Twitter users are quick to get caught up in the follow numbers. For the most part, followers are a good thing. Without followers, there’s nobody to talk to. Without followers, your message get’s lost.

The problem is, Twitter gets noisy very quick and the easiest way to manage the noise is to cut out those that fail to provide something of value. Users create lists, use programs such as TweetDeck or even stop following all together as a way to manage the noise and increase Twitter productivity.

The secret to success on Twitter is to be one of those people who is regularly listed, who is still there when the follows are dropped, who’s Twitter stream is deemed important enough to survive when the others have been tossed off the island.

Here’s five tips that can turn your Twitter stream into a Twitter survivor:

1) Tweet topically

This is by far the most important thing you can do. Turn your Twitter stream into a resource and create a place people go to for information. You can do this by providing “topical tweets.” In other words, consistently tweet on a specific topic.  If you’re a Realtor, provide real estate information. If you blog about the environment, provide informative environmental Tweets. Consistently provide information of value and people will listen.

2) Sharing is good

The majority of your Tweets should share information relative to your tweet topic. (blog posts, informative articles, etc.). If you read trade publications or daily blogs, send links of interest to your readers. If possible, credit the author or publisher by including the twitter id. This can lead to positive relationships with others in your “topic” and add targeted followers.

The same holds true for Retweets. Retweets are an easy way to share information of interest to your followers and are a nice way to recognize the original sender.

3) Talk to others

The best way to stand out above the noise is to make personal contact. Look for opportunities to join discussions relevant to your Twitter topic. If someone shares a valuable article, reach out and thank them. If you read a blog post you like, Tweet the author and let them know.

Hashtag (#) discussions relevant to your topic can be a great way to add followers that listen. Twitter discussions often have huge followings, many of whom are just reading along. Adding thoughtfully to the discussion can quickly add quality followers. This also works well with live events. Live Tweeting from an industry function can provide valuable information for those who can’t attend the event.

4) Follow topically

Follow people who tweet about your topic or people who might be interested in your topic. Programs such as  Tweetdeck or Twitterfall allow you to search the stream by keyword which can help you find other Tweeters of interest. Directories such as Twibes make it easy to find and follow Tweeters by topic and keyword.

Be sure you give people a reason to follow back. Make sure your Twitter page tells potential followers something about yourself and your “topic.” Look at the tweetstream of those you follow and respond to tweets of mutual interest.

Whatever you do, don’t introduce yourself by sending them a link. Make it personal and they are much more likely to follow back.

5) Localize your Tweets

Look for opportunities to move your Twitter discussions beyond the Twitter stream. This could be as simple as meeting a fellow Tweeter for coffee or talking by email/phone. When traveling, take advantage of opportunities to meet a fellow Twitter “friends” who you may not normally have the opportunity to meet in person. You’ve already formed a common bond through your online discussions.

Networking in person can lead to much larger, mutually beneficial relationships.

It takes time

As with all social media, nothing happens over night. Set a plan, tweet with a purpose and provide value to your followers and you’ll rise above the noise and create a powerful Twitter following.

How have you built a quality Twitter following?

Do you have a tip to share? Please take a moment and add it in the comments below.

It happens to everyone about this time of year. All those shiny new New Year’s resolutions don’t look so pretty any more. Those 5:30 am spinning classes just arent’ as much fun as they were back in January and the diet…well, let’s just say that I’m still eating ice cream at night.

The key to keeping any resolution is to get over the February hump. By March, what once felt new and different in January is becoming a lifestyle change and the further and further you go, the harder it is to get back to your old routine.

With that in mind, what better way to get over the February hump then to do a quick check to both monitor progress and make needed adjustments. If your resolution involved blogging, now that you’re a month in, it’s a good time to step back and give the blog the old fitness checkup.

Here’s 10 things to do to check to be sure your blog is on the right track:

1. Forget the traffic numbers
In the beginning, we all get addicted to the traffic. Most new bloggers check in over and over throughout the day. At this point, don’t worry about it. Instead, be sure that you’re doing everything now to build the foundation that will help your blog continue to grow.

2. What has worked so far?
Here’s the one place where traffic numbers can help. Go back and see which post is getting the most action. What is it about that post that is bringing in the traffic. Determine what people like about the post and use that information to guide you in future posts.

3. Is the Blog User Friendly?
How easy is it to navigate your blog. Is it open to comments? What gets in the way of reading and commenting on the blog. You want to make your blog as open and as easy to use as possible. Anything that turns a reader away may turn them away for good.

4. Is your RSS feed working and is it easy to find
With the recent change from Feedburner to Google, it’s probably a good idea to check in to see that everything is working and links are active. Also be sure that your RSS feed is clearly marked with an RSS icon. You want to make it easy for repeat readers to keep in touch.

5. Do you share well with others?
Is it easy for users bookmark your posts or share them on Digg, Facebook or other social networking sites? If you’re using Wordpress, be sure that your Socialble or Share This plugin is working and offers the most commonly used services. Those little icons on the bottom of the post are one of the most powerful tools you can include on your blog

6. Are your URLs search  engine friendly?
Your blog headline is one of the first things a search engine will read. If you’re using Wordpress, the default URL setting uses numbers which is about worthless when it comes to SEO.

Also be sure to use search-engine friendly headlines. With Wordpress, you can easily change the URL and fill it with key terms. Keep it simple and to the point but be sure the terms are there. For example, notice the headline on this post and the address in the web browser.

7. Is your blog roll healthy and up to date?
When I’m not blogging about social media, I also blog about the Ohio State Buckeyes. My Ohio State blog is very well indexed on Google and other search engines. One reason may be the number of incoming links and the strength of the blogroll. By working with other Big Ten bloggers, I’ve been able to build a very strong blog roll and have received a number of very strong links.

I don’t know if this is what has pushed The Buckeye Blog to the top of the Google results but I bet it has something to do with it.

This is the number one mistake I am making on this blog and is the first thing on my list (when I get time). When you add a blog to your blogroll, the blogger will see it and will often return the favor. It also never hurts to send a nice letter asking for a link exchange – especially in the early days of a blog.

8. Are you using appropriate categories?
Search engines like categories. Be sure to use key word appropriate categories and categorize your posts. It also makes it easier for readers to find related information on your blog.

9. What’s on your “About Me” page?
Your About Me page doesn’t need to say much. However, people read a post and they often want to know more about the voice behind it. Sometimes, they just want to verify that the information comes from a knowledgeable source.

Be sure to also include a way for readers to contact you. If you’re worried about spam, use a contact form (there are a number of good plugins available).

10. Is your blog integrated with your other social networking activities?
If your using other social networking sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter, let the world know. Include easy to find links where readers can connect. Blog readers like to engage and talk to others. Make it easy for them.

Seeing how SocialMarketing20.com is a fairly new blog, I’m sure that you can spot a few areas I need to target. If you’re like me, it looks like I’ve got the start of a pretty good “to do” list. I’ve you’ve got any other tips or ideas, please share them in the comments below.

Jim Lodico is a freelance copywriter and social media consultant. Contact Jim to find out how he can give your business a boost at jalodico@bizwritings.com

There’s no doubt about it. After two failed marriages, having five daughters ranging in age from nine to 23, and sometime fond memories of my mother, who would unfailingly drive me round the bend… I can safely say men and women are different.

And regardless of how politically incorrect it is to make comments like that in these stifled times, it’s a fact. So deal with it – because it’s always going to serve us well to deal with the world as it is, not how we think it is, want it to be, or think it ought to be.

“Men And Women Have Very Different Ways Of Looking At The World.”

And given the different biological roles evolution has given us, it’s really what we’d expect.

It’s a common complaint women make about men that we retreat into our “cave” when we’re facing some kind of problem or adversity, and we men in our turn complain women just want to talk about stuff when we’re trying to fix things.

What’s really happening is we’re disconnected from our emotions. We still have them, but we’re not feeling them because in times gone by, they just got in the way and male hominids that were able to act dispassionately and even ruthlessly tended to live longer.

Anyway, one consequence of all this is women are better communicators. It’s more important to them and they’re better at it. Moreover, this spills over into the way we want the world to be.

Women tend to be much more touchy-feely and into cultivating a sense of community and belonging. They tend to be more interested in win-win and have a better sense of fairness.

And what this all adds up to is…

“Women Are Better At Social Media Marketing Than Men”

Because that’s what it’s all about: a chinwag. Connecting. Sharing. Community.

Most men aren’t that interested. It mostly doesn’t turn us on at all. We do it because it’s useful, and we tend to like utility, but we don’t tend to do it very well.

Did you read how Matt Bacak has been castigated recently for how he’s handling his social media marketing? I see the points of his detractors, but I also think they’re being a little unfair: Bacak is being a typical guy.

He’s viewing social media marketing in terms of form, function and utility and not in terms of relationship.

It’s a bit of a faux-pas, to be sure, but it doesn’t make him a bad person.

Now, don’t take any of this to mean women are intrinsically “better” than men or the reverse.

We’re better at the things we’ve evolved to be better at. If I want someone to understand how I’m feeling, I’ll pick a woman; if I want someone to come with me to take on a bunch of hooligans, I’ll pick a man.

Note also, we’re all on a continuum. For a man, I’m a very good communicator; Sarah, my wife, has a fairly male brain and is better at reading a map than any woman I ever met. But I can read the same map any way up and mentally turn it round; Sarah has to have it the right way up. And so on.

Most men behave in much the same way in most situations most of the time. And so do most women. As with all marketing, it’s a game of statistics.

“Tips For Men Using Social Media Marketing”

First, remember this is social media marketing. It’s probably going to make you cringe to do a lot of this touchy-feely stuff, but if you want the results, then that’s what you’ve got to do.

If you don’t, you’re going to find yourself with a large female following (because women do like strong, confident men who communicate) but finding it’s men who are actually buying from you. I have loads of female “fans” but only one lady client. I don’t mind too much, because I love women .

Secondly, bear in mind how women like to buy: they rarely respond to a pitch. That’s why many marketers don’t do too well on teleseminars aimed at selling products to women. The women love the teleseminar because of its sense of community and communication… but then they like to go away and buy just like they do in the shops (drives me MAD!).

Thirdly, watch your language. Women tend not to be impressed by talk of wiping the floor with the competition, becoming insanely wealthy just for the hell of it, or driving fast, powerful cars. They’re looking for Utopia.

“Tips For Women Using Social Media Marketing”

Surprised they need tips? They’re supposed to be good at this, right?

Well, it depends whom they’re selling to. If they want to sell to men, they have to talk to men in a way men understand and respond to.

So, don’t write too much about how your products and services are going to improve their relationships, not even with their families. We do care but in my experience, it’s not something we get really excited about.

Don’t be afraid to talk about things which really make you tighten up inside: competition, prestige, status… all those guy things you and your girlfriends shake your heads over.

And finally, remember why you’re doing this. If you’re not careful you’ll gossip your way through the day and not actually ask for the sale. The expression “social media marketing” has the word “marketing” in it for a reason.

“Don’t Think This Is Confined To Social Media Marketing!”

I recently consulted on a project where the target market was women, and the list feeding the project was also mostly women.

And it was bombing.

Why?

Because the sales materials were being written by men and that meant they were being written for men. After I suggested they change the copy to talk about community and belonging and cooperation rather than destroying the competition and eating their children (you know the kind of copy I mean), the change was startling.

It’s happened a couple of times recently.

Another client I was consulting with said, he has tried marketing to women after taking advice from a big-name marketer whose name you WILL recognize, but neither could get it to work.

And I am not in the least surprised, because they simply take their normal marketing message, color it pink and put a “for women” badge on it.

It doesn’t work – and the women it does attract are the more male-brained ones (so when you ask them what’s wrong with your approach they tell you “nothing”, because it does indeed appeal to them).

Because it’s so important and a big unexplored area with most of my clients, Sarah has studied it in depth and knows it even better than I do. It’s a fascinating subject and well worth reading up on.

Ex-bouncer and jiu-jitsu instructor, and recovered computer programmer, Jon McCulloch is a leading independent direct marketing consultant and copywriter, author, public speaker, and entrepreneur.

He’s been featured in the Irish Times, writes a monthly column for the West Cork People, and helps business owners grow their businesses by 50% to 250% within just 12 months with a combination of powerful and ultra-effective marketing and business systems.

Visit John at http://www.small-business-marketing-tips.com.