A beginners guide to Twitter one of the fastest and easiest social media platforms. This program goes through the basics and teaches you how to gain more followers. Check it out before you begin.

1. DO YOU TWEET? You should!
Twitter is the newest and fastest growing social media phenomenon right now. Twitter
grew faster than any other Web site in May, when its unique visitors rose almost 1,500
percent year‐on‐year to 18.2 million, according to Nielsen Online.
So why should I Tweet?
First what is a “Tweet”, well it is basically a 140 character phrase or picture. This is referred
to as “micro‐blogging” and is a great way to quickly update your followers on what is
happening.
Well what is a follower?
You can follow or be followed. Whoever you are following comes through your feed and
right onto your Twitter home page. This lets you know what is going on with what you are
interested in. The same goes for those following you. I highly suggest following whatever is
similar to you. For a hotel a local CVB, local restaurants, associations, hotels and so on, this
is how you get noticed. Watch what they are writing and talking about.
What should I talk about?
Talk about what you think your followers would want to know. What would catch their eye
and make them look more into what you do and keep you in their mind. Send website
updates and specials.
Wait my website is too long for Twitter what do I do?
There are a number of sites like www.tinyurl.com that will help you easily shrink those long
web addresses. Keep an eye out you will see them everywhere on twitter.
How often should I Tweet?
Try at least once a day to get something out there. Even if you don’t have something to say
try to “Re Tweet” someone else.
What in the world is a “Re Tweet”?

2. A Re Tweet is when you quote someone else. If the CVB is welcoming a group to town you
can Re Tweet this by simply copying and pasting it in your update. You will want to adjust a
little enter something like this…
RT @CVBname “blah blah blah”
Whoa! What is this @ thing?
@ is simply a way to link anyone’s name. It is kind of like www address. For instance if you
are talking about your CVB who has the username “CVBname” you would list it as
@CVBname. This would give everyone a direct link to them.
Why would I want to link to them?
Not only does it link to them, but they will see you Re Tweeted or you mentioned them. This
makes them usually mention you and BINGO more followers for you. The key really is to be
the one getting Re Tweeted, but you must get noticed first.
How do I get noticed?
Re Tweets, mentioning other fellow Tweeters, following different groups, and so on. Be
sure to list your city and area of interest since that is how people search.
How do I know who to follow?
Start with a search for your city and find who is like you. Then you can look and see who
they follow and who follows them and there you go!
Can we get back to why should we?
Sure. You should because the investment is so small. Five to ten minutes a day max after
you set it up and that is easy too…more on that later. Twitter is also helping groups move
up in web searches. Google is beginning to move up results based on how current a site is.
Since you update Twitter daily that helps you move up in the world of Google. It is relevant
and popular right now. Now is the time to Tweet because the growth is happening as we
speak. It is a fun, easy and practical way to be different and stand out. Caution: this is a
public profile, so be sure to use correct grammar, spelling and make it appropriate.
What is the difference between Twitter and Facebook?
You can follow anyone and anyone can follow you. There is no “access granted”
information. This is not about a lot of applications and stuff, it is all about the Tweets and

3. that is it. Once you realize how different it is from Facebook the better you will understand
Twitter.
What about a profile?
That is the easy part. You don’t get much. This is not like Facebook where you can add
content until you run out of things to say. You get just a few things:
• Username – Make it good!
• Picture – Again make it good!
• Background – Make it unique and showcase your place.
• One URL
• 160 character bio
That is all you get! Told you it would be quick.
What about sending a personal message?
You can send a Direct Message to anyone following you, but it can again only be 140
characters. Sorry you cannot message just anyone.
What about the pictures?
This is through a third party site, but you can upload a picture through Twitpic and it goes
right to your feed. Check out www.twitpic.com for more about this. Updating from your
phone is easy.
How do I update from my phone?
You can easily set your phone up through settings. Then just a text message to that number
updates your status (feed). You can also send a picture easily this way.
What about other applications?
There are a lot out there for sure. Tweetdeck is what I use, but there are more. Find what
works for you. These are not required, but make life easier.
What about ROI?
What about it? What is your ROI of the telephone next to you? I don’t suggest spending all
day, but 5‐10 minutes a day is pretty good for the exposure you can gain.
Is that it?

4. That is about it. This will absolutely get you started. The sooner you realize how simple it is
the easier it is to understand. Do not complicate Twitter!
Happy Tweeting everyone!