Social Media Buzz

Should You Use Your Real Name or a Brand Name on Twitter?

 
Should you use your real name on Twitter or a brand name?  The trend has been leaning towards using your real name, but that's not always a good idea if you have a strong brand name that suits you better.

Here's why: I follow Ken Robert on Twitter as @MildlyCreative and recently his friend Charlie Gilkey advised him to change his handle on Twitter to his real name. After just a day Ken changed it back. Why? Because it felt wrong and just didn't fit him as well as @MildlyCreative does. It describes what he does so much better than his real name. It's his brand and he's sticking to it.

Another example is my friend, Barbara Winter, who goes by @joblessmuse on Twitter. Barbara is the best-selling author of How to Make a Living without a Job. Her name is well-known, but her Twitter handle of @joblessmuse is so much more effective, since it too focuses on who she is and what she does.

So think carefully about the name you use on Twitter and other social media sites especially if you're in business for yourself. Make sure it's the best indicator of your business and your brand.

Remember: The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. ~ Chinese Proverb

Linda Locke
Social Media Coach

Using a Flowchart to Understand the Value of Social Media

OK, so I'm a geeky gal. I love flowcharts. They help you visualize and understand complicated processes like how to determine the real value of social media. For example, here's a cool flowchart created by Debra Askanase of the Community Organizer 2.0 blog that illustrates just that.

Social Media Value Flow Chart

Debra explains: 

When developing a social media strategy, I keep in mind these three questions:

1.  How will the brand/program/organization deliver exceptional value and engagement to stakeholders through social media?
2.  How will social media encourage brand/program/organizational loyalty?
3. Will the strategy support business/organizational goals to produce intended results? (increased volume  or type of sales, clients, participants, more volunteers, etc.) Read more: Social Media Flowcharts

Getting Started with Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing can be extremely effective, but many people are put off by all the overwhelming choices on how to implement it for their own business or non-profit organization.

The best way to get started is to pick one place to start and expand from there. If you are not involved in social media at all, I'd recommend Twitter as a starting point. Here's a short video with some Twitter Beginner Tips that will help you get started.

And if you're not sure what to tweet once you have your Twitter account set up, here's some Quick Tips for Overcoming Twitter's Block.

The when you're ready to take the next step, check out Chris Brogan's excellent post on 50 ways you can implement a social media marketing campaign.

You don't need to do everything on the list, just pick and choose the ones that resonate with you and then track your results.

Linda Locke
Social Media Coach