Social Media For Small Business - How to Use Twitter For Your Business

Posted by Urvi Mehta on: 2009-07-29 02:10:01

Self SEO > Online Promotion Articles

Following up from the last set of Social Media Marketing webinars where we covered the basics of Twitter and other Social Media tools and sites, I have been getting questions about using Twitter for business purposes. In response to those questions, I wanted to write out a short list of Twitter for Business best practices and some of the most popular tools that make these practices possible. This list of tools, techniques, and what is possible is changing and expanding almost daily with the explosion of Twitter usage and discussions of Twitter merging with some other site/partner. Thus I expect to stay current on using Twitter for business purposes we will need to repost more on this topic from time to time.

• Be Real (don't hide) -
It is important that you completely fill in the registration and profile information when signing up on Twitter. If you set up your Twitter Id as a business name it is less real than using a personal name. If you still want the business name in there, you could possibly add the company after the persons name (like Dell computer has been known to do with names like "PatrickAtDell"). In the profile section, post your website. I wouldn't recommend a short URL here if you can avoid it since this is your brand and the full link helps in your SEO rankings. Also in the profile section you enter in relevant search terms in your profile description.

With the profile bio limited to 160 characters, you want to get the relevant keywords included. By doing so you don't have much space to talk about the business specifically. However you can also squeeze in more content about your business including other websites, urls, logos, or content by uploading a custom Twitter background. Be aware though that the search engines and tools people are using to find you will not pick up words or content located in the background image. That's why the keywords have to be in your description.

Finally and possibly most important is that you need to upload a picture. People want to see who they are communicating with, even if you are representing a company. If Twitters don't think you are real, they are less likely to be interested in following you and learning more about your business (we are Twittering for Business here remember). If you try to hide with no picture, just a logo, an incomplete profile or no description, the cynical side of social media marketing will take over, people will assume the worst and they won't follow you.

• Participate (be Relevant, contribute, share, respond) -
For a business or business person to be relevant in the Twitter conversation going on, they need to participate. Ask questions and elicit responses. Respond to other user's questions. Tweet not only your own relevant contributions but retweet (RT) other Tweets that you find valuable. Promote and/or attribute others where there's a reason to do so. You can build a following faster if you appear trust worthy (easiest way to do that is by actually being trustworthy), know your subject matter and don't look like you are just out the get them to buy something.

The graders and ranking sites look at both your following as well as your activity. There's a number of search tools that will help you here to see who is talking about what and who is specifically responding to you (for example with @replies). These tools can help you determine where you might want to jump into a conversation and build that relevance. This is important in being noticed by searches from other users. You build following with contribution, relevance, and responsiveness.

The number of keywords in your tweet cloud is also important. Are you an active Tweeter? If so, what are you tweeting about? Are you relatively consistent in what you discuss? There's a big difference between using Twitter like text messaging and blogging each trip to the grocery store and using Twitter for business with a targeted, specific approach to your online identity and the topics you take on. Again, the grading web sites will pick up on this targeted approach and quickly move you to "elite" status in your chosen keywords if you Tweet with some forethought.

• Automate (where possible) -
Reduce the time it takes you to research what is happening in the Twitterdom, speed up your own Tweeting, get yourself followed automatically, and build ranking faster and easier. There are several automation type tools available to help build your Twitter for business presence without having to hire a back room full of people:

--TweetBeep -Set up alerts for various keywords, people, different attitudes, and links.
--Summize (Twitter Search) - Search for your keywords, click a button and you have a custom RSS feed that you can read via your favorite feed reader, or put on your Google or Yahoo home page. A synopsis available on what's happening.
--Tweetlater - one of the more versatile tools related to Twitter. A quick list of services include; emailing a digest of Tweets (like TweetBeep), Pre-scheduling tweets to keep your tweet stream flowing, pre-saving Tweets or common snippets of tweets for faster Tweeting, Automating direct messages to people that follow you, and managing multiple Twitter Ids at the same time.
--Twitscoop - extends what Twitter Search can do with both real-time searches of specific keywords as well as what the overall Twitterdom is talking about using (the Tweet Cloud). It also shows you the hot trends in the cloud.
--Twellow - This is another research tool that extends Twitter for business use, Twellow searches people's profiles or what they are Tweeting about under specific, predefined categories, or a general search. Twellow will also show you geographically where people are Tweeting from in the US and Canada.
--Remember the Milk (RTM) - A real unique and cutting edge use of Twitter. RTM is a Task management service (set up reminders, tasks, things to do, etc.) for an individual or a small team or business. You can interact with Remember the Milk through Twitter. You simply follow the Twitter ID @rtm and then send it commands like retrieving your current tasks, adding new tasks, setting up automated reminders, even sending tasks to other Twitter users. This is a great adaptation of Twitter for business use.

• Re-purpose existing content-
With taking care of customers, blogging, keeping up profiles on numerous social media sites, all while running a business, maintaining your online presence can quickly become overwhelming. Use tools like Twitterfeed to automatically Tweet content from an RSS feeds of your other blogs or sites, and Alterthingy, another tool that helps you aggregate and repost your content across the multiple sites, and profiles you need to maintain.

In addition, several blogs (Wordpress for example) are building Twitter widgets to be able to display your tweets (and others) on your blog, thus keeping the blog actively changing and a target for better search engine ranking and more active visits.

There are any number of other ways you can use Twitter for Business and this note really only scratches the surface of what is possible. As the popularity of Twitter grows so will the unique and inventive ways of using this innovative tool.

About Urvi Mehta:

Urvi Mehta is a passionate Social Media Evangelist who thrives on teaching and consulting business owners and organizations on how to use Web 2.0 and social media tools and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to help create buzz and influence their branding online.

She is the co-founder of PR Easy (http://www.PREasy.com), a full service online marketing company which serves clients around the world. Urvi teaches her clients how to utilize social networking sites, such as, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to establish themselves as authorities in their industry, acquire more clients and ultimately increase profit.

Urvi holds a Masters degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois in Chicago and is considered by her peers as someone who "holds nothing back and gives real meat." She has recently started a blog, http://www.UrviMehta.com where she discusses Social Media Strategies.

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User comments:

risangdamar - Posted on: 2009-08-31 07:08:16

great post.. long time i using twitter, but don't know this...thanks

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creativecommons - Posted on: 2009-09-23 09:59:15

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johnathanj - Posted on: 2009-10-28 22:34:49

Thanks for your useful information.

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For ipod users: How to watch videos on iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle

The world’s smallest music player iPod shuffle is coming to our daily life.
It is small---1.8" tall by 0.3" thin
It is huge---VoiceOver tells the names of your playlists when you click the button

We all know that ipod has many generations. Every generation has its particular functions. Some specialize in music, some pay more attention to video function, others emphasize convenience. Different patterns provide different functions. In the following text, I will share a nice guide to tell you how to enjoy dvd/video on iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle
Preparation:
OS: Windows NT4/2000/2003/XP and Windows Vista
Software:4Videosoft DVD to iPod Suite

Hardware: 800MHz Intel or AMD CPU, or above; 512MB RAM or more

This guide has two parts:

1.How to put dvd on iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle
2.How to put video on iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle

Part 1: How to put dvd on iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle

Step 0. Run 4Videosoft DVD to iPod Converter .

Step 1. Load your DVD
Put your DVD in your DVD drive and click "Load DVD", you can load your DVD, DVD folder, and also IFO file.

Step 2. Choose your output profile and settings
At the lower part of the interface you can find a "Profile" drop-down list, you can find one for yourself.
Click "settings" on the right side of "Profile" you can adjust your output's settings, such as "Resolution", "Frame Rate", "Bitrate" and so on.

Step 3. Start Conversion
If you don't want any more editing just Click "START" button to start your conversion.

Part 2: How to put video on iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle

Step 0. Run 4Videosoft iPod Video Converter .

Step 1. Click the "Add Video" button to import the video files you are going to convert. Alternatively, you can click "File -> Add Files..." to load the video files.

Step 2. Extend the "Profile" category to select an output format.

Step 3: Start conversion
Click the “Start” button to start your conversion and in a short while it will be finished.

Tips:
1.Trim
If you want to cut your DVD movie into many different parts, or you just want to convert one part of the movie, just use “Trim” function.
3 methods for you to complete this:
a. Drag the slider
b. Click “Start Time” and “End Time” button
c. Set the value

2.Crop
"Crop" function allows you to remove the black edges and customize the aspect ratio
3 ways for your to do this.
a. Selecting the crop mode
b. adjusting the crop frame
c. setting the crop value
You can customize the your own aspect ratio using "Zoom Mode". It provides you "Keep Original", "Full Screen", "16:9" and "4:3".

3.Effect
Click "Effect" button you can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation and volume easily.

4.Merge and Snapshot
"Merge" function enables you to put many chapters into one output video file
"Snapshot" allows you to capture the picture of the movie you like

5.Audio Track and Subtitles
You can choose the audio track and subtitles before conversion (If your DVD has different audio track and subtitles).

At the end of this article, I will share you two useful tools.
iPod Manager
iPod Manager for Mac
With it, you can share your videos and songs to your friends. Because it can help you to manage videos, audios from one iPod to another iPod.
Hope this guide can offer you a chance to much more enjoy your ipod.

Mildred - Posted on: 2010-01-19 13:33:51

No one can ignore the importance of social media because the social media networks done really good job to enhance the social media optimization, these networks can be very helpful in link building too...

dreamwing1986 - Posted on: 2010-01-27 09:11:03

Question:
What is MTS file?
Answer:
MTS file is a Sony high definition video file type, which is a raw AVCHD video recorded using Sony's camcorders, such as the HDR-SR1 and HDR-SR5 models. Panasonic, Canon and other brands of AVCHD camcorders also recorded in MTS format. Currently, MTS file can be played using the Picture Motion Browser, Mplayer, Windows Media Player and other media players if there is a codec for DVD playing installed. That's to say, it's not convenient to play and enjoy your MTS video.
MTS file format is used in Sony and Panasonic Camcoders to make HD videos. You can play these high-quality MTS videos on your computer, TV and other portable video players. However, most of the video players do NOT support MTS video format. So we need to convert MTS videos into the widely-used video formats.
Now there is one professional MTS Converter, which is fast MTS file converter to convert HD video to general video, Convert .MTS (AVC HD) to all standard video and audio formats at fastest speed and excellent image/sound quality with least quality loss.
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Audio: AAC, AC3, MP3, WAV, WMA, M4V, MP2, OGG, etc.

AVI the abbreviation of Audio Video Interleaved, AVI format has the advantages that can be played on ordinary and HD-supported players, such as Zune, Archos, PSP, PS3. Besides the AVI files has excellent images and high-quality audio. MTS files are not supported by most PMPs. If you want to enjoy videos recoreded in MTS format, MTS to AVI Converter is a must-have.

Windows Media Video, known as its acronym WMV, developed and controlled by Microsoft. WMV is a generic name of Microsoft's video encoding solutions and doesn't necessarily define the technology what it uses -- since version 7 (WMV7) Microsoft has used its own flavour of MPEG-4 video encoding technology (not very surprising, it's not compatible with other MPEG-4 technologies..). DivX ;-) video format is originally based on hacked WMV codec. From the description, you can know that WMV video format played on Windows Media player, so if you take pictures and videos with your Sony camera, and you want to edit the video on your windows movie maker, you need to convert the MTS files into WMV format with the most powerful video conversion tool-- MTS to WMV Converter to convert MTS to WMV format and extract WMV(Windows Media Video) from MTS files with excellent output quality and super-high speed. With this perfect MTS to WMV converter , you can not only convert MTS to WMV files, but also convert video files like WAV, AVI, ASF, MPEG, MP4, MOV, 3GP, VOB, FLV, and audio files like WMA, MP3, etc.

Now just try these three powerful MTS Video Converter to get your wonderful experience.

Mildred - Posted on: 2010-02-09 13:36:45

Social Media is very important especially in this era, and no one can ignore the importance of social media like facebook and youtube are very popular among the internet users. You can promote your website very well and it is also possible that you can get some good and quality backlinks by using these mediums...

SysCommTeam - Posted on: 2010-02-10 13:05:49

Good post and effective advice on how to use Twitter.
However, I would add some other Twitter tools to your list. We have a blog post where we have compiled a list of most useful twitter tools:
http://www.syscomminternational.com/blog/5-applications-to-schedule-your-tweets/

Thanks for sharing this with us, Urvi!

SysComm

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TS to VOB Converter is powerful conversion software,It enables you to convert TS Files to VOB format and other videos.
TS To WMV Converter is very professional in converting TS files into WMV formats with high conversion speed and good output quality.

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I got a DVD disc which had this movie in it, but I really love this movie best, now I am looking for a converter that could help me convert DVD to MP4 for mac so that I can watch it on my MP4 player, or to other formats like PS3, iPod, etc.
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Have ever drive you mad as you always missed iPhone calls? Or always keep iPhone next to you for just waiting for an important call? The most common complaint about the iPhone is that the iPhone ringing volume is too low. Are you still using the ringtone of the built-in system ringtones on your smart iphone? Have you found that people started using their own created ringtone which make their iphone standing out of others?
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albert.frost - Posted on: 2010-07-13 20:49:06

This article has given a proper insight on how to use Twiiter for your businesses. I have read the article and just wanted to complement the information in the beginning of the article about “Being Real.” It’s a dilemma these days that people change their identity and make fake profiles. These gray hat techniques definitely earn them some benefits but it’s against ethics and spirit of social media networking. This can be rectified if only we ourselves stop doing that, being a responsible e-marketer and SMM consultants.

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pphilip35 - Posted on: 2010-07-28 04:03:59

A real unique and cutting edge use of Twitter. RTM is a Task management service (set up reminders, tasks, things to do, etc.) for an individual or a small team or business. You can interact with Remember the Milk through Twitter. You simply follow the Twitter ID @rtm and then send it commands like retrieving your current tasks, adding new tasks, setting up automated reminders, even sending tasks to other Twitter users. This is a great adaptation of Twitter for business use.
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Great tips..
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Iano - Posted on: 2010-08-17 15:08:44

A real unique and cutting edge use of Twitter. RTM is a Task management service (set up reminders, tasks, things to do, etc.) for an individual or a small team or business. You can interact with Remember the Milk through Twitter. You simply follow the Twitter ID @rtm and then send it commands like retrieving your current tasks, adding new tasks, setting up automated reminders, even sending tasks to other Twitter users. This is a great adaptation of Twitter for business use.
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bbelviss56 - Posted on: 2010-08-25 06:10:51

The graders and ranking sites look at both your following as well as your activity. There's a number of search tools that will help you here to see who is talking about what and who is specifically responding to you (for example with @replies). These tools can help you determine where you might want to jump into a conversation and build that relevance. This is important in being noticed by searches from other users. You build following with contribution, relevance, and responsiveness.
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