Archive for February, 2009
Get More Twitter Followers
Remember back in the early days of social networking when it was nothing but giddy fun? Myspace hit the local teen scene while I was a youth pastor at a local church, and it took the kids by storm! Why? Because that’s where connections happened. Some genuine, others superficial, but the opportunity was the remarkable nonetheless. Now time has passed, and the magic is gone. We are over its novelty, and have now grown to become concerned for our social media image. Better yet we want to have an army of followers. We must now attempt to stay relevant, authentic, and entertaining. A tall order to say the least. So how do you maintain Twitter authenticity? How can you best represent yourself in only 140 characters? Basically, how do I get more followers?
Know thy Digital Self!
Quick! Describe yourself in one snappy line! Sadly, we have become a people of brevity. My High School English teacher said it best, “say more using less words.” My vocabulary was forced to improve, and I became a more efficient communicator. What do you represent yourself to be in the simplest terms possible? Are you authentic or are you a good window dresser? Do you wax poetic or are succinct?
What do you offer?
Many people come to social networks or new media WANTING rather then PROVIDING a service. I am a huge proponent that both new and social media will not grow beyond its current infancy unless we nurture and feed it. How do we do this? We help each other out. At its core any market consists of its people therein. So…what do you offer to your audiences? Do you offer substance, and quality? Are you only here to attract attention to yourself, your brand, or your cause?
What do you want?
What are you hoping to achieve? Being the coolest kid on the block, and having the most friends just for the sake of being surrounded seemed to work in the early days, but now we are putting greater emphasis on the quality of the connection, not the amount. Personally, I desire to meaningfully connect with other new media professionals. Basically I want to make friends. I like people. I like to talk. I love what I do. So…there really are no wrong connections for me.
Conclusion
These are only a few questions that should be asked frequently to constantly be improving your twitter image. I find it very intersting that it is so much more difficult to accurately represent yourself online then it is in person. In person you have a first impression which is a lingering affect, but other then that your personal image is fluid and dynamic, yet our online personas tend to be distant and impersonal. Odd…Thoughts?
Twitter Pitfalls and Ladders
Twitter has rapidly become the center of our social media selves. The micro-blogging site has risen through the ranks of relevance from a select few kings of nerdom to being called home by celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, and Demi Moore. Despite questions regarding its business acumen, or even its long term benefits, Twitter’s pop culture placement is only now becoming evident. Many questions then must be explored such as how can someone avoid looking like a fool and rather attempt to cultivate a valuable community? Well, I do not have every angle planned out, but this is what I have learned recently through personal experience or taught by a fellow sojourner of the Twitterverse!
Pitfalls
Conversation : Relegate your lengthy conversation to direct messages. Why? You may turn off some of your followers due to the fact that you are constantly speaking to others regarding issues that they have no clue about. It is as if they are eavesdropping on an inside joke or a private conversation. You begin to alienate the masses quickly, while becoming close to a select few.
Pigeonholed : Take a minute and glance through your most recent tweets. Do you find yourself pigeonholed and only revealing a specific portion of your personal or business life? You could be coming off very monotone. Or are you engaging, approachable, and informative?
Pansy : Don’t be pansy, say something! So often I find myself following a genuinely interesting person who seldom says anything out of step with pop culture topics. Engage people! Even from other points of view. I received more RT and conversations due to my one tweet regarding my pastor literally baking a cake of cow manure to illustrate the hypocrisy of the Christian church covered by a thin sweet covering of “christianese.” Make a stand for something, anything. Don’t be a pansy.
Ladders
Schedule: I was most recently made aware of “Follow Fridays.” Essentially on Friday you offer up whomever you have most recently discovered and have enjoyed following throughout that week. I stumbled across this as one of my followers was proud to announce that they had been recommending me. I was flattered, and was then able to return the favor. We had successfully introduced the other into their respective community. Its very much similar to the “grandfather phone call.”
Routine : I have created a short routine for myself consisting of topics I love to cover. I prefer giving film quotes and having my followers guess. I find my audience enjoys seeing pictures of the studio lots that I visit on a daily basis. Find out what your audience likes, and give ‘em more of it. A routine does not mean you are predictable, rather reliable.
Pictures & Hashtags : I can not recommend Tweetie enough! I love this application for its reasonable price, as well as for its simplicity. It has revolutionized how often I post pictures. Previously this was a cumbersome task for my iPhone and I to accomplish, which is why I avoided it. Tweetdeck also makes hashtags simple enough to use frequently. These simple tools enrich your audiences experience and connection with you.
Conclusion
Twitter is a very powerful tool which we are constantly attempting to better utilize for our businesses as well as our personal lives. I’m sure I missed a pitfall or two. Feel free to add to this with your own unique experiences. How do you use Twitter? How do you think you can improve your usage?