This document provides a guide to using Twitter, including: 1) An overview of what Twitter is and how it can be used to connect with followers and see conversations. 2) Instructions for setting up an account, sending tweets, searching Twitter, and using features like hashtags, retweeting and direct messages. 3) Tips on how to use Twitter effectively for purposes like marketing, promoting brands and staying engaged in conversations.

1. twitter guide

2. contents What Is Twitter? Effect Of Twitter Why Use Twitter? Setting Up An Account Sending A Tweet Searching Twitter URL Shortening Replying (@) Direct Messages (D) Retweeting (RT or retweet) Hashtags (#) Trending Topics Follow Friday Promote Your Page Twitter Etiquette Minimise Risks Tools Useful Links

3. what is twitter? It’s an instant messaging or micro blogging service 140 characters to tell friends or followers what you are doing 3 ways to send a tweet Web browser Mobile phone Twitter application Your tweet is shown On your profile page On the homepage of your followers On the Twitter public timeline

4. effect of twitter Twitter has amplified the amount of conversations about brands More connections More conversation Unlike Facebook, Twitter has also made those conversations publicly accessible Twitter provides powerful insight for brands

5. why use twitter? Twitter’s own site attracted 73.5 million unique individuals in January 2010 Twitter is a valuable marketing tool You can use it to: Drive traffic to your website Raise awareness of your brand Promote your news and content Monitor brand conversations Provide help and feedback to your customers And find new customers Amazon, o2 and Lastminute are just some of the major companies using Twitter to build their brand online

6. setting up an account It’s free to sign up Go to http://twitter.com Follow instructions on how to set up your profile Use your brand name Add a brief bio Add a recognisable logo Include a link to your website Create a customised wallpaper with your website addresses

7. sending a tweet 140 characters to use Type your message Click update Simple as that!

8. searching twitter To see what conversations people are having about your brand (and keywords) enter them into http://search.twitter.com

9. URL shortening As you only have 140 characters to use you may need to shorten the URL you want to share Bit.ly and tr.im are just some of the URL shortening sites available Paste in the URL and click shorten These tools have the added benefit that they track click numbers

10. replying (@) Any Twitter update that begins with @username is considered a reply Starting your tweet with @username means you’re directing your tweet at a specific person To reply to someone’s tweet click the swoosh button Or put the @symbol at the front of their username and start typing Even if they are not following you they will still see your message, along with everybody else Click @username on your homepage to see if someone has directed a tweet at you

11. direct message (D) In addition to public updates and @replies, Twitter allows you to send direct messages You can only send private message to a person who is following you There are 4 ways you can send a direct message The message link on the profile page The reply icon attached to messages in your direct message inbox The drop down box on the direct message inbox page The status update box by typing D+username+message

12. retweeting (RT or retweet) Retweeting is taking a message someone else has posted and repeating it to your followers Click the Retweet icon to do this (see below) Retweets indicate quality Retweeting someone can increase their reputation and followship If someone retweets you more than once you should thank them

13. retweeting (RT or retweet) To see if you have been retweeted click the Retweets button on your Twitter homepage See what they are retweeting - is it a funny comment, a link to a serious article? Think about doing more of these popular tweets

14. hashtags (#) # tags help group and share information around particular conversations people are having Just add the # symbol anywhere in your tweet They are used to discuss events, movies, new technologies etc People can then search Twitter for tweets related to a particular topic, such as the G20 (see below)

15. stay on topic If you abuse hashtags your account could get suspended Don’t add lots of hashtags in an attempt to gain attention in search Don’t repeatedly tweet the same topic / hashtag without adding value to the conversation in an attempt to get the topic trending/trending higher

16. trending topics Trending topics are the most tweeted-about topics on Twitter From news stories, to the latest buzz about movies, music, video games and more In addition to trending topics worldwide, Twitter can now display the most tweeted about topics near you To change views, click ‘Set Location’ in the sidebar and choose from the countries/cities

17. follow friday Follow Friday is a Twitter tradition carried out on a Friday You recommend people your followers should follow You can use Follow Friday to get people to notice what you are saying Just include #FollowFriday+username/s to your tweet

18. promote your page It’s important to promote your Twitter page on your website, blog, mailing list Add a ‘Follow us’ badge This will get you noticed and increase membership Website Blog Email

19. promote your page Add your page to Twitter directories (e.g. Wefollow.com) for everyone to see Use a Twitter directory to find new people to follow Search by relevant category, e.g. Travel agent, property, environmental Search the web for people to follow e.g. ‘Property people on Twitter’ Follow someone and they are likely to follow you back Interact with people to gain new followers

20. twitter etiquette Post a variety of tweets Post links to your site and blog If someone is following you follow them back Interact with other people Tweet when you have something valuable to contribute Don’t use Twitter only for self promotion - it’s a conversation! If you’re going to criticise make it constructive Remember tweets cannot be deleted from the timeline and could come back to haunt you

21. minimise risks Keep tweets clean and professional Be careful about making negative comments about anything Restrict the amount of people who tweet to a few Avoid tweeting from multiple Twitter clients Check which Twitter account you’re in (work / personal) Double or triple check your updates Be professional with personal Twitter account at all times

22. tools Desktop Application Twhirl http://www.twhirl.org Firefox Plugins Twitbin http://www.twitbin.com Twitterfox http://twitterfox.net Mobile Tiny Twitter http://tinytwitter.com TwitterBerry (Blackberry) http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry Twitterific (iPhone and iPod Touch) http://iconfactory.com/software/twitterrific Powerful Twitter Organisation Application Tweet Deck http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta

23. tools Monitor Twitter Keywords And What’s Hot Twitter Search http://search.twitter.com Monitter http://monitter.com Tweetscan http://www.tweetscan.com Twitscoop (What’s hot) http://www.twitscoop.com Monitor Trends Twist http://twist.flaptor.com Share Pictures & Video Twitpic http://twitpic.com Twitvid http://www.twitvid.com yfrog http://www.yfrog.com

24. useful links http://help.twitter.com http://mashable.com/2009/01/21/best-twitter-brands http://www.webanalyticsworld.net/2009/02/ultimate-guide-to-twitter-marketing.html http://caffeinatedmarketing.com/2008/12/01/be-true-to-your-twitter-the-auto-dm-question http://shankman.com/be-careful-what-you-post http://econsultancy.com/blog/3417-list-of-uk-retailers-on-twitter http://mashable.com/2009/12/08/dell-twitter-sales http://mashable.com/2009/03/30/twitter-badges http://mashable.com/2009/03/09/twitter-brand-voice http://mashable.com/2009/10/06/retweetable-tweets

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