Social Media Tips from @somervillecity

SomervilleCity logoEvery community manager has a few important commandments she lives by, and the best ones apply to more than just brands – they can even help an entire city succeed. Social media and community engagement specialist Meghann Ackerman is the woman behind @somervillecity, one of our favorite neighborhood accounts and the official feed of the City of Somerville providing news, events, city alerts, and a direct connection to Mayor Curtatone and his staff. How does she do it – and how can you do it, too?

 

 

1. Keep the “social” in social media. It sounds cheesy when you say it, but making sure your social media presence is indeed social is important. People use social networks to connect, share, and ask questions. Engage with your audience and be there when they have questions, comments, and suggestions.

2. Experiment. Try different types of posts and watch your analytics to see what resonates with your audience. Use what you learn to craft posts that are engaging and that energize your audience. Being a city, we’re not interested in reaching more people for potential sales, but we are interested in making sure information gets to as many people as possible.

3. Make different content for different platforms. First, pick the right platform(s) for what you’re trying to accomplish. Once you do, know that many people use multiple social networks. This is great because it gives you more chances to drive your message home, but people will tune out if you just post the same thing in several places. Get to know the culture and advantages of each platform you use and tweak your content to fit.

4. Have fun. Automated social media feeds get very low engagement. Why? Because people like talking to real people. Don’t be so formal that you sound like a robot. Develop a personable tone, throw in a little humor, and really enjoy interacting with your audience.

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Social Media Tips from @iamchrisscott

Chris ScottIf you’re anything like us, most of your feed is packed with updates from media publications and local Twitter accounts to random friends being boring and brands trying to sell us their products. Sometimes you just need some comic relief to break up the monotony, which is why we look to Chris Scott, creator of the reputable blog Reviews of Movies I Haven’t Seen. Scott also repurposes Dear Abby columns into poetry and is generally hilarious on all platforms (see his expert tips on creative writing on his blog), so you should listen to his valuable advice on managing your very own Twitter feed:

1. Edit. Resist the urge to tweet every single thought and impulse that comes to mind. Twitter is a public and interactive thing. Not everyone needs or wants to know how your sushi was, or that your sunglasses are scratched, or what’s going on with Brad he’s being so weird lately.

2. Don’t take Twitter too seriously. It’s a fun platform for putting ideas and jokes out there, engaging with others, and learning about different perspectives. But at the end of the day, none of it matters. Twitter, unlike a caterpillar or a wicker basket or a loved one, is invisible.

3. You should definitely tweet when you’re drunk. Or you definitely shouldn’t. It’s either one or the other. You’ll figure out which pretty quickly.

4. Be nice to people. This applies to Twitter, but also everything else in life. There’s enough poison in the world. Why would you want to contribute any more?

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Social Media Tips from @centralsqpigeon

Central Square PigeonWe know what you’re thinking, and it’s what a lot of his detractors say every day – pigeons can’t speak English, they can’t type, they can certainly tweet, but not in the way that we can. Well, let it be known that there is one such bird who can do all of these things, it’s Central Square Pigeon, the official spokesman of all pigeons in the Cambridge neighborhood who wish they could be as talented as he. He makes us laugh, AND he makes us think. When’s the last time a pigeon asked YOU a provocative question, such as, “Why did they call it cereal instead of morning soup?”

We asked him for some tips on how to be very good at Twitter; here’s what he had to say:

tips for being so good at twitter
by central square pigeon esq.

1. tweet a lot: people follow lots of other people on twitter, sometimes more than one hundred other people. to make sure that people see your tweets, tweet a bunch of times a day. i know it can be hard – sometimes you don’t know what to tweet about or have a busy day full of hip-hop dance classes, day-job work, gluten allergies, or your cousin’s parole hearing. but you need to tweet a lot otherwise people will be like “i guess that guy died and stopped tweeting or something, let’s go to taco bell and forget about him.”

2. be yourself: some twitter people are like ‘be professional and respectful and don’t make fun of bros” but i’m like, “whatever, guys. skate or die 4 life.” it’s ok to share your personality & life interests on twitter because it’s what makes you unique and lets single ladies know what you’re all about. like, for example, my tweeting has raised public awareness about the dangers of hawks and ghosts (and the super-rare north american ghost hawk). who knows how many lives i’ve saved. also, i keep followers informed with tweets about dance moves, snacks, my best friend rob gronkowski, and pop cultures that people like.

3. haters gonna hate: every day i hear stuff like “you’re too small to be on twitter” or “pigeons can’t use iphones” or “did you get your beak stuck in a diet dr. pepper can on the corner of prospect street this morning?” what you gotta do is ignore the negative stuff and walk around like you’re a total boss (like, a main boss, not some wimpy mini-boss on the water level after you get the blue amulet). be proud of who you are and what you do.

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Social Media Tips from @cambridgeUSA

cambridgeUSA“Come see what makes us more than just another college town!” We’re not sure if anyone really reduces the great city of Cambridge to that idea, but the official tourism and travel account run by marketing coordinator Diana Janec does a great job proving otherwise every day, sharing info on local history, arts, food & drink happenings, and all the excitement of every day life in The People’s Republic, making it one of our favorite accounts to follow in the Boston area!

 

 

1. Find your voice and stick to it.
Keeping your voice consistent is so important! It allows your followers to relate to you and know what to expect when you tweet. Changing how you speak every few months is confusing and ultimately hurts your message. So, spend time and find your voice – do you want to be funny and cheeky? Serious and informational? Or somewhere in-between? Pick what works best and feels most natural to your business, and then own it.

2. Don’t make it all about you. Talking about yourself is a necessary evil, but making everything about YOU could hurt more than help. Take the opportunity to share stories, links, pictures, and other tweets with your followers. It opens up opportunities to discover what parts of the Twitter community you can be a part of, and makes your feed more engaging. Let’s face it: you don’t want to have a conversation with someone who only talks about themselves.

3. Engage! And create conversation.
Talk to people! Make conversation, retweet, favorite tweets, get involved in questions that people ask – isn’t that what Twitter is for? Show people that you follow that you like what they’re talking about, and show your followers that you’re listening.

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Social Media Tips from @BostonMo

Sean Donovan“Conceited, self-absorbed, pompous, arrogant jerk” – and one of our favorite Twitter accounts in Boston? How can that be? Sean Donovan is the comic relief we need in our day, favored for his snarky one-liners we can all relate to (that thing you were thinking about the crazy lady in front of you, he’ll say it for you). He’s also a man about town, sharing his nightly jaunts to Boston’s best bars, restaurants and other venues, making himself a sort of guide for fun things to do in the city. With more than 5,200 followers, we asked him to share a few things he’s learned while building his personal following:

1. People love pictures and facts. I find that posts with pictures generate more interactions with followers. People want to see what you are doing, and know where you are in the city. If you are having the “BEST MARTINI EVER,” let us know where you got it so we can try it out, too!

2. Boston is a small city: Having a social media presence means everything can come back to you. While this is true in a small city, like Boston, it really is true in life in general these days. If you see a familiar face from Twitter or Instagram, introduce yourself!

3. Know when to sign off. Nothing bugs me more than being in a social setting where people are buried in their phones – while I have surely been guilty of this in the past, I am now hyper aware and do my best to be in the moment. To add to this, sometimes, if you have nothing nice to say, it MIGHT be better to not say anything at all … unless it might get a rise out of people (which is one of my favorite things to do)!

4. GET OFF CAMPUS! I started to gain a following during my college years, which I credit to the fact that I was always out and about in the city. People loved seeing what I was up to, where I was going, etc, which was a great distraction from the stress of school. I rarely took to social media to complain about my workload, but rather my excitement for living in such a great city. I loved exploring, but most of my classmates chose to remain on campus, never to really experience the city we live in!

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Social Media Tips from @together + @mmmmaven

Together MmmmavenTwo accounts I’ve ALWAYS noticed being awesome at Twitter are @together and @mmmmaven. Together is Boston’s annual week-long electronic music, technology, and art festival. Mmmmaven is a DJ and production school located in Central Square, Cambridge. Both of them are on our list of who to follow in Boston because not only do they both provide followers with music-related things to do in Boston, but also things in the area involving art and technology. Even though the festival is once per year, the Together team is active year-round. Aside from Mmmmaven’s courses, they also tweet about free workshops, which are great for people who want to get into music (DJ’ing and/or producing) but don’t know where to start.

If your question is “WHY ARE THEY BOTH SO GOOD AT TWEETING?” your answer is because @daviday handles them both. He has also offered his top tips for you!

Find more A&E Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston.

1. Tweetdeck
Download Tweetdeck if you haven’t yet. In Chrome, it’s best as an app. It will change the way you look at Twitter.

2. Interact
Every time you open your feed, don’t forget to favorite things. Like a Tweet? That’s what the favorite button is for.

3. Create a paper.li newsletter
Definitely for anyone who considers them a leader in their field or any business – paper.li can automatically pick followers up for you because it autotags some of the most popular accounts.

4. Follow your neighbors
Every time I start a new account, I pull up Google Maps and find every Twitter account in the surrounding area. Be a good neighbor and stay in touch with your hyperlocal surroundings.

5. Schedule tweets
More and more often, people have their Tweetdeck pulled up most of the evening (what they call the “second screen”). So if you’re working 9-5, don’t forget to schedule some for later, because Twitter addicts are hardcore.

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Social Media Tips from @AllstonPudding

In Boston? Around Boston? Love music? Allston Pudding@AllstonPudding is one of the area’s prime music blogs, and its Twitter feed is flooded with show announcements, artist interviews, photos, and RTs of totally relevant things. @AllstonPudding actually offers more than just article links… like free stuff! Want to go to a local show for free? Check out their feed for ticket giveaways.

Inspired by their ways? Daniel Schiffer (@dschiffty) and Chanelle Diaz (@chanellediaz13) are behind the account, and shared their top five Twitter tips with us!

Find more A&E Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston.

1. Hashtags are a tool. Make sure to use them to your advantage (and don’t overdo it).

2. Twitter is a platform for conversation so it’s very important to interact with your followers: retweet, tweet at them, etc.

3. Tweet frequently! With the amount of accounts people follow, it’s very easy to get lost in your followers’ feeds.

4. Stay true to your audience by maintaining a consistent image/brand.

5. Keep Twitter fun and upbeat, especially with an account and following like ours.

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