Why Integrate Twitter?

Your tweets can boost your site’s content with dynamic and frequently-updating posts. On top of that, using Twitter on your site immediately opens a new communication channel with your site’s visitors. And don’t forget the extra credit you get for being social-media savvy.

No doubt, integrating Twitter with your site has a lot of advantages, but it’s not for everyone. If your website is highly business-oriented and your Twitter account is only for personal use, then it’s better not to bring the two together (using social media to promote your business is essential, so we recommend that you also open a business Twitter account).

Before you go and embed a Twitter feed to your website, you need to ask yourself: Is this Twitter feed relevant to the content of my site? Will my site visitors find these Tweets helpful, interesting or entertaining?

If the answer is “Yes!”, let’s get started:

To share these great tips with your friends, simply click on each link. A Twitter window will pop up and you can tweet away.

Have fun!

No. 1: #ValentinesDonts: Telling your loved one what you & your ex did last year on Valentine’s Day

No. 2: #ValentinesDonts: Preparing a huge romantic dinner for your date. And your best friend. Who just got dumped. And hates happy couples

No. 3: #ValentinesDonts: Asking your parents for Valentine’s Day tips

No. 4: #ValentinesDonts: Telling your loved one that what you got them for Valentine’s is a hug “because that’s all that matters”

No. 5: #ValentinesDonts: Making a simulation of you & your sweetheart as an old couple, so they know what to expect when you grow old together 

No. 6: #ValentinesDonts: Promising your girlfriend a romantic getaway, and ending up taking her to a Civil War reenactment 

No. 7: #ValentinesDonts: Giving your boyfriend two lists – one with optional boy names and one with optional girl names

No. 8: #ValentinesDonts: Surprising your Valentine by saving a sexy pic of yourself as their desktop wallpaper. At work 

No. 9: #ValentinesDonts: Eating a double chili cheese burger, shrimp cocktail & onion rings a few hours before going on your Valentine’s date

No. 10: #ValentinesDonts: Trusting your 17-year-old babysitter that she’s not going to bring her boyfriend over while you two are out celebrating

#1

Use the macro mode to blur the background and accentuate your pet’s features

By Red Junasun, Flickr

#2

If your flash is too strong, cover it with a white plastic bag. It will diffuse the light and make your pet’s eyes sparkle!

By Soggydan, Flickr

#3

Play with perspective: crouching down to your pet’s eye level makes for a great shot!

By ilkerender, Flickr

#4

Take your pet to an environment where it can interact, such as the beach or the park, and prepare to take awesome shots!

By donjd2, Flickr

#5

Pets dislike flash. Use natural light to keep your pet at ease and to avoid red-eye

By Roger Blackwell, Flickr

#6

Use fast shutter speed to catch your pet’s fast movements

By acidpix, Flickr

#7

Make an environmental portrait by getting really close to your pet while using a wide angle lens

By Caza_No_7, Flickr

#8

Have fun with your pet! Get it to splash around in the dirt while taking a picture

By tibchris, Flickr

#9

Don’t forget the props! When going out on a photo session with your pet, bring toys and snacks to get it moving!

By geraldbrazell, Flickr

#10

Take a self-portrait with your pet. It’s your pet after all, why leave yourself out? :)

Last week’s post: 10 tips to make your Wix Experience smarter, better and faster.

#1

Create a Wix Site for your Facebook Page & keep your fans updated! Be sure to set your site as your default tab!

#2

Update your Wix site to keep your business looking fresh! Use the editor’s ‘Share’ button to update your fans on FB and Twitter!

#3

More and more of your clients are browsing the web via smartphones! Create a Mobile-customized Wix website now!

#4

‘Like’ & Follow are the new word of mouth! Add social links to your Wix site so your visitors can share your content!

#5

Check your Wix site’s  navigation: Make sure your visitors can get to the heart of your content in no more than 3 clicks!

#6

Add a QR code to your Wix site so visitors can see your mobile site. This way they can keep in touch on the go!

#7

Adding Alt text to your images gives your website a great SEO boost!

#8

If you’re a small business or an artist, it’s time you set up a free website / portfolio with Wix!

#9

Select your website’s keywords wisely to make sure your Wix site comes up on relevant searches.

#10

Wanna be updated with the latest Wix tips? Follow us on Twitter! Not a birdie? Like us on Facebook!

The following Twitter Rules are a guideline for the small business owner who wants to make it on Twitter. Some of them refer to the Twitter etiquette, some explain common Twitter terms and some offer a better understanding of Twitter as a marketing tool.

1. Tweeting Ratio:

Tweeting like crazy every few minutes will not only be frowned upon by the community (especially when tweeting for your business), it will also be completely counter-productive. Each new tweet that you post replaces your previous tweet on your followers’ timeline. Tweeting too often will reduce your tweets’ actual reach.

2. Hashtags:

Marked by the symbol #, hashtags turn certain terms and keywords into (searchable) tags . By adding the hashtag #camera, for instance, you increase the chances of your tweets being seen by people who are interested in photography and cameras. Using multiple hashtags in one tweet is considered spam, so use them scarcely and wisely.

3. Check Out The Competition:

Use Twitter to find out what’s going on with your competitors. You don’t have to follow them as a Twitter user, but you should follow their activity. It’s a priceless insight – for free!

4. Trending Topics:

The 10 most tweeted terms at any given moment. To see a quick snapshot of the most tweeted-abot topics, look to the sidebar on the right of your Twitter homepage. Spammers will tweet about trending topcis like crazyto increase their reach but moderate use is harmless. Keep track of Trending Topics (in short: TT) and if they ARE relevant to your business, join in the conversation by adding relevant tweets.

5. Analyze Your Work:

Every tweet should be examined – did it generate replies? Was it retweeted? How many people actually clicked on the link you tweeted? How many new followers were gained in a day? These things are all easy to track and they will help you measure your success and see your weak spots.

If you want to delve into your stats more seriously, check out these Twitter Management tools:

Commun.it

Twitalyzer

Twitter Counter

Klout

Twitter Effect

6. Twitter-Talk:

The 140-characters limit requires a lots of creativity. Tweeple (people who use Twitter) have created a whole new vocabulary that you need to familiarize yourself with. A few examples:

RT – Retweet. The act of sharing someone else’s tweets in your stream

MRT – Modified Retweet. An RT that was altered by the Retweeter

DM – Direct Message. Private message between users who follow each other

FF – Follow Friday. Tweets marked with FF recommend to follow certain users

Spitter – A Twitter spammer

Tweed - A Twitter feed

b/c – Because

w/ or w/o – With or Without

RTHX/TQRT – Thanks for the Retweet

Dweet – A drunken tweet

7. Be Social:

Communication and interaction in Twitter are very versatile. You can follow tweeple, retweet their content, mention them (by tweeting “@username”), send direct messages, or credit them for content that you tweet (by tweeting “via @username”). Use these tools to keep in constant contact with followers and potential followers. It’s vital that you interact with people and not just shoot general tweets into the air.

8. Links:

Businesses often tweet links, as part of their promotional efforts. Keep in mind that adding more than one link in one tweet can harm the clicking rates. When you tweet links, use a link shortening service that will be able to track the number of clicks.

9. Attractive Content:

You need to make it worthwhile for users to follow your Twitter feed. Use original content, creative incentives and relevant information to get as many people as possible to click “Follow”.

Twitter tools like TwitPic, TwitVid, TwtPoll and others allow you to tweet non-textual  content as well. Depending on your type of business, they can be awesome for maintaining an interesting feed.

10. Be Patient:

Twitter has its own dynamics. It takes time to develop a faithful and growing following, but if you’re persistent it will pay off. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but don’t fail to learn from them!