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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