Twitter-Jason Gazaway

Step On Board the Twitter Revolution and
Take Your Blog Viral
Ever since Twitter got going on the World Wide Web, it has been a revelation of sorts.
At first, many thought that it was simply a ‘fad’ type of social network that would
disappear into obscurity within a few months.
In fact – quite a few people still think so, and don’t understand just what it is about
Twitter that is so appealing.
At core, Twitter is really a very simple system: It allows people to make ‘posts’ of 140
characters or so, about their status. Needless to say, this simplicity is deceiving, as
you’re about to find out!
By now, marketers have really and truly embraced Twitter. The savviest actually did
so a long time ago – the minute they realized just how much potential there was in
using Twitter as a marketing tool.
Today, the Twitter revolution is firmly underway, and if you aren’t on board – you’re
missing out!
Within this guide, you’ll find everything that you need to understand and tap into the
power of Twitter. By the time we’re done, you should be well on your way with
Twitter, and able to even start to see some of the results.
First – let’s take a look at the true importance of Twitter as a marketing tool.
Unearth the Power of Twitter
What is it about Twitter that makes it have so much potential? Why are marketers far
and wide raving about it? Why do some big multinational companies have their own
Twitter sites too?
If you’re asking yourself any of these questions, you’re on the right track.
Frankly speaking, the main advantage of Twitter is this:
Twitter offers an unprecedented, simple, and extremely viral way of connecting
to customers and potential customers.
As a marketer, you should instantly see just why that is appealing. After all,
connecting to customers and potential customers is what any marketer should want to
accomplish, and a tool that helps that is certainly welcome, right?
But the question is: How does Twitter accomplish this?
To fully appreciate just what you could do by tapping into Twitter, you need the
answer to that one very simple question, and we’re going to give that to you right
here and right now!
Basically, Twitter operates on a mechanism known as ‘following’. People can ‘follow’
one another and remain updated on any Twitter posts (also known as tweets) that are
made.
If you like, you could think of it as a sort of list: By getting people to ‘follow’ you,
you’re going the equivalent of getting them to subscribe to your list and you can then
send them messages regarding… anything and everything you desire.
Unlike email lists however, Twitter has the added advantage of being ideal for twoway
communication. So you’ll find that your followers easily respond to your tweets,
and you can do likewise to theirs!
Due to this, in a short amount of time things can go viral and spread like wildfire
within Twitter – and beyond it!
Anyway, now that you understand the advantages that Twitter has to offer, let’s take
a step forward and look into getting you started with it. As you’ll soon realize – this
couldn’t be easier!
Getting Started with Twitter
Signing Up
To kick things off with Twitter, the very first thing that you’re going to have to do is
sign up for their service.
That much goes without saying, and you’ll find that on Twitter.com itself there’s a
nice, big, green button that quite simply says ‘Sign Up Now’. Head over there and
click on it!
Once you do, you’ll be taken to a screen where you need to fill in various details.
Most of these are simple, and they include your first name, last name, username,
password, email and a captcha image.
One thing that you need to be aware of is this: To effectively use Twitter, you’ll
probably want to link it to an email account so that any update will be sent there.
However, if you’re actively using Twitter, a lot of emails will be sent your way.
So you might want to give some thought into getting a separate and unique email for
Twitter, or otherwise setting up some email filters to be able to better manage your
Twitter emails.
Essentially, the signup screen that you’re looking at should appear like this:
Once you have your account all up and ready to go, the next thing you need to do is
take care of your profile!
Setting Up a Profile
As Twitter is a social site at heart, your profile is going to be of the utmost
importance – and neglecting it would be foolhardy!
Essentially, your profile is going to be the first thing that your followers (i.e. potential
customers) see of you. It’s going to be their first glimpse of who you are and what
you’re about – which means that getting it right is ever so important.
After all… first impressions do count!
Basically, by going to the ‘Settings’ section of Twitter, you’ll be able to access
everything that you need to set up a great profile based on these tabs:
All that you need is contained within those tabs, and so you’d best start off right from
the top, with the ‘Account’ tab.
In this tab, you’ll see a number of settings that you will find important. Here they
are:
Most of these settings are fairly self explanatory, but there are a few that you’ll want
to pay close attention to:
1. More Info URL – Essentially, this should be your blog or website, so that people
can find out more about you!
2. One Line Bio – The very first glimpse that people are going to have as to who
you are! Be sure to make it count.
After you’re done setting that up, move on to the Picture tab.
There, you’ll find that you’re able to upload a picture of yourself (or a company logo
as the case may be). Don’t underestimate the importance of using a picture – profiles
with pictures in them are taken a lot more seriously than those without.
Finally, head over to the Design tab and select the theme that you wish to use.
That’s it – you’re done setting up your profile and Twitter page! Not too hard, was it?
As you should be able to see now, this simplicity is part of the attractiveness of
Twitter.
Now you should have an up and running Twitter account, and there are just a few
more things to cover…
Final Words on Settings
Over the course of this section, we’ve looked at getting you started with Twitter, and
by now you should have done just that.
Of course, as you would have seen, there are a number of other Settings that you can
tweak, and whenever you have some free time you should go over them. In particular,
look at the ‘Devices’ tab which will allow you to sync Twitter with your mobile phone.
All things said and done though, you’re pretty much sorted and ready to tap into
Twitter for real.
So let’s move on and see how you can do just that.
Tapping into Twitter 101
Right now, you should have a Twitter account with your profile all set up – and that’s
a great start.
However, it is still early days as far as you’re concerned yet, and the first few steps
that you take are going to be immensely important as they’ll determine how quickly
you’re able to tap into the advantages of Twitter.
Very often, people make the mistake of thinking that they can just start tweeting and
everything else will fall into place. Sadly this isn’t entirely true. In fact, your very
first steps with Twitter should be two-pronged, i.e.:
1. Posting some tweets
2. Getting followers
Both of these are important. While it might be tempting to just focus on getting
followers initially, you’ll quickly find that it’s a lot harder to do so if you have an
empty Twitter page.
Frankly speaking, you’ll find that this is a recurrent theme throughout your time with
Twitter, and so you’ll undoubtedly want to get it as right as you can, as soon as
possible.
How about we look at exactly what you need to know about both…
A Complete Introduction to Tweeting
Tweeting, or rather the process of posting a Twitter post, is something that really is
an acquired talent.
More often than not, 90% of the tweets that people post are about their daily lives,
such as:
· ‘Heading out to town now’
· ‘Going to watch a movie’
· ‘Grabbing a pint at the pub’
· ‘Chilling out with my bestest best friends!’
While that’s well and good for someone who uses their Twitter to keep in touch with
their friends, as a marketer you’re not really going to want to be posting anything like
that at all.
Remember: Your key focus is the fact that you want to promote your products, and
your blog, through Twitter. As such, anything and everything that you post should
take this into account.
In other words: Your Twitter should be focused on the same niche that you’re in.
If you want to find out the secrets of tweeting successfully, as a marketer, then pay
close attention now because we’re going to give you all that you need to know about
how to post tweets that your followers will respond to!
All that you need to do is this: Provide value.
Just as with any type of content, tweets need to provide value so that your followers
will be interested in them, appreciate them, and respond to them. Of course, ‘value’
is a general term, and it would cover anything at all that is of interest, for example:
· An interesting blog post or article that you found
· A great article or compilation on your blog that you wrote yourself
· The latest news related to your niche
· Hot trends that are related to your niche
· Freebies
· Interesting and useful tools
· Solutions to common problems in your niche
As you’ve probably gathered by now, anything that is going to be of interest to people
within your niche could be deemed valuable.
Important Note: Due to the 140 character limit on tweets, you’re going to have to be
concise. So if you’re posting URLs, you might want to use a service such as TinyURL to
make it shorter.
When tweeting, all you have to do is log on, and at your home screen type in what
you wish to post. Something like this would work great:
Keep posting tweets that have ‘value’ and you’ll find that your Twitter starts to go
viral and you’ll gain more and more followers (and that means more and more
potential customers).
As you gather more responses, more followers, and more attention you’ll find that
this acts as a sort of ‘social proof’. From that, others will feel that, “Hey, if so many
people find this tweet valuable, there’s probably something to it!”
In no time, you’ll see just how virally your tweet could spread, and how amazing the
results could be.
Course, in order for this to happen you’ll need to have some followers to begin with,
and so it should come as no surprise that next we’re going to discuss just that.
Gathering Followers on Twitter
To get followers on Twitter, there is no ‘secret button’ to press. In short, it isn’t so
much one single secret that is going to determine your success or failure, but rather
you’ll have to understand just how Twitter works.
One quote in particular epitomizes the best way of getting followers: Give, and thou
shalt receive!
Frankly speaking, this applies in numerous ways, so let’s take a look at just what you
should be considering:
1. Following Others
In order to gain followers, you’re going to have to follow others. This activity,
in itself, is going to attract interest and cause them to perhaps follow you in
turn.
Needless to say, in order to follow others, you first need to find others to
actually follow, and for that you should use the ‘Search’ box that should be in
the right hand column of your Twitter home. It’ll look like this:
Just type in the term or niche that you’re searching for and you’ll be able to
locate people who are tweeting about it.
Otherwise, you could click on ‘Find People’ in the upper right hand corner and
locate people via the four options provided there:
Go ahead and try it out yourself!
2. Offering Incentives
One of the best ways to get tons of followers really quickly is to promote your
Twitter while offering incentives of some kind.
In some ways, by tweeting posts regarding things that are ‘of value’ to your
niche, you’re already providing an incentive. What could help further though is
offering something specifically to those people who follow you.
For example, you could offer a free 10 page report on some popular topic
within your niche to everyone who follows you. Or, if you have a product of
your own already, you could offer a discount to it.
Anything that provides that small extra reason for people to follow you should
work fine.
3. Establish Relationships!
Last, but certainly not least, the key to successfully using Twitter and gaining
followers is to establish relationships. Don’t just ignore your followers or simply
provide general ‘tweets’. Respond to queries, talk to new followers, and so on.
In the long run, you’ll find that this personal touch really counts for a lot.
Also, when you follow someone you should send them a message – this will
increase the likelihood that they’ll follow you right back!
At this juncture, we’ve covered everything that you really need to know about gaining
followers through Twitter, and you should have no problem going out there and doing
just that.
Occasionally, you may find that things don’t go exactly as planned but the key is to
keep on trying even when things slow down. Inevitably, some of your followers may
not ‘stick around’, but these are going to be acceptable losses if you’re gaining more
followers than you’re losing.
Before we let you head on out and get things started, let’s just look at one final
aspect of Twitter that’s going to help you out loads…
Boost Your Twitter Efforts With the Right Tools
Ever since Twitter started to really ‘boom’ on the marketing front, there have been a
whole slew of tools that have been released for it.
Different types of tools tend to serve different purposes, but on the whole all are
designed to help boost your efforts with Twitter and enable you to garner even more
compelling results in a shorter span of time.
Naturally – you don’t want to miss out on this!
Out of the many Twitter-related tools out there, some are going to be more beneficial
to you than others, and largely this depends on your personal circumstances. As such,
let’s get started by looking at a few of the more generally helpful tools.
1. Twitter Tools for Wordpress
Among the many tools out there, Twitter Tools for Wordpress is one that really
stands out.
In a nutshell, it is simply a plugin for Wordpress that integrates your blog with
your Twitter account. By tying them together in this way, you’ll find that a lot
of things are greatly simplified.
For example, with Twitter Tools, you’ll be able to post a Twitter tweet onto
your blog, or a blog post onto your Twitter.
Nowadays Twitter Tools even has a URL shortening section that will help make
this even easier.
Try it out and see how you could tie both your blog and your Twitter together
for even more compelling results!
2. TwitPic
Basically, this is a service that’ll allow you to share pictures using Twitter. In
some cases, you’ll find this tremendously useful.
3. TweetDeck
Sometimes, managing your Twitter account along with all the other social
applications can be somewhat tough – and that’s where TweetDeck comes in.
To put it in simple terms: TweetDeck is a browser that connects everything
together and allows you to manage your Twitter far more effectively than
otherwise – cutting your workload down to size.
Check it out – if you run multiple Twitter accounts, or even just use Facebook
too, it could be a tremendous help.
All of these applications should help you get started. Also, if you carry out article
marketing it would be worthwhile checking out how EzineArticles.com allows you to
link your account there with your Twitter account – thereby publishing and promoting
your articles automatically.
If you look deeper, you’ll find a there are tons and tons more options as far as Twitter
related tools are concerned, and you could start out and these two places:
1. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/19/the-top-20-twitter-applications/
2. http://www.longest.com/2008/10/28/top-twitter-tools/
Pay close attention to the apps that will allow you to use Twitter from your mobile –
they could help ensure that you’re in constant contact with your followers!
See how helpful all of these could be?
Final Words on Twitter’s Viral Revolution
Armed with everything that we’ve just given you, there’s really no reason why you
shouldn’t be able to fully and comprehensively tap into Twitter’s potential.
Remember: Twitter is extremely viral, and you should be aiming to harness that
particular nature of it. So go out there and get more followers, and spread your
influence far and wide!
Tapping into this resource is going to take you one step closer to turning your blog
into a profit powerhouse.
Be sure to keep your tweets of ‘value’ and you’ll get where you want to be sooner
rather than later.
All the best!