So you want to be an online rockstar, eh? Yeah – we all aspire that dream in one way, shape or form. While many of us will never achieve it, we’re still ambitious and try.
One thing that has been made abundantly clear in our society is that social media plays a major role in communication. In a recent article I read, Twitter was labeled not just a place to share what you did for the day, but a way to connect global audiences.
Twitter is now a form of content. And the world that is rapidly learning to speak in @ signs and hashtags is joining the show.
Some say that Twitter is quickly surpassing sites such as CNN, ESPN and TMZ as the place to break real-time news and events. Where did you hear about the recent shooting in Arizona? Your local new channel or Twitter?
Applying Social Media to Building Your Business
It’s safe to say that a migration towards social media for communication and business building is a quickly becoming a necessity. I’ve recently increased my efforts of using social media to further my reach online. The more people who follow me and are interested in what I have to say, the more people I can direct towards my company and it’s products.
Obviously those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I also use it for so many other things. But I’ve committed to serving my experiences on the internet here, so I’ll focus on the business reasons behind using Twitter.
It’s very important to know what kind of people follow you, as they can be the driving force behind what you tweet, and what gets retweeted. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone tweet about “Where to Shop for Gardenias” – that one is definitely not going to be retweeted by me.
Now it’s time to open up your Twitter account and start tweeting…
Here Are 5 Sources to Find Tweetable Content
Mashable – Social Media and Tech News
This is pretty much a no-brainer for anyone in the social media and technology space. Filled with fresh content that’s published on the hour, Mashable covers the latest on Twitter, Facebook and other topics such as startups, gadgets, business and design as well.
TechCrunch – Group Blog about Technology Startups
Here’s another easy choice for the list. While I personally don’t read or tweet much with TechCrunch articles, there’s a ton of content that is worth tweeting if you’re into that niche. Known as an industry top-dog, TechCrunch is definitely Twitter-candy.
Inman News – Real Estate News and Technology for Agents
A realtor’s haven, Inman covers more than just real estate news. Aside from the expected mortgage news, you can find a technology channel with great content to tweet. This includes social media, gadgets and all things web for the agent.
Copyblogger – Copywriting and Content Marketing
If you are into copywriting or online marketing, there’s a daily treat for you to tweet about over at Copyblogger. Filled with a passionate writing community, this site is inundated with excellent content from headline writing to keyword research.
Brainy Quote – Famous Quotes by Topic and Author
When all else fails, you can always resort (like I often do) to quotations. Go ahead and try it, and like me, you’ll notice that people often retweet them. There are plenty of things said by famous people that can be applied to business, so have some fun by tweeting them!
Great post Brian. Haven’t come acroos Brainy Quote yet, but will check it out. How do you go about finding tweetable content? Do you do it at one point during the day or is this a piecemeal process every now and then during the day?
It used to be a piecemeal process, where I would randomly tweet as I came across things worth tweeting about. Now, I use Tweetdeck, and go through a round of chosen sites that I look through to see if anything is worth tweeting. At that point, I’ll schedule them out throughout the day. Ones that are *very* newsworthy I will schedule out for the AM crowd and then the PM crowd.
Btw Brian, since this is your opening post with this blog, I am looking forward to read more! This first one really convinced me
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Thanks Leo – glad I was able to do that. I’m really excited about the chance to share what I’ve learned. Now only if I can unleash the beast and do it with hardcore honesty and what not.
Great list!
Brainy Quote is a new one for me too. I’m a Hootsuite guy and I do the same timing method as you. Maybe we should form a NT network where all the bloggers can share their links from their own sites?
Have a NT retweetable repository of non commercialized content? Think about it!
Nice idea Matt – perhaps NT needs some more content writers too. This post is an example of something that the site will primarily be about.
I have a few (private) Twitter lists that I use to find my content:
- News & Resources list: here I subscribe to the likes of @mashable, @TechCrunch, @InmanNews, @OPENforum, @smashingmag ++ I check this list daily (in the morning and in the evening) to stay on top of what’s going on for the day. If I find something I think my community will like, I’ll pass it on.
- DS Clients: I follow our Diverse Solutions clients that I’ve had an exchange with and check in on them daily (again, in the morning and in the evening). I look for opportunities to share content from them and look at questions that I might be able to answer. Always keep an ear out ya know…
- WordPress: this is my list of WP rockstars. If I have a question these are the people I reach out to. But also, I love to see their work. Kris for example dishes out some really awesome AgentPress designs and so do the folks at Agent Evolution.
- Apps & Services: (this one is a public list) When someone asks me what apps/services I recommend for a newsletter, etc., I just refer them to this list!
Anyway, that’s a quick scoop on how I manage the noise and content that comes in and out through my Twitter Stream
If you stay well informed and up to date on current events, politics, technology… it’s usually pretty easy to have cool or interesting things to tweet about! A lot more interesting than “walking my dog” tweets… Or have hobbies that you’re really good at.. tweet about that and people will follow that have similar interests
I am coming from Search Engine Optimization. Due to social media marketing I am very much dependent on Twitter. I have used Mashable, Social media today, Alltop for tweet able content. But I am not getting success. can you suggest me, how I can improve my ‘Twitter’ Account?
I think you’re on the right path. Using social media outlets such as Twitter allow you to engage and converse with those interested in you, as well as provide them valuable information that might be helpful for them.