Just A Card Social Media Tutorial Day 3 : Twitter

Today is all about Twitter, a platform that we both love and the one where we met each other many years ago. Social Media isn't all about promoting what you do but it's also about friendship and support networks. 

Hi There - Sarah H here again. We hope you've been enjoying Emily's fantastic tutorials and it's been helping you with your own Social Media. I am, as I've said a hundred times, a huge proponent of Social Media as I know how vital it is to independent businesses.

Today's tutorial focuses on Twitter, which plays a big part in our Social Media strategy. Twitter was my first love - as I so value the possibilities of sharing. The retweet button helps us loads - sometimes we can get as many as 500 retweets and this helps us reach places Instagram can't. So please, if you're doing a show, promoting your shop etc - think about using Twitter.

We always pin a campaign tweet up - go to our pinned tweet - and ask people to retweet it. Once they reach 100 retweets we post a different one. It's such a massive way to help spread word. We also try to retweet others - when they are promoting an exhibition or similar, if we see them and when we can. We urge you to get into the habit of retweeting us, or retweeting with a comment to help the campaign. Also help others too - a click costs nothing - yet it's a hop, skip and a jump to us.

So please follow us - we're @justacard1 - and now over to Emily...

Emily's Top Tips For Twitter 

1. Don't be shy : I know that Twitter can feel daunting and like walking into a party where you only know one or two people. It's tempting to walk back out or to hide in a corner. But please give it a chance. Say hello, talk to people, Retweet things you find interesting and Favourite tweets you have enjoyed. Slowly you will get to know new people, you will find old friends that you didn't know where there and you will find yourself having fun. And remember if you create your Twitter account then we can all find you when we want to share all about your brilliant work! 

2. Share the love : Twitter is a great place to share things you've enjoyed reading or listening to, or events that you have loved or want to tell people are coming up. It's a great way to play your part in the community and share what other people are doing. In this way you are not only supporting others but you're providing great information for your audience. 

3. Shout about what you do : Twitter is a great place to tell people about what you are doing. Have you got a new product that people will love to hear about? An event that you want to promote? Or a service that can help people? Whatever you are doing in the world you are enhancing people's lives in some way, so make sure they have the opportunity to hear from you! I usually share something at least 4 times on Twitter too as people tune in a different times of day, so don't think that because you mentioned it in the morning that everyone has heard you. You need to tweet at lunchtime, in the afternoon and in the evening too. And if you've got an international reach don't forget to set up tweets for the middle of the night as well! I use Buffer to schedule my tweets. 

4. Take part in a Twitter hour : many accounts, including Just A Card run Twitter hours either weekly or monthly. They can be a great way to learn new things and meet new people. They can be very fast paced and a little daunting at first but definitely work trying it at least once! 

5. Add images : Twitter isn't just about words. You can add images and video too. Resizing your images to 1200 pixels wide by 675 pixels tall (16:9 aspect ratio) means your image will be displayed fully when viewed on a mobile. For more information on Image sizes for other social media platforms, I always refer to this brilliant article by Buffer. 

6. Do not stress about your reach : Don't worry about how many followers you have or how many people are retweeting you or liking your tweets. This takes away the enjoyment of it and it can make your tweets sound forced or stress out. Be yourself and you will find your tribe. 

7. Have fun : Think of Twitter has going to a networking event. Open the App and have fun. See who is inspiring you today, talk to them. Make it enjoyable for yourself and others. 

Please say hello to Sarah, Emily and Just A Card when you are next on Twitter. We are all super friendly. xo