Twitter 101Julie SmithProfessional Recruiter – Sales West

2Twitter 101

The Basics

What is Twitter?– An online social networking and microblogging service that enables users to send and read text-based

messages of up to 140 characters Has over 500 million active users, generating over 340 million tweets daily and running over 1.6 billion searches

daily– One of the top 10 most visited websites on the Internet

How does it fit in with our Social Media Strategy?– 24 hour Drive-Thru

Engage customers and job candidates in quick, transactional conversations– Conversations will frequently transition into another channel (Email, LinkedIn, etc.)

– Increase awareness around open positions by tweeting out current openings– Search for candidates utilizing hashtag and keyword searches

Tweet volume means there is a lot of noise to navigate through– Allows candidates to casually connect with us and monitor what we’re up to

Great for passive job candidates– Allows us to follow competitors to see what they’re up to, as well

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Terminology

Tweet – Text-based messages of up to 140 characters that are displayed on your Profile page

DM (Direct Message) – Private messages between Twitter users.– Can be sent to anyone who follows you

# (hashtags) – Allows users to group posts together by topic or type– #resume on tweets pertaining to resumes

@ - Used for mentioning or replying to other users– Should be followed by their User Name (EX. @JulieMWSmith)– Used in tweets only, not direct message’s

RT (Retweet) – A re-posting of someone else’s Tweet, so that it is seen by your followers– Similar to forwarding an email

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Terminology, con’t

Followers/Following – Twitter users who you have subscribed to or who have subscribed to you– Tweets are sent from people you are following directly to your feed

Happens automatically, no searching required!– Unlike LinkedIn, it is not automatically reciprocated

Trending topics – Most popular topics (or hashtags) on Twitter at that moment– Think of it as the front page of a real time newspaper

Verified Account – Accounts that have been verified by Twitter as being authentic– Frequently used by celebrities and major companies– Designated by – Is FedEx Office’s account verified?

Promoted – Signifies a paid advertisement or promotion– Can be assigned to both Twitter users and topics– Designated by

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Terminology

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Your Profile Page

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How do I find people to follow?

The easiest way to find Twitter followers is through using their search function. – Type the name (or Twitter username) of the person you want to find in the

Search box at the top of your Twitter homepage and click on the magnifying glass.

– Results for your search will show up under the People tab on the search results page

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Sending a tweet

Now that you’ve found some people to follow, it’s time to send your first tweet!

You have two options to send a tweet from within Twitter:– You can type your Tweet directly into the Compose new Tweet box from your

Home Screen– You can click on the Blue Box in the upper right hand corner of your Home

Screen to get a pop-up box to compose your tweet in.

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Sending a tweet, con’t

A few things to remember:– You only have 40 characters, so use them wisely

Twitter keeps a running tally of characters available on the bottom right-hand corner of where you are composing your tweet

Anything over 140 characters will not make it to your followers– Don’t forget to click the Tweet button once you’re done composing

your tweet.– You can also link your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, so that LI status

updates are sent directly to Twitter.

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What if I want more information?

Additional resources for learning the basics about Twitter– Twitter Help Center (https://support.twitter.com/)

Lots of great articles and videos to walk you through everything from setting up your profile to more advanced search techniques.

– You can also Tweet questions directly to Twitter Support by adding a @Support to the end of your question.

– http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/newTwitter/index.html Comprehensive video tutorial that walks you through signing up and sending that first tweet. Interface is a little outdated, but lots of good information if you’re a visual learner.

– A simple Google search for what area you would like to learn more about will reveal a wealth of information and free resources on the web. Try to stick to newer resources as Twitter has consistently been upgrading it’s systems and

interfaces since it’s launch six years ago. There is some outdated information out there to weed through.

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Why can’t I just send regular Tweets?

Engagement!– Social Media allows us to engage with our candidates (both future and present) in

ways we’ve never been able to previously Retweets– Most effective for helping us to build our brand– Also beneficial for allowing us to provide context to any announcements

Ex. Sending congratulations out with a retweet about the Top 100 Companies to work for Mentions– By mentioning people on Twitter, we are able to make sure they see our Tweets or

even engage them in a public discussion DM’s allow us to do this privately

Replies– Also us to respond to any requests for information

Might be specific to a job or career opportunity We can respond to open calls for information/answers to help us build our networks, as well.

Twitter 101

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Retweets

RT (Retweet) – A re-posting of someone else’s Tweet, so that it is seen by your followers– Similar to forwarding an email

How do I know if a Tweet in my News Feed is a Retweet?– Two different ways retweets appear

If you see a Tweet from someone you do not follow on your News Feed, look for the retweet icon in the upper right hand corner

You will also notice there is retweet info at the bottom of the tweet. The user who retweeted the message should be someone you follow.

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Retweets, con’t

How do I know if a Tweet in my News Feed is a Retweet?– Sometimes you will notice a RT at the beginning of a Tweet

Indicates that the user is re-posting someone else’s content Not an official Twitter command, but is widely recognized and used

What other differences do you notice?– A few notes on retweets

If you are accessing/using Twitter though a third-party application (TweetDeck for example), retweets posted through those channels will automatically appear with the RT.– One reason why the RT is so commonplace and widely accepted despite not being an official Twitter feature.

Why won’t it let me retweet someone?– The most common reason is that they have protected their tweets. This is indicated by a lock next to their

Twitter handle

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Retweeting

With “retweeted by” information– Does not allow you to add your own commentary

Step 1: Click the Expand button under the Tweet you want to retweet

Step 2: Click on Retweet

Step 3: Retweet

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Another way to retweet

Utilizing “RT”– Allows you to add your own commentary

Retweet must still be under 140 characters Step 1: Highlight the text you want to retweet and copy it using Ctrl+C or a right click

– You can retweet only portions of an original tweet to help stay under 140 characters Step 2: Click on the Compose New Tweet button (Blue with a feather pen on it)

Step 3: Type your thoughts in the Compose new Tweet box. Once done type in RT, then the user you’re retweeting’s Twitter handle. Here you would type @ViacomCareers (it will autopopulate once you start typing). Lastly, paste the copied Tweet and click the Tweet button.

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Mentioning someone on Twitter

You can mention someone on Twitter by adding their Twitter username preceded by the “@” symbol

The person you mention will be notified that you have mentioned them in a tweet

– Typically via email, but also on their Connect page, as well– Since it’s going out as a regular tweet, all of your followers will also see your mention

Mentions are great for helping to build your network and also for publically notifying Twitter users about a specific opening– Try mentioning someone the next time you post a job on Twitter

Ex There are Twitter users who retweet jobs by geography or work group

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Replying to Tweets

Probably one of the best ways to build your network and brand on Twitter is by replying to Tweets– You can reply to any tweet by any of your followers

To reply to someone, you simply need to begin your tweet with “@” followed by their Twitter handle

Clicking on view conversation will show the recent tweet history between those two users.

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Identifying Tweets Cheat Sheet

Retweets – “RT” in the tweet or in the upper right hand corner

Quoting or sharing a Tweet with your followers. S imilar to forwarding an email or sharing on Facebook

Replies– Any tweet that begins with “@” followed by a twitter handle

Sent in response to another twitter user Mentions– A tweet with “@” followed by a twitter handle anywhere within a Tweet

Person you mention receives notification of your tweet Similar to tagging on Facebook

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Why is my Twitter network important?

The strength of your Twitter community determines what you will get out of the micro-blogging site– Unlike LinkedIn, we can’t pay to get guaranteed access to everyone

Closest we can come is to pay to have our accounts/hastags promoted, but everything else (i.e. who shows up in searches) is determined by algorithim

There is a lot of “noise” on Twitter– Having a solid, targeted network will help cut through the junk that’s out there

Having your tweets retweeted by your followers helps increase your visibility and brand

You can only view protected tweets if that user gives you access to them– Most who use Twitter professionally do not protect their Tweets. – What information could we be missing?

Twitter 101

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Twitter culture

People who use Twitter (or Tweeples in Twitter speak) are referred to by their handles. For example, I’m @JulieMWSmith– My Twitter website is twitter.com/JulieMWSmtih

Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, it’s completely normal in theTwitterverse to follow people you’ve never met.– In fact, it’s encouraged– For those using Twitter in a professional capacity, you should be following industry

leaders Both companies and special interest groups

Be mindful of Twitter etiquette– Never send personal information publically (“@”), DM it if necessary– Take longer conversations offline

Anything more than three tweets per conversation is a good rule to follow

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The basics of building a network

Follow the right people on Twitter– It can be tempting to follow every person who follows you. Don’t.

While there is a lot of valuable content on Twitter, there is also a lot of junk.– Keep an eye on Retweets

If someone you follow retweets something interesting, follow the person who sent the original Tweet

Search Twitter for people using hastags that are pertinent to you– I periodically search Twitter for the #sales #jobs and #hiring hastags

Utilize the Who To Follow suggestions – You don’t need to follow everyone they suggest, but you should check their

recommendations periodically and follow those that interest you Make sure your Twitter handle is listed on your LinkedIn page– Email signatures are a possibility, too

Know your network – make interactions personal

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Join in the conversation

Twitter chats, or live conversations via Twitter that last about an hour, are one effective way to connect with others.– Utilize the specific hashtag at the designated times to participate

Ex. @FedExOffice is looking for some dynamic #sales professionals to join our team in the #LosAngeles area. #JobHuntChat

– #JobHuntChat is every Monday night starting at 7PM PST– #HFChat (Hire Friday Chat) is every Friday starting at 9AM PST– #CareerChat is every Tuesday starting at 10AM PST

Twitter chats can be very fast-paced and keeping up with them can be a challenge– Practice makes perfect – don’t give up if the first one (or two) you attend are overwhelming

Try to identify Tweeples within your industry and follow them to help keep up with the converation. – Utilize 3rd party tools such as Tweetchat, HootSuite or SearchTwitter.com to help monitor the

appropriate hash tag– Hire Friday posts a transcript following the chat

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Attend events virtually

With budget cutbacks, we don’t have the money to send our entire team to industry events– Virtually all major conferences are now also live streamed and have corresponding

Twitter hashtags Search hashtags for industry leaders to follow

– Both ERE and SHRM have corresponding hashtags for all of their conferences Twitter parties are one-time events and very similar to Twitter chats– Find Twitter parties by following the right people– Tweeparties.com also maintains a calendar of Twitter parties– Some companies, like Verizon Wireless, host periodic Twitter parties

Participate in Tweetups– In person networking events that are arranged via Twitter for people who have not

met before

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Additional Resources

Twitter is a Social Media site, so the bulk of the tactics described here have been more active and social in nature. – There are more passive tools to help you grow your network, but be mindful of

avoiding some of the pitfalls we discussed earlier. Import email contacts– Twitter allows you to import your Outlook contacts to help identify people you

already know who are on Twitter Twitter user databases– There are several databases that list Tweeples by industry and interests

Twellow.com is the largest

Questions?