Tweet

Eight Steps to Get Started with Twitter

Guest post by: William Gissen

Article Overview: Twitter has pretty much settled into the American culture, and most people who are going to use it have already signed up and are tweeting away. However, in the off chance there’s still someone yearning for Twitter but left behind, this article provides eight steps to establishing an account and incorporating Twitter into your business or personal life.

Eight Steps to Get Started with Twitter

Twitter has pretty much settled into the American culture, and most people who are going to use it have already signed up and are tweeting away. However, in the off chance there's still someone yearning for Twitter but left behind, here are eight steps to establishing an account and incorporating Twitter into your business or personal life.

1) The only rule in Twitter is that all transmissions must be 140 characters or less. Twitter started as a social media with the question, "What are you doing now?" Businesses soon used it to send URLs of interesting articles, and some more nefarious types send out promotional spam.

2) Twitter is like email magnified. Each user attracts followers and follows other people. Then, each time you send a message, called a "tweet," it will go to all your followers. And vice versa.

3) Registering with Twitter is free and easy. Go tothethe Twitterhome pageand click on the Get Started button in the middle of the screen. Provide your full name, user name, password and email. A user name such as first initial, last name usually works best.

4) Click on "settings" in the top menu bar and then select the "account" tab. Add the URL of your company web site, if you have one, and a one-line bio. This bio is important because potential followers will read it to determine whether they should subscribe to your updates.

5) Make sure to click on the "picture" tab to include your electronic photo. Users without a photo receive an ugly standard image. The standard image shows a lack of concern about your Twitter account, and many users will reject following you on that basis alone. You can also improve the layout of your Twitter home page by clicking on the design tab.

6) You can find people to follow by going to Twitter's search function. You can also use the number sign (#), called a hashtag, to locate followers interested in a specific field. Then, when you find someone you trust, you can just click away on all their followers and literally take them for your own: follow, follow, follow, follow. It is considered common courtesy for them to follow you back.

7) You can target a specific person in your tweets by using the "at" sign, "@," plus their user name. If you want to send a tweet exclusively to one person, you can send a direct message by preceding your tweet with the letter "D" plus the user name. By putting RT in front of someone else's message, you can "retweet" it, a big compliment since it then goes to all your followers as well. This is how things go viral on Twitter!

8) As you grow in sophistication on Twitter, you will find a whole bunch of third-party applications. For example,TweetDeck lets you monitor Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook from one interface.

Despite all these instructions, the best way to get involved with Twitter is just to dive in and start tweeting! That's how everyone eventually does it.

Related Articles
  Read On Book Review ~ twitter Revolution
  Four Easy Twitter Tools to Supplement Your Marketing
  Why Twitter?
  You're Addicted to Twitter If You..
  How Twitter can have a postive effect on your business

Article Tags: Internet marketing, Twitter



Related Forum Posts
Re: What or Who Sparks Your Business Interest - Hi This is really a great thread. For me it was always wanting to be responsible for myself without anyone have the power to make my decisions for me. I have also done many different things in my life. Started as a hairdresser and did that for 20 years, some of them working from home (which was good when my children were young and needed me around). Then worked as a bookkeeper and then a credit manager in a video distribution company for 18 years. Loved the job but hated having to answer to a boss. In between joined an MLM company selling health and weight loss products and then became a bookkeeper again but working for myself with my own clients. Started internet marketing and this I truly love. I can work the hours that suit me and it's totally up to me to do the work if I want to succeed. MichelleJ
Re: Using Twitter To Double Your Traffic? - I'm sure in many cases Twitter sends more traffic than Search Engines because most people don't have good enough SE rankings to get SE traffic. But anyone can get Twitter traffic. The problem is that Twitter traffic won't convert for the most part and SE traffic will. I'd venture to say that 98% of the time getting just 100 visitors from search is better than getting 2000+ from Twitter.
How to Use Twitter to Market Products? - How do you use Twitter to market products? Has the Twitter route given you good results? Please share your experience and ideas on how to use Twitter to take a product to the customers. Thank you in advance.
Jacqueline Cochran! - Started out as a poor sharecropper, ended up as the founder of a cosmetic line and a pilot, head of the WASP during WWII. From starting from adversity and reaching the top, she's got to be up there as one of the greats.
Re: Social Media Works If You Do It Right... - Hi Michelle, Ah, but it seems hashtags are still being used by a lot of people - including Twitter! So I would still use them for your keywords. It's just that if you are searching for something on Twitter you can either go the #hashtag route, or do a direct search on the Twitter homepage. I guess you could use #hashtags when searching on the Twitter homepage as well! DH


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Tips to Take Control of Credit Card Debt

How to choose your executive coach -1

The OLD Way of Advertising, May Not be so OLD

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.