Tag Archives: using twitter

Mid-Year SoMe Check

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OK everyone, summer is racing by and it’s time to take a mid-year look at your social media efforts! By now, you should be able to look through your analytics from January through June, so let’s see what worked and what didn’t.

Facebook

You got your page set up or you resolved to pay attention to it. Did you begin by posting once or twice a week? How many posts do you do now? The more you engage, the more your customers engage, so by now you should be posting daily. Year End Goal: Posting 2-5 times a day.

You began by posting what you do and what you offer. By now you should be offering more varied content, from links, photos and even video. Ask your clients/customers for permission to photograph or video them using your product or providing a testimonial. Year End Goal: Varied content at least once per day. Stock up on client/customer photos.

When you started, the conversation was mostly one way. You wrote and hoped people were reading. Now you should know how many people are seeing (reading) your posts.

You should have comments and interactions with your fans. Year End Goal: Several times a week, ask a question, for a referral, a review, anything to provoke a conversation.

Other Social Media Outlets

In the beginning, getting and managing a Facebook page was all you could handle. Since then, you reviewed and researched Twitter, blogging, Goggle+, Pinterest, and other outlets to see what would be a good fit for you and your business. What have you added at the mid-year mark? Year End Goal: Establish a presence in as many social media outlets that make sense for you and your business. Again, start slowly and build.

Consistency

You remember the hard part wasn’t getting started, it was continuing. Everyone (just about) has some sort of social media presence, but one post, one blog, on video does not a success make. Social media is free; meaning just about everyone takes advantage of it. But, like a child with a new toy, many get bored, or realize that the work that goes into it is more than they bargained for in the beginning. Year End Goal: Don’t stop now, be that reliable presence and store of information your fans come to expect.

Call to Action

Maybe when you started your social media presence, you found it easy. You liked sharing content that is relevant to your fans and your business. One thing though, you discovered your fan base hasn’t grown. Why is that? While it’s great to get information, don’t forget to tell your fans what you do/offer, and WHY they should get it from you! Ask for the comment, the retweet, the sale, and ask your fans to share your content with others! Year End Goal: Ask for the sale at least once a week!

How did you do? Are you happy with your social media presence? Don’t forget that at Nova Creative Media we can coach you to meet your goals and help you expand your social media presence!

About Lisa Karl
Lisa Karl is the president of Nova Creative Media, a social media/marketing firm in Ashburn, VA. She is also the publisher and editor of Find It In Ashburn! Connect with Lisa via Facebook (NCM), Facebook (FIIA), Twitter and LinkedIn.

Anatomy of a Successful Tweetup

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A tweetup -– a meetup meets Twitter -– is a great way to actually meet the people behind the @name.  Taking the time to get together allows for longer conversation and networking beyond 140 characters. And while some tweetups are huge and start to resemble conferences, with guest speakers, famous Twitter personalities, and lavish food and drink, putting together a simple, local tweetup need not be daunting or extravagant. Here are some easy steps to organize your local tweetup, along with notes from our recent Loudoun County tweetup:

Where? Ideally, you or another Twitter user you know has connections to a local restaurant. If not, approach a local restaurant to see if they are open to hosting the tweetup. Be prepared to offer a day/time that is normally a slow period for them. You are looking for the restaurant to provide the space, and possibly appetizers to share. In return, you’ll be mentioning the restaurant before, during and after the tweetup. One key: the location should offer free wifi!
-One of our organizers recently opened MacDowell Brew Kitchen, and he agreed to host the tweetup. The venue provided some homemade chips, and attendees ordered food, if they wished. 

When? This may depend on space availability. If not, try and schedule the tweetup around lunchtime or just after the workday. Do you foresee frequent tweetups? Then alternate the scheduling times, so people can attend one or the other.
-The LoCo tweetup was at 12:30pm, but we did get feedback about having one on the evening, which we are looking to do next time.

Who? The easy part! Send a call out through Twitter for the group you’re targeting. Will it be for a certain industry? Or a geographic location?
-Ours was open to all those on Twitter from Loudoun County.

How? You certainly want to get a head count, as your locale may require it, and it will help spread the excitement.
-Our organizers used Twtvite for RSVPs. 

As the organizer, it’s your job to generate excitement about your tweetup. Tweet about it often, at different times, to make sure your catching the attention of those you’d like to come. If there are those you definitely want to attend, @ mention them in your tweet. Decide on a hashtag ahead of time, so those tweeting during the event are all on the same page -– and those who couldn’t attend see what fun it is!

At the tweetup itself, relax and have fun. Mingle, tweet, take and upload photos. Remember that the key to social media is the word social, so get out there and meet your folks!

About Lisa Karl
Lisa Karl is the president of Nova Creative Media, a social media/marketing firm in Ashburn, VA. She is also the publisher and editor of Find It In Ashburn! Connect with Lisa via Facebook (NCM), Facebook (FIIA), Twitter and LinkedIn.

“I Don’t Get Twitter!” (It’s OK, We’re Here to Help!)

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When I tell people that Nova Creative Media helps small businesses manage their social media, invariably the first thing I hear is “I don’t get Twitter!” I’ve heard it enough now that I want to help you ‘get’ Twitter, and more importantly, understand how it can help your business. 

What is Twitter? Twitter is another social media outlet used by people to communicate. The twist at Twitter is you must say what you say in 140 characters or less (actually, less than that, but I’m ahead of myself). 

How to visualize Twitter. Think of Twitter as a party – a party with millions of people. You can wander around the party and join in conversation with everyone, or listen for a bit and decide which conversations interest you the most. You may say ‘hi’ to some people, but don’t linger, or you can strike up a conversation around common interests. 

How do I use Twitter for business? Again, think of Twitter as a party – or a network gathering. You introduce yourself, say what you do – but you don’t monopolize the conversation by going on and on about your business. I know you’ve heard this before in regards to social media, but it’s all about… 

Relationships. 

You network, attend parties and events to make connections and build relationships, both personally and professionally. When you meet people, you probe, ask questions, try to find common ground. It’s also a great way to gather information you want and need to see. If you connect to others in your industry, your suppliers, etc, you’ll see Tweets with links – it’s as if someone passed along a newspaper or magazine article your way. 

Go ahead and set up your Twitter account – it’s easy and free. Take care with your Twitter name, use your name or your company name, don’t try to get creative here, keep it simple and easy for people to find you. Once you’re there, start searching for people who interest you, for example, if you’re a restaurant owner, look for local suppliers, entertainments options, catering venues, etc. Follow, listen, and then jump in! 

Summing up: 
Twitter is a gathering of people with common interests interacting and sharing information.
Use Twitter to build relationships and network.
Be a local follower first – don’t worry about having ‘big name’ people following you.
Follow your industry press and trade organizations. 

To get you started:
Follow me on Twitter — @novawrter25. Who do I follow? I follow local Ashburn, VA businesses for information for Find It In Ashburn. I also follow local and regional social media folks to keep up with the latest trends in social media for my clients. My other broad category is Loudoun County businesses, which is my target for potential clients. Let me know when you are on Twitter – I’d love to see how you do! 

About Lisa Karl
Lisa Karl is the president of Nova Creative Media, a social media/marketing firm in Ashburn, VA. She is also the publisher and editor of Find It In Ashburn! Connect with Lisa via Facebook (NCM), Facebook (FIIA), Twitter and LinkedIn.