Twitter Redux - Free E-Course - Class 2 - Content

Welcome back :-)

Please see my previous post, Class 1 in my free Twitter course, Followers.

Thank you to everyone who has given me feedback on the last post, which was about followers. I love hearing that something I am doing is a little bit useful, it really makes me happy. Please don't be afraid to leave your twitter username in the comments section. I'll follow you, and you might even gain a few other followers too.

Exciting stuff!

This post is focused on:

Content is important because it's what keep people from losing interest. It helps, with social networking, to think of yourself as a brand, whether or not you are actually selling anything. 

You need to keep the people who have already bought into your brand interested by creating content that makes them want to interact with you. The basic fact is, you want them to trust you enough to click on your links. Eventually, you might want them to like you enough to try products that you might endorse. (Okay, I know, it's a long shot, but it *does* happen to bloggers, and has probably happened your favourite ones. Companies are itching for the credit from bloggers and tweeters with clout)

There are lots of ways to do that. Posting links to things or pictures you like, pimping out other tweeters and bloggers:
 

It's nice to link other people. You never know, people might return the favour. Plus it will help your followers build up a picture of what to expect from you as a tweeter. I like clicking links that my followers recommend. I use it as a way to interact with people. I always let people know I've followed their link and make (positive!) comment about what I thought.

I've made an infographic. Infographics are a bit of  trend at the moment, and are all about conveying information about a specific subject through a textual image.

It may not have fancy-schmancy drop shadows or handdrawn illustrations of birds singing in trees about the future of social media, but I think it gets my message across.

Finally, you can share photos on twitter too. I use the ubersocial app on my Blackberry, and I take photos with the very mediocre camera on it and upload them directly to twitter using the 'share' option on my Blackberry. I don't use Instagram because I am still clinging desperately to my Blackberry even though the screen has totally come apart.

Here are some pics I have posted over the last year on my stream, that I wouldn't otherwise have at all if it weren't for Twitter. Including such gems as 'Me eating a giant bag of crisps' and 'Me getting my hideous tattoo'

Pictures help your followers to see what you look like, obviously, but they serve a higher order. Every time you show someone a piece of yourself, you are letting them a little further into your life. And it's a personal connection, if they know what you look like, what your house is like. You wouldn't have a blog with no pictures, that would be dull. People can 'imagine' you talking if they know what your face looks like. People can imagine you doing things. It gives you a whole other dimension. 

If you aren't happy sharing pictures of your face, but still want to offer your followers a personal insight into your life, here is a list of things that you could photograph and post:

• The shoes you are wearing
• A pretty drink you are about to have
• The view from your window
• A shot of your make-up spread out
• Your dinner, post-eating
• Your wrist with your watch/bracelets
• The back of your head with an interesting hairstyle
• A shot of your wardrobe
• Picture of your with sunglasses - hies a multitude of sins!
• Shots of tattoos/piercings  that you have
• Your pet in a funny position
• A picture of some writing in your handwriting

I can't wait to hear if something that I have said is useful to you. Please post a comment :-)

Next class: Working on your layout, picture and 'branding'

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