You Made a Twitter, So What Now?

140 characters mean a lot to your brand.

I have previously written posts about social media changing the face of sports media, but I have focused primarily on the importance of Twitter. I took the advice of many industry leaders, and I created a Twitter account. However, I feel like I don't know what to do next. The main two questions I am faced with are:

1. What should I tweet about?, and 

2. How do I gain, and maintain, followers? 

I think these are two common concerns among new Twitter users, especially those using it for professional purposes. Recently, I came across a post written by Kristi Hines called, "Twitter Marketing Guide" in the KISSmetrics blog that provides in-depth advice for professionals new to Twitter. She understands that since Twitter is so new, that a lot of professionals are unsure of how to use it, but she provides information that paves a path for professionals to get the most out of Twitter.





Research the Competition:
She states that the first step for businesses professionals new to Twitter is to research the competition. This will provide an insight into how similar businesses, entrepreneurs, bloggers, etc. are using Twitter, and you can learn from them what works and what doesn't. But you might be wondering, how can I sift through the millions of Twitter users to find my "competition"? Hines suggests Twellow and Wefollow as great sites to find the top users in your specific industry. 


Since I aspire to work in the sports media industry, I used both of these sites to find some top users. After searching "sportsmarketing" on Wefollow, I found some great users such as: Russell Scibetti (@rscibetti) and Emmett Jones (@sports_business) who have some different news and insights from the current Twitter users I follow. They also maintain some great blogs, which is very helpful because I have had a difficult time finding well-written sports marketing blogs. By researching the competition, I can get an idea of what type of content I should tweet.


Essential Profile Elements:
Hines mentions that there are some important things to consider before starting to look for followers. The key elements to edit on your profile are:

• Background: A custom background should reflect your unique brand.
• Bio: A concise and descriptive bio are necessary because you have less than 200 characters to let people know what they will get from your Twitter.
• Profile Picture: People want to know the person behind your Twitter posts, and a picture can let them actually put a face to your profile.
• Great Tweets: Users looking at your profile will see about your last 20 tweets, and you want to make sure you are providing great content and responding more than trying to sell something. This will demonstrate to users that you are really engaged with your audience. 

Although I was not sure how to distinguish my Twitter, I actually completed two of these suggestions already. I have a concise and descriptive bio and have an updated profile picture. I currently do not have a custom background, but I have begun creating it so I can distinguish my brand. I try to provide great content, but I rarely reply to my followers. I now realize that this reflects to users browsing my profile, that I do not engage with my followers and this is very important to build a relationship with people.

Find Targeted Followers:

After Hines provides some advice on what type of content I can post and how I can distinguish myself my specific industry, she gives tips on how to find followers and how to get them to follow you. She suggests that having an equal amount of followers and those you're following shows you will follow them in return. A great site she suggests is TwitterCounter Search, which allows you to enter a keyword and see the amount of followers and those they're following. This site also allows you to register your Twitter account and see the statistics of your account and be visible in searches. Hines also mentions that you can use the previously mentioned Twellow and Wefollow to find followers. 


These are some great suggestions for all professionals new to Twitter because I know from personal experience that it is a very overwhelming process. I have already applied some of her suggestions, and I hope to someday become an industry leader in the sports media world! 

To read the rest of Hines's suggestions check out her post on KISSmetrics 
Twitter logo found here: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/files/2010/04/twitter-logo.png