What is TWITTER ?

Twitter began in 2006 and has gained notability and popularity worldwide. Twitter is ranked as one of the top 50 websites on Alexa's web traffic analysis. The number of daily users vary, but in March of previous year. Nielsen.com ranked Twitter as the fastest growing site in the Members Communities category. eMarketer estimates that there were over 6 million+ registered Twitter users. Their research also projected that by the end of year that number will double.

Twitter is a free micro-blogging tool that allows you to post short "blogging" messages in 140 characters or less. You can post these messages using Twitter on your computer or your mobile device.

Twitter is one of the easiest social networks to pick up and start using. The Home tab will show you a feed of constantly updating tweets from people you follow. When you sign in, you'll need a nickname that begins with the @ sign. This tag will be used in other subscribers' tweets if they tweet directly to you. The Connect tab filters through the busy feed and show you interactions and mentions. This feature allows you to see when people reference your Twitter account and gives you a list of new followers.

Twitter provides a way for individuals to share information with one another in real-time. They can share news stories, reviews, complaints and even special deals.

We call these short 140 character messages "tweets" or "tweeting." These messages are broadcast to other Twitter users that follow you and shown on your Twitter profile page.

You can also use private messages through Twitter to your followers, this is called a direct message or a DM.

Twitter is meant to be used on the go. The typical Twitter user tweets from a smartphone rather than a personal computer. Thankfully, the mobile app for this social media service is even easier to use than the Twitter site. The advantage of using Twitter on a smartphone is that you can update your Twitter account immediately. When you take a quick picture with your phone, for instance, you can upload it instantly and add a comment to complete the tweet.

You cannot add personal videos to your Twitter feed. However, that problem is easily resolved. You can add any link that fits the 140 character requirement, from links to YouTube to personal websites and news feeds. Local businesses looking for a way to increase their reach can also take advantage of quick updates, creating loyalty in their followers and rewarding them with coupon links and promotional codes through their tweets.

Profiles                          9.4/10

The profile page for each user is so simple that it appears to be a weakness for this social network, but it actually works in its favor. For a site that emphasizes simplicity in all things, we'd be surprised if there were a complex profile page. Everything that Twitter members see about you is located in two small windows. First, users will see a profile picture that sits within a larger header photo that acts as a custom profile skin. The second screen allows you to input your location, website and short bio. Each of the items in a Twitter profile is optional. Twitter provides premade themes to use as your Twitter background, or you can create your own.

Search  Compare            8.8/10

The Discover tab is what sets Twitter apart in a positive and negative way. Your Discover feed shows you news stories that have either been tailored to your interests or stories that were tweeted by those you follow. If you are looking to be well versed in pop culture and current issues, you can find the Trends feed. This feed shows both keywords that have been used recently in Twitter and hashtag keywords, and follow the conversation regarding the most popular news stories. Twitter has literally taken the # sign and claimed it as its own. The downside of searching for friends on this social media site is that most users, other than celebrities, use nicknames that closely resemble their names, so it's difficult to find and connect with friends unless you know their @ names.

Security                          10/10

Twitter has a surprising number of security features. If you choose to add your email address to your notification settings, you have the option to allow others to find you by that email address. We noticed that several Twitter accounts are locked and no information can be retrieved. You can see how many tweets they have been written, how many users they follow and how many users follow them, but nothing else. When you select this option, you have to approve every tweeter who asks to follow you.

It's very easy to reset your password at any time. In what should be standard with every social media account, Twitter allows you to associate a mobile phone number with your login and password. This greatly reduces the chance of Twitter hacking.

Twitter Summary:            9.4/10

Twitter is one of the easiest-to-use social network sites you can experience. The mobile app gives you instant and constantly updated information. In a matter of seconds, you will know exactly what the rest of the world is interested in, and you can always join the conversation. A minor disappointment we have with the site lies in the difficulty associated with searching for friends. Unless they're famous or their Twitter handle is their first and last name, it's complicated to find people. Regardless, Twitter is an incredibly easy-to-use social media service, and there is a reason it's one of the top social networking sites.

Twitter is often used in campaigning, education, emergencies, protest and politics, legal proceedings, and public relations. Businesses can use Twitter to promote their products and services as well as provide customer services and listen to be being said about their companies.

How to Handle the Negative in Your Social Media Channels

Negativity often sways business away from social media. There is a fear that social media will discredit the business or destroy the reputation of the business.  We all know that dealing with negative comments in social media can be uncomfortable and unpleasant, but you can ease that by having a plan on how to handle the negativity in a way that protects your company and engages your social channels.

Having a plan will take the guess work out of what to do if someone begins to attack or take your social channel in the wrong direction.

What should you include in your plan?

Comment and Post Policy

Let’s start with the basics.  Create a comment and post policy, what types of comments and posts will you allow.  Make the policy public on your social channels.   Your policy should be clear on the language that you will allow and what comments or posts you deem unacceptable.  For example, perhaps your policy would state that foul language will not be tolerated or that all comments must be on topic.   Explain what will happen if the policy is broken.  Will you ban users for a span of time or permanently?  Will you block them?  Be as specific and as clear as you can be.

Guidelines to Handling the Negative

Now, let’s say a comment or post is on topic but it’s negative about a product, service or just your business in general.   Don’t sweat it.   Follow these guidelines and you can turn just about any situation around.

Guideline 1:  Address the Comment or Post in an Effective Manner.

Most negative posts fall into one of four categories.  They include:

• A business error
• Miscommunication or misunderstanding
• General negativity about your business.
• Disgruntled employee or past employee.

Identify the category and address the post or comment quickly. Try to come up with a positive solution.  Don’t be afraid to ask the commenter or poster if you can take it offline to discuss via telephone call or email so that you have all the details.   I always explain that the reason I’m trying to take it offline is for their own protection when it comes to privacy.

Guideline 2: Stay in the right frame of mind.  Don’t get defensive.

It’s easy to get defensive and take things personal.  Do yourself a favor, don’t!  A defensive reaction will only make matters worse.   Identify the issue, be polite and quickly try to find a resolution.   You can’t make everyone happy, that’s simply the fact, but you can give it your all to try and resolve the problem.  That’s all really anyone can ask.   Also by being pilot and not defensive other customers and/or fans will see that you are trying to move towards a resolution and most appreciate this.  I have often seen other customers come to the defense of a business if they see they are in fact trying.

Guideline 3:  Don’t Be Afraid to Own It!

Don’t be afraid to own up to a mistake or error.  They happen.  Everyone knows this.  There isn’t a company in the world that has a perfect track record.   Just deal with the issue head on by following the two guidelines above.   Acknowledge the issue and move to resolution as quickly as possible.   Never be afraid to apologize, sometimes that alone goes a long way with someone that is being negative and combative.   Hey, we screw up – it happens.

When it comes right down to it, there are only four things you need to remember and they will work for any business:

  

Step 1 – Acknowledge

Step 2 – Own it if it’s your error.  Apologize.

Step 3 – Quickly find a resolution.

Step 4 – If necessary, take it offline.

The Top 6 Social Marketing Trends that will dominate 2015-16

With new social networking platforms appearing from behind every corner, it can be hard to know exactly where to commit your time and resources. And as we move into the latter-half of 2015, it’s important to look ahead to where social networking is going, and how we can get on board.

As I think about the trends in social media so far this year, I’ve compiled a list of my predictions as to where we’re headed as we inch towards 2016.

1. Investment in Social Media Will Become a Necessity, Not a Luxury

While I’d argue that investing time and resources into a social media strategy is most definitely a necessity in 2015, I believe the tipping point in public sentiment from ‘should have’ to ‘must have’ will occur in 2016.

Businesses are already coming to terms with the need to integrate their social media efforts with their content strategy, and are seeing the impact of social media in terms of lead generation, referral traffic, and revenue.

As businesses see these very real and measurable benefits, I believe we’ll see a move away from assigning social media tasks to existing employees, and see even more companies hiring social media strategists or full-time social media managers.

The benefits of social media are many, but they include:

•          Improved social signals (which are a factor in the search ranking algorithm).
•          Company branding
•          Improved brand awareness
•          Word-of-mouth advertising
•          Increased customer loyalty and trust
•          Improved audience reach and influence
•          Social media is also one of the three pillars of SEO.

2. Google Will Become a Major Factor

While Facebook continues to lead the pack in terms of number of active monthly users (1.15 billion at last count), Google+ is quickly gaining steam, and in fact, now has the second highest number of monthly users (343 million).

With Google using the platform to collect personal information (think demographics, location, etc.), Google+ should no longer be thought of as ‘just’ another social network. It’s increasingly proving itself to be an integral part of Google’s grand scheme in terms of SEO, social signals and providing a more personalized search experience. This is especially apparent with the importance of Google Authorship, which I project will be one of the key components to Google’s search ranking algorithm by the end of 2015.

I believe that businesses who are finding themselves spread thin with their social media efforts will increasingly turn to Google+ as the closest thing we have to a ‘one size fits all’ social network.

As Google+ moves towards even greater integration with other aspects of the web – as they’ve already done with their foray into local search – I think we’ll see its growth skyrocket, both in terms of business and personal use.

3. Image-Centric Networks Will See Huge Success

We’ve seen a consistent trend in 2014 toward sharing through image and video, rather than text-based content. Visual content will increasingly become a critical piece of any solid content strategy, and social networking site Pinterest will continue to shed its reputation as a ‘women’s only’ network and become an integral part of retailers’ marketing strategies.

Other image-based social media sites like Slideshare, Tumblr, Path, and Mobli will continue to grow, and businesses will need to become more mindful about the ‘sharability’ factor of photos on their websites and blogs in order to derive significant benefit from their social media content marketing efforts.

4. We’ll Witness the Rise of Micro-Video

It seems that writing 140 characters and taking 3 minute long videos is becoming too tedious for many of us. Micro video to the rescue!

With the emergence of micro video apps like Twitter’s Vine and now Instagram’s video sharing feature, we’re seeing even more movement toward real-time video sharing. And not just any videos; with Instagram allowing 3-15 seconds per video, and Vine allowing precisely 6 seconds, users are even more likely to create and share videos from their smartphones.

It will be interesting to see if and how these bite-sized pieces of content will change the playing field when it comes to video-based social media.

5. Foursquare Will Decline Sharply

With stale traffic numbers, and significant difficulties raising capital in 2014, Foursquare continues to struggle its way towards 2015.

With other social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offering location-based features, it seems like only a matter of time before Foursquare folds and their users are absorbed into these other networks.

6. LinkedIn Will Become a Major Player for B2B Business Growth 

Still holding steady as the #1 social networking site for professionals with 238 million users, LinkedIn isn’t just sitting on its heels. With the launch of its Influencers program, LinkedIn is positioning itself as not only another networking site, but as one of the largest sources of content creation and curation for professionals.

As it grows and attracts even more users, the advantages of being “linked in” will become enormous for B2B marketers. For a guide on how to use LinkedIn for Marketing, see my article “The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn Marketing.”

Final Thoughts

Facebook and Twitter show no signs of imminent decline, but it will be interesting to see how they innovate to keep up with the growth of Google+ as well as image and video-based networks.

With social media behemoth Facebook turning 11 in 2015 (has it really been that long?), they’ll continue to focus efforts on mobile, and on offering advertisers opportunities to better target their ads. And while Twitter continues to be the golden child amongst B2B marketers, I’m curious to see if and how the rise of Google+ will impact its market share.

While most business owners are aware of the necessity of having a social media strategy, I believe 2015 will be the year where a majority will finally understand the necessity to commit the necessary time and resources to their social media efforts. I’m excited to see which up-and-coming networks grab a share of the market, and which have already run their course. If you’re a business owner looking to build your social media presence, I recommend this article: “How to Determine Which Social Media Network Fits Your Business.”

Which social networking sites do you think we should be watching? Which do you think are on their last legs? Let me know in the comments below!

Follow me on Twitter @Xunaaay for more insights, predictions, and expertise.

How can I get more leads from social media?

This is a question I get often from marketers who are struggling to find and prove the value of social media to their business. Generally, it's followed by an explanation of the various social media tactics they have tried to address this concern.

The one thing most of them aren't doing? Segmenting their audience on social media.

Segmentation is not a new concept for marketers. We use segmentation to send emails, create pricing models, and understand the behaviors of our most loyal buyers -- so why aren’t we applying this practice to social media?

To get some ideas for ways you can use segmentation in your social media strategy, keep on reading.

1) Use social media targeting. 

When most people think of social media segmentation, they think of paid targeting options. Facebook allows businesses to target their messages to users based on data such as user demographics, interests, and geographical location. Other platforms including Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram have followed suit. Paid targeting is effective because it enables companies to get a specific message in front of a specific audience.

Lucky for budget-minded marketers, there are also some organic targeting options. Below are ways you could make use of both organic and paid targeting tactics.

Organic

Organic targeting allows users to tailor their content to specific audiences without paying to promote a post. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ make it easy for companies to do organic targeting.

Facebook

Facebook allows you to filter by gender, relationship status, age, location, interests and more. Simply create your post and select the target audience of your choice.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn allows you to target by industry, company size, function and more. This is a a great feature for B2B companies that are seeking to attract more visitors.

Google+

You can also select a specific audience on Google+ by publishing your content to a select circle of friends (you will need manually add members to the circle).

Paid

Paid targeting enables companies to be seen by social media users who are already active users and more likely to engage your offer and campaign. As a result, companies can increase their reach, expand their audience size, and achieve more quality conversions.

Almost all the social networks allow you to create targeted paid campaigns.

2) Create a group.

Social media is all about community. Building communities of people who share common interests is an easy way to segment your audience and gain valuable insights. You may decide to keep the group open (anyone can join) or closed (new members must be approved by a moderator) -- there are advantages to each.

Open Groups

Open groups enable you to gather information about how a more general audience feels about your brand. You can use this forum to have discussions and ask open-ended questions such as, “What are your biggest challenges?” or “What makes excellent customer service?” You can also test out new ideas with your audience members or discover new content ideas that they would find interesting and relevant. The advantage here is that you will have a large group to bounce ideas off of. The disadvantage? They may not be as knowledgeable about your industry as you need.

Closed groups

That's where closed groups can come in handy. Because you are approving each member's admission to the group, you can cherry-pick the most qualified candidates. Maybe they're a group of customers whose opinions you value, or list of people who have attended an even you've hosted. Regardless of what the requirements of admission, this can be a great way to get specific, helpful feedback from a group you trust -- but you may not get as many responses as an open group discussion.

3) Make a list.

Most marketers are familiar with creating lists -- we do that every time we send a new email campaign.

But did you know you can use lists to have more productive social media conversations? Social networks like Facebook and Twitter allow users to create lists of friends, followers, people who have attended an event, and more.

4) Post at different times of the day.

We’ve all heard how important timing is to marketing, especially on social media. If you have a global following, you should be publishing posts throughout the day at the times most appropriate for different geographic regions. Differentiating your publishing times allows you to get engagement from a larger portion of your audience. Additionally, publishing a message more than once or at different times of the day can help your reach a specific audience that you haven't reached before.

5) Maintain multiple social media accounts on each network.

As you become a better marketer and master ways to segment your audience, more and more people from all over the world are going to be interested in connecting with you through social media. At that point, you may find that the best way to consistently serve your audience relevant content is by setting up several social media accounts, each with a specific bent.

Keep in mind that each social media account should still serve a larger audience, so be sure to work on building your overall audience from one account before you try building out more. Also, if you decide to start building out more accounts, be sure that people can easily differentiate their purpose (ex: customer support, marketing materials, your yearly event, etc.) -- otherwise, you'll be creating more work for yourself.

So there you have it, five ways to segment your social media audience for more relevant conversations -- and eventually, more conversions.

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Mistakes in Social Media Marketing

Is Email Marketing Dead?