Twitter — Blog — Allison M Reilly

I realized about a week ago that WSOP.com is livestreaming the final tables of many of the events taking place this summer, which took away my attention from writing on the blog. Of course, this is something I learn about at the END of the WSOP, when many of the events are already over. Fortunately, between now and the November Nine, I can catch up and watch all the final tables in the archive if I really want to. I might watch some of them since poker always makes great background noise and I don't know any of the results so it would all be a surprise. But, for now, I've gotten my poker fill so I can get back to work and writing blog posts (especially since the July 4th weekend is over).

I Have a New Idea

I mentioned in a previous post about starting a podcast, and I'm tabling that idea for now. I still would like the start a podcast, but I have a better idea that I'd like to pursue, and getting that idea going doesn't involve a podcast at this time. I don't think it's the best venue for the better idea, although it would be great to incorporate a podcast if I can complete the vision I see for my new, better idea.

I'm not going to talk too much about my new, better idea because I don't want to jinx it. I don't remember where I read or heard this, but from what I remember, there is such a thing as "talking about your ideas too much." The problem is that talking about the idea too much can result in a sense of progress, making it more difficult to achieve actual progress. I completely forget where I heard about this, so I could be making it all up,. However, if keeping it under a bit of secrecy helps me to achieve actual progress, then that's "help" that I should take.

I Will Be Testing the Idea on Twitter

I will say that I will be testing the idea on Twitter by tweeting on some of the topics involved in my idea. I'm testing the idea on Twitter to see if there's any traction to this idea and what kind of traction I get for it. I particularly want to look at which tweets and topics get the most engagement and who's engaging with those tweets. Engagement is good, but I'm hoping to target a specific audience demographic with my idea, so know looking at who's engaging with my tweets is very important.

I'm also utilizing Twitter to continue building an audience on the platform. If I decide to take this idea to the next step, then having a substantial audience that's already familiar with who I am and the topics I cover is an incredible asset. I'm not sure how long I'm going to test the idea before taking the next step at this point, but I think I'll have to test for about a month or two in order to get a good sample size and to give each of the topics enough time on Twitter. I want to test this long enough so that it's clear over time that certain topics are more popular than others and engaging the right people, versus looking at results where other factors could explain the engagement or the popularity on that particular day or week.

Right now, I want to do one thing at a time and avoid overwhelming myself by taking to take this in too many directions or in trying to move too quickly with it. If I overwhelm myself, then I'm not going to want to pursue the idea anymore.

social media marketing With over 200 million users delivering about 65 million tweets per day, Twitter is a great place where small businesses can engage in marketing that can reach a lot of potential customers. Employing cost-effective and proven advertising strategies is necessary to compete in the market and get exposure to a huge client base. This holds true for small businesses that operate on a tight budget. Fortunately, the following 13 strategies are the best ways to gain exposure on Twitter for free: 1. Build a relevant list of followers. Follow accounts that you think will be interested in your business in the hopes that they'll follow back. Also, invite the members of your online communities to follow your Twitter page. Go for quality over quantity -- spam followers are not buying customers.

2. Make your Twitter page look good. Create an aesthetically appealing page. Choose a pleasing color scheme, a custom desktop background, and a header image to give your page a unique look. Add a description so that people will know what your business is about. Don't forget to add a link to your website!

3. Include a Twitter widget to your website. To showcase your tweets, add a Twitter widget to tour blog's sidebar. This widget displays your latest tweets, so that your website's visitors can see them as they browse through your entries. If people like your tweets, they'll follow you on Twitter.

4. Link your Twitter account to your website. Each time you publish a post on your blog, inform your Twitter followers in real time by linking your Twitter account to your website. You don't have to manually update Twitter when you have a new entry, because Twitter will automatically do that. A tweet with your entry's title and a link to it will appear each time you post on your blog.

5. Add a "Follow Me" button on your website. Give visitors options for getting updates on your latest blog posts. Some people want to receive email notifications, while others use RSS feed. Then, there are those who like getting notified via Twitter. For them, add a Follow button on your website so that they can quickly follow your Twitter account.

6. Create a hashtag-based ad campaign. Hashtags make your tweets more searchable, and they're also useful for online ad campaigns. Think of a hashtag that best represents your business. Then, end your tweets with it and encourage your followers to do the same.

7. Encourage your followers to participate in discussions. People use Twitter to talk. Take advantage of that by asking questions that would motivate your followers to join in a conversation. Even simple questions such as "What are your plans for the weekend?" generate replies, which in turn, give more exposure for your business.

8. Reply to your followers. When followers reply to your tweets, acknowledge them to spur an exchange of ideas. When your followers are involved, their curiosity about your business will be piqued. You can also use Twitter's private messaging feature to give more in-depth answers to some questions.

9. Retweet follower tweets. Another way of giving importance to your followers is by retweeting their tweets. This shows that you value them and notice their participation. As a result, they're more likely to tweet about your business giving you free advertisement in the process.

10. Ask followers to retweet your tweets. If you make a habit of occasionally retweeting your followers' tweets, they'll be happy to retweet your tweets. When there's a particular tweet that you like to get around, ask your followers to retweet it for you. Just don't do it often; otherwise, your followers will think that you're a publicity hound.

11. Share interesting content from other sources. Your tweets should be informative so that the people who aren't interested yet in your business would still have a reason to follow your page. Thus, feel free to share content coming from other blogs. The owners of those websites may return the favor by posting a tweet about your blog.

12. Post videos, photos, and other media. Spice up your Twitter page by sharing stuff other than text tweets. Post links to YouTube videos, Instagram photos, Pinterest boards, etc. When you regularly serve up a variety of content, your followers won't get bored.

13. Use a platform that allows you to tweet longer. Twitter has a 140-character limit, but in cases when you have to say more, use a platform such as TwitLonger so that you can make longer tweets. That's a better option than making your tweets so shortened with textspeak that they're hardly readable. When sharing a long URL, shorten it using TinyURL or Bit.ly.

It takes time, effort, and patience to carve a significant presence on Twitter, so don't ever quit. The important thing is to regularly deliver quality content so that you can build a loyal following. Sooner or later, people will sit up and notice