Entries Tagged 'twitter' ↓

If you’re going to use social media as part of your marketing strategy, you’ll need to know how your consumers are using it to make sure you’re getting the right type of information to the right people.

As more and more people start to dabble in the ‘social side’, the marketing landscape begins to change. People want to get their information in different ways, they want to connect with companies directly and quickly and how they access social media is also changing.

A recent report by Nielsen and McKinsey, called Social Media Report, looks at the survey results of consumers to discover how they use social networks.

Mobile time is increasing

With the rising number of smartphone users, it’s hardly surprising that the report found consumers are increasingly using their smartphones and tablets to access social media.

The main device used is still the PC, 43% of users said they used smartphones to access social media, with 16% using a tablet.

That would therefore suggest that as marketers, you should be investing in your mobile content. That means a mobile website, using social media and perhaps even getting your own app.

Pinterest rises

As a copywriter, Pinterest is something that I still haven’t really got to grips with.  But perhaps that should now change as the report showed that it had not only the highest increase in audience, but also the largest amount of time spent on any social network across all devices.

Of course, simply having an interesting display of great items on Pinterest isn’t going to do you any good unless you actually engage with other ‘pinners’.

Feel good feeling

One of the most surprising findings is that 76% of social media users said they experienced positive feelings after using it.  The felt informed, excited and connected.

Of course, you’re not going to please everyone all of the time.

Social TV and Twitter

Twitter was also discovered to be the most powerful driver of ‘social TV’ – that means that it’s the one platform people (usually adults aged between 35-44) use to share their views and opinions about what they’re watching (e.g. sports events, Elections etc.).

The report goes on to say that in June 2012, one third of active Twitter users tweeted about TV content, up from 26% from the beginning of the year.

Customer service through social media

The report showed that 1 in 3 social media users prefer is receive customer service through social media platforms as opposed to contacting the company by phone.

Of course, for marketers that means that consumers are used to receiving instant feedback and in fact expect it, so it’s important that your use of social media allows you to respond quickly.

The emergence of the social advert

What do you think about the social adverts you see on Facebook etc.? Well, apparently 33% find them annoying, but surprisingly 26% of those surveyed said they were more likely to pay attention to an advert posted by a friend.

Perhaps you should give some extra thought to your social advertising plan.

The social buying decision

The growing use of social media is changing the way people shop. Today, consumers use their social media channels to learn about other peoples’ experiences (70%) and information about a brand’s products or services (65%).

So, you really need to think about your brand image and how you come across as a company.

Over to you

How do you feel about using social media today?

Did any findings in the report surprise you?

Leave comment and tell us what you think.

When you first start using Twitter to market your business you’ll face quite a steep learning curve. You have to learn what to tweet, when to tweet, how to follow people, how to find people – the list is endless.

Then you’ll be faced with working out how best to engage with your followers.

Split testing is something that marketers use a lot. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it involves placing two messages (emails, subject lines, web pages etc.) out into your market place and measuring the performance of each. It is a process that can be repeated a number of times to refine your message to receive the optimum results.

So what does that have to do with Twitter?

Well, to improve your engagement on Twitter why not split test your tweets?

To give you a run down on how that can be achieved, check out this post on Social Media Examiner. In How to Split Test Your Twitter Marketing they take you through:

• Ways of creating your split test
• Analysing your results
• Expanding your testing

It’s well worth a read and could help turbo charge your Twitter activities for 2013.

We all love Twitter – go on admit it, even you’ve fallen in love with it.

It’s such a great way to meet new people, chat with customers, colleagues and friends and get your business name out there, recognised and loved. Engagement is the name of the game, but are you managing your Twitter relationships effectively, or are you letting them slide?

When you first set up  your account and only have a few followers, it’s relatively easy to keep on top of things. But as time marches on and your following increases, the time you have to spend monitoring your account reduces. This is especially true if you are a solopreneur or manage numerous Twitter accounts.

So how can you make sure you’re engaging with the right people?

Thankfully, help is at hand through a very interesting post I discovered on Social Media Examiner.

In it, they bring our attention to an application called Commun.it, which is designed to:

• Help you manage your Twitter relationships
• Focus on your top influencers supporters and potential leads
• Offer stress-free social productivity to help you focus on the right people

For an in depth look at how it works and how to get set up, pop over to Social Media Examiner and take a look.

And don’t forget to come back and let us know how you got on with it; we’d love to hear your reviews about it.

Before you start to think about gathering followers on Twitter, it’s essential you give a lot of thought to how you present yourself to the Twitterverse.

The first thing a potential follower will do is take a look at your Twitter home page to read your profile.

So it is your profile that will be the make or break of their ‘to follow or not to follow’ dilemma.

Powerful Twitter profiles

Your Twitter profile comprises of the following elements:

• Picture
• Twitter name
• Biography
• Web address
• Number of tweets, followers and those you follow
• Your latest tweets

 Making the most of each of these will boost your chances of being followed.

1. Picture

The most effective picture you can use is one of yourself. Many companies will argue that that’s not possible and would rather use their logo.

For large companies that’s fine, but I would suggest adding a line in your profile telling the reader who it is that’s tweeting (or the tweeter signing off with their name or initials) to add the human touch that is so important in social media.

2. Twitter name

Twitter is becoming more and more crowded (with in the region of 500 million users worldwide) so finding a Twitter name that’s not already being used isn’t that easy.

But rather than going for something off the wall, if possible use your own name. People will be able to find you and it will generate more of a connection.

3. Biography

With only 160 characters to play with, you’ll have to get creative. An eye-catching and memorable bio will encourage people to follow you. Plus, if you can add in keywords that sum up what you do, that will make you more visible. For example, I am a copywriter and so have used that word at the start of my bio.

4. Web address

If you have a website or blog, make sure you include it in your profile. That way, if people are interested in you and what you have to say, you’ll make it easier for them to locate your website.

5. Number of tweets, followers and those you follow

The main information that can be gleaned from these numbers is how often you tweet, how many people are following you and the type of tweeter you are.

If you have way more followers than you follow, it will show you as someone worth following because you have a great deal of influence in the Twitterverse. If have a few more followers than the number of people you follow, you’ll be seen as someone who offers great information. But, if you follow way more people than follow you, you’ll be flagged up as a potential spammer.

6. Your latest tweets

This will give a flavour of the type of thing potential followers can expect.

If they see loads of self-promotional tweets, they’ll steer well clear of you. But if they can see you offer great information and interact with other tweeters, they will be more inclined to click ‘follow’.

That is just a quick run down on how to make your first Twitter impression a good one.

Do you have any other tips you’d like to add?

If so, leave a comment below.

If you’re hooked on Twitter, you’ll be pleased to hear that they’ve brought out a few more features to enhance your tweeting experience.

SocialMediaExaminer.com tell us all about them. They include:

• The week’s top twitter stories
• How to discover the top tweets of the week
• Tailored trends from twitter
• Getting follow suggestions in your inbox
• Expanding tweets in your stream

Why not pop over there now and have a read of what’s new – click here for 5 new twitter features to enhance your experience.

Thanks guys.