This is a basic Twitter guide for ad agencies and news reporters. However, it provides a great introduction to Twitter and its capabilities. We've also provided some tips and links that will help you on your way!

1. An Ad Agency’s Guide to Twitter<br />FaceTime Strategy LLC<br />Amrita Khalid<br />Matt Petrowski<br />Advertising agencies are using Twitter to strengthen their name, connect with potential clients, and broadcast their capabilities as an organization. <br />When it comes to Twitter, you should think of it as your own personal micro blog; an opportunity to attract people with a link, video, or interesting fact or opinion in just 140 characters.<br />There are no hidden secrets when it comes to Twitter success. What usually separates Twitter failure from success? Regular updates of thoughts, opinions, observations, articles, links, and videos. Remember, each update is a chance to both attract new followers and encourage your current followers to spread the word about you. <br />We’ve put together a brief document outlining some Twitter basics:<br />BIO<br />Be sure to have a concise and attention-grabbing bio. This appears directly below the name of your organization when people search for it on Twitter. Your bio should summarize two or three things about your organization. For individual Twitter accounts, this usually relates to where you work, your position, and where your company is located. <br />Examples of Agency Bios: <br />Examples of Employee Bios: <br />ARTICLES<br />Continually tweeting articles and videos is an excellent way to increase your followers. Keep your Twitter account updated with the latest news and events that are happening at your company. Before you post a link, be sure to run the link through a link shortening site like bit.ly.<br />http://bit.ly/ <br />Using a link shortening program ensures that links posted to your account won’t consume most of the 140 Twitter character maximum. Also, post a short description of what the link contains (interview, video etc.) after posting the link, and you’re set!<br />HASHTAGS<br />In the George Stephanopoulos tweet below you’ll notice that “#Japan” appears with a ‘#’ symbol. This is called a hashtag and it lets Twitter know that words following it are to be considered a topic. This is important because people use hashtags to publicize their own tweets to the Twitter community. These tweets are often duplicated by others who are referring to or responding to the original tweet topic. Hashtags make it simple for potential readers to find your tweet if it involves a topic they are interested in. For example, let’s say George Stephanopoulos wanted to find out what people were saying about the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. He would type “#Japan” into the Twitter search box and would be shown thousands of other tweets from around the world relating to that very topic.<br />Promoting Others Through Re-tweeting: <br />Twitter is a fantastic way to let others know about the work of your colleagues. This is accomplished by re-tweeting and shout-outs. <br />HOW TO SHOUT-OUT<br />Type “@”. A scrolling list of everyone you follow will come up. You can then write out the name of a colleague or company whose work you would like to highlight. <br />Shout-outs tend to have a positive effect on both parties in regards to followers. In the above example, Ogilvy followers can see the tweet and, if they're interested, can follow @dandad and @Campaign India. <br />WARNING: Twitter is public and widely accessible. Keep in mind that everything you shout-out, tweet, or re-tweet is not only visible on your Twitter profile. People searching for topics on Google will also be able to read your Tweets; even if they’re not following you. <br />Another great use of shout-outs is to thank others.<br />Not only does this promote others, it also introduces you to their followers. <br />HOW TO RETWEET<br />Place your mouse over a tweet you’d like to share with others and click Retweet.<br />This tweet will now be duplicated on your account. Think of it as another great way of promoting someone else.<br />FOLLOWING OTHERS<br />The easiest way to increase the number of people following you is by increasing the number of people that you follow. Follow work colleagues, friends, politicians, public figures, people you like, etc. Most likely, these people will follow you back. As a courtesy, be sure to follow the people who follow you as much as possible. Remember, if you don’t like someone’s messages or disagree with their ideas, you’re not obliged to follow them back.<br />TOPICS FOR TWEETING<br />Hot-button issues are always great to tweet about, especially if you’ve recently finished an interview or reported about a particular story. Need some ideas? You can look for suggestions on popular discussion topics by checking out your Trends list which is located on the right side of your Twitter page. <br />OTHER GREAT TWITTER USES<br />Tweet to let people know about a media appearance or a live event: <br />Tweet fun or interesting facts: <br />Tweet questions as a form of market research or to get to know your followers better: <br />Tweet your plans for the day:<br />HELPFUL TWITTER RESOURCES<br />Twitvid.com: Easily post videos or photos on Twitter & Facebook. <br />http://bit.ly/: A handy link-shortener for Twitter. <br />Tweetbip.com: Sends text or e-mail when you/your brand is mentioned on Twitter<br />CoTweet.com: Gives company a master profile with individual employee profiles<br />