Establishing Yourself in Social Media Without Wasting Time (or Losing Your Mind)

Week 1: Build Your Twitter Network & Get in the Groove

Become a Social Superhero

Become a Social SuperheroEstablishing Yourself on Social Media Without Wasting Time (or Losing

Your Mind)

Simple tools & methods to begin building your network, converse with others, and monitor your brand.

Build Your Network, Converse/Monitor

1.1

Get Organized

The rules are quite simple, actually.

General How Tos & Best Practices

Use an aggregator , like HootSuite or Tweet Deck. Set this up first, and you’ll thank yourself.

1.2 1.3

Week 1: Build Your Twitter Network & Get in the Groove

Get it all done in 30 minutes (or less!) a day.

Simple Daily Checklist

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

1.4

• It connects you with your consumers in real-time via the web, desktop applications, and even mobile.

• Finding a way to offer value while humanizing the business can lead to a stronger following and increased word of mouth marketing.

• This is the intro “Cocktail Party”. Light contact & light conversation with the intention of finding a few “gems” that will develop into quality business relationships.

Why Twitter?Simple…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

• Everything you do on Twitter has the potential of seeding something you can repurpose elsewhere: Blog, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

• Does Twitter seem nonsensical &/or overwhelming to you? If so, we need to break the ice, so you are comfortable with it as you roll out the rest of your strategy.

• Practice makes perfect. Learning how to get into your groove early on Twitter will make everything else easier as we move on to weeks 2-4.

Why Twitter First?Breaking the Ice…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

(We prefer HootSuite, but Tweet Deck is also a great option.)

• Aggregates Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Wordpress, Foursquare, and Mixi into a single dashboard.

• Built in tools for link shortening, scheduling messages, keeping track of searches, etc.

• Apps for SmartPhones to keep you mobile• Built in Results Tracking Dashboard

Get Organized FirstSet up HootSuite (or Tweet Deck)

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

1. Name or Brand Name2. Photo3. Location4. Web (blog / custom landing page)5. Bio (meta search! 165 Characters)

Profile ChecklistThese five items should always be present on your Twitter profile

View from Twitter:

View from HootSuite:

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

• Focus on QUALITY relationships• CONTENT is king• CONVERSE, don’t broadcast• INITIATE conversations• Be REAL• Let your network grow “organically”

Building The NetworkGeneral Best Practices to Keep In Mind…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

Locate influencers & key target customers using:• KeyWord/Phrase searches• Hashtags, ie:

– #followfriday / #ff– #EcoMonday– #oibiz, #realestate, #AnythingThatRelatesToYourBusiness

Building The NetworkHow To Find The People You Want to Connect With

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

• Tweet Actively w/keyword-rich, quality content

• Visible links on website & blog

• Link in Email Footer

• Add logo/handle to printed materials

• Add logo/handle to all Email Marketing

• BONUS: Twitter specific biz cards / mini cards / flyers

Building The NetworkMake Sure People Can Find You

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

• Initiate conversations by tweeting great info, links, etc.

• Respond / Jump in when people talk about or mention you (public damage control when negative)

• THANK people for retweets, mentions & follows

• Retweet others & give them credit

• Be sure to give credit where due

• Use #followfriday, etc.

How To ConverseRemember: Twitter’s Main Purpose is Conversation…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

• Quality/Constructive product feedback

• Negative product feedback

• Relationships that are ready to move “offline”

• Great business ideas

• Great resource links

How To Monitor Your BrandFollow mentions of your company/brand & check regularly for…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

@ always use this before someone’s Twitter name (no spaces!) to

give them credit, mention, or converse w/them in the open arena

RT use this (followed by “@username”) to indicate you are “retweeting”

DM use very selectively (followed by “@username”) to send someone a

private/direct message. Use only when sharing private info, or when a single conversation string has gone on more than 4 or 5

exchanges.

# Hashtags are a great way to start or follow a specific conversation string

General How-TosWhat all those weird symbols mean…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

• Know your “magic number”: 140 characters minus the number of characters that “@username” makes up…

– Example: Magic Number for “RT @MeshMarketing” (17 characters) is 123

– Stick to Magic Number when possible so others can easily retweet you .

General How-TosHow to be sure your full message is visible to all & easily Retweetable…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

• Use the Direct Message feature unless you are taking an ongoing conversation (already initated) private &/or the recipient has invited the message

• Over-Sell or Over-Advertise. – ie: It’s ok to let folks know you’re running a sale or special, but

if you need to do so, make sure you’re carrying on other conversations at the same time.

DO NOT…With VERY few exceptions…

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

3 Step Daily ChecklistHow To Tackle Twitter in 30 min (or less) a day…

• Check for new followers• Follow the good ones back• Initiate conversations with the really good ones (with a simple hello & why your happy to “tweet” them, bonus if you review their website & use subject matter to initiate a conversation!)

• Check for mentions of the company/brand• Mentions Column• Search for brand/company name

• Respond (thank you, answers, etc)

• Scan your hashtags/searches for stories worth engaging on &/or retweeting• BONUS: Keep a list of stories you’ve discovered online that your followers might also appreciate, and take a few min to tweet & include your thoughts. Use hashtags where appropriate so your thoughts become part of a larger conversation.• BONUS: Repurpose any of these items by posting the best ones on your Facebook wall, and be sure to provide your personal commentary there as well.

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

SEARCHES

MENTIONS

PEOPLE

It’s Okay…

It’s really ok if you DON’T:

• Check Twitter EVERY day– Skipping a day, or frankly, a weekend, is okay…really!

• Have anything interesting to say – (when this happens, just step back, “observe” & enjoy)

You’re only human. So is everybody else on Twitter…that’s the point, so don’t beat yourself up over

NOT being a superhero sometimes.

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

RememberTwitter is About Using Your Own Voice

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

Use this as a guide to get started, then

develop your own style!

Next Session…Taking it to the next level by combining Blogging & Twitter

Week 2: Blogging & Twitter…

the one-two punch

Become a Social Superhero: Week 1

Portland, Maine207-332-7418hello@meshmarketing.bizhttp://www.meshmarketing.biz