Social Media Tips from @OnTheBar

Social Media Tips from @OnTheBar@OnTheBar is one of the coolest apps to have if you’re living in Boston. It’s also one of the coolest Twitter accounts to follow — you can see where your favorite bartenders are working on any given night and plan your night accordingly. Plus, their tweets are beyond entertaining. Find more Food & Drink Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!

 

1.  Try to mix it up. We’ll sometimes throw in cultural references that are not immediately related to what we do / our mission. If we’re just, “cocktails, cocktails, cocktails!” all the damn time, we’d be both boring and drunk.

2. Have a sense of humor, but don’t be a jerk. We take a pretty irreverent tone from time to time, but we never (or very, very rarely) speak negatively about a person or thing. Usually if we’re making fun of something, it’s ourselves. People seem to dig that. Corporate accounts are usually stodgy as hell.

3. Talk about others more than yourself. Our job is sorta easy here because we have all these amazing bartenders creating really cool content about what’s happening in their bar or what drinks they’re making, etc. We get to share this via Twitter and Instagram, and we love hyping our community members. Like that @sahildmehta guy. He’s great. You should follow him.

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Social Media Tips from @BriteBoston

Social Media Tips from Sara Steele-Rogers of @BriteBostonSara Steele-Rogers can tell you what’s up in Boston. As the Boston Metro Marketing Manager for @BriteBoston, Steele-Rogers tweets about and attends some of the coolest events in the city. Find more Event Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!

 

1. Be consistent. Every week, I schedule my tweets on Mondays and Thursdays for the next few days to keep accountable.

2. Eventbrite Boston is all about showcasing Boston’s best events and live experiences, not just events on Eventbrite. Be sure your tweets aren’t 100% self-promotional. Branch out and give others in the community some love, too!

3. Know what your followers are looking for. The Eventbrite community particularly loves free events, as well as fitness, food and drink, and tech events. Also, anything out-of-the-box or super unique is always very popular!

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Social Media Tips from @PeteMFBoyd

Social Media Tips from @PeteMFBoydLocal bearded tweeter and “purveyor of beer” Pete Boyd is a Narragansett rep who tweets about the best of the Boston beer scene. His tweets cover great events in Boston (and beer, beer, BEER!). Find more Food & Drink Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!

 

 

 

People need to engage in conversation, not just retweet everything. A simple retweet can let people know that someone hollered at you. Engaging in conversation will lead to a much more open dialogue. It can give people a better idea of who you are or what you meant, rather than limiting them to your 140 character blast.

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Social Media Tips from @lukeoneil47

lukeHow many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know. ….but Luke O’Neil does. Follow him on Twitter to find out. And the answer is NOT 47. Luke’s always tweeting and it’s always funny. Caution: don’t be drinking milk when you see a tweet by Luke. So maybe just avoid drinking milk while at the computer entirely. Whether it’s for his snot-rocket inducing blog PTSOTL (Put That Shit on the List), @BostonGlobe, @Esquiremag, @BULLETMedia, @VICE or @Slate, you know this crackpot freelancer will be tweeting, and that his tweets will stand the test of time. That’s why we included him on our Who to Follow on Twitter in Boston Guide.

Here are some Twitter tips from the man himself:

I’m not sure I really qualify to give advice on getting followers on Twitter, since I don’t really have all that many compared to others. Like the old saying about guns: I’ve got more than I need, but fewer than I want. I suppose the most I’ve ever had was like 25,000, but the problem is they were never all there at the same time. I lose about as many as I gain every day. Twitter is like a bailing out a row boat with a hole in it, but worse because you never had a particular direction in mind in the first place and the oars are jokes and the analogies are bad.

That said….I’d say a pretty good place to start is…

1. Try not to be so woefully, predictably banal. Or, failing that, be ironically, predictably banal. It’s a pretty cool trick that let’s you say all the same day to day personal shit that no one cares about, but it’s through a presumed lens of irony, so you can still come out looking cool in the end.

2. Be attractive. I find that being a generally physically appealing human has done wonders for me in that regard. Not just on Twitter but in life in general. Definitely look into that.

3. Maybe… I don’t know, find… a community of likeminded people? With whom you can share a common interest? And talk about that a lot? People like to like things and like people who also like those things.

4. Starting fights with people seems to be a pretty popular way to get noticed. But it has to be the right people. Try to fight with people dumb enough to RT you to their dumb followers when you troll them, that way all the other people hate-following them will see and think you’re good and smart.

5. Don’t manually RT anyone. This is fucked up and the same as being a literal Nazi such as Hitler. It’s like putting a toll booth in front of someone else’s joke. No one likes toll booths, especially the roads.

6. Lastly, I’d say the best thing to do is follow me first, then we’ll take it from there and see how you do after your initial review period. Think of it like an internship. You probably won’t learn anything, but on the other hand, you definitely were there, and someone probably noticed, and you can’t deny that. You definitely got noticed.

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Social Media Tips from @HeyRatty

heyrattyMy my, hey hey … @HeyRatty is here to stay. We included Michael Ratty in our “Who to Follow in Boston” Twitter Guide because of his journalistic tendencies and also because he has the uncanny ability to tweet about news, sports, and politics while remaining someone we’d like to be friends with. And it’s not all #seriousbusiness; he’s also hilarious.

 

Hey hey, my my, @HeyRatty can never die. Because his Twitter Tips are now immortalized:

 

 

1. It sounds clichéd, but BE AUTHENTIC. Use your own voice. People these days have a good Bullshit Detector, and the knob on that detector is turned up to ELEVEN on Twitter. I haven’t gained Twitter followers by being the funniest or smartest person in Boston. I’d like to believe I’ve done it by being authentic. Not in a rude IDGAF way, though. When people start following me, they know they’re going to get snarky thoughts about the MBTA and sports and politics and movies. Oh, and lots of Instagrams of food. If those aren’t your bag, you probably shouldn’t follow me.

2. Don’t worry about who you follow, the cream rises to the top. Most of the best people I follow I learned about from friends. When you start seeing your friends retweeting articles from the same journalists and thought leaders, it’s probably a good idea to start following those people. If you consistently offer followers unique and interesting content, your follower count is sure to increase.

3. If the firehose of information is too big and you’re following too many people, UNFOLLOW everyone! Charlie Warzel at Buzzfeed did this last year (“I Nuked My Twitter Feed and You Should Too”) and I found it to be a fascinating experiment. I am guilty of this, as I currently follow almost 4,500 people. I am considering doing this same thing to start from scratch.

4. Hootsuite, Schmootsuite! Don’t feel like you need to use third-party apps to get the most out of Twitter. Although I use Hootsuite and TweetDeck for work and to live-tweet conferences and events, I find them too messy and busy for personal use. I don’t like the layout of either of them and, ironically, I find that it’s easier to miss something when information is flying through at breakneck speed. There’s nothing wrong with using good ole Twitter-dot-com.

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Social Media Tips from @TheDrewStarr

Social Media Tips from Drew Starr (@TheDrewStarr)Drew Starr is a guy who likes food and things — NOT to be confused with a foodie (don’t call him that, per his request). While his main focus is on food, he tweets a lot about Boston as a whole. Look forward to his snarky, yet informative tweets on food, Boston, and more. Find more Food & Drink Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!

 

 

 

1. Psst, restaurants: try not to retweet every damn compliment. Did a celebrity say they loved your burger, or did someone take a better picture than you could of your special? Go ahead and hit RT. Someone with 16 followers took a bad picture of your menu? Not so much. Reply and thank them for the compliment, but don’t fill our feeds with it.

2. As for diners, there is little more off-putting than seeing people tweeting petty complaints about fixable things while in the damn restaurant. These aren’t airlines. The people most empowered to help make your life better are unlikely to be manning the restaurant’s Twitter account. Talk to your server, or ask to talk to a manager. If they don’t make it right, fire away, but you should probably sleep on it first anyway. If it still feels necessary in the morning, you’d have had the night to come up with some really good lines, anyhow.

3. Food bloggers / writers / people-about-town / anyone else who manages to get themselves invited to PR events. go and have fun, I certainly go to my share – it’s often the only chance I have to get a feel for a place that I’d be unlikely to get to on my own. But when you’re tweeting about them, make it clear to your followers that it is a PR event. Not disclosing it strikes me as unethical: but worse, it doesn’t clue your followers into the fact that your experience was tightly curated (and free!) and they should not necessarily expect the same.

4. If your tweet starts with an “@,” the only people who will see it are those following you and the account you’re mentioning. So a tweet that says “@NewRestaurant is now on Twitter, go follow them!” is absolutely useless, since it will only be seen by those who are already following @NewRestaurant. Ever wonder why you’ll often see tweets start with a period, or a meaningless “Hey, @soandso …. ?” Those people know this rule. Worth noting: Starting a tweet with an @ when your desired goal is only to reach that person and common followers is a-okay.

5. Twitter works best if you engage with people. That doesn’t mean beg them to promote you. That means respond to the things they’re saying — not only if it’s about you. If you check your Twitter analytics (you DO do that, right? They’re now available for free to all users, even if you don’t advertise), you’ll see most tweets reach a very small percentage of your audience. Most Twitter users are only checking their feeds a few times a day, and rarely scroll back more than an hour or so. The more you engage with individuals, the more likely they’re going to mention you to their audience at different hours.

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Social Media Tips from @BostonMixDrink

Social Media Tips from @BostonMixDrinkTenzin Samdo is the coolest. Really. As bartender extraordinaire at Trade Boston, he’s earned his name over the past couple years as one of Boston’s top bartenders. And he has the social media accounts to prove it. Whether he’s showcasing his incredibly unique and GORGEOUS cocktails or his adorable son, Tenzin shows how quality content on social media can keep the customers (and the followers) coming back. Find more Food & Drink Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!

 

 

1. The most important thing you can do for your Instagram community is to remain active, engaged and provide value by responding to valued comments.

2. Checking in to an Instagram post with geo-tagging services is very important, especially when promoting small businesses.

3. Using quality photos and meaningful hashtags plays a vital role in gaining followers.

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Social Media Tips From @MidEastClub + @ZuZuBar

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Clay Fernald (@claynferno) is the brains behind the Midde East and Zuzu’s social media. From running the actual venue to running the venue’s social media (which includes keeping guests, artists, and followers constantly informed), we bet Clay had a lot of advice for businesses looking to get their big toe wet in the somewhat murky waters of social media. And we were right.

 

1. Music Monday! #mm
Even if you aren’t in the music business, put your favorite artist in the spotlight on Monday! Have you Heard Aretha Franklin sing Adele? Wooooo! Hashtag #mm means “Music Monday.” Everyone likes music!

2. Follow Back! #ff

In 2012, we got the blue checkmark next to our @MidEastClub Twitter handle? What does that mean, we’re clear for smallpox? No! We’re a recognized professional entity by the almighty Twitter herself! Thanks, birdie!

Anyhoot, we got there by slowly building a great ratio of followers to people we followed. And also we made sure not to follow jerks. Us the #FF hashtag on Friday to engage with your peers, your friends, your competitors and see how fast your list can grow. If you get a #FF notification, follow them back (after checking out their profile, of course!)

3. Report Spammers!
Are you followed on Twitter by a lot of egg icons, or is someone spamming one-of-a-kind Marty McFly sneaker sales on your Facebook Page? Unless it’s Doc Brown himself, use the appropriate buttons to report to Twitter and Facebook that these are spam accounts! Keep the B.S. to a minimum and those news feeds clean for all. It feels like a citizens arrest!

4. Meme it up!
Bored on a Thursday? Send your intern to MemeGenerator to make a clever joke about what you and your team are working on.

See, look what my intern did! She’s a card.

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5. Speak in your own voice!
There are lots of conflicting words of advice about this, but as a brand, you are still a person, or hopefully, a team! Sign your tweets if you need to express who you are.

For example. nerd musicians @PaulandStorm share a Twitter account and they simply sign tweets this way: [P] = Paul, [S] = Storm.

In the MidEastClub Twitter bio, we are a collective team, but we post as “The Box Office, Jill&Steph&Jamie&Clay.” This puts at least a name to the company (four names, in fact!) that people can relate to!

6. Acknowledge your mistakes.
If we make a mistake or update set times, we say “oops” or “updated set times.”

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Social Media Tips From @Lyft

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Catching a Lyft may be as easy as opening an app on your phone, but Zach Cole, Lyft’s social media manager, doesn’t have an easy job. From mastering Lyft’s “cool dude next door” voice on Twitter to handling Lyft’s responses to the numerous red-tape it faces in many states across the country – Cole has a lot to handle, but he makes it look effortless! We asked him for some advice for businesses looking to emulate that kind of organic presence.

 

 

1. Find out what your audience likes.
Brands that don’t constantly talk about themselves often find great success. Knowing what your audience is truly interested in can help inform your content strategy, so that you’re able to share more content that isn’t centered around your brand, but still communicates your brand values.

2. Create a content calendar.
Brands with strong content calendars do two things really well: they have a regular posting frequency per social channel, which helps brands understand when they can best reach their audience, and they post a variety of content. Content calendars are great tools for bucketing content into categories so that brands can share a balanced variety of content.

3. Set goals.
Talk with your marketing and brand teams to determine your brand’s goals for social media. This way, you can have an idea of what matters most when working to improve your social strategy. Goals vary from one brand to the next — some brands (media and e-commerce) will often measure website traffic from social, while others may want to focus on reaching a target demographic with a specific message.

4. Experiment.
Try new things! The world of social media is still relatively new, so there’s always room to experiment. Try sharing new types of content, playing with copy, working with influencers, etc. You sometimes never know just where you’re going to find the most success until you give it a go — and generally social media lets brands do this at minimal cost.

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Social Media Tips from @SoundofBoston

Sound of BostonConcert reviews, local artists, record stores, music tech startups – all the things music lovers like to know about. If we were to recommend one Twitter account to stay in the loop with such things, locally, it would be @SoundofBoston.

They’re on our list of Twitter accounts to follow because they not only provide a TON of info, but are also great at interacting with and sharing content from other relevant accounts. All that together makes for one useful source! (SO helpful for anyone new to the city, too!)

After noting a few thoughts from Knar Bedian, also known as @live_hye and the person behind the @SoundofBoston account, we’re inspired.

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

1. Choose no more than three topics to tweet about. People should be able to quickly understand what sorts of information/value your account will offer.

2. As Gary Vaynerchuk says in his book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, it’s not all about promoting your own site/posts. More often than not, your account should provide entertainment or useful information that fills in the space between your “right hooks,” or the tweets in which you ask your followers to check out your content or respond to your calls to action.

3. When you want your followers to take an action, make sure there’s a call to action! For example, “Sign up here,” or “Retweet,” or “Respond with a story.”

4. Engage with others and understand your audience. Twitter should not be your soapbox. Knowing the prime time to tweet is important.

5. Starting a tweet with a Twitter handle means the tweet will be directed to that person, and it WON’T show up on your followers’ feeds. If you don’t mean to have a conversation with someone, use a space or period before Twitter handles when starting tweets with a name to make sure it shows up on your followers’ feeds.

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