Let's Get Tweeting!

Thanks to Melinda at Green Desert Art for the link to this great info!

1. Your Twitter Name

Your name is the first thing that people will see on Twitter. Use the name you want to represent your brand. 

2. Profile Picture/Avatar

Recent studies found that your profile picture is more than just a pretty face.  Two separate studies concluded that one’s avatar affects how a message is received, and also how individuals interpret it.The higher the friendliness and attractiveness of the avatar, the more intimate people are willing to be with strangers. Many suggest using an image of yourself rather than a business logo.

3. Profile/Bio

The profile is your big branding opportunity to make your unique mark. This is your virtual personality! Choose your profile words wisely. This is a great opportunity to brand yourself and/or your business. These few words will say a lot to the world about who and what you are. Make it ‘catchy’, this description helps people immediately make the choice to follow you or not.  Also a custom page is a good way to grab attention.

   

Here’s a tip: Once you have chosen your Twitter name and your profile page is complete, add yourself to the free Twitter Directory, WeFollow.  This way, you can track your ranking, status and influence on Twitter.

4. Your Website/blog

  Be sure and add your website, shop or blog to your Twitter profile. Interested tweeters will click on your website link to learn more about you. This is now a major branding/image building medium. In past years, a website was thought to be something that you did along with your advertising.  It has become a major portal and link to the public. As the lines between TV and Internet become blurred, websites will become an even more important part of marketing and branding.

5. What to tweet

 Engage with your followers and don’t focus on selling, but focus on giving. You are here to build valuable, real relationships. By engaging your market you are creating a community around your brand. Sharing photos and videos is a great way to engage your following in conversation. Be sure and pass along good content. Twitter is micro-blogging. Your followers are looking for tweets with value. If they don’t find it, they will either delete you or forget you. I mix in tweets about fashion and I have a thing I do called #myrules and it’s my made up rules about silly stuff like it being ok to eat cookies for breakfast during Christmas time.

Example:

“ Rule # 4: It's ok to have cookies for breakfast the week between Xmas and New Years. Also,candy is considered a breakfast item too. #myrules”

6. Be Sure and Retweet

 Retweets are the way to pass along quality tweets from our fellow Twitter friends. The retweet can also be used as a great way to capture the attention of someone in or outside your niche and start a conversation. You can use Twitter’s automatic RT button. Just be sure sure to use the RT (for retweet) then space, add @username of the original person who generated the tweet along with the information you are tweeting.

     

For example: “Tweet people the way you want to be treated.” RT @username

7. Keep it Simple

Learn how to abbreviate your tweets. You can use URL shorteners like bit.ly, tinyURL and more. When you tweet items directly from the button on that item in your shop it automatically shortens the link URL.

8. Be a Good Follower

 Ask yourself if you want to actively engage with your followers, or do you want to follow everyone back? Decide what works best for you. It is nice to reach out to your friends and followers…

   example: Jane, thanks for treasuring my necklace! @janesetsyshop

It is also good to reach out to some of the bigger Twitter names. These tweeters have a lot of experience and if they RT you, it helps with your own Twitter influence.

9. Using #Hashtags

 #Hashtags help you target your specific niche or interest and provide real-time tracking of Twitter.

    For example: “Vintage Trifari Earrings $10.00.” #Vintage #jewelry #vjse2

Using the #hashtag symbol in front of the keywords, like “vintage” will help tweets be seen by anyone searching for the hashtag #vintage.

@Mashable has a great article, HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Twitter #Hashtags

10. When to Tweet for Impact

Tweet at different times throughout the day.

Sites that can help you manage your tweets:

Tweetdeck-http://www.tweetdeck.com/ 

Dynamic Tweets- http://www.dynamictweets.com/

Tweetcaster- http://tweetcaster.com/  (mobile Twitter app)