Twitter Talk 101

Have you wanted to dip your toes into the Twitter pool? 

Welcome to Twitter Talk 101!

My goal is to give you a quick lesson on how to talk Twitter so Tweeple (Twitter people) will respond to your Tweets.

Here are five “must know” tips to speak the language of the Twitter-verse:

1. Worth Repeating:  RT (re-tweet) is a way to give props to other Tweeters for a great find or saying something worth repeating.  Everyone loves to be RT because it spreads their tweets around Twitter!  But, remember, you are putting your name on their tweet, so check it out and make sure it something you want to share with your followers.    Tweet Example:  RT @MagicUSA Check out my recent article Warning: U R Contaminating Your Marketing Pool 
2. Add Pounds (#):  The # sign behind a tweet is a way for Tweeple to search for terms.  Twitter probably logs millions of tweets a week.  Google could not even keep up with that kind of traffic!  Entering # and a descriptor afterwards gives people the chance to search for that term.  Tweet Example:  “Don’t tell my mother I work in an advertising agency; she thinks I play piano in a whorehouse.”- Jacques Seguela #quote
3. Short and Sweet URLs:  Many people are concerned that they will run out of things to talk about in 140 character increments.   Some possibilities include music, video, articles, websites, blogs, and stories from around the internet; however, because you only have 140 characters, long URLs can be a problem!  Here is your best URL friend in the world:  www.tinyurl.com.  TinyURL makes long, rambling URLs into short and sweet Twitter-friendly URLs.  HINT:  Be sure to add an extra space on each side of your links to make sure they are set apart from the text (avoids links that do not work!)  Tweet Example:  Read “Ease Muscle Tension and Stress at Your Desk” by Kristi Daniels, Work-Life Balance Examiner   http://tinyurl.com/degkg4
4. Set the Date:  Certain days in the Twitter-verse hold a special meaning.  For example, Fridays are always #followfriday (remember that the # sign makes it searchable!).  So, on Friday, promote some of the better Tweeters you know to your followers.  They usually return the favor and send a DM of appreciation.  Tweet Example:  [insert your reason here – something short like GREAT TWEETS will work fine] @MagicUSA  @SEOcopy  #followfriday
5. DM or not to DM:  After being followed, you have access to the direct message (DM) feature of each person.  DM is the 140 character equivalent of an email.  Use it politely and with caution until you have tweeted with a person a few times.    Twitter Note:  NEVER use DM for advertisements or promotions.  This will get you unfollowed or banned from Twitter.

Ok…that’s it!  If you have any questions or comments about Twitter, then please let me know. 

Talk back to me…or ask your most burning social media marketing question to see yourself as the star of my next Examiner topic.

Tweet’cha Later @MagicUSA

~ by marketinggoddess on June 28, 2009.