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Social Media Spotlight | How to Use Twitter

Twitter has become a key way for people and businesses to communicate. It opens new avenues of rapport between peers within your industry, while also creating an interface with a target audience.  Twitter presents a great way to both inform and be informed, 140 characters at a time.

Here are a few tips we have drawn from our experience, let us know if you have anything to add to the conversation!

Tip 1 – Ideal Introductions

Take PLENTY of time filling out your Bio! People hunting down new feeds will be more likely to hit “follow” if you have a good looking profile. Add a personal touch, a bit of industry humour, and link to your other online platforms. Integrating custom graphics can be fun and help you stand out as well. Speak to a local designer (like us!) if you want some creative design help. Personalize your Twitter page, and have it match your website and corporate branding for that “seamless” feel!

Tip 2 – Be a Fitting Followee

Developing a large number of followers will hinge drastically upon who you choose to follow yourself. Twitter has added many tools to assist in this, with their “Who to Follow” system, and the ability to import contact information from Linkedin, Gmail, Hotmail.. etc. (Still missing direct Facebook integration, but there are workarounds.)

Power tools like Tweetdeck and Hootsuite can help you better understand who is following you, allowing you to react accordingly. They are definitely worth looking into, as they also offer great features to broadcast across platforms, schedule your Tweets, and to allow multiple users access to multiple accounts.

Feel free to give us reviews, or suggest other tools!

Tip 3 – Handy #Hashtag Hints

Hashtags allow you to highlight keywords in your tweets, to allow other users to find and follow topics that are relevant to them. Placing a # before any word creates that association, but beware, do not spam hashtags! Twitter suggests limiting yourself to 3 per post.

Sites like Hashtag.org can help you sort through trending tags. Taking the time to research the hashtag you intend on using will give you a better scope of the possible recipients.

Using what is called “Camel Casing” is also helpful when your keyword is actually more than one word; example #DigitalCreative. This ensures a complicated key-word phrase is easy to read!

#dontmakereallylonghashtagsanduseCamelCasingToMakeThemEasierToRead !! (maybe turn that into an image)

Tip 4 - T@rgetting Tweets

Engage specific users! Using “@username” (known as @mentioning) in the body of a Tweet will create a personal connection (that is tracked for you seperately) when replying/commenting on relevant issues. Re-tweets will be reciprocated, creating more buzz, and therefore spreading the reach of your Tweets!

Keep your voice consistent as well. A direct and approachable tone is important to keep followers listening.

Engage your users by including actionable information such as; Time sensitive promotions, Real-time news from current events, or Contests that call on them to pass on the message.

@DiscoToastInc to engage us in a conversation!

Tip 5 – Tidy Re-Tweeting

Re-tweeting refers to the forwarding of someone elses tweet to all of your followers. It automatically tries to add the text “RT @username” to provide a reference, which allows you to track the reach of that particular message.

140 characters is still the limit, so if you want your message to be re-tweeted with the proper @mention, make sure you leave enough characters to do so! This does mean that having a shorter user-name is an advantage! If you are setting up a new twitter account for your business or organization, keep that in mind when choosing your username.

Remind people to re-tweet. Add “RT!” to the end of particularly important messages, or make that the call to action of the tweet. It is easy for twitter to become a one-way street, so sometimes a little reminder helps!

Show your support, to your followers and to your stakeholders! Re-Tweet them!

Tip 6 – Alluring Links

Include links to multi-media, articles, and events. With the character limit you will have to use a URL shortener in many cases, but Twitter provides the service automatically. A power-user tip here is to use a 3^rdparty link shortener (such as bit.ly) that provides you with useful tracking metrics!

(NOTE: Twitter is now automatically shortening even pre-shortened links, however this should not affect the information gathered by services like Bit.ly)

In Conclusion

Twitter has certainly continued it's steady climb to the forefront, but even still we see new leaps in the application of its power. Burberry, for example, just tweeted its entire new line! The feed was done in real time with pictures showing each piece just before the model hit the actual runway. These are the types of innovative applications that we can help you implement for you and yours. Feel free to discuss your ideas and let's Power-Up your Tweet-scape.

Do you want to maximize the impact of your Twitter Page?  Contact us today for a free custom design consultation!

Web Design Porfolio 1UP | CRES Real Estate – Lead 2 Green

written by Joanna Cwik

Customized Real Estate Solutions works with commercial real estate owners and tenants in the Houston area.  Their latest venture Lead 2 Green focuses on finding environmentally friendly "green space" for their growing clientelle who seek to become responsible to their environment.

You can see the digital creative in our portfolio, or by clicking on the image below.

Web Design Dilema

Lead 2 Green was looking to completely redesign their website to match their new company identity.  One of their goals was to reduce the existing content without de-valuing the end-user experience.  The goal was to create a more intuitive, better focused site with easy and fluid navigation.

The Creative Design Solution

After deciding that the new website should have Wordpress as the foundation, we quickly realized that our first task would be to eliminate information overload on the homepage.  Our developers decided that a tabbed content area on the front page would allow more information to be displayed without overcrowding prime website real estate.

The next step was to guide Lead 2 Green through the process of culling their articles so that more focus could be placed on new content.  Using the power of Wordpress posts, our client will now be able to organize all their articles and keep them easily accessible to the viewer.  The recent articles are listed on every page which keeps them available while still being neatly tucked away.

When a client asks us to overhaul their site, usually it requires an complete rebrading.  This was the case for Lead 2 Green.  They wanted a fresh, cohesive look from top to bottom, from the header and fonts right down to the social media icons!  We were thrilled at the opportunity to source out some eco-chic social media icons which completed the new site's look.

Website Review

Lead 2 Green is impressed with their new site and with how much easier it is to manage content!  When coupled with a cleaner SEO methodology, the overhaul is resulting in qualified leads and measurable results.

Web Design Porfolio 1UP | CRES Real Estate – Lead 2 Green

written by Joanna Cwik

Customized Real Estate Solutions works with commercial real estate owners and tenants in the Houston area.  Their latest venture Lead 2 Green focuses on finding environmentally friendly "green space" for their growing clientelle who seek to become responsible to their environment.

You can see the digital creative in our portfolio, or by clicking on the image below.

Web Design Dilema

Lead 2 Green was looking to completely redesign their website to match their new company identity.  One of their goals was to reduce the existing content without de-valuing the end-user experience.  The goal was to create a more intuitive, better focused site with easy and fluid navigation.

The Creative Design Solution

After deciding that the new website should have Wordpress as the foundation, we quickly realized that our first task would be to eliminate information overload on the homepage.  Our developers decided that a tabbed content area on the front page would allow more information to be displayed without overcrowding prime website real estate.

The next step was to guide Lead 2 Green through the process of culling their articles so that more focus could be placed on new content.  Using the power of Wordpress posts, our client will now be able to organize all their articles and keep them easily accessible to the viewer.  The recent articles are listed on every page which keeps them available while still being neatly tucked away.

When a client asks us to overhaul their site, usually it requires an complete rebrading.  This was the case for Lead 2 Green.  They wanted a fresh, cohesive look from top to bottom, from the header and fonts right down to the social media icons!  We were thrilled at the opportunity to source out some eco-chic social media icons which completed the new site's look.

Website Review

Lead 2 Green is impressed with their new site and with how much easier it is to manage content!  When coupled with a cleaner SEO methodology, the overhaul is resulting in qualified leads and measurable results.

Creative Design Corner | Outsourcing Digital Creative Design

adapted from original article draft written by Megan Shaw

With today’s global society, outsourcing internationally has become an easy fix for reducing overhead. The savings are very significant, so many companies try to outsource as many tasks as possible. While the cost savings cannot be denied, we must be careful not to overlook the more subtle implications of doing so. Media and marketing design is an especially sensitive area, so we will outline some drawbacks and weigh them against savings.

International Interpretations

Marketing IS the use of language and symbols to communicate with your target audience. It's effectiveness, therefore, is tied to cultural and linguistic cues. Even a few words “lost in translation” can easily misdirect a design concept. Important value propositions might not find their target, reducing the effectiveness of the final product. Managers already deal with this in-house; employees from different corporate cultures, age demographics etc. Imagine now the potential hurdles once outsourced to another corner of the globe.

Zoned Out

Take care to consider the time zone of your potential supplier. Having to increase the flexibility of your staff's working hours is not always feasible. Response time to crisis events can be affected. If your business day ends when theirs begins, consider the implications and plan accordingly. Larger companies may have enough staff to cover late evenings or early mornings, but many small businesses won't be able to spare staff members for alternate time zone dealings.

Privacy and Security

Web design often involves handling sensitive internal or customer information. Privacy laws vary around the world, and often prosecuting offenders is impossible. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada) states that “an organization is responsible for personal information in its possession or custody, including information that has been transferred to a third party for processing.” This puts the liability solely on your company's shoulders in the case of misuse or theft.

Critical Compromise

With the cash savings of such a low cost solution, a habit of overlooking the finer details of quality control can manifest. This habit can linger and spread to other areas of your business, as the decrease in costs will initially be seen in a positive light. For overseas outsourcing, a long-term strategy to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the media produced is imperative.

A Slightly Biased Conclusion

Outsourcing locally is often the best compromise. Savings will still be had, with fewer possible hurdles. In unexpected ways, it pays for the difference in cost. From day one, having a design team that can identify with your target audience creates media that is more palatable, and therefore more effective. The building of stronger spheres of trust and influence develops from such things as face to face meetings and shared cultural experience. The fact is, local interactions are much more likely to inspire long-term collaboration, and develop networking opportunities.

Disco Who?

We here at Discotoast Inc. believe that we can be your vendor for digital creative projects, as well as traditional print design for the paper paraphenalia we still cling to. Outsource to your neighbours, call on us when it is convenient for you, and meet face-to-face as our relationship develops.

Web Design Portfolio 1UP | Cherry & Associates

written by guest writer and beloved intern Joanna Cwik

Discotoast is quickly becoming the go-to webdesign company for the commercial real estate market!  We are pleased to announce the launch of the Cherry & Associates website.  Cherry & Associates specializes in representing tenants. That means they deliver objective, unbiased advice and services that give you the best possible value for your real estate investment.

You can view the digital creative in our webdesign portfolio or by clicking on the image below.

Cherry & Associates needed a site that would "wow" their clients and keep a professional appearence.  As a member of ITRA, Cherry & Associates wanted a design which would include some of ITRA's features and functionality. 

Cherry & Associates also wanted to clean up their web-content, putting more emphasis on their services and on their achievements.

The Creative Design Solution

Cherry & Associates' website redesign was a precursor to the complete overhaul we did for ITRA.  We created a custom map interface for Cherry & Associates which would provide for a slimmer version of the very versatile map we designed for ITRA.  The purpose of the interface was to show ITRA's global offices, allowing potential clients to contact tenant representatives in any city around the world.  Using the Wordpress CMS on the backend of Cherry & Associates' new website allowed us to give our client control over the content while still giving us the ability to create a unique design. 

In keeping with the dark cherry theme of Cherry & Associate's brand, we chose a rich cherrywood texture for the background, creating a very elegant, professional look.  This gave the website a warm, classic feel while still looking modern and sophisticated.

In order to give Cherry and Associates a way to proudly show off their management team, we employed the classic technique of using a coloured image to indicate a selected item, and using a black & white image to indicate that an item was not in use.  Sometime the best web design techniques are not the newest ones, but rather the timeless techniques which still create impact!

As a final touch, we made sure that our client's various social media outlets were clearly visible.  We gave added emphasis to Twitter with a slide-out panel that shows off Cherry & Associates' latest tweets.

Website Review

Our client was so excited about their new website that as soon as they launched, they gave us a shout-out on Twitter!  Cherry & Associates now update their own content, add news, and use the site to generate great leads thanks to a better search engine visibility!

Looking to integrate a content management system into your website?  Is your website a few years old and starting to show it's age?  Maybe it's time to spice things up with Social Media Integration?  Click on the banner below and let's discuss if a redesign is right for you!