At the inception of Twitter in 2006 many people could not comprehend how 140 characters could relay a powerful message that could lead to website hits, brand awareness, new relationships and new business. The response by many was: "I don't get Twitter!". Today we still hear individuals saying this and fortunately we are in the position to demonstrate and train people how to tweet.
On a platform where we only have 140 characters how do you really optimise this space effectively? Well a starting point would be to know exactly what you'd like to say. This would be in the form of a short sentence, which I like to call a teaser. The reason for "teaser" is that if you have a link that you would like the audience to click on to read more you have to tease people with a good sentence/content to actually get them to "want" to read more. If this sentence is not appealing, has grammar or spelling errors, or even foul language the chances of that linked being clicked on are minimal.
The following is an example:
Bland tweet: Technology Gadgets htt/p.ly #gadgets #technology
Teaser tweet: See what is smart and sexy in gadget world this week! http/98ow.ly #gadgets #technology
The audience is more likely to open the link if the second tweet is read. Also, add your keywords using the hashtags. Sometimes your sentence does not have all the keywords that you would like to use. Keywords can be added at the end of the tweet. It does not have to form part of the teaser.
A tweet is not just a sentence especially when tweeting from or for a brand. Please keep in mind these three points when tweeting:
The beauty of social networks is that you always meeting new people. Some people you never engage with yet they appear in your stream with information that is of interest to you so you don't mind their updates. Others end up being a great network, business partners or just online buddies. Last year I met @CharlesHercules on Twitter. Charles and I often speak about social media and mobile apps. He has an iPhone and a Samsung and is a real mobile junkie. I asked him to tell me about his 5 most popular iPhone apps:
Twitter
What I love about this app is that it has an advanced "Discover" feature which brings you articles based on your interests. This is ideal if you want to have a quick glance of what's current in your world.
Whatsapp
The perfect cross-platform IM tool. This allows me to chat to all my friends whether they are on iOS,Blackberry or any other phone that supports whatsapp.
Instagram
The world's favourite photosharing platform. This allows me to capture,edit and upload my photos in realtime. Be share I'll be using this on my next trip to Paris!
Audible
Download your favourite audiobooks and listen to them when and wherever you like. I find this app incredibly useful as I get to learn as I drive,or fly. Plus you won't find the audiobooks cheaper anywhere else.
Funnyordie
Rounding the list out is the brainchild of funnymen Will Ferell and Adam McKay. This app features funny skits specifically made for the site from your favourite actors.What I particularly love about this is that the content is always relevant and witty.
Thanks @CharlesHercules!
If you have more apps to share with us please tweet me @tamzinmart.
The iPhone has over 500 000 apps. Visit the App Store to discover more.
