Marketing on the Internet can be ‘Tweet’
Over the past few months we have been covering innovative ways to market your martial arts school on the Internet and increase your SEO without spending money to do it, just maybe a little bit of your time. This month, we will be sharing some insights on how to utilize a popular Internet site called Twitter. On Twitter you post tweets. What is a ‘tweet’? A ‘tweet’ is a micro-blog that you can post on a social Internet application called Twitter. Twitter allows you to connect and interact with fellow users easily and in real time, but with no more than 140 characters. That is why it is called micro-blogging.
There are corporations that have Twitter accounts that use it in addition to advertising their specials or contests. Bigger companies even have people devoted to simply maintaining the company’s Twitter and/or other online applications. Depending on the size of your martial arts school, you may not have to hire someone to do all of that for you. You may want to have one of your staff team designated to oversee the applications for you when you are too busy. Have someone you trust be able to use the system and enter with the password. That is why it may be a better idea to assign the account to your school’s name and make it a business account (so to speak) and your school will have the recognition on the web.
The Twitter application has lists you may organize your followers with. You create new lists and customize these lists to whatever suits your needs. Categorize your students, potential students, night classes, day classes, etc. and put your followers where you see fit. This way you may access them easier and faster!
There are so many other applications you may use with Twitter, such as uploading your pictures to your Twitter account. Even though Twitter is really a streamline of information consisting of micro-blogs of 140 characters or less, how does one post pictures? The application called TwitPic is used in conjunction with Twitter. You upload a picture and if you choose, it will show a URL address in your timeline and automatically post the words, “a new picture has just been added,” with the URL address to click on the link. People can click on the URL and it will take them to your picture. The advantage of this is when you come back from a tournament or demonstration and the pictures will be seen by many people and can be retweeted by your followers to their friends or followers. This can create a viral effect and may get you more followers of people you don’t know yet! That is the idea behind Twitter.
If you would like to start up, here’s how:
Go to Twitter.com and click, “Get Started—Join!”
Choose a user name, such as your school’s name or yours
Next, click ‘skip’ (don’t worry about signing up your friends yet
click on ‘Settings’
Update your name, Time zone, Location
Go to the ‘Devices’ tab check the box under your phone # and ‘save’
you will get a 6 letter code
On your cell phone, create a new address book entry called ‘Twitter’ and use 40404 as the phone number (for US)
Send the 6 letter code as a text message to Twitter. You should get a confirmation text back from Twitter.
Now your account is set on both your phone and the computer!
Now all you need to do is find your friends on Twitter. You may be surprised to find out how many of them are using Twitter. Or find many businesses and entertainment or news and media companies to follow to keep up with the latest news on Twitter at home or right from the palm of your hand.
Twitter for my cell phone, really? Tweeting on your cell phone is similar to using the SMS system but you are texting to all of the people that are following you, not just one person! It is something like texting on a CB radio to the people only that band and channel at that time, only this has a worldwide outreach capability. Twitter is a great tool for personal use and for business, especially if you have your friends and students and your staff on board with it. If you have many students following you, and you go to a tournament or an outing, you may send a tweet on your cell phone and your students that have it on theirs will all receive that same notice, at home or on their cell.
You may customize it so you may choose whose tweets are sent to your cell phone, so your phone won’t go crazy all of the time with posts from your Twitter account.
There are several ways to get followers to your Twitter page. Twitter widgets can be placed in strategic places like your school’s main website. You may need to contact an AMS consultant to have this done properly for you. But the widget enables you to see what is happening on Twitter without you having to leave your school’s website at all! Other people when visiting your site may also see the Twitter widget and click on it. When they do, the link takes them to your Twitter page. If that person is logged on to Twitter, they may choose to follow you.
The Tweet button, which is not to be confused with the Twitter widget, may be placed on your website or other websites too! It is just a simple blue button and when pushed, takes the person to your Twitter homepage. There the person may choose to follow you if they are already signed up on Twitter.
There are some tips for tweeting which are:
Tweet often and tweet something interesting. Do not tweet that you just got up and have to brush your teeth. Really? Tweet about your school’s activities and accomplishments or news about martial arts.
Check your ‘@’ replies to see if anyone is directing messages towards you.
So, if you have been registering and opening several of these social networking applications for your martial arts school and/or your professional self, you should link these up and have your blogs updates at the same time to save you time. You have the option to choose which ones to be connected. You may link up your (ex:)Youtube and Twitter and MySpace but not your LinkedIn, or you may have them all linked up. You can decide. By linking them together, you lose the chance one becomes dormant or inactive. If you have several online social applications, make sure you have them under one name. This will increase your SEO on the Internet. If someone is looking for a great martial arts school to go to, yours will be several of the top ones that pop up!
If your school needs a good website, you can call 1-800-275-1600 and an AMS consultant can help you get started to set up your website now! You can get started to market by utilizing the web in addition to your regular marketing right away!
No comments:
Post a Comment