Fast follow is Twitter’s new free SMS update service. Users without Twitter accounts are now able to follow your company, brand or person with a simple Twitter text message sent to 40404.

This is a huge game changer

Twitter just released this new feature for texting that will literally change the game for your business. It’s called Fast Follow and it’s a way for non Twitter users (like teenagers for example) to get SMS text updates directly to their phone each time you make a Tweet.

Followers don’t need a Twitter account and all they need to do is text ‘follow your-username’ to 40404. They instantly start getting texts from your company Twitter account.

Many people don’t want to sign up for a Twitter accounts. Many young people don’t like Twitter and prefer Facebook instead. BUT – text messaging is popular among all ages and personality types. By giving people the option to subscribe to a Twitter feed via text message – you’ve increased your potential audience by tenfold.

How to follow using SMS text messaging

For example, let’s say you want to get Tweets from Folk Media (@FolkMedia). Just  text ‘follow FolkMedia’ to 40404 in the US. (Twitter has said they are trying to add more countries as they go).

Today’s Action Steps

First, you need to let every business owner you know about this post. This is something that can really impact their business. Please leave a comment below and then share this with your networks.

Second, try it yourself. Start putting messaging out on all your marketing channels that say:

Get instant alerts and updates from us via text
Text ‘follow your-username’ to 40404

Now go take action.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by San Diego Shooter

If you want an easy way to discover people using Twitter in your city, try Twellowhood. I’ve already talked about how Twellow can be used to search Twitter user profiles. In this video I’ll show you how the “Twellowhood” can be used to find people in your area.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

Unlike Twitter Search, which searches content, Twellow searches user profiles. As a small business you can get a better sense of who to follow by seeing a profile than you can by reading their content (tweets).

For example, a real estate agent may be talking about soccer on a Saturday afternoon. During a typical Twitter search he won’t come up in your “real estate” search terms. But if he has “real estate agent” on his Twitter bio, then he will show up in the Twellow search results.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

Twitter has given birth to some pretty strange sounding names. Twibes, Twellow and now Twiangulate. This application allows you to see commonalities between three Twitter users. In this video I show you how it works.

For example, you can discover the common followers of your three biggest competitors on Twitter and then build relationships with them. I can see various uses for this tool. What suggestions or uses do you have? Leave feedback in the comments below.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

To harness the true power of Twitter you need to understand and use Twitter search. In this video I’ll show you how.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

You’re invited to join us for a free special training teleseminar to learn step-by-step how to grow your business using Twitter.

[The live teleseminar is over - register below to download the slides and audio]

Here’s just some of the keys you’ll learn by attending this event:

• Why Twitter is sweeping the internet by storm what it can be used for.
• Even if  you NEVER send one Twitter post (called a Tweet) or set up an account – you can still massively benefit from using Twitter. We’ll show you how.

• 3 big mistakes you are probably going to make and how to correct course BEFORE you blow your chances with potential prospects.
• One simple strategy that will increase the quality of the prospects that find you through Twitter. (This strategy is so simple you will probably smack yourself on the head for not using it already).
• We will give you specific action steps to take right after the call.

• Plus: answers to all your specific questions. (Feel free to ask some questions below).

My name is Joel Mark Witt and I’m the publisher of Folk Media. Folk Media is on pace to help over 500 small businesses create, use and profit from a  social media marketing in 2010.

On this call, you’ll be learning the same step-by-step Twitter strategies we share with our private clients and that we’ve used to grow our own businesses.

When you join us on the call have a notebook ready and prepare to take detailed step-by-step instructions of exactly how to use Twitter to grow your business.

You see, while so called “social media gurus” tell you to “get out there – listen – and join the conversations” – they don’t share a overall strategy with you to make that a reality. You get this vague idea about using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs – but nothing concrete on HOW to do it.

It’s nice rhetoric – but you need a solid step-by-step plan. The strategies and techniques we teach our clients, used strategically, can create surges of sales leads, attract new clients and ultimately create a steady stream of potential customers for your business.

What we’re going to focus on is a step-by-step Twitter strategy that you can implement right after the call.

We’ll talk about the power of Twitter, how to use Twitter for maximum impact without draining all your time, and literally HAND you a action steps for fast “guerrilla-style” Twitter marketing. You’ll be able to start doing this right away!

It is critical that you register for this teleseminar now since we have limited space.

After you register, leave your most important questions about Twitter marketing in the comments section below. We’ll answer as many as we can live on the call.

*Photo by m.k.

Tweet This Seinfeld

If Seinfeld were on the air today they would most likely write an episode in which the characters would bet each other on how long they can go without tweeting. Of course this would lead to hilarious dialogue and scenarios.

How long can you go without using Twitter? Are you an addict?

The five classes of Twitterland

As far as I can tell – Tweeters fall into one of five classes…

1) “I tweet therefore I am”

The issue: These folks identify so closely with their Twitter identity that they write only their @name on their name tags at conferences.

Key danger: You actually believe someone doesn’t exist if they don’t have a Twitter account.

2) “I am a compulsive tweeter”

The issue: These are the folks who just can’t stop Tweeting. Don’t have wifi or cell service on that long airline flight? Oh no – how are you going to tweet what you had to drink with your meal? Write 140 characters on the back of an airline napkin and then type it into Twitter when you land of course.

Key danger: Like any addiction – you tell yourself you don’t have a problem and this thing is manageable.

3) “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing on here. Someone said I should be using this so here I am.”

The issue: These people don’t know what they are doing and so begin to post without really understanding the toolset. They begin to post random complaints or thoughts that they think sound candid – but in reality – they sound very contrived.

Key danger: You look like a dork who doesn’t have a clue.

4) “I will post links to all my amazing and awesome offers and business opportunities and you will love them so much that you will visit my site and make me millions. Hehehehe.”

The issue: No one cares about you or your millionaire maker website. At least not until you engage us as humans and not masses of people who can make you rich.

Key danger: You give yourself false hope. You are building a reputation as “that guy.” What a sorry sap you are.

5) I am very manipulative with my tweeting by name dropping and hoping to be apart of the “in” crowd at conferences and events.

The issue: You are in need of friends and an ego boost. Instead of just developing relationships with people you come in contact with – you go after the big fish and expect them to reply to your @ messages every time. When they don’t – you are enraged.

Key danger: You are setting yourself up for disappointment.

My Advice For Serious Twitter Users

Be yourself. Be helpful. Be encouraging. Be interesting. A lot more can be gained by focusing on other people and their hopes, dreams, successes, and failures. It is rewarding and fun to help others succeed.

What are your thoughts on Twitter? Do you agree disagree?

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

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Why Hashtags Are Useful

My camp story

Every summer as a child I would attend camp. I was usually placed in a cabin with about eight other boys. We were all the same age and about the same size. Because of the carefree manner of young boys we had a difficult time returning home with all our stuff. Some stuff would get lost and some would end up in another boy’s suitcase.

One summer, a boy showed up with small name tags sewn into his clothes by his mother. They were designed to help him return home with all the clothing he took to camp. We teased him all week about it. But on the last day of camp when we couldn’t find all our garments – he had most of his. It worked. His mother was able to save on loss because of tagging.

Much like that boy – people use tags on Twitter. They use them to identify Twitter posts so they don’t get “lost” in the shuffle. It allows for these posts to be easily searched for and categorized. It allows people to easily follow a topic, discussion, or event by searching for the tag. Basically, it is a way to index content.

What Can You Do With Hashtags

Using hashtags you can:

• Label your Twitter posts to make them easy to index and search
• Create a set of posts centered around a topic or event

Hashtags are non-hierarchical. The challenge is to find and use a tag that hasn’t already been used. To give some order to the process the website www.hashtags.org was created.

How To Make A New Hashtag

Start using a # symbol in front of a word or group of letters

Use hashtags in your tweets, preceding key words. For example #superbowl would be the hash symbol and the keyword “superbowl.” It can be helpful to do a little research first, to find out if the subject you’re tweeting already has an established hashtag.

Track your hashtag and others that you are interested in

Track other tweets on the subjects you’re interested in (ie: those containing the appropriate hashtags) by browsing/searching at www.hashtags.org.

Now go take action.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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Get the book “21 Days To Twitter Leadership” The Step-By-Step Guide On How To Twitter, Get Twitter Followers And Position Yourself As The Leader In Your Industry In Less Than 10 Minutes Per Day.

* Photo By jeffisageek

Why We Recommend Hootsuite

Hootsuite is web based

We are firm believers in keeping your content and applications on the web. This allows you to access your information and tools from anywhere in the world. Hootsuite is completely web based and can be accessed from any computer connected to the internet.

Great metrics

If you can’t measure it – it doesn’t exist. Metrics are great to show the boss, clients, colleagues and employees. Hootsuite generates useful metrics. Need we say more?

Free service

As of this writing Hootsuite is free. Get in now and you’ll probably be grandfathered in if they ever do go to a pay model. They also released an iPhone app for $1.99 to give all the Hootsuite  features while on the go.

What Does Hootsuite Do

Allows you to schedule tweets in the future

We talked about planning your Twitter posts in advance yesterday and then scheduling them out over time automatically. Hootsuite allows you to do just that. You can sit down for an hour or two and schedule out a year of tweets if you want. We recommend you schedule out about 60 percent of your twitter posts.

Track your click-throughs

The powerful tools that Hootsuite gives you to measure link clicks is very powerful. All the metrics are provided with graphs and charts along with itemized lists of popular links that followers have clicked.

Allows multiple authors

The ability to have unique login credentials for multiple users makes Hootsuite a powerful application for business. Multiple authors allow the workload to be shared – as well as preventing any one person from feeling like they “own” the organization’s Twitter account.

Allows posts to Facebook and LinkedIn

Not only can Hootsuite update your Twitter feed, but now it can update the status of your Facebook page and LinkedIn profile.

How To Set Up Hootsuite

Sign up for an account

Go to www.Hootsuite.com and register for a new account.

Add your Twitter profile

You can actually add more than one Twitter profile. Hootsuite will store your Twitter username and password for the future. You are then able to choose which account you want to tweet from on the dashboard. You can even post the same message to all your accounts at the same time.

Begin posting

Begin posting to your account from the Hootsuite dashboard. Notice that there is a small link “send later” that allows you to schedule your tweets in the future.

It’s fairly simple and straightforward to set up an account and begin using the service.  If you have specific questions about this or anything else related to social media – head over to our Facebook page and ask your questions.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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Get the book “21 Days To Twitter Leadership” The Step-By-Step Guide On How To Twitter, Get Twitter Followers And Position Yourself As The Leader In Your Industry In Less Than 10 Minutes Per Day.

*Photo By .imelda

I would recommend that you start using the following five tools to augment your Twitter communications online.

Hootsuite

This is my “bread and butter” application. As of this writing I manage dozens of of various Twitter accounts for myself and clients. Hootsuite allows me to manage all these accounts from one dashboard. Plus I am able to create unique logins for my staff or clients.

One of the best features of Hootsuite is the ability to schedule tweets. You can spend some time writing Tweets in advance and then have them auto post at a later time.

Hootsuite also has the ability to track URL clicks. You can monitor the popularity of your Twitter posts with this feature.

Echofon

If your business is serious about using Twitter and social media you’ll need to begin using a mobile device. If you are using an iPhone – I would recommend the free application Echofon. There are a bunch of iPhone apps for Twitter – but I like Echofon.

I use Echofon on on my iPhone to Twitter while away from my computer. I find that the best time to check my Twitter feed and respond to posts is during “downtime.” Standing in line at the bank, sitting in the doctors waiting room, or passing time during a boring meeting are some of the best times to Twitter. These are wasted moments that would pass by without any productive activity. Mobile devices have turned wasted time into productive time.

Tweetbeep

I use Tweetbeep for alerts. The alert feature is great for busy professionals who want to be part of the Twitter discussion without having to actually be on Twitter 24 hours a day.

You can set up hourly alerts that will email you a summary of all the people who have responded to your Twitter posts. Then when you get an alert you can log into Twitter and engage them in conversation.

Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck is a desktop Twitter client that I use to keep informed of particular keywords and terms used on Twitter.

I use Tweetdeck to monitor predesignated search queries in Twitter. For example if you are a florist and you want to see all the recent Twitter posts mentioning flowers. You can set up a predetermined search in Tweetdeck to monitor the term “flowers.” Let’s say you read a post that says something like:

“My anniversary is tomorrow. I wish I could find a place to overnight flowers this late”

This tweet would show up in your search tab and you could respond immediately offering your special overnight rose delivery package.

Twittergadget for Gmail

TwitterGadget is the newest tool I’ve been using. Gmail allows third party gadgets to run inside their email client. I’ve found this useful for quick tweeting during the day. Since I live inside my inbox – this simple tool makes updating to Twitter effortless. It’s a one stop shop.

Of course – at the time of this writing – TwitterGadget only allows one Twitter account. So I only use this for my personal @joelmarkwitt Twitter and Hootsuite for clients and business.

These are the tools that have been working for me, our company, and our clients. Of course tools mean nothing unless you have a Twitter business plan to make use of them.

Are there tools that you would add to this list? Please feel free to comment below.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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Get the book “21 Days To Twitter Leadership” The Step-By-Step Guide On How To Twitter, Get Twitter Followers And Position Yourself As The Leader In Your Industry In Less Than 10 Minutes Per Day.