Tag Archives: twitter

Feeding the social media monster

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Amy Loeffler

You’ve taken the first step and established a Twitter feed with a catchy handle that speaks to your organization’s mission, a Facebook account that easily expresses your branding, and a slew of other accounts that your audience can access for information. Great!

Now, what most people new to the social media landscape quickly figure out, is that these accounts require constant maintenance and feeding, and that something you had originally blocked out a half an hour for on your Outlook calendar is creeping into most of your morning routine, and your social media monster’s appetite is getting bigger every day.

Tame the monster hunger pangs by employing these simple things: Continue reading →

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Want to reach more people? Figure out what content works best on your accounts

Posted on February 11, 2015 by

Social media accounts are not all the same. Twitter is vastly different than Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. No account is ever the same, and their purposes and audiences are all different, as well.

Some content lends itself better to certain networks, but as long as you’re paying attention to what does well on each account, you’ll be able to reach your audience more effectively.

Can you share your same blog post or article on multiple networks? Yes, definitely! Just make sure your social media messages fit with each account and audience.

  • Twitter is a great place to share useful tips, tricks, and visual content. Because text is limited to 140 characters, you’re forced to get to the point. It’s also a great place to engage people in conversation and answer questions.
  • Facebook has turned into more of an entertainment sharing network, where the most popular posts are the ones that are easily shared between friends and family. If people aren’t liking or sharing your post, there’s a good chance that most of your fans or friends won’t see it at all. Adding images and videos to your posts almost always ensures a wider reach.
  • LinkedIn is a great place to share business and industry news, as well as job openings. Things like how-to posts, case studies, and other content that helps your audience grow professionally should do well on this network.
  • Google+ is a space that easily combines personal and professional content. Since you can set up different circles of people, it offers you multiple spaces to share content between either friends and family or professional contacts.
  • Pinterest is all about the images. The best way to use Pinterest is to share great visual content. This can be info-images, infographics, comics, custom photography, and memes.

For more inspiration, check out Virginia Cooperative Extension’s social media directory.

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How to post a great photo on Twitter

Posted on September 24, 2014 by

Ever notice that some images show up big and bright on Twitter, directly in your feed, while others are simply listed as text and links for you to click on?

monkey screen shot from twitter

Those that use the actual Twitter.com interface are often displayed a bit better than those that use a third party app. In this case, there’s a very noticeable difference between uploading a photo from your smartphone and actually using the interface itself.

If you’d like your photo to show up directly in the feed, you simply need to post from Twitter.com on your computer – not your phone.

To post your photo and message on Twitter, first click the new tweet button on the top right:

twitter screen shotThis will bring up a window where you can type your message and attach a photo or location.

compose a tweet screen shotClick on Add Photo and find the image on your computer. Choose open.

choose a photo screen shot

This will now show the photo in your new tweet. You can now compose the message and send it out!

twitter photo screen shot

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It’s alive! Socialize-ing communications in real time

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Amy Loeffler
Dilou Prospere

Photo from SANREM CRSP Facebook page: Assistant In-country Coordinator Dilou Prospere outside the Caritas offices in Hinche before presenting the conservation agriculture workshop at Maissade.

As communications professionals, the use of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter not only provide us additional tools to tell the stories about the impact of Virginia Tech-led research, but they also give us the capability to tell those stories with an immediacy that is heretofore unprecedented.

Why is this important? Immediacy is significant because social media channels often allow impromptu, up-to-the-minute, and candid opportunities that show our collaborators and faculty in ways that are translatable to the general public in a manner that might not be appropriate in a more formal press release.

Especially for research initiatives funded in far-flung parts of the world, the immediacy of reporting on-location in real time using social media is an excellent way to connect with audience members in the Virginia Tech community and across globe. Continue reading →

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Twitter cheat sheet infographic

Posted on May 21, 2014 by

Are you on twitter? Are you wondering what to tweet or what time and day is best to tweet to get the best possible reach on the information you’re sending out?

Here’s a great Twitter marketing cheat sheet infographic from James T. Noble to hone your tweets for maximum marketing impact.

twitter cheat sheet

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