Every small business owner I talk to asks the same question.  “Where do you find the time for all this?”  My answer:  if you schedule the time, you’ll find the time.  Easy for me to say, right? I do this for a living.  Well, actually, I do several things for a living.   Not only do I have my consulting practice, but I work part-time for a large network of Hospitals as their Ecommerce Coordinator and I am a food writer and editor on my blog Jersey Bites. Oh, and I also own a network of Nanny related websites.  And, most important job of all, I’m a Mom.  So, I do know a thing or two about time issues and there are days when my own presence on Twitter and Facebook is barely a “Hi Everyone.”   But, social media is now part of my daily life, so it isn’t long before I am back at it.  Give your social media campaign the time it needs to grow in the beginning and you will find that your social media engagement will also become a part of your every day life and will actually demand less time down the road.

Before we get started with Time Management tips, I want to discuss strategy.  You do have a social media strategy right?  You have your goals outlined and the appropriate platforms chosen based on where your customers or clients collect, correct?  And, you have determined the value you and your company can provide through knowledge and content?  (are those crickets chirping?)  If a strategy is something your business has yet to consider, please check out Jason Falls great article on Social Media Explorer. Strategy is important.  The days of dabbling are over.

So, assuming your strategy is in place, its time to start making the time.  It’s not finding the time, it’s making the time.  There’s a difference.  The beauty about Social Media is you don’t have to be sitting at your desk or in your office to do it.  Forgo the latest American Idol episode or book before bed and dedicate an hour to building your contacts on whatever platform you are using.  If you’re not a night person, attack your social media “To Do” list with your morning coffee or at lunch hour. Kyle Lacy, author of Twitter Marketing for Dummies,  recommends setting up Social Media meetings by using whatever calendar tool you prefer and actually blocking out time each day for Social Media interaction.   I think this is great advice.  It takes discipline and you might feel a little silly at first calendaring Twitter time.  But, if it will get you focused, do it.

There are tools to help you manage your time while still keeping it real.  For Twitter my favorite tool is Hootsuite.  There are others.  Many enjoy Tweetdeck.  With these tools, you can schedule your tweets over the course of the day.  I like this because you won’t be clogging up your followers’ timelines with one message after the other.  You can also import your Facebook updates from your Facebook page.   Another way to streamline the time you spend on Twitter is to organize your followers into categories using the List feature.  This way you can be sure to place important people into a “don’t miss” category and be sure to check the updates there on a daily basis.  This will help keep you engaged with those prospects, clients, advocates that make your efforts on Twitter valuable.

There are tools to aggregate all of your social media messages like FriendFeed.  I personally just bookmark all of my accounts into the toolbar at the top of my browser and visit each periodically throughout the day.  An RSS reader can be a very handy tool for aggregating all of the industry related news, blogs, podcasts etc. you should be following.  RSS Readers are a great way to collect valuable content in one easy to manage location.

I like Mike Haydon’s tip on using an external timer to stay focused and increase productivity.  I haven’t tried it yet, but it might be an experiment worth exploring.  Here is a link to the full article. http://www.mikehaydon.com/helpful-hints/productivity-tip-set-a-timer/

In the end, the busy business owner may decide that their time is better spent elsewhere.  There are marketing companies setting up social media departments and then there are a lot of recent grads out there looking for work.   Business owners do have other options.  The problem comes when the busy business owner knows so little about social media and how it is done effectively, that they have no idea whether the marketing company or the recent grad is doing a good or bad job.  (I think I’ve just stumbled on a another article to write.)  Bottom line, the business owner who is looking to hire an outside or inside social media professional, should get themselves educated enough in social media to be able to spot quality and quacks.  There are also trainers and coaches out there like me, who can help get your employees up to speed or assess a company you are looking to hire.

I’m sure there are some handy time saving tips you’ve come across that I’ve missed.  Have you found one tool that really keeps you organized?  We’d all love to hear about it.

For more tips on social media time management check out Kyle Lacy’s article : 5 Tips to Being Productive in Social Media.

Yesterday,  I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Susan Rice Lincoln.   Susan, is an American who has lived in France for 20 years.  She has worked with company giants like Ericsson, Nike and LEGO.   Before launching her own company in 1994, Susan was BBDO Europe’s Communications Director in charge of 25 countries and $3 billion of business.

Nicknamed the female David Ogilvy, Susan is known for her vast communications knowledge, original thinking and commitment to excellence. She recently completed a book called Mastering Web 2.0, How To Transform Your business Using Your Website and Key Social Media Tools, The book, an essential read for mid to upper-level executives, was released in Europe and the US in the summer of 2009.

Understand Twitter, an Interview with Social Media Specialist Deborah Smith.

Listen to the podcast here:

I’ve read differing opinions on the subject of selecting your Twitter handle.  Some people believe that you should use your own personal name as a handle.  Given the fact that I have one of the most generic names on the planet, I don’t know how beneficial it is to me.  I do have a twitter account @DeborahLSmith but I find myself Tweeting more from my very first account @JerseyBites, which was started to promote my bood blog.  As JerseyBites, I feel much more free to show my personality because it’s a fun name, fun topic and I believe people find it much easier to remember than my personal handle.

When consulting clients, I actually put a lot of thought into my recommendations for handles.  What I tell clients is very dependent on their business and the goals we establish.   When consulting an author or musician or someone else who is known by their name, it makes perfect sense to go in that direction.  Sometimes, I like using the first name with a descriptor, such as @JourneywithJudy, a recent client and travel agent.  My goal for Judy is to brand her first, not her company.  I want people to know what she does at a glance and be able to remember her.  The same is true for another client, Kacy, from Connelly Campion & Wright insurance who goes by @NJInsuranceGirl.  Since Kacy serves only New Jersey, I wanted her to be able to quickly connect with other New Jerseyans.  I also wanted everyone to know she is in insurance, of course, and that she’s a female since we use her Logo as her Avatar.

I really encourage Twitter users to think carefully about the handle they choose.  What does a handle that looks like @barbara931 do for you?  (other than make people think you are a spam bot.)  Run a search on Twitter to view other Twitter handles in your industry.   If you’d like to include a keyword relevant to your industry like Travel or Nurse or Realtor, use the “Find People” search tool and search under those keywords.  You will see a list of all the people who are using those keywords and it will give you ideas on how you might use them.  I realize if you don’t have a Twitter account, you can’t use this search tool, so sign up for a Twitter account and use whatever temporary handle you want to.  You can change your handle in the settings section when you’re ready.

If you’d like some creative ideas for your future handle, feel free to email me at info@DeborahLSmith.com or leave a comment below.

“Social media is all about exchanging resources, be it knowledge or tangible goods. And notice how I didn’t say “big egos” — if you’re going to be a social media rockstar, you may very well have a big ego! I’ve a fave saying: If I’m good, it’s because I’ve made you better. “ Torley Wong

What does that mean exactly and how does it apply to the Art of the RT? This post isn’t just about the “RT” or re-tweeting for you non-tweeters. Actually, it lies deep within the underlying purpose of the RT and what should be your focus in social networking, helping each other. The first question a good networker asks, whether offline or on, is “how can I help this person?”

When retweeting a post on Twitter you are doing it for one (or two) of three reasons.

1. You liked the content and you think your followers would benefit from the content
2. You want to support the person who tweeted the information
3. You’ve got nothing original to say and need help filling up your Twitter quota for the day

First two reasons to RT, very acceptable and recommended. Number 3, not so good. My number one reason for unfollowing someone is if all they do is RT other people’s stuff. See my prior post on 7 Sure Fire Ways to Lose Followers on Twitter.

The motivation to retweet should be to Help and be helpful. You are helping your followers by sharing information you think they will like and you are helping someone you follow by sharing their information with the rest of your followers. It’s a sure fire way to make friends. And as Jeffrey Gitomer author of Little Black Book of Connections says, “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not quite so equal, people STILL want to do business with their friends.”

Here is a business that in my opinion has got this Twitter friendship thing down. John Knoeppel of the new Best Buy opening in Eatontown. @EatontownBB. This location won’t be open until October 24th (notice how I know this already) however, John is already well on his way to networking with people in the area and he’s doing it the right way. He’s connecting, he’s helping and he’s getting others to help him in return. When you look at his timeline you’ll notice many conversations with other Twitter users and many RT’s. John is passing on information, prayer requests, etc. In exchange John gets many of his Tweets, RT’d in return. He is currently using Twitter to not only build up buzz and brand loyalty but to fill 140 open positions before October 24th. I personally feel connected to a retail store that hasn’t even opened yet. How strange is that? As we know, it’s the person we are connecting with and there in lies the power of social media. If a business does it right.

So, here are my 5 Tips on how to Keep the Ego in Check and You out of Trouble on Twitter

1. Ditch the auto reply to new followers. The “Thank you for Following check out my website, blog, whatever” is blatant spam and instantly annoys your new follower.

2. If you are going to send a genuine “thank you for following” reply, do not make it about you. Check out your new follower’s blog or website or profile and make a positive comment or suggest another follower that might be beneficial to them. Sometimes, if they are very new to Twitter I’ll give them a tip on how to finish their profile.

3. Do not, and we all should know this by now, use Twitter as a one way street for “It’s all about me” posts. Engage with your followers, ask questions, offer answers, say Thank You for RT’s and offer up your followers on Follow Friday.

4. Lighten up. Humor is very engaging. (No off color jokes obviously) Showing your sense of humor will connect you with your followers on a much deeper level. It makes you human and not just another information machine.

5. Take special care of your “advocates.” Once you’ve developed that online network of helpful friends, be sure to keep up with them. Use a contact management system to sort your advocates into their own special group so you won’t miss the opportunity to help them out with an RT or answer to their question.

Those are my 5 tips on keeping it real in the Twitterverse. Wouldn’t it be lovely if everyone made helping their first priority? Geez, all of a sudden, I want to by everyone a coke.

I just realized while chatting with someone today that it has been one year this month since I ventured into the strange and unique land of Twitter. I remember hearing about this new “something” with the silly name but really had no clue what to expect when I timidly sent out my first “Hello World” tweet. 2415 tweets later and I’m wondering what I ever did before this new way of communicating and networking came along.

Over the course of the past year, I have met some really wonderful people online and off. My first “Tweetup” was organized by Eva Abreu @Eva_Abreu (who else, she’s the queen of the Tweetup) and it is where I met Scott Bradley (@scottbradley) who later became my Social Media workshop partner.

Twitter also enabled the connection I now have with The Food Channel.com who saw my tweet about attending the Martha Stewart blogging show in October of ‘08 and asked me to write a guest blog post about my experience. My second guest blog post for them will be posted this week.

The next “Tweetup” I attended was hosted at Blue Claws Stadium and organized by Josh Feinberg (@blueclaws). This is where I met my new friend and fellow jersey girl, Amber (@JerseyShoreDiva) who I quickly recruited to help work on the Jersey Shore Restaurant Week committee (@JSRWeek). Mike, the gentleman in the baseball cap, I just met that evening. I happened to run into him at another offline networking event just a few weeks ago.

A very entertaining new friend of mine on Twitter @Sweetsoaps organized a lunch Tweetup at her home in June (daring girl) where I met several other fantastic lady tweeps including @GeriRosman, @MrsMoNJ @suekleiner and @ruthanndisotell.

One of my big Twitter thrills was when @CoryBooker (Mr. Mayor that is) replied to one of my Tweets after he had taken a look at Jersey Bites and wanted to complement me on my Jersey centric theme. I asked him for his recommendations for restaurants in Newark and after 5 DM’s from him with recommends, I asked if he’d like to do a culinary tour of Newark for Jersey Bites. He said Yes!! We have yet to designate a day. I’m hoping for the fall.

So many “experts” are debating the staying power of Twitter. Is it just a fad or is it here to stay? I don’t think we need to worry so much about the tools we use to network online. Twitter may be replaced by the next best thing, but social networking online is definitely here to stay. The rewards are obvious to anyone who actively uses them to make connections. I happen to love Twitter and I hope it sticks around for a long, long time; it’s quick, its easy, no bells and whistles getting in the way of simple communication. If it doesn’t then I’ll be on to learning the next tool and looking forward to new friends and new experiences.

One final note: there are so many more Tweeps who for lack of space (and reader attention span) I just couldn’t mention here but have been wonderful to me throughout the year, supporting me through my dog vs. car tragedy and all of my ups and downs. A huge thank you to all. You are my cheering squad and my shoulder to lean on and I appreciate every one of you. And, (this is what the folks who auto follow and auto post don’t get) real people is what social networking is all about.

I’m getting this question a lot from potential clients. From my own personal experience, I am finding many of my Twitter contacts are in the 35 to 45 year range. However, this could be just the demographics of people interested in cooking and dining out since most of my followers come through my @jerseybites account.

Everything I am finding online says that the 18 to 34 year olds make up the majority of Twitter users. However, to lump 18 year olds with 34 year olds is misleading. Most of the young 20 somethings I talk to want nothing to do with Twitter. So, who are the real Twitter users? I’m hoping you will help me break it down by answering my poll to the right. Just one simple question, how old are you? Please pass this poll on to your followers to help us all get a clearer picture of who is using Twitter. And, don’t forget to subscribe to this blog by either email or RSS to get the results.

Thank you.
Deborah

I received a direct message through Twitter yesterday from one of my clients who wanted to know how I had acquired over 2000 followers on Twitter. My answer is coming in the form of this post since 140 characters would never be enough to list the many, many ways I have gone about growing my Twitter following over the past year.

The first point I need to stress is that I do not believe in using any automated tools for finding people to follow. We all need to stop looking for the highest number of followers and concentrate more on the quality and responsiveness of our Twitter communities. I could probably have collected 10,000 or more followers over the past year but if they don’t share my interests and don’t pay attention to my tweets, what good are they? My goal is to find people with my interests who will respond to my tweets and care about what I have to say.

Since my blog JerseyBites.com is a Jersey centric publication, I narrowed my search for friends to New Jersey. In the beginning, I used tools like Twellow and Nearby Tweets to find people to follow. You can also search for new people to follow by interest category. At the same time I was searching for people to follow, I was also tweeting. An active timeline is imperative to building your following; as is, a completed profile which includes your One Line Bio and (if you have one) a link to your website, blog or LinkedIn page. If you want people to follow you back, give them some information about yourself. And, unlock your posts. If you are looking to gain followers, a locked timeline is a huge deterrent. If you only want to keep your Twitter account for friends and family, that’s one thing, but if you want to make new connections and network, unlock those updates.

Be an informative and entertaining member of the community. You do not have to keep up with every single post from every one of you followers, but you should be popping on throughout the day and responding to whoever is in your timeline at that particular moment. Let your followers know you read their posts. Retweet something that you think is particularly valuable. RT’s are huge friend makers on Twitter. Use a contact management system like Tweetdeck to organize your followers so you don’t miss important tweets from your most responsive followers. Offer valuable information to your followers. I not only post information about recipes and restaurants, I also post links to articles on how to use Twitter. Everyone on Twitter is trying to make the most of it and interested in learning how. If you find helpful information, pass it on. Use a tool like Hootsuite to track the click thrus. This is a great tool to gauge the interests of your followers. If you post a link to an article and it gets 30 click thrus, you know you’ve got followers who like that kind of information so keep them coming.

Follow influential people in your industry and reply to their tweets with informed opinions or questions. Look at their followers and follow those who seem to be active and good potential contacts. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone on Twitter that you would like to connect with. They are on Twitter to network. If you do not get a response, try again at a later date. I’ve had some great communications with some very high powered people whom I would never have had the opportunity to communicate with otherwise.

When it comes to gaining new followers, I am a big fan of Follow Friday. I pick up about 25 or more new followers every Friday through recommendations from my followers. This is because I have followers who feel I am a valuable community member and they feel confident in recommending me. Participate in Follow Fridays. Offer your followers as recommendations. More often than not, you will get a recommendation in return. Always thank those who recommend you with a return follow suggestion. Once you have a fairly large following and Follow Fridays become more difficult, use my favorite tool at The Twitter Tag Project.

With all of the spam floating around on Twitter today, you can’t sit back and wait for good followers to find you. Many of the followers who find you will not be quality contacts. They are generated by automated tools and you’ll find that the users are trying to either hammer a sale or collect followers. Do not feel the need to follow back. Reserve your timeline for “real” people. And remember to take your Twitter account offline. Put your Twitter handle in your email signature, on your business cards, in your newsletter and on your blog or website. I recommended to a client the other day to hang a sign in her store “Follow Us on Twitter.” Why not? You’ll see a huge sign at Blueclaws stadium directing fans to do the same thing. Think outside the box a bit, and I’m sure you will find other ways to attract quality followers who have a genuine interest in you and your services.

What are your tips for finding and keeping valuable followers? I’d love your input to help make this a truly valuable resource for everyone.

Let’s face it. The majority of Twitter users are not 18-24 year olds anymore. We’re older, we’re professionals. The age group that holds the majority according to Hitwise last year is between 35 and 44 years old. I am happy to say I still fall within that category, barely. Hitwise goes on to surmise that 12.3% of us may even drive a Prius. If we’re no longer teenagers and we’re smart enough to buy smart cars (well some of us), why is it still so darn hard for us to have a simple conversation? My theory is that some people just flat out don’t understand social dynamics. It’s the same person you get stuck talking to (or not talking to) at a cocktail party until you can find an excuse to slip away.

1. The Conversation Hog : Don’t clog up your followers stream of updates with 10 back to back updates of your own. Always remember the little guy. You know, the guy with a handful of people he’s following. You’re taking up his whole timeline. That’s a sure way to lose a new follower who may grow to become one of your biggest fans. It ticks off the rest of the Twitter universe too. If you are having a back and forth discussion with a fellow tweet then get a room. I mean DM them. If you’ve just got a lot of things you want to tweet about, use a tool like Tweet later or Hootsuite to schedule your tweets for different times during the day.

2. The Compulsive Quoter: If ALL your tweets are quotes from famous and not so famous people, you obviously have no original thoughts of your own. I don’t need inspirational anecdotes from Maya Angelou and Abraham Lincoln. What are YOU thinking, doing, reading, changing, questioning, today? “ How will future generations learn of the great thinkers and orators of today when we are compelled to rely on the words of others?” Deborah Smith. And, you can quote me if you feel the need.

3. The Suck up: Yes, it’s great to recommend people to follow from time to time. But, if ALL you do or most of what you do is promote other people in your tweets, how will I ever get to know you? And, recommends get pretty watered down and meaningless when all you do is arbitrarily spit them out. Eventually, your tweets go completely ignored or the follower will unfollow out of irritation.

4. The Self Talker: If all you do is post links and never engage with your followers, you are on a one way street to lonely ville. It may work for Guy Kawasaki and his ghost writers, but it is not going to work for the average joe. Even if you are offering up some really great links and information, you lack personality. There is no one behind the avatar. Followers like to feel they matter and that they can interject with the chance of a response. Pushing your tweets down the one way pipeline gets old fast.

5. The Anal Tweeter: They’re the one’s who take the question “What are you doing?” way too seriously. “just took dog for a walk” “doing laundry” “going out to dinner.” Ahhhh, who cares? If you are going to tweet about mundane everyday chores, make them interesting and entertaining. “About to climb Mount Laundry, if I’m not back by dusk alert the authorities.” This type of tw
eet puts a new spin on a very mundane topic and gets replies.

6. The Perpetual Salesman: If every tweet is a buy my product, read my blog, take a look at this affiliate’s product, you are committing the cardinal sin of social media and you will be unfollowed. Social Media is all about giving before getting. Offer advice, ask questions, participate in the conversations of others. Establish yourself as an expert and your product will sell itself.

7. The Insincere “Thank You for Following” Dude. Don’t you just love those automated thank you emails, especially the ones that contain links like “check out my blog” “please look at my website” or “I found you with this product, click here?” Haven’t you read any of the feedback on the automated emails, Dude? People hate them. Where have you been? I don’t expect a message from every person I follow and I’m sure my followers don’t expect one from me. On occasion, if I have something sincere to say, I will send a personal “Thank You for following” message.

And lastly, my bonus tip to guarantee that you won’t get followed in the first place. Leave you bio blank and don’t include any links to your blog or website. Keep potential followers completely in the dark about who you are and what you do. It’s proven very successful in keeping followers at bay.

To Tweet or not to Tweet. That is the question on every business owner’s mind today. Some businesses have jumped right in neck deep into the twitter tide, sink or swim, just going for the gusto. Others, sit on the edge with barely a pinkie toe submerged, terrified of this crazy wave of social media. I am constantly asked by small business owners, what the heck is Twitter? Most days, I just tell them, you won’t get it until you get in it. It’s that simple.

At a meeting on Monday, I sat next to a gentleman who owns his own company. I was very impressed with his use of Social Media to promote his business. He was telling me about his use of LinkedIn and Facebook to gain new clients and monitor his competition and then he said. “Twitter is stupid. You’ll never convince me otherwise.” My being a self proclaimed “Twevangelist” I was all set to give him an argument, when he continued. “But, the other day, I realized the power of Twitter. All I did was “retweet” one of my followers Tweets, and 20 minutes later my phone rang and it was a new customer who had been referred by that follower.”

This was his Twitter “Ah Ha” moment. My “Ah Ha” moment on Twitter came after about 3 months of tweeting, when I posted something about attending the Martha Stewart Blogging show in New York. Seconds later I got a direct message from the Food Channel asking me to do a guest blog post on the event. Since that time, there have been many, many “ah Ha” moments for me. Today, I am heading up to North Jersey to have lunch with nine other women entrepreneurs I have met on Twitter. This is the third “Tweetup” I have attended since jumping on Twitter last July.

For many of my clients, however, this still doesn’t explain the How. How the heck do I do it, this tweeting stuff? In Joel Comm’s excellent book, Twitter Power, he gives some great tips on the how in his chapter “The Art of the Tweet.” Comm breaks down the “types of tweets” into 5 categories:

The Classic Tweet: “This is what I’m doing now?”

The Opinion Tweet: “This is What I’m thinking now.”

The Mission Accomplished Tweet: “This is What I’ve just done now.”

The Entertainment Tweet: “I’m making you laugh now.”

The Question Tweet: “Can you help me do something now?”

These five examples are a great start for the novice Twitter user. As each individual wades deeper into the Twitter waters, they will discover their own unique voice and unique way of using Twitter to communicate with followers and to promote their brand. I tell my clients that to discover the true value of Twitter, you have to be persistent and you have to be patient. As one client put it to me “It’s like talking to yourself at first. No one responds and you feel a little silly. Then all of sudden, people start to follow, they start to respond back and pretty soon you’re getting it.”

Personally, I had no idea what to expect when I started Tweeting almost a year ago. But, being the “jump in” kind of gal I am, I dove in head first. To those businesses who are still sitting on the edge, undecided, watching everyone else take the plunge I say: Do some research. Read some case studies on how other companies are using Twitter. Come up with a plan and get wet.