Social media has become one of the biggest marketing tools a company has. The fact that it connects millions of potential customers together and lets you target specific demographics is priceless from a marketers standpoint. Chances are that any company, from a Fortune 500 to the mom and pop store has some sort of social media presence. Twitter is arguably at the forefront of social media with over 500 million registered users (generating over 340 million tweets daily and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day). Everyone is trying to turn their followers into clients or customers, but should that really be your bottom line? I believe you should treat Twitter & your followers like you would someone you are in a long committed relationship with. Why? Because it helps you change the way you think about this resource and maybe will help you generate content that is not only helpful to you but your followers as well.
As a designer, you have to always look for inspiration or resources and it is a very good idea to look at other designers’ work to get inspired. Here’s a list of some great professionals and publications that share their thoughts through Twitter. Check out this list with 10 Web Designers To Follow On the Twitter and don’t forget to follow your very own @WebDesignDev!
@Collis
Collis works at Envato, the world’s leading marketplace and community for creative ideas. He also blogs on Baha’i Blog in his spare time. Good ideas deserve a chance to grow, and Collis is one of the people that makes it easier to get that done.
@Sitepointdotcom
SitePoint provides cutting-edge content for web professionals — developers, designers, programmers, freelancers and site owners. It was founded by Mark Harbottle and Matt Mickiewicz. You might also want to have a look at their website for some good tutorials, courses and so much more.
@99Designs
99designs is the #1 online marketplace for graphic design work, with 1,800 new contests each week and $2 million paid out to designers each month. Their statistics show that a new design is uploaded on their page every 1.5 seconds, which makes them the largest on-demand design marketplace. All in all, 99designs can not miss from your following list, as it can be a great source of inspiration for future projects.
@zeldman
Jeffery Zeldman’s blog offers web design information and entertainment since 1995. He is an entrepreneur, web designer, author, podcaster and speaker on web design. He is the founder of the web design studio Happy Cog.
@Nickf
Nick Finck is a lecturer and author. He was the founder and publisher of Digital Web Magazine in 1996 and co-founder of Blue Flavor, a web consultancy firm. He has worked in the web industry for more than two decades and specializes in interaction design, usability and so much more. He also has created plenty web and mobile experiences for companies and is described by friends and co-workers as a ‘fantastic mentor’.
@Sixrevisions
Six Revisions is a website that publishes practical and useful articles for designers and web developers, maintained by Jacob Gube. Following Six Revisions might come in really handy as they constantly post good content on both their twitter and their website.
@Smashingmag
If you like the previous examples then you’ll probably like this one as well. Smashing Magazine is an online magazine for professional web designers and developers, with a focus on useful techniques, best practices for web design and more.
@Andysowards
Andy Sowards is a professional web designer, developer, and programmer based in Lynchburg, VA who specializes in WordPress. He is the founder of infiniGEEK and gameTomatoes, and he loves blogging.
@DesignerDepot
Webdesigner Depot is one of the most popular blogs about web design trends, tutorials and much more. It’s run by Walter Apai, a web designer from Vancouver. They cover a large range of content on their website, from interviews with big names in the web industry to freebies and coolest code tutorials. They have recently stepped up from blog to a content hub that provides a wealth of information and resources.
@Snookca
Snook is an independent web designer, developer, speaker, writer, and now product manager. He wrote SMACSS and formerly worked at Shopify, Yahoo, and Xero.
Treat Your Twitter Like a Relationship
Here are some of my suggestions to help you:
1) Compliments. So you just got another Twitter follower. You thank them and maybe compliment their site or service, but then what? Just like in a relationship don’t forget to compliment the other person, no matter how long you’ve been together. So what you should you say to your followers and people you follow? Well first, make sure it’s a sincere compliment and don’t overdo it. It can be as simple as telling someone you enjoyed their article (make you site specific areas that interested you so they know you read it) or congratulating a company on an anniversary or upcoming event. These may seem like small gestures but it’s amazing how much they get overlooked. HINT: Retweeting does not count!
2) Love the one your with. While hoping for more and more followers you might tend to neglect your loyal followers who have been there from the beginning. Make sure and acknowledge how much you appreciate them by staying active and engaged to their content.
3) We never talk anymore. One way to lose interest in your business is by not responding to even the smallest inquiry. Make sure you are responding to all messages and all mentions. Would you ignore a customer that had a complaint or an issue that came into your store or office? Treat Twitter interactions the same way. Don’t underestimate the power of good customer service.
4) Make each other laugh. Not every tweet has to be a serious one. Funny tweets or links to funny posts can be a great way to foster your social media presence. Again, this can be overdone relatively quickly and you want to make sure you keep them business appropriate. HINT: It’s GREAT when you can find funny content that relates to your specific field.
5) You’re not my type at all. In a relationship, you want to find someone that shares your common interests and goals. The same should be applied to social media. People are more willing to share when it’s applicable to them and it pertains to what they are personally interested in.
6) Don’t let yourself go. Your Twitter page should be an accurate portrayal of your company and its image. Don’t neglect to update graphics, change backgrounds and keep the overall look fresh. Make sure that you create custom background images & avatars, to ensure yours is unique to only you. HINT: While you’re rotating your graphics keep the same avatar (you don’t want people not to recognize your tweets).
7) Don’t insult the ex. All your tweets should be professional and as positive as possible. Don’t complain about another business or insult any of your competition. It makes you and the company look bad. Plus customers might think twice before doing business with you after they see how you treat other businesses.
