Quick, Easy And Free Content Marketing Opportunities Using Twitter.
In this piece, we will cover how to build your Twitter presence, find your audience, and socialize.

1. Open a Twitter account if you do not already have one. Take a few minutes to learn how to use Twitter.
2. Replace the egg icon at the earliest opportunity with your logo or a photo. Add a short bio explaining who you are or what your business does with a link to your website or blog.
3. Each day, or 2-3 times a week if you cannot afford more, look for people to follow who a) tweet items of interest to you and your business/sector (this will help to inspire you for new content and keep you informed of industry news etc) b) follow equally interesting people and c) where possible, are active on Twitter in TweetChats, industry events, hashtags important to your audience and you. Follow these people. Do NOT follow celebrities unless that is your industry.
4. At the outset on Twitter, you will find you are following many more people than follow you. This is normal unless you are a celebrity or household name! However, you need to persuade people to follow you so make sure you Tweet regularly. Not sure what to Tweet about? Think about why you are using Twitter – it is not to broadcast, it is primarily at the beginning to build relationships and be social, so talk to people. 
5. Take your lead about what to Tweet from those you follow. Do not be hesitant to answer or ask questions, or to reply, or to get involved in a discussion or TweetChat.
6. Twitter will suggest people you should follow based on who you follow already. (This is why it is wise not to follow celebrities as those are all the recommendations you will get and they serve little purpose for your business goals). Take a look at the bio of the person suggested, read a few of their recent Tweets, check out any conversations they are having with others and decide whether or not to follow them. Twitter's suggestions can be way off the mark, so don't assume that every recommended follow is a good one.
7. If you have found a good blog, see if there is a Twitter account to follow too. Then you can make a mention on Twitter that you liked xyz article or to ask further questions of the author or company.
8. Download either TweetDeck or HootSuite to make navigating Twitter easier. Spend a little time learning to use the tool you have chosen as it will save you time in the long-run with your conversations, mentions, engagement and hashtag monitoring.
9. Monitor hashtags to find people to follow, for events and for subject or industry specific discussions. Use TweetDeck or HootSuite  to make this very simple. Then, you can regularly drop in to see what is being said on the topic and hopefully contribute with a link to your content.
10. Each day there are TweetChats on multiple subjects. These can be very fast-moving, chaotic even, but are an ideal opportunity to find people to follow interested in the same subjects as you. A TweetChat will use a hashtag (#) to keep everyone in the same place. When you are ready to get involved in the discussion, remember to use that hashtag so your Tweet shows to all participants.
11. Check your account regularly to see that is not being followed by spambots. These are automated accounts that can cause havoc if they are malicious. Tell-tale signs of Twitter spambots are an egg instead of a picture, no tweets, few or no followers, raunchy photos, badly written Tweets that make no sense, missing bio, too good to be true offers, etc. Twitblock is a useful tool for finding spambots on Twitter so you can block them.
12. Do not simply broadcast - you also need to engage. This means diving into conversations, providing answers that you know will be helpful, and making sure your Twitter timeline has examples that show that you have more than just a one-way monologue. Each time you log on, look for an opportunity to reply to someone or to ReTweet an article, link or image that you like.
13. #ff is FollowFriday. It is the TwitterSphere's chance to share a Like for someone on Twitter with your own followers.  And boost the odd ego. So, if someone posted something you thought was great during the week, or helped you out, or brought your attention to useful content, Tweet “#ff @[theirTwittername] for [give reason]”
14. If you have real friends on Twitter, ask them to help out with your marketing by ReTweeting your Tweet that mentions your content to their own followers. Once you are established on Twitter, this will begin to happen with your own followers automatically.

There are a zillion more things you can do on Twitter to build relationships but let us look at how and when to market your content.

• We have already mentioned TweetChats and these often provide multiple opportunities to drop in a link to your content during the chat. Do not overdo it or it will be viewed as hard sell. Some TweetChats follow an agenda and list the questions or subjects under discussion prior to the chat. This will give you a chance to mark (in your content spreadsheet) possible content that you could share as a valuable part of that discussion.
• Events and Conferences. Many events, even very small, niche events, now have a hashtag for discussions prior to, during and post the event. These are an ideal opportunity for you to get involved, especially if the speakers are on a live stream. You can often add further information to complement the speaker and exhibit your own knowledge or experience on the matter. Some of these links may not be your own, but posting these as well will help build your reputation as someone who 'knows their stuff'.

Hashtags are used to bring together people with a similar interest and can be very short-lived, e.g. for breaking news or similar. However, some last for eons or are well-known to many interested in the subject. When reading other people's Tweets, take note of the hashtags being used. Open a new column in TweetDeck to see what else is being said on the topic and whether you can add value (e.g. with a link to your own content).   

Need help with  content marketing on Twitter? Call MintCopy at 888-646-8003 or send us an email.