Currently on twitter you can post tweets and reply to tweets with the aim of developing a dialogue. The point is to be able to introduce yourself and make your services and products known to your target audience. The chances of your followers actually reading your message are pretty slim because active users are looking for the same exposure and paying no attention to the 100 tweets posted every hour.
Because of this, you need a way to connect with your new followers and get them interested in your message. Your window of opportunity is short and you only get one chance to do this. Before you can get them to follow you around and introduce you to this opportunity, you need to lay the groundwork to make sure you have all your details in place:
Twitter.com account
If you’re new to the Twitter experience, the first thing you need to do is create an account. Be sure to read this entire article before creating a Twitter account. You may find some useful tips.
Setting up your Twitter profile “Creatively”.
Creating an account on Twitter is very simple. Before you start, make sure you sign up with a Gmail account or something that you can verify but isn’t connected to your main emails that you use on a daily basis. This will help you filter your Twitter message more easily. Once you’ve created an account and logged in, be sure to take the time to edit your profile and provide your viewers with your bio so they know who you are and what you’re all about.
Log in to your account, then click on “settings“and the first option you have there is”Account“. Here you have the following options:
Name – Put your name or something creative there to grab the attention of your audience. If you are looking to mark your name, then this is your opportunity. If you’re not interested in branding your name, wear something that relates to your industry. For example, you can use a nickname like “Social Guru” or another catchy phrase.
Username – this was set up when you first created your account, I suggest you leave it. If you’re just now creating a Twitter account, you may want to use a keyword or phrase. You may want to use a nickname or even your real name; it really depends on your target audience.
Email – I suggest you create a Gmail account specifically for your twitter.com account. Once you start being popular, you will receive a lot of emails. This will save you from having to filter emails from your primary email account.
Time zone – Choose the time zone you are in.
URL for more information: Here you can put your main website or blog that you want people to find. This should be the site you want to expose people to the most. If you have more than one site, you may need to create multiple Twitter accounts.
One Line Bio (micro bio gold) – This is a 160 character bio that you can create to grab everyone’s attention and encourage them to follow you. You may be tempted to put a marketing message to try to sell something here, but this is not recommended because you want people to follow you and not look at other profiles. Try to be fun and unique. You can reveal a bit about what you do, but be sure to talk about other things like your favorite food or animal, etc.
Rent – There are people looking for specific cities or states. I prefer to use a state that offers the most coverage area possibilities.
language – find your language option and select it.
Protect my updates – this is if you want your messages to remain private. By doing this, you may be losing opportunities for people to read your tweets, and this means losing potential followers. I do not recommend using this option here. Once all your data has been entered, you can save your data.
There are a few other settings you might want to use, like Devices and Notices. You can connect your mobile phone to get updates and you can even set your preferences for when you want to be notified. If you don’t want to be notified, you can also select this.
Image – This option is great because Twitter will automatically place an image. If you want your profile to stand out, add a photo of yourself or something related to your industry. A fun image will work well here too. Again, the point is that you want people to notice you.
Design – This is where you can really get creative. The recommended size for the Twitter layout is 1800 x 1100. You want to place your main message in the layout itself. Place this on the left hand side and make it about 230 – 250 wide and about 400 tall. You can use Photoshop or another design program to make it as fun or professional as you want. There are also some services that will do a custom design for around $50.00 – $150.00 on average. You can find tools and resources like: theclosetentrepreneur.com/create-a-twitter-background-using-powerpoint that will also help you design your own custom background. Don’t get stuck at this point or let it stop you from moving on to the next steps. You can always come back to this later.
Once you have a design ready to go, go to “Design” in your settings on Twitter and use the “change background image” option to upload your design. This is a great way to get people to want to follow you and another chance to get your URL noticed.
Ready to automate your message?
Are you ready to automate your message? Well, before you do this, make sure to show your Twitter account to your friends and colleagues. Get their feedback and make sure you don’t have errors in your content or any other issues.
Once you’re sure your account looks good, you’ll need to create a marketing message that will grab the attention of anyone who follows you on Twitter. Think carefully here, as you want to make sure that your message is heard and that it really compels people to follow you. Your message is limited to 160 characters and must include enough space for the URL you are trying to promote. At this point, your followers will receive a unique message from you and a link to the URL you are promoting.
Here are some tricks you can use to help turn your standard URL into a “small” URL. There are some free services available like tiny.cc/ and bit.ly. I recommend bit.ly because you can create an account. They also give you a username and API that will be needed to create your automated message.
STEP 1 – Create your Bit.ly account
Go to Bit.ly and create an account there. Follow all the details they give you and once you create an account, log in and click on “account” on the top right. After doing this, you can see your API login and API key. Save this information somewhere, as you will need it later.
STEP 2 – Create a small URL
While still logged in to bit.ly, you’ll click the start button and enter the URL you’re directing people to. It can be an affiliate URL or just a link to your site or blog, etc. After this, click “shorten” and copy your new small URL and save it for later use.
NOTE: Now add your little URL to your 160 character autoresponder message and make sure the total character count is 160. Save this message as you will be using it here very soon.
STEP 3 – Create an OpenID account
You will now need to create an OpenID account. There are many options, I would recommend using openid.net or myopenid.com. Create an account and when you’re done you’ll be given an open URL. Save this URL for the final step.
STEP 4: Open an account at TweetLater.com
Tweet Later is a great tool created by Dewald Pretorius, who has devoted a lot of his time and attention to the development of this program. He has personal contact with the people on Twitter and keeps everyone up to date through his blog.
This service has both a free and paid option. I recommend the paid option as you get more use out of their tools and it is a very reasonable price considering the quality of the program created by Dewald.
In addition to this, his site also offers tutorials that explain everything I’ve been talking about in this article and more.
Now you are ready. Enter: tweetlater.com and create your account. You’ll see during your signup process that you’ll need to include your Bit.ly API login name and key, in addition to your OpenID as well. Once you’ve created your account, you’re ready to log in.
Once you have logged in, click on “accounts” and then a subset of options appears. Select “Add Account“.Choose the Twitter to “select type” and then click continue.
You will then be prompted to enter your Twitter user ID and password (don’t worry, this is a secure site)… Once you enter the information, you’ll need to read each option provided and decide which one works. the best for you. There is a place to put your automated message and a small URL along with your message.
When you’re done, click “save.” Now your goal will be to get as many followers as possible. This is something that I will cover in our next series of lessons.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and stay tuned for our next lesson “Don’t waste your Twitter account and make friends today!
