My Top 7 Essential Twitter Tools

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you have probably heard something about the new microblogging platform, Twitter, and how Twitter has taken the online marketing world by storm. The phenomenon has even spawned a new lingo, with new your new tweeps (followers) tweeting (making posts) you and discussing the state of the Twitterverse (you get the idea here).

While Twitter is pretty easy to use, there's an overwhelming amount of tools, plug-ins and applications being developed to support it. I ran across one blog that listed over 100. How can you determine which ones will best support you in your use of Twitter?

I've tried to sort though all of the junk, and come up with my 7 essential Twitter tools:

1. TwitterFox. This is actually a Firefox browser plug-in that permits you to keep up with your tweets and any direct (private) messages that come your way. Tweetdeck and Twhirl similarly help your manage your tweets and tweeps and have gotten rave reviews from users, but I prefer the simplicity of Twitterfox. All I have to do is check the Twitter logo in the lower right corner of any browser window to check my Tweets and to reply to any of them that I want.

2. TweetLater. The primary function of TweetLater.com is to permit die-hard Twitterers to stock up Tweets that can be scheduled to be posted over a period of time. However, the reason that I like it is that I can forward the emails about who is following me to my TweetLater email address, and my will automatically get a direct message from me. I just love it when I can automate my marketing tasks!

3. TwitterFeed. This service will enable you to feed your blog posts to your Twitter account. You can control the frequency with which Twitter displays your blog post, as well as the text used to preface your blog feed. I use "Blog update" to preface my posts.

4. TwitterSearch. This site offers a quick way to search what people are posting about particular topics or keywords in the twitterverse.

5. TweetBeep. This is the equivalent of Google Alerts for Twitter, which permits you to track mentions of your name, products, company, or anything else you want to track.

6. LoudTwitter. LoudTwitter is the bridge that posts your daily Tweets to your blog Your blog takes care about the archiving of your tweets along with your other posts, which give more context. After all, if you have a blog and a Twitter, your blog is probably the core place where you want to be found and tracked.

7. Png.fm. While technically not a Twitter tool, I quickly tired of manually updating my status settings at all of my social networking sites. So, I began using Ping.fm. When you update your status at Ping.fm, the service will automatically update your status on all of your social networking sites, like Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, Pownce, to name a few (there are 21 you can update). Depending on the number of networks you use, it will take you 10-50 minutes to connect your Ping.fm account to your various social network accounts. However, once everything is set up, you simply log into your Ping account, post your update (no more than 140 characters), and your status is automatically upgraded on all of your social networking profiles.

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3 Quick Steps to Making Money With Twitter!

This year, 2011 marks Twitters 5th anniversary. Twitter has revolutionized the way we communicate with each other by allowing instant messages to be sent and received by large groups of people in a quick and easy way. But, did you know that you can also use Twitter to market products, information and ideas...and make some extra money while doing so. This article will discuss 3 simple steps that you can implement right away to begin earning some extra money using Twitter.
1) Getting Twitter Followers
2) Finding a Product or Idea to Promote
3) A Simple Marketing Plan
If you are reading this and you are already a famous celebrity, then you don't need any help in getting Twitter followers. However, if you are a regular person like me, then you will need to engage in some simple steps to increase the number of people following you.
First...Getting Twitter Followers.
I'm going to give you a rough overview of what you need to do rapidly and incredibly increase the number of Twitter followers that you have.
1) Obviously you will need to have a Twitter account set up that is in an area that you find interesting. This could be astronomy, gardening, automotive repair...really it could be anything. Just make it something that you enjoy.
2) One of the "secrets" if you will, that many people don't realize about Twitter, is that many times if you follow someone...they will follow you back. So, do this...go to Twitter and log into your account. At the top of the page you will see a search box next to the Twitter logo. Type in a word that covers the topic of your Twitter account and press the search button. Twitter will then list several Twitter accounts that are in some way related to your Twitter account. Go ahead and click on any one of these Twitter links...Here is what you are looking for...
A Twitter account that has "FOLLOWERS" and is "FOLLOWING". For example, you see that a given Twitter account is Following 1,360 people and has 237 Followers...Well, it is a pretty good bet that this account will follow you back after you follow it. How do I know this? Because this account is in fact "Following" people on an active basis.
If you click on another Twitter account and see that this account is Following 6 people and has 19,200 Followers then you would probably not want to follow this account, simply because they really aren't interested in following people.
Second...Finding an Idea or Product to Promote.
Who knows, maybe you have already written an ebook or report that people would find interesting. If so, you can market this product to your Twitter followers. If not, then I would suggest that you visit ClickBank and choose an item that fits in with the profile of the Twitter followers you have. As per the example above, you would choose an information product that has to do with gardening. Take a little time with this part of your plan. You may not necessarily want to start promoting the very first offering you see in your chosen category at ClickBank. Why not? Well, my guess is that there are a lot of people promoting that item. Why not choose a product from the 3rd or 4th page...something not already so heavily marketed.
Third...A Simple Marketing Plan.
Don't be too hasty to get the word out about the wonderful product you are now offering to your Twitter followers. Let's take a more sensible approach to this. Why not attempt to position yourself as kind of an expert in your chosen market. Would an expert only send out advertisements for something to buy, and nothing else? Probably not. I suspect that a true expert in a given field will provide his/her readers with solid information, witty and thoughtful insights, leads to where they can get additional information, and occasionally information on items they can purchase through you.
Find some quotes that you can tweet relating to your field. Research and write a quick, informative articles that offer some insight or advice, tweet links to news stories and headlines that bear on your subject. This will all help you to feel and come across as an expert. Try not to send out more than 3-4 "product" tweets a week.
If you follow these 3 steps you will find that your Twitter followers are increasing, people will start to see you as an expert, and you will earn some extra money for your efforts.

For a great 5 step plan that builds on the steps I've outlined here, take a look at my mini e-book "5 Steps to 5,000 Twitter Followers".

 

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5 Tips for Incorporating Twitter Into Your Social Networking Strategy

Social networking is all about connecting and building a community. To me, it's really no different from socializing in "real life". Sure, it may be a little more difficult because you can't hear the person's tone of voice or see the twinkle in their eye that lets you know they're kidding but it still is a matter of getting to know each other, building trust and establishing meaningful and hopefully mutually beneficial relationships.

As we reach the end of 2010, I'd like to share a few simple Twitter tips that I've learned in my very first year of blogging.

#1 - Personalize Your Profile & Background
Your Twitter profile is an extension of your brand. At the very least, try to incorporate your colors and your logo. The main challenge with designing a Twitter background is that it will look different on different monitors due to the various resolutions. If you choose to design a background, keep in mind these 3 points:

• Most users have a screen resolution of 1024×768 or higher
• The main Twitter area is approximately 763 pixels wide
• The Twitter logo and menu area is approximately 71 pixels vertically

Don't forget to use keywords in your bio but make it interesting.

#2 - Your User ID is Part of Your Brand
If you haven't created a user ID yet, keep in mind that Twitter only allows 15 characters for your user name. This is a good place to register your ID first and then hop over to the other key social networking sites and reserve it there. If you want to check to see the availability of your user Id first, go to KnowEm. Be sure to go to Gravatar while you're at it. Upload a picture and tie it to your email address and URL of your website.

#3 - Have a Strategic Goal in Mind
Why are you tweeting? Are you looking to build awareness of your brand? Are you looking to build your online community? If your intention is to use social networking sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to engage potential blog readers, clients and/or customers, this should be a clear goal. One way to build awareness and online credibility is by mixing your tweets with valuable information and joining conversations. Ask questions, retweet and show appreciation to your followers.

#4 - Build Your Following
Some people pursue Twitter as if it's a game to see who can get the most followers. That's fine for some but if you're looking for quality versus quantity, you may be better off building a following slowly. Keep in mind your goals and search for people who have similar interests. One thing to remember is to try to keep the number of people that you are following relatively close to the number of people that follow you. It helps build your credibility. I'm very bareful who I follow. I don't follow someone just because they're following me. To me, it's important to have people in my online community that I can learn from and who I respect.

#5 -Think Before You Tweet
Tweet thoughtfully. Try to add value by sharing information. Make sure you always leave room for someone to retweet your tweets. (In my case, I leave 13 characters - for "RT @keepupweb"). Try to write post titles that include keywords and are true to your content. Tweet several times during the day. I used to think that people would tire from seeing the same tweet more than once a day. In reality, by tweeting in the morning, afternoon, evening and late at night, I'm increasing the number of people who will see my tweets. I'm hitting different time zones and chances are the same people are not seeing the same tweets.

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Fast and Effective Secrets for Twitter

There are several business owners who don't know the first thing about Twitter. It seems like a pointless angle for creating your market, but when used the right way it can be one of the best platforms out there.
By now you have a Twitter account and have created your profile with an image and short bio about the company. The secret to Twitter is getting followers. Most people will tell you it's all about following others and they will return the favor.
Well, you can try it, but the ratio is actually horrible. I've tested it about 20 different ways and the results are about an eighth of who you follow will do the same for you. These aren't the kind of numbers you want when creating a market for the business.
Set aside some time to really focus on Twitter. It's a long process, but the more you're able to understand it the easier everything will be. Here are some steps to make it as effective as possible:
Sharing Photos- This is one of the most popular ways to attract attention. Since creating your market is the main goal it's a good idea to stick with images pertaining to your business. People love to share images, and if you can get some followers to start looking at them you will see several advantages open up. If you're not sure how to add a photo just go to the help area on Twitter.
Bio Rewards. Hopefully you've already put a short bio in place. This should basically be a description of your business with relevant keywords added. Twitter uses your bio to suggest you to others. It's one of the better benefits to their site. Just by adding a little information in the bio area you can get followers without doing anything else.
Hold Contests. You can use your Twitter account to hold contests. My favorite is sending them to a squeeze page where they enter a name and valid email address. People love contests, so it's going to attract attention to your business.
Add a Twitter Logo to your Website. This is extremely easy to do, and it can provide you with additional followers. Sometimes people will reach your website before they even know you have a Twitter page. Those who have a logo or link to their Twitter account will be one step ahead of everyone else.
Educate. You have the ability to come across several new users on Twitter. In order to get these people to follow you just explain to them how tweeting works, especially re-tweeting your links. This can be a huge benefit when creating your market. These people definitely have friends, and those friends might be interested in your business. A helping hand goes a long way, which is why educating newcomers continues to work.
Use Facebook. Don't forget to add your twitter URL to your Facebook page. In fact, you can branch out and add it to all your accounts if it's applicable. This will bring in users you've never even seen before, and it's possible they will help build your business as a customer.

Take the time to use each one of these tips. As you market your business or build your brand you must involve Twitter or you're going to miss out on a lot of business. Just like Facebook it's going to allow you to build relationships. Eventually you won't have to do anything but respond to messages and reply to tweets.

 

 

 

 

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Electronic Billboard Advertising Brings Life to Twitter

Trying to find a way to actually make Twitter a viable advertising avenue if frustrating to many brick a mortar businesses. Twitter being a social media for advertising, among other things, seems to be the perfect way to get low cost advertising to your target audience. If your business already utilizes electronic billboard advertising, why not try incorporating the two?

Electronic billboard advertising enables the client to change his message with a simple click of a mouse. No more having to get a crew to go out and change a message manually. To incorporate twitter, first set up a Twitter account at the office. Take a bit of time to include your website and have a look around the Twitter site to see what it can do.

Now its time to put electronic billboard advertising to work for your Twitter site:

• In a small corner put something like "Check us out on Twitter for a Free coupon" or just put the Twitter logo and "Free Coupon" underneath. People recognize the logo and will know where to go. Make sure your twitter account is the name of your business. If its not, make sure to put the name of your Twitter account underneath the free coupon statement so the customer will know where to go.
• Put up advertising in the store. Posters such as "check out our new Twitter account for Free Coupons. This lets your regular customers know that there is a deal for them on Twitter. Also print out on flyers and incorporate into the poster what the coupon looks like on twitter so your customer will know what to look for.
• Make sure that your put on the coupon in your Twitter that it says that to get this offer, the coupon has to be printed out. This way you know that that customer has gone to the site. It is a good way to see who is taking advantage of the advertising.

 

 

 

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How to Create a Twitter Badge Link

A Twitter badge is also called a button, a small graphic that includes something Twitterish like a bird on the Twitter logo, which you then set up as a link to your Twitter home page. There are some sites you can check out to find the badge that you like :

1. Limeshot Design: limeshot.com/2008/follow-me-on-Twitter-badges
2. Randa Clay Design:randaclay.com/freebies/free-Twitter-graphics
3. Vincent Abry: vincentabry.com/31-logos-et-boutons-pour-Twitter-2480
4. Shia Design: siahdesign.com/archives/150

Then download the badge you want to use on your web site to your computer, and then upload the badge to your Web site. There are the instructions for using Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari to download an image ( a Twitter badge ) to your computer:

1. Internet Explorer: Right-click the image, click Save Picture As, choose a location, edit the file name, and then click Save.
2. Firefox: Right-click the image, click Save picture As, choose a location, edit the file name, and then click Save.
3. Safari: Right-click the image, click Save picture As, choose a location, edit the file name, and then click Save.

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How to Add Twitter to Your Blog

Adding Twitter to a blog can be a challenge challenge for a beginner. You may not know what to add and how it will work. The good thing about implementing Twitter is it's very user friendly and easy to understand.

Coding and HTML

Coding seems to hard to do a lot of the time, but it's not. The codes for adding Twitter to your blog are all on the Twitter website for whatever you need - whether it's a streaming widget or just a logo or icon. All you need to do is a simple copy and paste.

Widgets

There are plenty of widgets you can use to add Twitter to your blog. These are usually placed on one side or the other of the blog and stay towards the top no matter how far you scroll down to read the posts. This makes the whole process that much easier to do and the widgets can really stand out on your blog. These widgets can be customized before they are added to the website and can be made to match what you are doing.

Logos

A Twitter logo lets readers know you have a Twitter account and you also post there. This can help readers feel like they know you and can connect with you. You can create the logos so they will connect straight to your account so they can connect with you.

When you are adding Twitter to your blog, remember to reconcile your voice with how your blog reader's perceptions and how you want your readers to react to you. For example, if you write a Christian blog and then curse on your Twitter feed, you're going to turn off readers.

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