Social media experts Sobox give their top tips on maximising some of the most popular social media tools.
In the first of our articles, we look at Twitter, the popular instant messaging system that lets users send a brief message to their followers, and in turn follow others’ messages.
Size Matters
Remember that all Twitter messages (aka Tweets) are limited to a maximum of
140 characters (including spaces). If you include a link or URL, then every character in
that link (usually around 19) counts against your 140. So it's key to make every character count!
To shorten your links for Twitter, it's best to use a URL shortening service like bit.ly
(http://bit.ly). Simply enter the long URL (e.g.: http://sobox.com.au/2010/05/20/soboxappears-
in-sold-magazine/) and you will end up with a smaller URL like: bit.ly/9QEgzU.
Twitter Commands and how to use them
@username or D username
By starting a message with @username (i.e. @iproperty Great article on property), you will send a public message to a specific Twitter user, and it will show up in both your posts and in their "Replies" tab. This type of engagement with your clients and colleagues can be a real benefit, as it shows that you are actively "listening" to them (a key to building long-term trust and respect). It can also create opportunities for other conversations in the future.
Placing a D in front of a username (i.e. D iproperty thanks for the tip) sends a private, direct message to the user. This is best for messages that don't offer any value as a public message. (Note: do NOT include the @ in front of their username).
What is RT?
RT is short for ReTweet, and it is simply a way for users to share an interesting Tweet with their own followers (e.g. RT @iproperty great tips for social media). When you post, say, an informative Tweet with a link to property sales results in a specific neighbourhood, your followers in that neighbourhood can share that Tweet with their followers, and so on. This is one of the most powerful features of Twitter, and is similar to "word of mouth".
Think of ReTweeting as a "grapevine", and the message as "juicy gossip. If you’re the first to share an interesting link with your followers, they will connect your name / brand as a source of interesting information. Again - this builds trust and respect.
The key with RT is to share only those messages that are truly informative or valuable to your followers. By overusing the RT feature with useless babble, you can actually put some people off, and they may stop following you.
What is the # all about?
The hash symbol ("#") is known as a ‘Hashtag’, and it is a powerful feature in Twitter. It’s used primarily for organising tweets into categories or groups; thus you may see some tweets contain hashtags like #property or #RealEstate, or even #Singapore.
Clicking on a hashtag like #InterestRates will pull up all tweets worldwide that havebeen tagged with #InterestRates. This is very useful in finding the content that you want to follow, and equally useful as a way to get your tweets found by other people. So consider using hashtags whenever you Tweet.
Don't forget photos.
TwitPic (www.twitpic.com) is a fantastic application that lets you share photos online with your followers. Photos can be uploaded via your mobile phone or via the site itself.
Imagine showing pictures of your open house prior to the auction - it could help generate some buzz, and get more people to attend.
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