How and why to set up a Twitter Account for your yarn shop or yarn company

30 Oct How and why to set up a Twitter Account for your yarn shop or yarn company

 The New York Times calls Twitter “one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet.” TIME Magazine says, “Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app,” and Newsweek noted that “Suddenly, it seems as though all the world’s a-twitter.”

I know, I know….  Many of you are thinking, “oh great, one more thing I don’t have time for in my yarn shop”  It’s important to know, however, that these social media utilities can really help your business and with just a few minutes of learning curve and a little test-driving– you can do it!

Let me also stress WHY it’s so important that you scoop up your Twitter name– even if you never post anything! First, there is the matter of identity protection. You really want to be sure you reserve your name on Twitter (and other social media sites for that matter) so that nobody else takes your name… Do you know how many Yarn Barns and Knit Shacks there are out there? Good names go quickly and you need to  protect yours.

I have three accounts on Twitter– one for the name I just started using years ago and want to keep consistent in the knitting forum world which is “knittydiva”. I use that one on all the sites when I’m talking about my personal knitting. I use “thewoolwideweb” when I’m talking business and I also reserved LeannePressly.

Why? Here are a few reasons…

• Because it’s free and easy and why take the risk? Your name IS your brand once your company gets large enough.
• It helps the Twitter search engines find me in a search. If you’re looking for me and don’t know my other names, you can find me using my real name in the search field
• It protects your yarn shop name or your yarn company from impostors.

I’d recommend that you reserve your company names in all the big social media sites including Digg, YouTube, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, and be sure to hit all the user forums in the yarn world too, Ravelry, Knitting Daily, Knitters Review and Knitty are the biggies right now. 

So, how do I do it? Let me hold your  hand and show you how easy it is….Here are a few screen shots to guide you. First, go to Twitter.com and click the “sign up for new account” button. Complete this form as I did below:

 Once I set up my main Twitter accounts (knittydiva and thewoolwideweb) then I set up the one for my main name, Leanne Pressly and I posted this message (otherwise known as a tweet) so people can find me.

 That’s it– setting up your account is the first step. I’ll blog about using twitter in your shop in the next installment! ~Leanne