The social media train has left the station, and we’ve all heard the statistics: Twitter has 75 million registered accounts, LinkedIn has over 50 million members worldwide, and 50% of Facebook users log in each day – 175 million people.
Although I joined Twitter a little late in the game, around the office I am the go-to girl for questions. Most of which are some variation of: “So do you twitter – I don’t get it” “What’s it all about?” or “What’s that?” (Combined with a bewildered look) pointing at my tweet deck. Here are a few of my answers:
- Twitter is an awesome social media tool. It’s a great place to share travel information (including your company’s products, website and information); meet other movers and shakers in the travel industry; and research the very most up-to-date information.
- Be thoughtful with your twitter name. When you pick a user name, do not pick RLG_324_324. I don’t care if RLG are your initials, and 324 is your favorite number. Your name should be what you are about. Unless you like Internet stalkers, I wouldn’t just use your first and last name either. A good example is @traveldudes; it’s the name of their website as well. They are cool, laid back dudes, with a travel site that users can share info and stories on.
- Watch and learn. Find people on twitter that you admire, or think have credibility, and see how they tweet. Some people that I find interesting are: @gadling @CNtraveler @everywheretrip @Traveleditor and so many more!
- Twitter.com isn’t going to cut it. I like to use tweetdeck; it’s a free application you can download from www.tweetdeck.com. It shows people you are following updates in real time, your mentions, and your direct messages in a four-column view. Plus, you can search and view people’s profiles. Basically everything you can do on twitter, only better. Another option is www.tweetgrid.com.
- If you are tweeting for business, don’t act like it. I will not follow anyone who is going to spam me with what they are trying to sell, and I can’t imagine that being attractive to anyone else, either. Connect with your customers via conversation and advice. Post articles relevant to travel and whatever else you are into, and retweet other people’s content you find interesting.
- Remember 8:1 ratio. Unless you are a celebrity, or a news corporation, you would tweet 8x more about other people (re-tweeting, interesting news – something to add value) than about yourself according to social media guru @jaybaer. When you do share personal information, have a personality – please and thank you.
- Twitter parties and meet ups are fun – and great networking tools. Many groups and individuals hold twitter parties, where like-minded people meet to discuss the latest and greatest in their industry, using a common hashtag. It’s a great way to connect with people (followers!) and create relationships. To read more on the subject, check out: http://sharonmostyn.com/. Some helpful websites for twitter chats are:
- Two good sites to research hashtags are: www.twubs.com and www.wthashtag.com
- Google doc twitter chat schedule: http://bit.ly/cHugHm
- If you want to track a hashtag, or a particular person on twitter, I highly recommend: http://oneforty.com/item/rowfeeder. So much info, all in a Google doc that can be exported to excel.
- Two good sites to research hashtags are: www.twubs.com and www.wthashtag.com
Thanks for this article. Everybody's been asking me to tweet and I feel like I'm not up to it yet. However, when you wrote that YOU were "a little late in the game" I felt like you would be somebody who'd understand that sometimes we need time to "warm up" to some new idea. I thought if you could understand that concept that you'd probably also understand that for us who need basics, we really need BASICS! So, thanks to you and your article, I'm going to hit the sites you mentioned, think about a good twitter name, and hopefully jump onboard in time for the next Twitter Wine Tasting party with INTD. Thanks.