Twitter 101 – An Overview Of Twitter Marketing

If you’re like most people, you’ve heard of Twitter, but you still don’t understand exactly what it is or how it works.  

Today, I’m going to provide you with an overview of Twitter.  Then, you’ll be ready to dive in and start using Twitter for your Internet marketing campaign. 

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a micro blogging site.  You can tweet up to 140 characters at a time.  Anything over that won’t be published.

Your tweets can consist of text and links.  Additionally, you can use:

• Retweets
• Replies
• Hash tags

Retweets

Retweets refer to the process of tweeting something that someone else has already tweeted.  You can do this via the retweet button.  The button appears when you place your mouse over the tweet.

There are two reasons to retweet a tweet.  First, retweeting will help you deliver top notch content to your followers.  For instance, if you’re following someone who tweets something that is relevant to your followers, you can retweet it so your followers will see it.  This will ensure they get access to the best content all of the time.

Second, retweeting will help you build favor with other Twitter users.  Think of it as a form of flattery.  When you retweet someone’s post, they’ll be flattered, and they’ll want to reciprocate.  They might retweet one of your posts, or start following you.  If they retweet one of your posts, it will show up in their followers’ Twitter feeds, so this can help you get more followers. 

Replies

Replies are just as they sound.  They are the process of replying to someone’s tweet.  You can access the reply function by placing your mouse over the tweet and clicking on “Reply.”

You can use replies to start conversations.  For instance, if someone tweets “What is your favorite marketing tip?” you can hit reply and then respond.

Your reply will show up on your Twitter timeline.  This will encourage others to join in the conversation. 

Additionally, if someone replies to one of your tweets, it will show up in his timeline.  This will help you engage people who aren’t currently following your Twitter stream.  This can help you get more followers. 

Hash Tag Conversations

Hash tags (#) are used to define categories in Twitter.  You can use hash tags to put posts into certain categories, or to join a conversation that’s already in progress.

When you post in a hash tag conversation, you need to include the hash tag in the post.  For instance, if you want to create a hash tag post on “internet marketing,” you would include #InternetMarketing in your post.  Notice that I didn’t put a space between the words “Internet” and “Marketing.”  That’s because hash tags don’t have spaces.

You can find hash tag conversations on the right hand side of your Twitter stream.  These are called trending topics, and they refer to the most popular hash tag conversations going on at that moment in time.

You can find additional hash tag conversations at TweetChat.com.  Once you sign up, you can type in the name of a hash tag you want to follow.  Then, all of the conversations involving that hash tag will appear.  At that point, you can join in the conversation right from TweetChat.  It will even include the hash tag for you when you post.

Now that you have a basic understanding about Twitter, it’s time to jump in with both feet.  Start using Twitter to build up your online presence.  Also, follow @Carol_Amato_ on Twitter so you can receive Internet marketing updates and information to help you online.