360DigitalInfluence

With an audience of over 130 for last week’s Bulldog Reporter Webinar on Twitter, we had some great questions.
Here are my answers to some of your most frequently asked questions on Twitter Strategy and Public Relations:

1. Who should use Twitter?

Anyone and everyone can use Twitter. That said, if using for business purposes, it should be clearly stated in your profile and the company you are representing should be reflected in your Twitter handle.

If you will be monitoring customer conversations and address customer service issues, let your followers know. If you will be Tweeting deals and product promotions, encourage people to follow you for that reason. It’s important to let your followers know your reason d’Tweet so they can better understand the content you are providing.

Whether your Twitter handle is managed by just one person or by a team (which should be disclosed as stated above) make sure that you are Tweeting frequently and providing valuable information to your followers. Don’t go for 2 weeks without Tweeting, at the same time, don’t become a “Twitter whore”. Here are a few more tips on how NOT to use Twitter.

2. What is the best way to manage my Twitter account?

I’ll admit, Twitter can be a bit intimidating. Especially when you are new to the scene and trying to get familiar with the platform and with the ga-zillion Twitter tools out there!

My advice, take a few minutes to look into each tool to see what will work best for you.

For organization and easy access check out these tools (these are just a few):

Twhirl

TweetDeck

TweetMarks

TwitBin

TweetBeep

3. How to I find relevant Tweets? Who do I follow? How do I communicate?

As we mentioned in our Twitter Webinar, you definitely want to see what people are saying about your brand and who is talking about the topics/interests your company is invested in.

- Use Search.Twitter and Tweetscan for keyword searches.

- Use Twitterholic, TwitDir and TwitScoop for the most followed Twitterers and top conversation trends.

- TwitterBuzz shows you what links are being referenced the most.

Check out the 360 DI arsenal of Twitter Tools on our Delicious page. If you know of more (which I am sure you do), send them our way.

4. How do I let people know I’m on Twitter and build my following?

Include your Twitter handle in a number of communications:

- Add your Social Media Signature to your emails, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles and bios
- Include your Twitter handle in your blog bio and include references in individual blog posts

- You can even add a widget, like the Twitter Badge that pulls in our Tweets to your blog

- For consumer brands on Twitter or those creating a product promotion strategy Twitter, provide incentives for people to follow you. Create a Twitter contest.
Just remember, no matter how you get people to your Twitter stream, it is ultimately up to you to provide enough value in the content you are posting to keep your followers coming back.

Will mentions the SEO benefits of Twitter in his Corporate Reputation Management post. Test it out, Google your Twitter handle and see where it comes up in search results - should be at the top of the page.

Finally, for those of you wondering about Twitter and Media Relations, check out Brian’s post from this morning.

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UPDATE:

Many of you had questions regarding the value of following or having thousands of followers. Chris Brogan gives his insights on how he manages this feat. I agree in his thinking that Twitter at volume is NOT for everyone, and in order to manage successfully one should be very comfortable with Twitter and be actively participating in the Twittersation througout the day. Here are Chris’s main goals will Twittering at volume:
- Be Helpful

- Be Informative

- Be Human

- Be Responsive