Are you a twit on Twitter?

What’s a “twit” anyway?

One definition of a twit is:

“a foolishly annoying person”

If you’re new to Twitter, it’s easy to get confused and be a twit rather than sending out a good tweet. Here are 5 signs to look out for:

1. You talk a lot–even shout–but never engage.

I’m certainly no guru, but I’ve seen so-called marketing and social media experts push out only their own tips, blog posts (both theirs and blogs they are mentioned in), and quotes – attributed to themselves. Ick.

Yes, it may make you look like an expert, but not a person. Think about what it’s like at a networking event. Would you just talk about you, you and you? How much business did you get?

If you keep tweeting information without interacting with other people on Twitter, you end up looking more like a robot than a human being. And everybody hates Twitter bots!

Sure, links to informative web pages are valuable and helpful. But allow us to get to know YOU, too. People buy from people long before they buy from a company. I want to find something in common with you. I want to laugh or cry with you. I want to connect and converse with you. Even if it’s just once every 10 tweets.

2. You’re not original.

Everybody appreciates getting retweeted. But do you find yourself ALWAYS just retweeting other people’s messages… and never coming up with your own?

If so, you are in effect hiding your real persona, your true self. Don’t! Do share with us your diverse interests. That’s what makes you interesting and somebody people will want to keep seeing on their Twitter stream.

The one thing that makes you different – maybe you’re also a triathlete, or a mom, or a painter – can be something that stands out for your potential client if they are also a triathlete, mom or painter. As Oscar Wilde said: “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”

3. You never link back to your site.

Of course we want you to be generous and help other people get exposure for their stuff.

However, Twitter is an effective marketing vehicle for your own site. Don’t be afraid or timid about sending your Twitter followers back to your own content and offers. After all, almost everybody on Twitter (and other networking sites) is marketing something. You wouldn’t be the only one, nor the first one.

Strive for balance:

valuable content + engagement + an offer to buy = sales

4. You have a silly Twitter handle and/or avatar.

How would you feel about following someone with a cartoon character, animal or cleavage on their avatar?

How about a handle with the words “sexy,” or “get rich”?

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t follow those users! Neither would I take them seriously.

Here’s a better idea: use a nice, clear photo of you with a big smile. Studies have shown more people will follow you if you use a pleasant user photo.

As for your handle, use your real name or a variation of it. Remember to keep it short, as your username does take up some of the 140-character limit on each tweet.

5. You send automatic DMs and take your ego with you.

It’s not gracious to welcome your followers with this automatic message:

“Thanks for the follow. Please click on my site and buy something because I’m so cool.”

That’s a sure way to get your followers to automatically… hit the “unfollow” button.

Stop Being A Twit

The most important thing to remember, to avoid looking like a complete twit on Twitter, is to be yourself.

Give before asking (use the 80/20 rule), and have a clear strategy laid out.

This way, you won’t waste your–or anybody else’s–time.

What are your Twitter tips? Do share them below.

PS: Do you need help using Twitter and other social media in a strategic way to get more exposure, leads and customers for your business? If so, I hope you’ll consider getting my course, “Social Media for Beginners.” I teach the exact system I used to increase my list three-fold and bring an additional five figures to my income–all within the first year of using social media. Click here to find out more about it.

Image from Crestock Stock Photography

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I admit, probably 90% of my followers and those I am following are women…and I also follow some really HOT male entrepreneurs on Twitter.

By hot I mean:

- They have an awesome business I admire and am learning from
- They are genuinely interested in and engage with their community
- Some have a wicked sense of humor
- Some have gone out of their way to help me out
- And some of them, are just plain hot (You know who you are!)

Here are 20 Men who appear in my Twitter stream and why I *heart* them:

• @guykawasaki is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, kick-ass entrepreneur and marketer who helped me out by adding my blog last year to Alltop.com when I only had ohhh, maybe 4 posts?  That immediately brought credibility and landed me a consulting contract. Guy, I owe you a nice lunch next time you’re in town! Oh, and I’ve spoken on the same ‘stage’ as Guy.  In our Pajamas.

• @problogger Darren Rowse helps bloggers improve their blogging and explore ways to earn an income at the same time by writing about topics that they love.  I’m no pro blogger by any means, so I just got his “31 Days to a Better Blog” workbook and am looking forward to digging in.

• @petershankman is the founder of HARO which in less than 2 years has revolutionized how journalists connect with their sources. I’ve had a few entrepreneurs thank me for getting their first stories in the media after referring them to the site.  Nice biz model too – Shankman says HARO made $1.4 million in revenue in 15 months.

• @markheartofbiz speaking of money, Mark Silver answers the question: “can you really make a profit while making a difference?” I met Mark in person earlier this year and promptly purchased his program which has illuminated so many aspects of my relationship with money. A must for every business owner!

• @charliegilkey helps overwhelmed creative entrepreneurs be more productive. I know I desperately need a coaching session from Charlie with all the yummy things I have planned, but in the meantime, I’ve used his awesome free planners to stay on track with my vision.

• @cameronherold is your backpocket COO who’s grown a company from $2M to $150M and placed 5000 media hits for them in just a few years. Now he coaches CEOs how to do it for their own high-growth companies. Hangs out mostly at the Vancouver Lawn and Tennis Club…and trying to get me, and everyone else, to Burning Man.

• @therisetothetop if I can just tap into some of David Siteman Garland’s seemingly unlimited energy, I’d be set! David interviews the most interesting entrepreneurs on his ABC-TV show and web show and he is definitely the #1 non-boring resource for entrepreneurs. After placing several “non-clients” on his show just because I wanted to help…David finally asked ME to be on his show! (bwahahaha…my *evil* strategy worked!)

• @lewishowes my buddy and favorite LinkedIn expert who helped me get to the top of LinkedIn searches for people in public relations.  He’s passionate about living the dream and a pretty good salsa dancer from what I hear, but I don’t think he’s posted a video…yet.

• @seanmalarkey Lewis’s partner in the “side hustle” of marketing through webinars, Sean is an undisputed Twitter expert and from what I see on his Facebook, a great dad too.

• @clementyeung specializes in helping some of the best internet marketers out there improve traffic and conversion for their sites. Not only that, he’s into body building and if you’re lucky, you may catch a photo or two of his biceps.

• @chrisbrogan if you have any hope of understanding social media, you’ve got to follow the author of Trust Agents. I’m guilty of many blunders myself and I often see Chris point them out, without necessarily pointing a finger at anyone.  Gracefully done.

• @copyblogger offers the best copywriting tips for marketing online. If you want to blog for business and attract raving fans, this blog is the grand-daddy role model.  I’m honored to be on VisaBusinessNetwork.com’s blogroll alongside Brian Clark.

• @standupkid Mark Joyella is a 5-Time Emmy Award winning TV reporter, print journalist and new dad who was kind enough to participate in my “Ask the Journalists” teleseminar.  At one point he called some PR people “flacks” but I’m sure he didn’t mean me

• @unmarketing Scott Stratten says to stop marketing and start engaging.  And he means it dammit! Also known as the king of the rants.  Hilarious, unless of course, the rant is about you.  His bark is worse than his bite though, I think he’s a softie at heart.

• @loubortone now that I’m getting into video, Lou’s the guy with all the tips, tricks and video tweets.  As a self-described cynical, hard-edged, jaded guy from Boston, when I read his post on “OMG, I’ve become one of them! I’m a heart-based entrepreneur!” I wanted to give him a hug.  Maybe I’ll send him a video hug.

• @gapingvoid Hugh MacCleod is a professional cartoonist and I’ve subscribed to his daily cartoons featuring thoughts on life and business.  It’s like my daily 30 second coaching – inspirational, sometimes funny, sometimes biting and always thoughtful. If you’re lucky enough, he makes personalized business cards too.

• @tferriss who doesn’t want to have the Tim Ferriss system for a 4-Hour Workweek? I read this book a couple of years ago, tell everyone at dinner parties about it, and am working my way through the process. Right now I’d be super happy with a 4-hour Work Day.

• @rockyourday Dave Navarro has earned his name of The Launch Coach for the simple reason that yes, he rocks. I’ve purchased his membership program and there is so much valuable content there for anyone wanting to launch products and sell to more buyers every month.

• @danschawbel author of Me 2.0 and personal branding expert. Since I’m always starting new things, and getting my brands convoluted in the process (that’s the problem when you have the Shiny Object Syndrome) Dan provides a good reality check with his advice.

• @boxofcrayons Michael Bungay-Stanier is one of the most creative coaches out there.  I’ve got both his books and if you ever need some inspiration, watch his cool movies like my favorite: 8 Irresistible Principles of Fun.

So there you have it.  If you’re a complete newbie to Twitter you now have 20 amazing women entrepreneurs (Twitter list) and 20 men entrepreneurs (Twitter list) to love.

What about you, which men and women do you love to follow and recommend?

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Public relations nowadays needs to include the Internet, more specifically, social media. Consider these statistics:

• Four out of every 10 Americans read blogs, according to a study by Synovate/MarketingDaily.
• There are 500 million Facebook accounts
• An estimated 75 million users are on Twitter, with 10 – 15 million actively using it

Social media has become a very powerful frontier for PR–one that is easier, faster and cheaper to permeate than traditional media.

That said, figuring out social media, getting involved, building and sustaining relationships sure can take up a lot of our time. Too much time, in fact, especially when we get into it without a strategy.

Here are seven questions I ask my PR students and clients, to help them craft a doable and effective social media PR strategy:

1. What do you want to achieve?

Begin with the end goal in mind. At the end of the day, what specific results and ultimate outcomes would you like to accomplish? Once you know your destination, then you can create your map.

2. Who is your audience and where are they online?

Having a clear idea and understanding of your target audience is key to a successful marketing plan. Same thing with your social media PR plan. You won’t be able to reach every blog and social networking site. Knowing whom you’re trying to reach will help you set priorities and focus your efforts on those sites that will bring significant results.

3. Who are the influencers?

These are specific people, groups or institutions that reach your target audience and influence their attitudes. Consider them the shortcut to your target audience’s heart and head. They’re also your second target audiences.

4. What are they saying?

Find out what your target audiences and their influencers are saying about your industry, product or your competition’s products. There are many benefits to having this knowledge, the first of which is so you can participate in the conversation.

5. How will your value proposition align?

Now that you know what your target customers are saying, you can evaluate how your own value proposition or offering aligns with their needs and desires. Are you offering something unique and relevant? Or is your message getting lost in a cacophony of voices saying more of the same?

6. How can you deliver and contribute?

This is where you decide how you’re going to attract your target audience, engage with their influencers, and deliver your value proposition. Will you maintain a high-quality blog with fresh posts every day? Will you make special reports available for free to your subcribers? Will you create a Facebook fan page and share awesome resources there? There are many options available and, once again, your target audience and their preferences will shape your choices.

7. What resources are you willing to invest?

The bottom line is, each of us only has a limited amount of time, energy and money to invest in PR. Even if social media is almost free, it can cost us many hours in a week. Do you have the time? Or can you hire a virtual assistant to do some of the work with you? How many minutes exactly can you devote each day to interact and participate in social networks?

These questions will help you to craft a social media PR strategy that suits your business, supports your goals, and is realistic, given what you are able to do.

As with traditional PR, nobody can guarantee you instant results with social media PR. As I like to say, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. With sustained and consistent effort, you will see results in time.

Now go and get some publicity!

Image from Crestock Creative Images

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As Twitter becomes more and more popular, its users keep coming up with new ways to better interact and engage with each other.

One popular way is through Twitter chats. A Twitter chat is a live discussion via Twitter on a specific topic. There is usually one host, who moderates the chat, by tweeting questions. It’s a virtual water cooler and a good place to meet people, deepen friendships, and exchange information.

Participants keep track of the “conversation” by following and using a hashtag–a pound symbol (#) followed by a word. For example, #prinpajamas is a hashtag.

Twitter chats allow participants to discuss a topic and have their own questions answered.

Some Twitter chat organizers even allow each participant to mention their business and tweet a link to their website.

You’ve got to agree, Twitter chats can be an excellent PR opportunity. They’re an easy way to get in the radar of Twitter power users, meet potential partners, and even get some leads.

Here are a few tips to make your Twitter chat experience a positive and fruitful one:

1. Pick a relevant Twitter chat.

To meet the right people, you need to join the right Twitter chats. Be conscious of the hashtags your favorite Twitter friends use. Or check out the list of Twitter chats here.

2. Use a Twitter chatting app.

A third-party site, such as tweetgrid.com or tweetchat.com, makes it super easy to follow a chat. Otherwise, you’ll have to rely on your Twitter app’s search function, which may not be robust enough for a chat.

3. Be interested.

Don’t be so focused on getting exposure for your biz. Instead, be genuinely interested in the topic. Respond to the chat questions. Throw in some of your own. When appropriate, respond to other participants. Be on the lookout for opportunities to offer good information or a solution, when another participant needs it.

4. Be consistent.

Twitter chats tend to happen once a week. Choose one or two you can join as often as possible. That way, you make real connections with the organizers and the other regular participants.

5. Go beyond the chat.

Part of the value of Twitter chats come from what happens after the chat. Follow the people you connected with or found interesting. If it’s relevant, you can continue your discussion even after the chat. And if the organizer provides transcripts of the chats, download them, file them and use them to find people you can connect with.

Another thing: If you feel you have something valuable to share in a Twitter chat, offer to be a guest. That will bring you and your biz tons of exposure.

Interested in joining a Twitter chat? Join me when I guest in #SmallBizChat on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 8-9 pm Eastern. I’ll be giving tips on PR for small business owners.

For more information, follow me or the organizers, @SmallBizChat and @SmallBizLady on Twitter.

I hope to see you there!

Image from Yuri Arcurs Website

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The other day, a Twitter friend asked me if social networking was just a time suck. I replied, “Only if you’re doing it without a strategy.”

Have you?

My recent articles about using social media as a marketing tool show that by using social media strategically for online PR, you can see a measurable impact on your business. In fact, I attribute a five-figure increase to my 2009 bottom line to social media alone.

I’ve also given away a free report and video, which are enough for social media marketing newbies to start getting positive results without spending hours in social networks.

However, these are just the tip of the iceberg.

If you want to know all my social media marketing “secrets” — exactly what I do every day and how I do it, then I’ve got news for you.

Starting Wednesday, March 24th, 2010, my two-part homestudy teleclass, “Social Media for Beginners,” will debut.

In “Social Media for Beginners,” you’ll discover:

• how social media works with the overall PR strategy for your biz (so it’s not a time suck, but a business-building activity)

• how to find out whether or not social media is a good investment for your business (why waste your time in social networks, if your market isn’t there?)

• specific strategies for networking success in Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (leapfrog my learning curve and see results right away)

• how to connect with big-name bloggers, experts and other influential people through social media (without being spammy, pathetic or obnoxious about it)

• free time saving tools and techniques (get measurable results in a few minutes a day)

And because I like to reward fast action takers, if you order by Friday, March 26, you can get it at $100 off.

If you want to be strategic in your social media marketing efforts, and to see measurable results in only a few minutes a day, then “Social Media for Beginners” can help you.

I hope you’ll check it out and, if you think it’s something that can help you grow your business, then place your order while you can get $100 off. It will never be available at this price ever again.

That’s it for today. Please let me know what you think!

PS: In case you missed them, here are my recent articles about using social media as a marketing tool:

How Social Media = Online PR

My Year on Social Media

Is Social Networking a Time Suck?

Before You Tweet About What You’re Eating

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Social networking is fun, but if you’re (constantly) sending updates about what you’re eating for dinner — or worse, attending to your personal hygiene needs — then read on.

Playing nice online means not only engaging, but also sharing good content around.

• It’s good for the person who created the content, because you send more traffic their way. And any good content deserves more audiences, doesn’t it?
• It’s good for your contacts, because they discover cool stuff that will entertain them, inspire them, or help solve their problems.
• And it’s good for you, because you become known as the source of things good and useful. Which means your updates will be shared around, which means more followers and contacts for you. Plus, you enhance your brand, credibility and authority. Who wouldn’t want that?

But here’s the thing.

Before you can share good content around, you first have to find them.

And that can take plenty of time and energy. If you have lots of time and energy to mine the ‘net for gold, then go for it.

However, if you’re like most of us, your time and energy are limited.

Which is why I’ve been using a free online tool to find really useful, high-quality content to share with my social network buddies. Once you get yourself set up, all the content you’ll ever need will be at your fingertips. And because you personally chose the content, you’ll know it’s something you want to share.

I made a video about it and, truth be told, I got a little bit carried away and the video ended up a little over 10 minutes long.

I’d love to share the video with you, if it’s something you need. You’ll also get access to a free report, “15 Clues You’re Lost on Social Networks (And What to Do About It).”

So you’ll never have to tweet about your dinner ever again — I promise.

Let me know how to send you the access details by filling up the form below.

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In my experience, social networking can pay off big time. But I also realize that, as enjoyable and engaging social media can be, it can also be a huge time suck — if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and specific strategies for how to get there. Based on the mistakes I’ve made and what I’ve seen others making online, I’ve created a free report called “15 Clues You’re Lost on Social Networks (And What to Do About It)”:

If you’d like to get your copy of the report and access to the video, please fill up the form below so I know how to get it to you:

I hope you enjoy the report and video. Do let me know what you think!

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I’m a social media newbie. I’m not an expert, I’m not a guru, I’m not a leading authority. I wouldn’t even say I’m a blogger.

Having been a publicist (and often getting sidetracked with my own entrepreneurial ventures) for more than 18 years, last year I launched PR in Your Pajamas with the goal of helping entrepreneurs get the kind of publicity in newspapers and magazines usually reserved for corporate clients who can afford hefty retainers.

In other words, helping small biz clients get publicity in what you would call “traditional” or “offline” media. Very quickly, I got immersed in social media, which I consider to be an extension of “online PR”.

Writing blog posts here and there, creating podcasts, dipping my toes in social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Linked In, not really too serious about it at all as I tried to juggle the needs and challenges of three companies, with two young kids afoot and living in two countries just to make life more interesting.

A little over a year later and I’m scratching my head wondering why it took me so long to jump fully into social media. After all, if it weren’t for social media and marketing online:

• I would be limited to growing my network and business in just the two cities or countries I live in. It’s kind of cool when I see customers on my site from Australia to South Africa. (I’d love to have said Zambia or Zimbabwe but I haven’t gotten that far down the alphabet yet.)

• I wouldn’t have remembered how much I love to learn. Although I have a team, I learned the basics of HTML (who knew I had an inner geek in me?), SEO, direct response copywriting, affiliate marketing, email marketing and how to get myself to the top of LinkedIn searches for my keywords (thanks my buddy, LinkedIn superstar Lewis Howes). Every day was like a new adventure.

• I wouldn’t have a virtual water cooler. Although I love the flexibility of being a pajama entrepreneur, sometimes it can be lonely working virtually without an office to go to. Engaging on Twitter gives me a way to have a break with my friends, be inspired to do great work by @boxofcrayons, be cheered on by my informal mom ‘support’ group and oh, build my business at the same time. There was one instance where engaging in conversation with Silicon Valley venture capitalist and founder of Alltop.com @guykawasaki landed me a client that engaged our consulting services for several thousand dollars. (Thanks Guy!)

• I used to think Facebook was a waste of time, but it has helped me stay in touch with my “in-real-life” friends. I’ve lived in 4 different countries and it’s much easier to see what my friends are up to when most of us are in front of a computer all day or live halfway around the world. I’d rather have a few minutes to say hello online than none at all.

• I would be limiting my opportunities. When you’re constantly exposed to thought leaders and killer ideas, it does rub off on you. My creativity is at an all-time peak. As I interact with role models like @andreajlee @alexisneely and @sharonhayes who are generous enough to share their expertise with me, I’m constantly connecting the dots and getting clearer on my vision and direction.

• And yes, social media has brought an additional source of revenue for my educational products. After just a few months learning from friends I made on social networking sites, I was able to create and launch products that already added five figures to my bottom line last year. It’s made me re-think my PR agency and coaching company, which has revenue based on the consulting and time-for-dollars model. Watch this space for how that will evolve…

Don’t get me wrong. If you think you’ll just put up a blog or get on Twitter and make five or six figures this year, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Yes it’s possible AND it takes work and giving back to your community first.

But if you’re a business owner interested in building long-term relationships (and isn’t that what business is all about?), it’s never too late to learn something new. You can either start today as a newbie, or wait till next year…and still be a newbie when you start.

They say you teach what you want to learn. And I’m happy to share with you what I’ve learned about social media and what I’ll continue to learn from my peers and mentors.

So, I’m not a social media guru, I’m not an expert, but you can certainly call me an evangelist.

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In creating a PR campaign, you need to determine your key messages and your key audiences, you need to prepare a way to communicate your message (writing a press release, media pitch or media kit), you need to pitch the media and then track what the media is saying about your company.

It’s the same with Social Media except you use ‘Online’ vehicles like blogs, social networks, podcasts, video, and so on to get your message out to your target audiences. Instead of journalists, you pitch bloggers. Instead of cutting out press clippings, you can use Google alerts as a free way for you to track what is being said about your company online so you can determine if your key messages are being picked up, respond promptly to any critical articles and manage your brand’s overall reputation.

In terms of getting publicity, Social Media is making it easier for us to communicate directly not just with potential customers but also media. For example, check out the database of Media on Twitter. Follow and engage with a few journalists who may be interested in your story. Isn’t that less intimidating than picking up the phone to pitch them a story?

Of course, to have an effective campaign using social media you’ll need to have a strategy in place, be able to communicate well and establish relationships with the right influencers – whether media, blogger or another key connector – who can help you build the buzz around your business.

Just like in PR.

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If you’re new to PR, public relations for small businesses is all about building your reputation. It’s the result of what you do and say, and what others say about you. PR establishes credibility and generates awareness outside your limited inner circle so that people can’t wait to come in droves to your site or store to evaluate the information for themselves, join your company, invite you as a potential partner, invest as a stakeholder or buy your product or service.

It’s crucial to include PR in a small business marketing plan as a way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

PR pros can use many different tactics for a product launch, or to sustain longer-term public relations goals such as brand building or local community relations.

Offline PR uses tactics like media relations, speaking at conferences, offering contests and contributed articles to generate publicity with print, radio, TV, events, conferences and other “real life” venues.

Online PR is geared towards reaching and influencing audiences that may exist only on the Internet. Think of it as generating buzz on blogs, forums and social networks. Tactics include SEO-optimized press releases or social media press releases, writing blog posts (on your site or as a guest blogger) that can generate discussions with your target market, creating videos that can go viral, and participating in social networks to connect with key influencers, clients and fans of your business.

Approaching Journalists vs. Bloggers
The lines are blurring with many ‘offline’ journalists now running their own blogs or offline publications having an online presence. However, when pitching to get PR with a print journalist, make sure and check out their editorial calendar to see if there are any planned story opportunities. Tailor your pitch to the upcoming story or theme to increase your chances for success.

When pitching a blogger, they usually don’t have an editorial calendar so make sure you are familiar with the type of topics or posts the blogger writes about. Even just five minutes on their site should make it clear that they cover cars vs. flowers, entrepreneurs vs. fortune 500 companies, high tech vs. fashion.

Make sure and consider your overall small business or startup marketing strategy and resources available in deciding the appropriate mix of offline and online PR that will help you meet your goals.

How are you using offline or online PR to get buzz for your business?

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