Here are a few important definitions you should know before starting to work with Twitter. It will help you when reviewing our other articles and getting started with using Twitter for promotions, customer support, sales and public relations.
@Mentions / Replies – PUBLIC:
When you want to mention another Twitter account in your Tweet include an “at” symbol with their account i.e. @jason_kocina. The Twitter community respects mentions because they mean your account gains exposure to a new audience. Influencers in the market like to be rewarded when they mention you and are always looking for a mention back. (Also see Enhance your Twitter List with #FollowFriday)
Direct Message – PRIVATE:
Direct messages are private ways to connect with Twitter users. Conversations often start public, then users switch to direct messages to share contact information or private details.
RT:
A Re-Tweet is when you tweet someone else’s message to your followers. Re-tweets are a measure of your influence. When a tweet is repeated, its audience is increased.
#Hashtags:
Created organically by Twitter users, hashtags help users aggregate search data. Many times events will have their own hashtag to enable attendees to follow the communication. Basically hashtags are used to dramatically narrow down searches.
Lists:
You organize the people you follow by creating lists of Twitter users. Lists can be public and can be used to find groups of Twitter users who are potential customers or influencers of potential customers.
When you are connecting with influencer who share your same target market. It is important to understand what active Twitter users follow: who is mentioning them, which tweets are re-tweeted etc. When you want someones attention mention them and/or share their tweets with your audience. There are three main factors people use when determining if your feed is a good source.
- Quality of content – More then ever content is king, if you supply great content others are more willing to share it.
- Consistency of posting – daily updates are of more value than monthly.
- Size of your audience – They want exposure, the larger your audience the more likely they will be to share your content to their list.
- Responsiveness – When people share your content or mention your account, do you return the favor?
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