8/10/2019 How to Grow Your Twitter Account

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HOW TO GROW YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNTByTedJanusz

ot really sure about TWitter? You are certainly not alone. According to a2OO9Linkedln Harris poll, 69 percent of participants who answered the question"Thinking about TWitter, what is your closest opinioni' chose "I don't know

enough about TWitter to have an opinion" as their answer.

TED JANUSZ isa professional

speaker on the topicof "social media

for baby boomers,"author, and marketing

consultant" He is theauthor of the Socral

Media MarketingGuide for Parking

Professionals,whichis a free publication

for lPl members andcan be downloaded

from parking.org/

socialmediaguide.He can be

reached at ied@j a nuspres*ntatinns.con: or 614.440.7487.

Even five years ago, Twitter had made its mark on theworld. One of the most memorable occasions occurred inApril 2008, when James Buck, a University of Califomiaat Berkeley graduate student, was arrested while pho-tographing an anti-government protest in Egypt. Buckmanaged to send a quick tweet from his Twitter accountthat consisted of a single word: "arrested."

His followers contacted the university, the AmericanEmbassy, and media organizations, who together putpressure on Egyptian authorities. The next day Bucksent yet another one-word tweet: "freed."

Best PracticesThe tweets you send about your parking facility may notbe as dramatic as those from Buck, but with help fromHeather Mansfield, author of S ocial Mediafor Social Good,

here are six TWitter best practices to fo1lou.:1. Find Your Voice-Have Personality and Build Com-

munity. Sure, it's fine and helpful to your followers topush out content about yoursell such as informationabout road closures, detours, and the current numberofavailable parking spaces, but the best Tkitter voiceshave character and are friendly. These voices shareopinions and contribute to discussions. Send out awide variety ofcontent, including photos and videos.Resist the temptation to automate your tweets or directmessages. Inspirational quotes and powerful statisticshave high rweet (and rerv\reet) appeal.

2. Track Your Links. Use a third-party app, such asBit.ly or Owl.ly, to trackyour 1inks. Not only do these flee

tools shrink long links and offer you more charactersfor tweeting, but they also provide useful statistics onhow many people click on your links. TVritterers whodo not track their links are simply tweetingblind. Yournumber-one job in the successful use of social media isto find out what kind of content your followers wantand provide more of it to them.

3. Don't Tweet Only Your Content. Mix it up Tweetarticles or blog posts from your favorite newspapers,bloggers, and partner organizations. An insuranceagent I know will congratulate a local sports team orask followers where they will be going on vacation orif they will attend the county fair. With social media,

engagement (not one-way communication) is key.4. Retweet and Reply Often. Follow the Golden Rule. The

more your parking facility promotes others throughretweets and replies, the more your parking facilitywill get retweeted and mentioned. This is one of thefastest ways to grow your follower base.

5. Follow a 1:1 ratio. If you har.e I,OOO followers youshould be following 1,000 Twitters in return. Why?Four reasons:a. You're 1ikely to get more followers if people see that

you follow in return.b. People cannot direct message you ifyou are not

followingthem.c. People are less likely to mention or retweet you if

they think you'11 never retweet or mention them.d. People will get an email saying that your parking

facility is now following them.6. Follow a Good Timeframe. How often should you

tweet? The lifespan of a tweet is about 90 minutes.Most people only browse their tweets in real time.TWeet four to six times a day, and space your tweetsthroughout the day. Twitter is most active from 9a.m. to noon.To learn more about how to use TWitter to promote

your parking facility, visit business.twitter.com. O

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14 lNTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE I NOVTVETN ZOIA