In life, there are people who know you, people who know of you and people who know nothing about you!

It is important to rally the people you know, and then see if they will help you with the people who might be interested in what you have to offer, whether that is music, thoughts, creativity, product, services, etc.

As for the people who know nothing about you, how will they find you, or better yet what can you to do to find them?This is why I talk about Twitter a lot—it is the easiest platform to help you grow your Social Media Network based on interests, location and industry. Facebook, LinkedIn, your Blog are limited to people you already know or the people you bring to them. As you can imagine and have most likely experienced, it is difficult to grow outside of people you already know. Twitter is a great tool to increase traffic to your Blog, Website, Facebook Fan Page, Myspace or even LinkedIn. I have clients who report increases of website traffic up to 5000% through Twitter efforts.

Currently I have over 56,000 followers on Twitter. I still try different stuff on my account all the time and experiment to see what works. RSS feeds, quotes, great articles, Re-Tweets, strategically following people who follow people I think I have things in common with to increase the potential for them following me back, as well as helpful Twitter Applications.

During this process I am developing my own Socialality…Socialality is different for everyone and just like your ‘Personality,’ your Socialality should reflect your brands unique attributes including behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental that give you character. If you focus on your message and target people you share common ground, you WILL get results with Social Media!

Here are some of the ways you can get the most out of Twitter:
1.) First define your goals so you can manage your own Social Media expectations!
2.) Use a great photo that is engaging and shows your personality, this will be your benchmark for success.
3.) Only use your logo if you have a personal AND a company profile.
4.) List a website, blog, MySpace or url link (test that it works) to a place where followers can get more information about you.
5.) Make sure that “Protect My Updates” is NOT checked!
6.) You need a great bio that includes keywords that are strategic to the market you are trying to grow you/your brand too.
7.) Re-Tweet/Re-Post and Re-Tweet again, this is a great way to validate others. It shows that you are listening and care about what they are saying! Also be sincere…Re-Tweet things you care about.
8.) Use the Twitter Search tool (http://search.twitter.com) to find subjects, keywords, trending topics that are important to you and follow the people who are talking about them.
9.) Use anything but the default Twitter Avatar and Background. Nothing says, ‘I don’t care’ MORE than the default Twitter Bird Avatar or default Blue Cloud Background.
10.) Promote Twitter on your other Social Media Networks and vice versa. This is also GREAT for SEO-Search Engine Optimization.)
11.) Consistently talk about your Social Media Participation when you are out in public.
12.) Download a Twitter Application into your phone making it as easy as texting.
13.) You really DO NOT need an automatic Direct Message. It can come off as insincere and most people are put off by them.
14.) Thank EVERYONE who Re-tweets you and reply back to EVERYONE who @replies to you.
15.) No one cares what you had for breakfast or the last time you made a bowel movement! There is such a thing as TMI!
16.) Try to make Social Media useful for your Followers by providing information and tips that benefit THEM!.
17.) Twitter is GLOBAL and PUBLIC. Everyone who follows you can see what you are saying. That means if you are Twittering you will want to make sure you use the same public relations rules you use for yourself or your company.
18.) Use Twitter to have discussions with your followers. You can ask them for feedback and see what they want!
19.) Download Tweetdeck, Seismic or Twitterific for a better understanding of how to use Twitter to its full potential.
20.) Try to spend at least a half an hour a day on Twitter.
21.) Try to spend only a half an hour a day on Twitter!

Jessica is the Social Media Editor for Full Throttle Country-Country Radio’s newest full-service and free interactive idea sharing and new media on-line service. She has over 19 years experience including Radio, Television, Internet and Print Sales as well as an On-Air Radio personality. She specializes in big ideas and is known for the ability to create complete marketing campaigns and bridge marketing partnerships. Her company Finger Candy Media provides social and new media optimization planning for businesses, brands and individuals.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SET UP A CONSULTATION YOU CAN CONTACT FINGER CANDY MEDIA at jessicanorthey at gmail dot com

Even if you are starting from scratch or have already created Twitter, Facebook, a Blog or any Social Media Platform accounts, we can work with you to design a comprehensive system with synergy and content that provides an interactive experience for your audience. There is not a “One-Size-Fits-All” answer and prices vary per individual project!