twitter

Jetting off to Twitter Space(s)

MOMENTUM Business Support Business Support, Digital Marketing
Round Twitter Logo grahic on the background of different shades of blue circles

Want to listen instead? Click Here

As you may have heard, Twitter has recently announced it’s new, modernising feature called Twitter Spaces. Describing their new addition as “a place to come together”, we certainly set our expectations high as we eagerly waited to test it out first-hand. Finally, as it become available to the general public, we thought we’d give you a rundown of its key functions.

What is Twitter Spaces?

Spaces is an audio feature that resembles an online chatroom. It allows participating users to congregate within a Twitter group and use the voice messaging function to engage in live conversations. All Spaces are public access meaning that every user can join any chosen Space as a listener – except for those blocked through the account of course. When you create a Space or are a speaker in one, the Space will appear at the top of your timeline visible to your account followers.

The user creating the Space is the host and can select co-hosts as well as speakers through sending a request once the group is established. When created, a maximum of 13 users can be speakers, while listeners can request for speaking permission to be granted by the host. Account holders wanting to create a Space need to reach a minimum of 300 Twitter followers and once they have done so, they will then be able to host and speak.

Improving on inclusivity

Twitter has actively encouraged users to utilise a certain feature of Spaces, hoping to improve upon the platform’s inclusivity. The first time a user creates a Space or is a speaker within one, consent is requested for live time speech captions to be made while using the Space. When consent is granted, it allows users to click a ‘Show captions’ button, allowing them to view live captions of all hosts and speakers who gave their permission. Changes to live captions can be carried out at any point within your device settings and play a major role in improving experiences for users with hearing impairments.

A safe Space for Everyone

Many of the settings can be modified and changed from its default settings to personalise your space, but there are also safety measures put in place to maintain online security. Twitter will have access to copies of Space audio messages/captions for one month, during which an evaluation and rule violation reviews take place. If any rules were deemed broken, Twitter then retains the right to hold those copies for an additional three months during which counter appeals can be made. Users will also be able to report Spaces as well as any accounts within the groups, while hosts and co-hosts will be able to keep their Spaces safe by blocking offending users and removing them from the Space.

Business benefits of Twitter Spaces

While Spaces is available for everyone, businesses are also gaining many unique advantages from the new feature. Spaces is already proving to be a beneficial tool in business marketing and communication as it provides a direct and personal way of interacting with your audiences while being in full control of the conversation. It opens doors to fantastic new opportunities for customer engagement such as:

  • Regular/semiregular Networking Events
  • Q&A Sessions
  • Offering advice and business support
  • Interviews
  • Open-mic discussions about new products and services
  • Discussing changes and upcoming events

Currently a full version of Twitter Spaces is only available on iOS and Android, however Space on the web will likely be an addition in the future. If you’d like to discuss any of the subjects we’ve touched upon or any other matters, make sure to reach out to our team. We’d love to hear your thoughts and answer any questions.

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789

CREATING AND USING LISTS – TWITTER FOR BEGINNERS PART 5

MOMENTUM Business Support Digital Marketing, Twitter For Beginners
Tablet laying on a table displaying a blue Welcome to Twitter Login Page

Welcome to the fifth part of our Twitter For Beginners series! In this blog, we’re talking about Twitter Lists – how you can create them and use them to your advantage. Let’s get started!

Two questions we see quite often are ‘What are Twitter Lists?’ and ‘What is the point of a Twitter List?’

Well, put simply, Twitter Lists are little time saving heroes that will enable you to interact and engage with content that you want to see in a much more effective way.

Here’s Twitter’s official definition: 

“Twitter Lists allow you to customize, organize and prioritize the Tweets you see in your timeline. You can choose to join Lists created by others on Twitter, or from your own account you can choose to create Lists of other accounts by group, topic or interest.”

There’s so many ways that you can use Twitter Lists to help your business. Whether it’s creating one for influential people and accounts in your industry to make it easier for you to engage with them, dedicating one to keeping track of your main clients or prospects, or setting up a private one to monitor users you don’t necessarily want to follow, like your competition for example. Twitter Lists will help you see what you want to see, when you want to see it!

We heavily utilise Twitter Lists across both our own and client Twitter accounts, and would highly recommend you try them out, if you haven’t already! Here’s how you can get started and create your very own lists:

  1. Click on Lists in the navigation bar.
  2. Click the Create new List icon at the top.
  3. Choose a name for your List, and a short description of the List. List names cannot exceed 25 characters, nor can they begin with a number. Then select if you want the List to be private (only accessible to you) or public (anyone can see or follow the List).
  4. Click Next.
  5. You can then search for people and add people to your List.
  6. Click Done.

Need help getting started with Twitter Lists? We’d love to help you out. Get in touch and make it happen.. 

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com  |  T: 01903 688789

CATCH UP ON OUR OTHER BLOGS IN THIS SERIES:

CHOOSING YOUR NAME AND SETTING UP YOUR PROFILE – TWITTER FOR BEGINNERS PART 1

FOLLOWING & FOLLOWERS – TWITTER FOR BEGINNERS PART 2

WHAT DO I INCLUDE IN A TWEET? – TWITTER FOR BEGINNERS PART 3

HASHTAGS – TWITTER FOR BEGINNERS PART 4

Hashtags – Twitter for Beginners Part 4

MOMENTUM Business Support Digital Marketing, Twitter For Beginners
Hashtag symbol curved out in some wet sand

CHECK OUT PART 1 HERE:  https://momentumbusinesssupport.com/2016/03/choosing-your-name-and-setting-up-your-profile-twitter-for-beginners-part-1/

CHECK OUT PART 2 HERE:  https://momentumbusinesssupport.com/2018/07/twitter-for-beginners-part-2-following-followers/

CHECK OUT PART 3 HERE:   https://momentumbusinesssupport.com/2019/02/twitter-for-beginners-part-3-what-do-i-include-in-a-tweet/

Being new to Twitter, you may be wondering what all the hashtag fuss is about – What are they? How are they used? Why should I use them? When should I use them?  

Well… you’ve come to the right place – read on to find out exactly what hashtags are, and more importantly – how to use them!  

What Is A Hashtag and Why Should I Be Using Them? 

Definition: hash·tag: A word or phrase preceded by a hash mark (#), used within a message to identify a keyword or topic of interest and facilitate a search for it. 

Hashtags are used on Twitter as an easy way to create and find conversations to get involved in. They are small but powerful tools – when you insert a hashtag into your tweet, it becomes searchable and discoverable by many other Twitter users.  

When someone clicks on, or searches for a certain hashtag, it allows them to discover a whole page of results, all linking to that one topic. 

For example, if you search for #Marketing, the results will show a list of tweets, most of which will all be related to the world of Marketing. 

You can also use hashtags that include key words in your tweets, which will help to broaden your discoverability and engagements on your tweet, such as #Content, #SocialMedia, #Strategy #Tools #Analytics, for example. 

When and How Should I Use Hashtags? 

Using a hashtag couldn’t be simpler – all you need to do is add the # sign before your word that you would like to make discoverable e.g (#Marketing). You can also include numbers in your hashtags if needed, but make sure you don’t use spaces or punctuation in your hashtag, as this won’t work. 

However, there are many things that you need to consider to ensure that you get the most out of using hashtags on Twitter, including; 

Don’t Overuse Hashtags – Make sure that you avoid over using hashtags and spamming your tweet with them E.g. (#Check #out #this #latest #blog #on #how #to #make #the #most #out #of #Twitter…). Not only does this look like it could annoy your followers, but it also won’t do you any favors hash-tagging every single word in your tweet.  

Choose Your Hashtags Wisely – Use hashtags only on the words in your Tweet that are relevant to the topic you are talking about. If you include a variety of different hashtags in your tweet that aren’t connected to your topic, to try and gain further interaction and engagement, it can become confusing and off-putting for your followers E.g. (Visit our #website for more information… #WorldCup #ENGvsGER). 

Avoid Collating Hashtags – Don’t collate too many words together in one single hashtag E.g. (#TwitterSocialMediaMarketingBlog or #HappyValentinesDayEveryone2019), as not many people will find your tweets when you use hashtags in this way. 

Capitalise Each Word In Your Hashtag – It’s a good idea to capitalise each word when using more than one in your hashtag, to avoid doubt about what you’re hash tagging! Eg. #SocialMediaMarketing rather than #socialmediamarketing. Capitalising each word in your hashtag will make them easier to read and understand at a glance, and also look a lot neater. 

Keep An Eye On The Current Trending Hashtags – It’s a great idea to keep a close eye on the what hashtags are trending on Twitter (You can find them on the left hand side of the screen via desktop, or by clicking on the magnifying glass icon on the Twitter app.)  

You can include some of these trending hashtags in your tweets and link them back to what you’re talking about. This will see you to be getting involved in what’s happening and gain further interest and reach by being discovered using these trends. Here are some examples to help you out: 

  • Popular Daily Hashtags (#MondayMotivation, #TuesdayThoughts, #WednesdayWisdom #ThrowbackThursday, #FridayFeeling, #SaturdayMorning #SundayFunday) 

Happy Monday everyone. We hope you have a wonderful week. What are your goals this week? #MondayMotivation 

  • Events (#RoyalWedding, #WorldCup #NationalApprenticeshipWeek) 

If your #socialmedia strategy could do with a royal spruce up – get in touch with us. We’d be more than happy to help you out. #RoyalWedding 

  • Celebrations and Key Holiday Dates (#ValentinesDay, #ChristmasDay, #InternationalDayOfHappiness) 

We Love our #customers! Celebrate the month of love with an exclusive 10% off all products this month. #ValentinesDay 

  • Popular Entertainment (#Eastenders, #TheBodyguard, #TheApprentice) 

Don’t make the candidates #interview mistakes! Contact us to find out how to ace your interview. #TheApprentice 

  • General Topics Of Interest (#Blogging, #SocialMedia, #Finance, #Admin) 

Check out the week ahead in the latest #business news this week. #Finance  

We hope that you have found this blog useful and now understand Hashtags a little bit more! Keep an eye out for our next instalment of Twitter for Beginners.  

If you’d like any help, support or advice with getting started on Twitter, we’d be happy to chat through this with you. Email makeithappen@mbsmih.com or call us 01903 688789. 

What Do I Include In A Tweet? – Twitter For Beginners Part 3

MOMENTUM Business Support Digital Marketing, Twitter For Beginners
White laptop on a desk next to a plant and phone displaying the Twitter landing page

CHECK OUT PART 1 HERE:  https://momentumbusinesssupport.com/2016/03/choosing-your-name-and-setting-up-your-profile-twitter-for-beginners-part-1/

CHECK OUT PART 2 HERE:  https://momentumbusinesssupport.com/2018/07/twitter-for-beginners-part-2-following-followers/

Now your Twitter account is looking great and you’re starting to gain some followers, it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to tweet! As social media management experts, we’ve pulled together some simple pieces of advice that you need to know as a Twitter newbie. 

Keep It Short and Sweet 

Top tip: A short, concise tweet makes the most amount of impact.  

Knowing what to Tweet for the first time can be overwhelming, but it needn’t be. Here’s just a few of our ideas to get you started: 

  • Your Services / Products – What do you offer? Showcase your services and products to the world of Twitter. Be careful not to over-sell though, as it can be a real turn off for your followers. 
  • Your Own Useful Content – Tweet about any blogs, vlogs, podcasts or newsletters that you have produced. Useful content like this is greatly appreciated by other SMEs. 
  • Ask Questions – Why not run a poll to get to know your followers? This can be easily created in seconds within Twitter itself and can generate beneficial results. 
  • Industry News – What’s trending in your industry? Sharing latest trending news will keep your followers up to date and may generate an interesting conversation. 
  • Employee Recognition / Testimonials – Sharing a success story from one of your employees is always warmly welcomed and promotes a good image for your brand. 
  • Tap Into The Trends – How about an inspiring #MondayMotivation quote to start off the week? Keep an eye on the latest trends within Twitter – be sure to get involved and link them in them where you can, especially during calendar events such as #ChristmasDay, #EasterSunday, #GoodFriday, etc. 

It’s important to note that on Twitter you have a character limit of 280. Because of this, you need to make sure that you keep each of your tweets focused on one particular subject, rather than trying to talk about multiple subjects in one tweet, as this can become confusing for your followers. If you need to expand on the message you are trying to communicate, you can always expand by including links. 

Add Visuals 

Top tip: Using images, videos and GIFs doesn’t take up any of your 280 character allowance. 

As well as your written message, it’s great to include visuals to your tweet. Using visuals such as images, videos and GIFs in your Tweets adds a ‘human touch’ and has been proven to lead to you creating higher engagement rates to your tweets. For example, you could share: 

  • Testimonial Videos From Your Clients – An interactive way of sharing your testimonials. Just make sure the video is 30 seconds or less.  
  • Photos Of Your Staff Working Hard On Your Latest Project – As well as celebrating your hard-working staff, this again adds a real ‘human touch’ to your brand’s Twitter presence.  
  • A Relevant GIF Linking To Your Message – this displays a lovely touch of personality to your brand and also is likely to make your followers stop and look rather than scroll straight past! 

Use Hashtags 

Top tip: Don’t go overboard using hashtags. (E.g. #Check #out #our #latest #blog.) Instead, add hashtags on the words that you think will generate most traffic (E.g. Check out our latest #blog) – people may search the term #blog to read up on some insightful topics. 

You may have heard of hashtags before – they are a real powerful tool in the world of social media, especially Twitter. Hashtags can allow you to dramatically expand your reach, potentially reaching thousands across the globe. As well as this, you can also search hashtags to get involved in relevant conversations.  

As well as including hashtags within your message, it’s also a good idea to add them in at the bottom of your tweet to try and push your tweet engagement levels further.  

For example, why not try something like this? 

Check out our latest #blog on how to make the most out of #Twitter for your #Business. 

#Advice #TopTips #SmallBusiness #SMEs 

Keep an eye out for our next instalment of Twitter for Beginners. Let us know how you get on by tweeting us @mbsmih. 

If you’d like any help, support or advice with getting started on Twitter, we’d be happy to chat through this with you. Email makeithappen@mbsmih.com or call us 01903 688789. 

Grow Your Business with Twitter Hours

MOMENTUM Business Support Business Support, Digital Marketing
White keyboard with the Twitter logo above it

Want to listen instead? Click here

What is a Twitter Hour? 

A Twitter Hour is a public Twitter event that enables you to connect and share with other users by using one unique hashtag. Each Twitter hour is regularly held at a specific date and time during the week. 

Why Should I Use A Twitter Hour? 

Taking part in a Twitter hour will allow you to promote your business, products and services, as well as socially interacting with other like-minded business people. Not only that, it’s also great for your engagement and reach on posts. 

How Do I Get Involved In A Twitter Hour? 

It’s simple! To get started, include the Twitter Hour hashtag in your tweet to join in and get noticed. Get involved by keeping an eye on the Twitter Hour hashtag and the latest tweets that are being shared. Take a look at who is joining in the conversation and what topics are being discussed – like, retweet and interact with users to engage with the Twitter chat. 

Here we have compiled a list of some of the Twitter Hours that are currently running at the time of publishing. Of course, there are more and more Twitter hours popping up each week – so if you know of one that you would like listed here, just leave us a comment below! 

Each Wednesday evening between 8pm – 9pm, we run our very own Twitter hour #SMESupportHour. We host different interesting topics each week, so be sure to pop by and get involved! 

Twitter Hours: 

Everyday  
12-1pm #UKBizLunch  
1-2pm #1pmLunch 
2-3pm #BizHour  
2-3pm #UKBizHour 

Mondays 
8-10am #Back2WorkHour 
1-2pm #HerefordHour 
2-3pm #SouthWestHour  
3-4pm #NorthWestHour 
6-7pm #WomenInBiz 
7-8pm #CumbriaHour 
7.30-8.30pm #DorsetHour 
8-9pm #NorthEastHour 
8-9pm #OldhamHour 
8-9pm #LincsHour 
8-9pm #WorcestershireHour 
8-9pm #PrestonHour 
8-9pm #ApprenticeHour 
8-9pm #StHelensHour 
8-9pm #PBoroHour 
8-9pm #MarketHour 
8-9pm #CreativeBizHour 
8-9pm #DevonFoodHour 
8-9pm #EnterpiseHour 
8-9pm #HarrogateHour 
8-9pm #CheshireHour 
8:30-9:30pm #BrightonHour 
8.30-9.30pm #WightHour 

Tuesdays 
2-3pm #NorthEastHour 
4-5pm #IpswichHour 
4-5pm #MerseaHour 
7-8pm #WhitbyHour 
7-8pm #SolihullHour 
8-9pm #DoncasterHour 
8-9pm #HampshireHour 
8-9pm #MerseyBiz 
8-9pm #MusicHourUK 
8-9pm #UKEtsyHour 
8-9pm #ChesterHour 
8-9pm #BristolHour 
8-9pm #EdinburghHour 
8-9pm #MaidstoneHour 
8-9pm #StaffordshireHour 
8-9pm #SheffieldHour 
8-9pm #FoodHour 
8-9pm #PetworthHour 
8-9pm #WyreFyldeHour 
8.30-9.30pm #KentHour 
8.30-9.30pm #WiltshireHour 
9-10pm #BlogHour 
9-10pm #SmallBizHour 
9-10pm #SkiptonHour 

Wednesdays 
11-12pm #HRHour 
2-3pm #NewcastleHour 
2-3pm #CoDurhamHour 
7.30-8.30pm #CornwallHour 
7.30-9.30pm #HandmadeHour 
8-9pm #SMESupportHour 
8-9pm #WorthingHour 
8-9pm #MNCHour 
8-9pm #YorkBizHour 
8-9pm #YorkshireHour 
8-9pm #NorthWestHour 
8-9pm #EastMidlandsHour 
8-9pm #GlosHour 
8-9pm #MidlandsHour 
8-9pm #CambsHour 
8-9pm #CharityHour 
8-9pm #MidlandsHour 
8-9pm #DevonHour 
8-9pm #WolverhamptonHour 
8-9pm #StaffordshireHour 
8-9pm #TravelHour 
8-9pm #WarwickHour 
8.30-9.30pm #OxfordshireHour 
8.30-9.30pm #NorfolkHour 
9-10pm #WeddingHour 
9-10pm #ScotlandHour 
9-10pm #EventHour 

Thursdays 
3-4pm #AycliffeHour 
4-5pm #ChelmsfordHour 
4-5pm #BexleyHour 
7-8pm #OtleyHour 
7-8pm #LoveLichfield 
8-9pm #LancashireHour 
8-9pm #HullHour 
8-9pm #BarnsleyHour 
8-9pm #LiverpoolHour 
8-9pm #CovHour 
8-9pm #ExeterHour 
8-9pm #ManchesterHour 
8-9pm #SouthWestHour 
8-9pm #SomersetHour 
8-9pm #UKStartupHour 
8.30-9.30pm #SussexHour 

Fridays 
10-11am #ConnectFriday 
9-10pm #NorthWestHour 
9-10pm #SciFiHour 

 Saturday 
11-12 Noon #WeekendHour 
6-7pm #SatChatUK 

Sunday 
11-12 Noon #WeekendHour 
8-9pm #CoDurhamHour 
8-9pm #WalesHour 
9-10pm #EnglandHour