Your Blogging Services Portal

Twitter is a great way to build brand and loyalty in social media. Designed around the concept of community, Twitter rewards participation and creativity. Here is how I built personal brand and followers on Twitter.

Branded Icon

So much in the fast flow of Twitter conversations is based on the visual image of your icon. Brand it and minimize the changes. That icon is how hardcore Twitterers subconsciously track everything. If you change it or go to some off the shelf manga avatar you will lose attention.

Chose a prominent color, logo, or distinctive picture. I chose a black and whit picture–no on uses black and white anymore. Bingo! Bill Rice’s face is a branded image.

Custom Twitter Page

This is essential. When people go to follow or investigate you. A default template is almost as bad as a Twitter account with not Tweets–guaranteed lost follower.

This is also free advertising space for your business. Where else can you get free banner ad placement on a million user network. Use it.

Keyword Bio

You bio is your first introduction and follows you in all of the Twitter third-party applications. Be specific about the types of people you want following and engaging in conversations with you.

I like to do this quickly and efficiently with a list of keywords. Everyone knows what tags and keywords are these days. Leave out the prose and get straight to the point.

Custom Landing Page

The website link is yours. It is only going to be followed by a targeted audience of Twitter users. Turn it into a valuable landing page for your Twitter clients and for you.

Build a custom page on your website or blog. It should serve up a quick introduction, why someone should follow you, what you do, and a valuable freebie.

Also, don’t forget the call to action–make sure they have followed you and maybe ask them to join your email list.

Attract Conversations

The Twitter community is full of search and meme following and tracking utilities. Keep that in mind and use rich keywords that will attract valuable followers. Make your tweets attract.

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a popular, inexpensive and practical addition to internet marketing. To increase inbound links to your website, which opens the door to curious visitors, this type of link strategy is relatively simple to do. So how does social media marketing create more inbound links to your writing website? Here are 5 quick and easy ways to do it:

Blogs create a conversation between you and other visitors that establishes interest and will open the door to more inbound links to your website. Just in case many of you do not know what a blog is, it’s a website or webpage that provides text, a personal diary, commentaries or other newsworthy subject matters. It may include photographs, music, podcasts or mixed online mediums.

Blogs have a newfound popularity among politicians, celebrities and other professions. Comments left on a blog builds a relationship between you and the blogger. It offers you an opportunity to insert your site address under your name, depending on how the comment sections are set up. However, on blog comments resist the urge to advertise. Instead, make helpful advice comments that could be beneficial to other visitors that will make them curious about what you do.

• Social Media applies to social advertising, networking, shopping, events, games or video sharing. Social Media Marketing is your online business card, direct mail marketing, newspaper advertisement, radio spots, promotional postcards or flyers.
• Real Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds is syndicated content used by many online publishers, weblogs or news related sites that allows people using the web, the ability to retrieve the latest information on subjects of interest. Through article marketing, you will open a window of opportunity to provide information to those seeking information that you share a common bond with and open the tables of discussion regarding your writing business.
• Social online networking is becoming increasingly popular through online communities such as You Tube and My Space. Getting involved in internet forums, message boards, blogs and various niche communications also offers the opportunity for open dialogue to discuss your expertise.
• Bartering is also a good way to increase your inbound links when you have a limited marketing budget. If you can exchange writing services with other businesses as a contributor to their ezine, this will increase your link popularity. In your bio, you can include the link to your website.

Your conversation between authors and peers is a great networking opportunity for your writing business. Social Media Marketing is basically strategic online socializing. Through online socializing, you don’t have to worry about what to wear and the cost of putting gas in your vehicle to drive to a social gathering that you are invited to attend.

First, I look at the avatar or photo of the Tweeter. I want to get an idea of who I am interacting with. No photo, no follow. I prefer to see a photo of the real person–not their dog, their logo, kids, or a caricature.

Second, I read the Tweeter’s bio. If the bio is interesting and complete, I am much more likely to follow that person than if there is only a URL or a few words that don’t really tell me what the person does or enjoys. Since Twitter has shut down their “search by category” feature, the bio is a quick way to see if I share common interests, business goals, location, or area of expertise with the potential Tweeter. Even if the person is my competitor, I hope to learn something from them.

Next, I read through the person’s recent Tweets to find out what type of information her or she is offering. Big turn offs: 90 percent of the messages are in reply to someone else and I have no idea what they are talking about. While I appreciate the interaction, I feel like I’m intruding on a private conversation if there are no other types of exchange. Big plus: links to helpful tips, articles, and even products to check out. I want interesting content, not just a URL with no explanation as to what I might find by clicking.

Then, I look at the number of updates and the date of the last Tweet. If the person is not active on Twitter, there’s no point in following him or her. If someone Tweets fifty times a day about nothing more than their hairdo or what they’re eating, I’m probably not interested.

Some people wonder why I use Twitter.grader.com. This service evaluates using criteria similar to what I use to decide whether or not I want to follow someone. If I am leaning toward clicking the follow button but I’m still not sure, I will actually go to the trouble of checking a person’s grade on Twitter. If the Tweeter has a high grade, I will probably consider following him or her. If Grader doesn’t rank a person high, I’ll probably pass–not permanently–I may come back later to see if the score improves. It could be that the Tweeter is new to Twitter and doesn’t have much history for Grader to use in giving a score.

Lastly, I check the ratio of followers to following. If a person’s Tweets are interesting and helpful, people will follow in return. If someone is following 1,000 people and only 65 are following them, I suspect the person is either a spammer, a newbie, or boring.

So, if you are following me and I’m not following you in return, check the above points and make a few simple changes. Not only am I likely to follow you, so are others!