Twitter Attack

One way to promote your business is to engage on social media. And instead of costing you advertising dollars, it'll just cost you time. There are all sorts of venues to explore. I've mentioned several of them on this blog in the hopes that you would find one (or more) that you like and engage.

Going on social media and posting "look at my stuff" all the time is the quickest way to get ignored. So, instead of those stogy posts, let's play a game.

I call it Twitter Attack. Anyone can play. All you need is a Twitter account. You can even sign up just to join in.

Step 1: As this is a team event, you'll need to follow the team. I've compiled a list of CCCOE members here. (And you might want to follow me, too.)

I tried to follow the whole team and add them to the list, so if I missed your Twitter account, let me know and I'll include you.

Step 2: Create a Shameless Blatant Promotion tweet. Make sure to use a picture. Include a link. And use #CCCOEchallenge so we can find you.

Step 3: Promote a fellow CCCOEers shop and/or item. For bonus points, talk to them directly--ask a question, pay a compliment, etc. And make sure to use #CCCOEchallenge.

Step 4: Retweet any #CCCOEchallenge tweet.

Step 5: The Attack. To another CCCOEer, "prank call" them. If you're old enough to remember prank calls, you remember the silly jokes. Put it in tweet form and attach their twitter handle. (Feel free to hit me up: @ZiziRho, or the team: @CCCOE.)

If you don't remember prank calls, feel free to just tell a joke. Or make some random comment or observation--the more random, the better. (But keep it nice. This is a promotional event after all.) Use #CCCOEattack so we can all enjoy the fun.

Some Twitter tips:

• There are several 3rd party apps to help you manage your tweets and lists. Buffer is a way to schedule tweets to post all day without you having to be on Twitter all day.
• Add pictures to your tweets. A great image is more likely to entice someone to click on a link.
• Be yourself. People prefer to read tweets of real things written by real people. 
• Talk to others. If someone asks a question, answer. If someone tweets something that you have a response to, do.
• Join Twitter chats. Check out trending topics. Almost daily, someone is doing some pun or other. Feel free to join in.

Hashtag This

Social media is a good way to promote yourself and your shop. There are tons of different sites out there. Which one should you spend the time and effort cultivating?

(Previous posts: Pinterest. Blogging.)

Twitter seems to get all the press lately. Hashtag this. Live tweet that. But what is Twitter?

Twitter is a place where you have 140 characters to express a thought, idea, or link to an audience. Tweets (that thing you express in those 140 characters) are all public, so anyone with a Twitter account (and even those without) can see any tweet you write.

Tweets are easy. You just input them into the site or your smartphone, hit "Tweet" and you're good to go.

But tweets are also short and quick, so they're easily lost in the general noise of the internet. You can look at the best times to tweet, but even then your tweet won't get a lot of views for more than a few minutes.

Twitter is best used for things other than promoting your shop, anyway. While it's good to link to it, I find that people who only tweet self-promoting links soon get dropped from my following list. I prefer people who tweet thoughts and things that are going on with them.

Twitter is also for interactions. It's great to respond to someone who posts a random tweet and then get a conversation going.

If I had planned this post a bit more, I would have asked you all to send me your Twitter handles to include here. But I can include the team Twitter: @CCCOE. And I ask you all to include your Twitter handle in the comments, so I can follow you.

Are you on Twitter? What's your Twitter name? Do you find that Twitter helps promote your shop?

This post contributed by Liz A. from Zizi Rho Designs who does "have a Twitter" @ZiziRho, but uses it more for random student quotes than for promoting the shop.