Business Calcium Blog

Part 1: Basic Intro and Vocab Lesson

Thanks to the web2.0 phenomena, social media marketing has gone from zero to hero in a few short years. A lot of marketing managers and company execs are still standing around wondering what all these social media tools are, how and why they can help, and how to get started. Engaging with consumers on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, YouTube and others can help brands get their message out, communicate with customers quickly and efficiently and spread reach to a market they may have not been able to reach otherwise.

So what is Twitter?

Twitter is platform for friends, family, colleagues, brands, artists and more to communicate and stay connected with the exchange of quick, frequent comments that relate your thoughts/feelings on the subject of your choice. Tweets can be a maximum of 140 characters, with some clients allowing you to “tweet longer”. You can post simple text or links to pictures, videos, links, and responses to other Twitter users.

Twitter is easiest to explain if you have a grasp of the basic jargon.

Vocabulary Lesson:

• Tweet (noun): 140 character message.
• Tweet (verb): To post a tweet.
• Twitter handle: Twitter name.
• Following: When you follow someone, you see their tweets on your homepage.
• Followers: People who follow you and see your comments as they appear in real time.
• My Timeline: Your feed. If you are public, anyone can see your timeline. If you have made yourself private, only those who you have granted access can see your timeline.
• Trending Topics: Popular topics on Twitter by location. You can change location to best fit your needs.
• Direct Message (DM): Only those who follow each other can send DMs.
• #Hashtag: A way to organize content/searches. This is critical in the use of Twitter as a marketing tool.
• RT: Retweet. To repost someone’s content in your timeline.
• @Reply: Reply to a specific Twitter user. Will show up in your timeline and their @replies.