How to Find People on Twitter

By Darren Main

Using social media outlets like Twitter to connect and network with other people can help promote your business or blog.  But how do you find people to connect with on Twitter?  Using the “new Twitter” format, connecting with people has never been easier.  Here are some tips to help you find people on Twitter.

• Look at the “similar to you” list available in the “new Twitter” format

This list appears on the right side of the new Twitter page.  If you don’t see it, try clicking on the “lists” icon.  Scroll through the list and click the “follow” button for people, businesses, and causes that you wish to follow.  If you don’t think that a particular person or business is a match, click on the X at the top right hand corner of the tab to close out that option.

• Click on the “who to follow” bar at the top of the screen

Click on the “who to follow” bar at the top of your screen to find a list of people with similar interests as yourself.  You can scroll through the list and “follow” those who appear to be a match.  If you see a person or a business that does not appear to be a match, you can click on the “hide” button.

• Click on the “who to follow” bar and then click on the “find friends” tab at the top of the screen

You can search for your friends using this method  and find their Twitter accounts.  Then, you can follow them.  You can check for your friends on Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, and LinkedIn.

• Send your friends and business associates a personal invitation

You can also personally invite your friends or business associates to follow you by sending a message to their email address.  Simply click on the “invite friends” option at the right hand side of the screen on the “who to follow” screen, and type in the required information.

• Search by name

Probably the easiest way to find people is to simply type their name into the search box at the top of the screen.  You will either see a “no results” message on your screen, or a list of matches.  If you see matches, they will be listed on the left hand side of the page as well as the upper right hand side of the page. Matches include “tweets” or posts that have mentioned the name of the person for which you are searching.  Scroll through the lists to find the best match and “follow” that match.

Author Information

Darren Main writes on the topic of free people search and how to find people for free online.

Writing Onsite Content with Branding in Mind

By Steve Lazuka

Writing effective content for a business website can make all the difference between a vibrant, successful site and one that languishes unread and at worst, may even damage your business’s reputation.

But, perhaps you are happy with your website’s content. If this is the case, it is still worth taking a step back and looking at your site with fresh eyes. Perhaps it’s time for a change, or perhaps it’s time to move things up another gear.

While effective content is central to a website, the ability to use it to further your own brand is where an online site can really come in to its own. There are a number of ways of doing this:

SEO Content

Maximizing the use of search engine optimization can really make a site, but even more significantly, it can help enhance your brand so that customers identify easier with what you have to offer. Think about your brand and the words that best describe your product or service. Perhaps you have a brand tag line. If so, make sure you incorporate it into the site so search engines can easily locate it when anyone uses it as search criteria.

Emotional Buy-In

A brand is a great way of getting customers to “buy-in” to what you offer. A website can really come into its own here as you can (and should) tailor its content to enhance the brand. So if you were in the business of selling organic, locally sourced food, it would make sense to extend this brand.

You could have a section of the site with links to farmers’ markets or recipes for healthy meals. You could write articles yourself, or even better, use a business blog writing service to create content that compliments your brand. This helps create a self-contained “world,” which should encourage customers to explore what you have to offer.

Inspire Loyalty

Always working with your branding in mind is a great way to increase customer loyalty. Filling your site with articles, blogs and links that help reinforce the message of your brand will create a sense of belonging for your customers.

Remember that many successful sites aren’t just online stores, but foster a sense of community by discussing ideas, issues and news relating to your product. If you sell CDs, then why not include reviews so customers think of your site not just as a place to spend money, but a resource from which they can learn.

Call to Action

Don’t forget the call to action. What do you want the reader to do after they read what you have to say? Do you want them to fill out a form, call you, request more information? Be sure you use proper calls to action that can help your bottom line, while also considering all the other factors we discussed.

Writing onsite content with branding in mind will help create an overall sense of identity and a place where customers will be happy to return time and time again.

About the Author

Steve Lazuka is owner and operator of Interact Media, a website content company based in Ohio that services social media, content development, a business blog writing service and more. He’s also an avid tweeter (@SteveLazuka), and a guest blogs regularly.