• Twitter’s Help Center: https://support.twitter.com/articles/215585-twitter-101-getting-started-with-twitter#

• Twitter’s Business Center: https://business.twitter.com/

• Social Media Examiner-sign up for the e-newsletter for tips and tricks about all Social Media topics.