The Top Twitter Tools for Marketers    

32 Twitter tools for everything you could think of!

Most of us have woken up to the importance of social media for marketing by now. But whether you're a social networking pro or newbie, the volume of tools can be intimidating. When you do devote time, social networks like Twitter don't always makes things easy for business users. Here we focus on Twitter to suggest key ways marketers can use it and we guide you through the best apps.

Read on for various handy tools: all of which will save you time and help you realise Twitter's potential, none of which will help you take shortcuts or spam your way to online marketing success!

After coming on our InDesign eBook course you'll be able to create and publish your eBook; but what's the next step? Ideally you want people to read it, which means that it's time to begin the marketing process.

As much as you'd like to think you'll have people queuing at the virtual door to download your book, the likelihood is no one will know about it unless you tell them about it.

So how would you even begin to go about marketing an eBook? Let's assume you have a decent site and blog (if not you ought to come on our 1-day Blogging and Content Marketing course to find out why it's essential!) as a base from which to 'flaunt your wares'.

A good start, especially for a product like this, is to embrace social media. Used alongside content marketing and email marketing, social media marketing can be an effective tool to market an eBook.

10 years ago I was writing my dissertation on Women and the Internet.It was a revelation then how women were using this relatively new medium (new as in 'popular and accessible') to communicate, connect and network. Previously technological gadgets, including computers, were largely bought by men - toys for boys. The internet changed all that.

Last night I attended a talk by Miss Aniela, whose rapid rise to fame was due to her immersion in social media, firstly by using Flickr and more recently Facebook and Twitter. Those interested in building up their own online presence using social media may be interested in our training courses.

You can learn more about marketing your business or organisation via Facebook on our Social Media Training course. We also run regular creative courses including Photoshop Training & InDesign training in Brighton.

Now 10 years after the internet changed the way women interacted with computers another wave of change is upon us.  Social media networks have seen phenomenal growth in terms of numbers of users both for individuals and business. The biggest growth can be seen in the number of women using social networks on a regular basis. Women now outnumber men on the following networks:

• Facebook: 57 percent women users.
• Twitter: 57 percent women users.
• Flickr: 55 percent women users.

Source: Information is Beautiful

Why Do you Think That is?

Look at the statistics from the 2009 Women and Social Media Study By BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners

Women who blog were asked what motivated them to blog. These were the results:

• 76% for fun
• 73% Express myself
• 59% Connect with others like me
• 54% Personal record or diary
• 37% To give advice/educate
• 33 % Positive reactions and feedback from my audience
• 29% Establish or contribute to a community
• 25% To reach large audience
• 22% To persuade others/advocate
• 21% Promote my skills or my business
• 17% Earn money

I think although I have no data to back this up, that if you asked most businesses why they would consider using social media to promote their business you could practically reverse the above stats. It's not that it's a bad thing to want to be successful in business, to want to promote yourself or to make money or sell. It's just that in order to do these things using social media you need to do the other stuff first - listen, give, communicate - otherwise it won't work.

Are you thinking of using social media campaigns to engage with your customers?

Looking for advice on how to create a successful social media campaign?

Social media campaigns have evolved from simple Facebook contests and Twitter competitions into fully integrated promotional campaigns spanning several social networks. Think Chipotle’s Scarecrow campaign or Dove’s hugely shared viral video campaigns. Of course much of these campaigns have come from big brands with resources that a small business would be hard pressed to match. Some campaigns like the ice bucket challenge evolve virally, but with a little planning there is no reason why your social media campaign can’t reach audiences beyond your demographic.

Creating your Social Media Campaign Plan

So you've been tasked to develop a social media campaign.

You use Facebook to connect with your friends but not much more than that. You follow celebrities on Twitter but you don’t have a clue about promoted tweets or the best hashtags to use. Your boss says “we need to get on Ello, Instagram is hot and we just have to be on Bubbly don’t we?” Would you know how to get started?

A planned campaign is a successful campaign. A plan keeps you focused on the number of steps you’ll need to take along the way.

So how do you actually plan an engaging social media campaign with very little resources and not much time? Good question - one that we can help you answer in 7 simple steps to planning a social media campaign.

The psychology of social proof gives marketers an incredible tool for increasing the reach of their content.

We are influenced and we influence others based on the groups we identify with and the content we share online.

Digital marketing can tap into that mentality to increase inbound traffic and drive conversions; Social Influence Marketing.

The theory of social influence is excellently explained by Victor Yocco for Smashing Magazine in his article 'Social Influence: Incorporating Social Identity Theory Into Design'.

I recommend reading Victor's post first to understand the theory behind social identity and then come back to find out more about how you can apply it to your own site.

Victor sees great opportunity for designers to enhance websites and products by using social identity theory in the way that Nike has built an entire network around Nike+.

You don't have to build your own social network from scratch to take advantage of social identity theory. It can be as simple as adding sharing buttons to your site.

Social Influence Marketing is simply the use of social signals to increase online reach and improve conversion rates.

Not sure where to start with social media? Create your own effective strategy with Social Media training, part of our comprehensive Digital Marketing training package. It will really help you to improve your outreach skills so that you can start working on social influence marketing!

I believe there are three main social signals to identify; everyone, friends and celebrities.

What you don't need:

A massive marketing budget, full camera crew, expensive video editing software, the technical skill to operate camera equipment and software

What you do need:

A great idea, an iPhone or iPad (Vine isn't on Android yet, but there are plenty of alternatives!)

You also need to be clued up on social media! Unfortunately, it's not as easy as just posting some videos and watching the money roll in. Our social media courses will help you market your brand through social channels using tools such as Vine. Combined with content marketing training you will be ready to make the most of social video.

You may think that 6 seconds is restricting, but that restriction forces you to think - What can I fit in 6 seconds? Think of it as the video version of an elevator pitch.

A 6 second video is a viable way of getting your message across in today's crowded social networks. It's easier to convince a passer by to stop for 6 seconds than for 6 minutes.

This year the city celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Brighton Fringe and the 50th anniversary of the Brighton Festival.

In the spirit of the celebrations this year Heather Buckley and David Smith are exhibiting ‘Fringes of Brighton’ 5th May – 6th June 2016 – a showcase of photographs from events in Brighton taken over the last decade at MADE in North Road Brighton.

The exhibition is well worth a visit, it'll make you smile and so will the the coffee, lunch, and cakes.

The work that goes into putting on an exhibition requires a lot of the skills that we teach here. Photoshop and Lightroom of course, but also social media and content marketing. Many artist need to be thier own publicists these days. I managed to speak with Heather and David about their work and also with Leigh-Anne who opened the Gallery and Cafe MADE earlier this year.

I grabbed Heather today to talk about how she produces some of her amazing shots. I enjoy photography so it was a good opportunity to gain a little insight, particularly into the action shots.

Melissa Marie, Le Scandal Brighton Fringe 2008 - Heather Buckely

OK - so your business is increasing its Social Media presence (well done!). You have been working on your Search Engine Optimisation, and you've created a Fan Page for your business on Facebook, but the URL for your Facebook fan page is ridiculously long and impossible for anyone to remember.

If only there was a way to get a nice, short, snappy URL.

Well guess what? THERE IS! Facebook calls this a vanity URL.

But - it's a bit of a fiddle. So - read through our simple step by step guide below...

Unsure what to do with the Facebook Timeline? Check out our Complete Guide to Facebook Timeline.

How to Change the URL for your Facebook Fan Page

The URLs that Facebook allocates Fan Pages by default are RUBBISH!

Ours was www.facebook.com/pages/Silicon-Beach-Training/150912562754 - mmmm catchy!

However - we've shortened it to www.facebook.com/SiliconBeach MUCH better!

Here's how...