Social Media Tips from @TheBostonCal

Social Media Tips from Sean O’Connor of @TheBostonCalSean O’Connor is one of the many great souls behind @TheBostonCal. The Twitter account, Facebook page, and website are all dedicated to finding the best events in Boston and broadcasting them to people who like to have fun. With events ranging from food and drink, to film and art gallery openings, to random street occurrences, The Boston Calendar has a little bit for everyone in Boston to enjoy. Find more Event Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!

 

1. Trying to raise awareness for Boston events on Twitter is a little difficult. It’s very noisy on there and sometime we post about an awesome free event and it’s just crickets. Our Facebook page has proven about 10 times more effective. As it turns out there’s not many Facebook pages in the city dedicated towards events. (Ed. Not every platform will be perfect for you. Find which one performs best, and find where your content is most needed, and spend more time there.)

2. Despite being a Twitter handle for “events that don’t suck,” it helps to post about general cool things happening around the city, like a sunset or Johnny Depp filming a movie.

3. For events, it helps to be the first or one of the first to announce an awesome upcoming event. Sometimes we get word before most, but a lot of the time Boston magazine beats us to the punch. Getting on the press release lists of events organizers has been a pursuit of ours, but it’s not that easy.

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Social Media Tips from @mysecretboston

Social Media Tips from Jeff Wallace (@mysecretboston)Ever have a friend or family come up and ask you to show them around Boston? You took them to Faneuil Hall, didn’t you? You were disappointed, weren’t you? Come on.

There’s so much more to Boston than the typical tourist traps and MySecretBoston is there to show you all of them. The account, run by Jeff Wallace, is dedicated to “Uncovering the best of Boston food, music, and entertainment” and does just that, announcing last-minute free concerts, cool bar specials, and random things you never knew Boston had to offer — including the top places to hang out in Allston.

Find more Event Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!

1. Offer up enough goods to catch someone’s eye, but not too much to spoil the secret. Make them want to (and have to) click on that link.

2.When trying to to post the same link in multiple posts (i.e. to promote an event or a big article), be sure to vary the hook on each post. Don’t just cut and paste. Get creative.

3. Sometimes it pays to take a break from self-promotion and to share someone else’s content. Just make sure it’s consistent with your voice and brand.

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Social Media Tips from @kendall_square

logoLive, Work. Shop, Play, Eat – that’s the motto they live by over at @kendall_square. The Cambridge neighborhood is quickly transforming into more than just a haven for MIT students and tech geeks – shops, bars, and restaurants are popping up all over the place, and we look to this account to keep us informed about all the latest happenings and events going on in the area. How do they do it? They also have a few more adages to live by:

1. Show some love. Is someone tweeting about the great time they’re having/had at your event? If so, retweet it and/or favorite…ASAP. There’s nothing like some positive social media reinforcement to keep a loyal Twitter follower. You could even go a step further and set up a search for people who may be talking about your brand, event or company – but not tagging you. Show them some love as well and we’re sure you’ll gain a few new followers and some future mentions.

2. Live-tweeting is an art. If you’re live-tweeting an event, live chat, appearance, whatever it may be, pick your hashtag and #sticktoit! Keep the posts coming – but be sure to keep them different and interesting. And don’t forget, a picture speaks a thousand words, or in Twitter’s case, 140 characters.

3. Keep your friends close, and your friend’s followers closer. Your followers are smart, cool, in-the-know folks, and chances are, so are their followers! Following the accounts your followers follow will most likely grow your social network and lead to some positive future interactions and interesting introductions.

4. Know your audience. Here in Kendall Square, we live by our motto: Live, Work, Shop, Play, Eat. Whether it’s sharing a new coffee flavor @VoltageCoffee or talking about this season’s smoothie @Mother_Juice, we view our tweets as a conversation with our friends!

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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 @TheFenway

TheFenwayFenway is much more than a park with baseball players and rowdy fans – it’s grown to be a thriving neighborhood with great restaurants, award-winning bars, and a slew of new mixed-use buildings in the works. Responsible for all the new real estate is developer Samuels & Associates, whose team runs the neighborhood’s most popular account – but it’s not all about their work. @TheFenway keeps us updated on what’s often overlooked in favor of SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS – arts, culture, music, and more – landing itself on our guide of who to follow in Boston.

 

1. Engage, engage engage! Content is a two-way street. It isn’t enough to simply post and follow. Engaging your followers is the best way to grow influence and give authority to your voice.

2. Post content that is relevant to your account. We try to curate information that is either directly related to The Fenway or Boston, or seems like something our audience would care about. Also, if you’re chiming in on content that is already being widely shared, try to give a unique perspective.

3. Keep a consistent tone. As followers begin engaging with you, it is important to remember that they are now familiar with the identity represented by your account. Always have a true north when it comes to personality and voice.

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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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