Social Media Marketing - Local Splash

If you are new to Twitter, you have probably noticed (and been confused) by all of the crazy Twitter terms being used on the social network. Twitter users have their own language, so as a newbie, it’s time for you to learn it. Here are the top 15 most commonly used Twitter terms. Learn these and you’ll be “tweeting” like a pro in no time.

1. Tweet: A post made by a Twitter user. Tweets are limited to 140 characters.

2. Retweet or RT: Reposting a tweet that has already been posted on the Twitter stream. RT usually precedes the original poster to give credit. Here is an example of a retweet: RT @localsplash New blog post: Twitter for Dummie: 15 Common Terms Explained

3. Follow: Choosing to follow someone means their tweets will appear in your home stream. You can also get their tweets sent to your phone as text messages.

4. Follower: If someone is following you, it means they have chosen for your tweets to appear in their home stream and they are most likely reading them.

5. Unfollow or De-Friend: This is when one of your followers decides to stop reading your tweets.

6. DM: This is a Direct Message sent to a twitter user. In order for you to DM someone, that person must be following you. DMs don’t appear in the public twitter stream. They go directly to the receiver’s inbox.

7. @ Reply/Mention: The @ symbol is used to reply to or mention a twitter user. For example, if @localsplash tweeted something and you want to make a comment publicly, you could write @localsplash then the message. Local Splash will be notified of the “mention” but your tweet will also be able to be seen by all of your followers.

8. # (Hashtag): A hash symbol (#) is used to comment about a popular topic in a tweet so that people who are searching for that topic can easily find it. “Trending topics” occur on Twitter when a lot of people use the same hash tag. Anyone can make up a hash tag, however, not all of them become common trending topics. Only when a large number of people use the same hash tag is when it becomes a trending topic that appears on the home page of Twitter. Hash tags provide users are way to find out what the most talked about topics of the day are. Ex: @localsplash: Hooray it’s Friday! #TGIF

9. Twittosphere: Twitter atmosphere. The collective group of everyone who uses Twitter.

10. Tweeple: People who use Twitter

11. Tweeps: Your Twitter friends. “Peeps” on Twitter.

12. Twitterati: A-list Twitter users or Twitter élite. These are people who have a lot of followers. Usually includes celebrities or people who are highly influential to other Twitter users.

There are many more Twitter terms floating around the Twittosphere. These are just the most commonly used terms. For the official glossary, visit Twitter.com.

It’s no secret that consumers are spending more time on Facebook now than ever before. The website that started out as a way for college kids to socialize online has turned into a giant social network where many people spend copious amounts of time. Business owners have taken notice of this and have started to use the network to advertise their products and services via the Facebook Page. Facebook is especially appealing to businesses because it makes it easy for people to spread information to friends through the network.

If you haven’t started your Facebook marketing campaign yet, there’s no better time than the present. When done correctly, a Facebook Page can help your business increase brand awareness, attract new customers and improve customer service and satisfaction. Follow these steps to get started on your Facebook online marketing campaign today.

1. Create your Page. Creating a Facebook Page for your business is simple but it takes time. First you need to make sure you have a personal Profile Page before you can make a Page for your business. Once you have that taken care of, you need to choose which category best suits your company. The Pages Local Splash creates for its clients are called Local Business or Place pages. However you can also choose between Company/Organization/Instituion, Brand/Product, Artist/Band/Public Figure, Entertainment or Cause/Community. You must make sure to select a category then fill out your information completely. This information includes a description, contact information, a URL to your website (if you have one) and more. Make sure to use keywords sporadically throughout your text to help make your Page more search-engine friendly. Add your company logo as your profile photo. Update your status with a welcome message to your new fans.

2. Customize your Page with applications. Customizing your Page is important because it makes users actually want to visit and “like” your Page. There are many applications on Facebook that help your Page stand out. Depending on what your business is you may want to install apps that let you create polls, offer coupons, display your YouTube videos and more.

3. Invite friends. Once you’re happy with the Page you’ve created it’s time to invite your friends to “like” it. You do this simply by clicking “Suggest to friends,” then click on your friends’ pictures to invite. Another way to attract new fans is by using Facebook ads. Facebook ads allow you to specify your target audience based on their location, interests, age, gender, etc. which helps guarantee that your ads are seen by people who are interested in your product or service. Reach out to your already existing customers and urge them to “like” your Page. Use things like your mailing list, e-mail newsletter and signature, business cards, website and store window to help get the word out. One great way to get their attention is to offer a discount or giveaway as an incentive to “like” the Page.

4. Engage your fans. Once your Page is set up and you have a solid number of fans, it’s extremely important to keep those fans interested. This means posting relevant content that will keep them engaged and coming back for more. When fans comment or interact with your content, it will show up in their friends’ news feeds. This helps spread the word about your business and attract more fans and people to business. If you own a restaurant post photos of the specials to entice fans into your establishment. If you’re a retail store owner, update your status announcing when you’ll be receiving more merchandise. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and post things that you would find entertaining if you were them. Don’t forget to update your Page on a regular basis so people have a reason to check back.

Keep in mind that Facebook is always changing. You need to pay attention to the social network in order to keep up with these changes to make the biggest impact with Facebook for you business. Local Splash can create a Facebook Local Business Page for your company. Check out our website to see what other local SEO services we offer to help your business get found in the search engines.

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