by Francois Muscat | Aug 27, 2012 | LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing, Twitter
In the past, we could update our LinkedIn profiles via our Twitter accounts by simply linking the two accounts and including a LinkedIn hashtag at the end of our tweets. Last month, Twitter put a stop to that, forcing users to go to Twitter to see and interact with tweets.
While many people were unhappy about this new development, it doesn’t look like Twitter is backing down. Towards the end of July, Twitter started to disable the ability of Instagram users to find their friends who are already on Twitter and add them as users on Instagram. This doesn’t mean you can’t log on to the different sites to find your pals on the various social media sites, it just means that Twitter isn’t going to make it a seamless process.
According to a few columnists, this is the first step toward disallowing Instagram users from posting their pictures to Twitter (which is almost certainly coming, warns the people who are in the metaphorical loop). Some commentators say this new development is due to Twitter feeling side-lined after Facebook acquired Instagram a few months ago. According to Forbes.com, Twitter Chair Jack Dorsey was pals with Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom. Dorsey, who regularly used Instagram, immediately switched to Pic.Twitter.com after Facebook announced that they now own Instagram.
All of this shows that even though we see LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as social networking sites that are ‘worlds apart’, they’re actually all intertwined and still very much in competition with one another.
The only problem with blocking apps and limiting inter-site functionality is that it might start to have an impact on the user experience, which remains the most important thing that each of the social media giants should be focusing on. Twitter has announced further changes to developer API access so this may just be the beginning of Twitter’s changes.
by Marianna Muscat | Aug 17, 2012 | Copywriting, Twitter
Copywriting is more than coming up with slogans and writing 800-word press releases – in today’s day and age, you’re probably going to be doing a bunch of more untraditional things, such as writing tweets, text messages and banner ads, for example.
There are so many different news sites publishing their content on Twitter, but some of them have hundreds and thousands of followers while others only have a few hundred. The way these accounts write their tweets definitely impacts the number of followers they have, the amount of traffic they are able to lead from Twitter to their site and the level of engagement they receive from social media users. Here’s how you can write tweets that make people take specific actions:
What to write if you want people to click on your links
If you want to drive traffic to your website, you need to add a certain degree of mysteriousness to your tweets. The Huffington Post on Twitter has mastered the art of getting people to click on their links. What they do is force you to open the link to get the answer to the question (or statement) in the tweet. Their tweets usually read along the lines of “Which celebrity got married at 15?”, “This country is the top polluting country in the WORLD” and so forth. Even the most disinterest reader is usually compelled to click on the link just to find out what the answer is. Add a level of secrecy and surprise to your tweets and you will get people to click on the links.
What to write if you want re-tweets
If your tweet gets re-tweeted, your name appears in your followers’ timelines. This is one of the best ways to gain followers seeing as your name and Twitter handle is able to virally travel to other people’s news feeds. If you want your tweet to get re-tweeted, you need to be funny, cheeky or interesting. If you follow comedians on Twitter, you’ll see they have huge followings thanks to a few quirky comments that got re-tweeted. If you’re not in the business of being funny, make sure you’re tweeting interesting, breaking news. New studies, interesting facts or exciting industry news will get you re-tweeted.
What to write if you want engagement
Creating a conversation and initiating dialogue is a great way to connect with your followers. When you start engaging with your followers, it humanises the Twitter account and builds trust. Tweets that initiate engagement include questions and controversial statements. It can be as easy as posting a link to your article and asking “what do you think?” – start asking questions and answering the questions of others to increase the level of engagement on your Twitter account.
Need help with your copywriting and social media marketing? Contact WSI OMS.
by Francois Muscat | Aug 3, 2012 | Social Media Marketing, Twitter
Do you ever wonder why some great twitter accounts have thousands and thousands of followers, while others have less than 100 – even if they’re both posting interesting tweets and tweeting consistently every day? Social media marketing has everything to do with strategy, consistency and content, but it also takes a few tips and tricks to really boost the engagement you receive. Here are a few tips for effective tweeting that we’ve picked up along the way:
Tweet when everyone’s working
Many clients think their target audience would rather read, tweet and engage during their free time, but studies prove otherwise. Studies have shown that tweets get a much higher engagement (up to 30% more) when they’re sent during office hours. Your target audience might not be surfing the internet all day long, but many people keep their Tweetdecks open throughout the day and regularly scan their feeds, so it’s worth your while to send tweets during office hours.
Don’t use all your characters
You only have 140 characters on Twitter, but this doesn’t mean you have to use all of it. Many people try to squeeze in as much as they can – even if it means using text shorthand like writing “B4” instead of “before” – but this could be counterproductive. People like to comment and add-on to what someone else is saying, so if your tweets are short, people are more likely to re-tweet and add their own two cents to the conversation (which is exactly what you want).
Conversations vs. content
It’s important to have conversations with your followers and the people you are following, but you also need to make sure you’re sharing content. Tweets with links are much more likely to get re-tweeted, so spend some time everyday writing blog posts or finding interesting articles to link to.
Need help with your social media marketing? Contact WSI OMS today!
by Francois Muscat | Jun 29, 2012 | Social Media Marketing, Twitter
Some people are pros at social media marketing – they know how to build a fan base, network and what to share on each platform. While there are many ‘Twitter User Guides’ that can help you master this platform, there are certain Twitter etiquettes that the pros are aware of, but don’t write aout.
If you’ve been using Twitter for a few months, you might not be aware of some of the things that make you look bad. To save you from losing followers and having an inactive account that nobody’s engaging with, I’ve listed a few things that can make you look bad on Twitter
1. You’re not a brand – you’re a person
If you’re a business owner, you will inevitably want to share press releases (or other good news) about your business. The problem with this is that it looks like you’re pushing an agenda. Make sure you’re tweeting your own opinions and news about other thought leaders as well, because if you’re only retweeting your company’s updates, it will make you look like a spambot or someone who’s not really using Twitter to network and engage with others.
2. Stealing tweets
One of the biggest problems with stealing tweets for your personal account is the fact that too many people are stealing tweets that everyone else has already read. While you shouldn’t really be stealing any types of tweets, you have to be particularly careful when copying information from popular accounts like Mashable, the New York Times, HubSpot, Huffington Post and other widely followed accounts. If you don’t give credit where credit is due (in other words, mention – via @Mashable in your tweet), you’re going to look bad.
3. Pretending you network with people you don’t know
It’s great to know important people like blue chip CEO’s and celebrities, but don’t pretend you’re tight with all the A-listers and ignore everyone else in your Twitter feed. People will think you’re elitist and that you consider yourself too important to pay attention to your other followers, which will cost you at the end of the day. Be inclusive and engaging with everyone from the VIP’s to your customers.
4. You’re always negative
Posting a complaint will often get a reaction – not only by the company you are complaining about but also by followers who agree with you, so this has become common practice to initiate engagements on Twitter. The problem with this is that you can be seen as overly negative and it will also affect your Klout score.
Keep these tips in mind to avoid looking bad on Twitter.
by Marelise da Silva | Oct 11, 2011 | Twitter
Twitter allows you to follow your interests and get instant updates from your friends, industry experts, favourite celebrities and what’s happening around the world. So for those of you who has yet to create a Twitter account, here is a quick step by step guide as explained by Twitter.
Step 1: Sign Up
Go to twitter.com, enter your full name and click “Sign up”.
Step 2: Choose your username
Usernames must be 15 characters or less and cannot contain ‘admin’ or ‘twitter’. Use your real name or pick something that describes you – whether it’s a nickname, an interest or a hobby.
Step 3: Choose your password
Choose a complicated password that is not obvious.
Step 4: Email address
A confirmation email will be sent to this email address to confirm your Twitter account, so use an email address you actively use.
Step 5: Prove you are human
Fill in the Captcha to prove to Twitter that you are not a robot.
Step 6: Find interesting sources
Select some of your interests from the top of the screen, or scroll through the interests listed below that. If you find an account that is of interest to you, click the “Follow” button. Continue the search and select more accounts that are of interest to you.
When finished, click the blue ‘Next: friends’ button.
Step 7: Find friends
- You can let Twitter scan your email address book in order to find contacts that are also using Twitter. It’s a fast and easy way to find your friends, if you would like to do so.
- Type your email address and your email password into the boxes and click ‘Find friends.’
- Choose the friends you would like to follow by clicking the grey ‘send request’ button next to their information
When finished click the ‘Next: others’ button.
A box will pop-up with your remaining contacts who are not on Twitter. To invite them to join Twitter, check the boxes next to the contacts you wish to invite – or click “select all” at the top.
Step 8: Twitter Search
- You can also search for anyone else you would like to add on Twitter.
- Type the name of the person you’re searching for into the search box.
- Tweets related to your query will show in the centre of the page. A list of matching accounts will show on the right hand side of your screen.
- Click the Follow button next to any you wish to begin Following. A confirmation message will appear.
by Marelise da Silva | Sep 10, 2010 | Twitter
Twitter is a free micro blogging Web 2.0 service that enables its members to read and send messages known as Tweets. Tweets are short text posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s followers.
You can send “Tweets” via the Twitter website, your mobile phone, instant messaging and a couple of other third-party applications. Twitter is one of the most used and top social media channels available to anyone but most members misunderstand the real power of this excellent Web 2.0 tool. Find below a couple of popular myths regarding Twitter
Popular Twitter Myths
You can’t say enough with 140 characters: Twitter forces you to be short and to the point in 140 characters or less. This gives you about 25-30 words to say what you have to say. Many “Tweets” are summaries containing the titles of blog posts and articles that links back to the original content.
You should always answer the question of “what’s happening?”: Although this is the first question you will see when you are posting an update on Twitter, it’s really all about what you want to share with the world – content sharing. In this way it really has turned into a micro blogging platform that anyone can use to share interesting topics, discuss trends, notify others, etc.
Twitter is only used for shameless self promotion: Even though there’s thousands of Twitter members that uses it this way, spamming Twitter to generate traffic to your website and blog doesn’t work. Think of it this way, if you were doing this at a social gathering, people will walk away and excuse themselves. Respect goes a long way.
There’s too much information on Twitter: In most ways this is true, but you have total control over whom and how many that you follow. Keep your network focused and follow only those that you find meaningful, informative and interesting. Un follow the ones that you find to only Tweet meaningless babble.
People don’t care what video you are watching now: This is true, but they do care if you have found a great YouTube video that will help them with a problem they might be having. Always keep your Tweets confined to interesting topics that are helpful and that others will find interesting or you will lose followers.
Follow only those that are following you: No, only follow those that you find interesting and meaningful. Focus on quality over quantity. You can use Twitter to foster relationships and selectively listen to only those that you want to. It is not about getting as many connections as possible.
All your followers will read your Tweets: This might happen if your followers are following only a couple of people. Many people are following hundreds of or even thousands of people. You can only get an overview of the activity and Tweets that are occurring.
I need lots of followers to make a success of Twitter: Many people make the mistake of believing that the only way to be successful on Twitter is by having lots – thousands of followers. They believe they will then be able to market their message to all of their followers. Yes it is true that if you have thousands of followers and you post an update that more people will see it, the real power of Twitter is in its real-time search engine. Have a look at Twitter search.
The Twitter search platform is most likely the best real-time search engine available today where you can search for anything in real-time what is happening on the Twitterverse. 99% of searches starts with a question. What if you can answer those questions in real-time?
