Everyone starts somewhere in Social Media. Tips and tricks we’ve all learned along the way can be especially helpful to those still navigating uncharted waters.
This interview series features twitter accounts in and around the construction industry, a growing population within the Twittersphere. My only disclaimer is that I do not always agree with the advice.
Stats:
Twitter Name: @pattonservices (now @whitefgsystems) Twitter Bio: Working with Contractors for Conklin Roof Coatings. Lets us train you! We provide a broad range of high quality, innovative roofing systems, training & support. Company Name: Patton Services City/State: Tremont, IL Main Website: http://www.worksmarternotharder.info/ Also: http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com/ Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/WhiteRoofingSystems Admin Name: Randy Patton LinkedIN Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pattonservices Klout Score: 43 Followers: 1394 Following:Follower Ratio: 1.42Questions:
1. When did you start your twitter account?
December 11, 2008.
That fall is when I first heard about something called Social Media. I first heard of Linkedin, then came Twitter. I spent some time trying to figure out what all the hubbub was all about. It looked like a great place for me to be able to meet new people and contacts for my business. I am always looking for new ways to market my business.
2. What was your biggest obstacle in twitter?
The biggest challenge was trying to understand what it was and what I was supposed to do. It appeared, at first, to be a place where people were just posting back and forth about their day and what they were doing. It has become a LOT bigger than that today. I have met a lot of very nice and interesting people on here and have also made several good contacts for my business!
3. How often do you tweet? Do you have a schedule?
I usually post every day. I post several different times of the day. The content depends upon what I am doing at the moment. I will also find info from others to RT (retweet), especially when it pertains to roofing or marketing, as well as anything that has my interest.
4. What is your recommendation to new people on twitter?
Jump on board and have fun! Depending on what you are looking to get out of Twitter, determines what you need to do.
If it’s social, find your friends and connect. For business, look for like-minded connections, follow along, and join in on the conversation.
It takes time BUT it does work! Do a search with keywords in order to find others that have the same interest as you.
5. What is your favorite hashtag and why.
#roofing #contractors ~ this what I am looking for! I want to connect with other contractors from all over the country. You can do a seach for any hashtag to find others that have the same interest as you. Also, in the early days I looked for #marketers to follow and learn from them how to effectively use Twitter.
6. Did you have a twitter mentor? How did that come about?
No, I don’t have a mentor as such. I just found other marketers and watched what and how they were using Twitter. You can learn a lot from watching what others are doing. There are a lot of sites that offer training info on how to use Twitter.
7. Can you recommend a twitter account that we should be following?
I suggest you go to my page and see who I am following and follow those that interest you. There are a lot of different types of people on Twitter. I also have made lists of different types of people I follow. For example, you can look at my contractor list to find contractors to follow.
Additional comments:
The Social Media World is a great place to meet family, friends, or business people. I say get on board and have some fun. Join in on some of the conversations see what can happen.
I have seen that by using social media it has helped with the SEO (search engine optimization) for my website, like posting a messge on Twitter and adding a link to my website. Using keywords that would relate to info on your site, will cause it to come up in the search results.
Some of the sites I saved and learned from in the early days.:
http://pthoniel.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/we-simplify-twitter/
http://technmarketing.com/web/ten-things-you-must-know-before-using-twitter/
http://strategicsocialmedia.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/239/
http://www.ploked.com/2009/04/15/11-ways-to-grow-your-twitter-following/
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