Skip to content
  1. 5 Twitter Profiles pushing the Envelope – 2010 Posted in Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter December 15, 2010 4 comments

    When it comes to who we follow on Twitter, it is pretty much each to their own. We follow individuals who interest us, make us laugh or make us think, and as a diverse society, we know that each person has their own preferences of who they wish to fill up their Twitter feed. Here are 5 interesting Twitter profiles of 2010 that will surely offer some substance to your Twitter stream, whether it’s for their wit and charm, intelligence or simple Twitter appeal, here are the top 5 contenders for the Heavy Chef Tweeter of 2010. Read Further

  2. 10 Reasons why people unfollow you on Twitter Posted in Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Yolandi Janse van Rensburg December 13, 2010 6 comments

    So, you’re follower count is dropping? Did your followers stop responding to your tweets? Here are 10 reasons why people will unfollow you: Read Further

  3. Should you get your CEO on Twitter? Posted in Community Management, Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Sachin Ranchod December 10, 2010

    In recent years there has been a distinct shift in how many companies use Twitter to build their brand.  The focus is no longer on just creating a faceless corporate account that tweets about what’s happening in the business and industry.  Instead, it is becoming popular for companies to build their brand by focusing on promoting some of the different people (like a flamboyant CEO) within the organisation.   Read Further

  4. How to get your followers to Re-Tweet you Posted in Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Ettienne Mostert December 9, 2010 7 comments
    How to get your followers to Re-Tweet you
    Each time one of your Twitter followers re-tweets one of your tweets they help develop your Twitter influence. Retweets can help grow your amount of followers, drive traffic to your website and ultimately create more customer conversions. Here are a few tips and tricks you can put into practice to get users retweeting you.
    1.     Be first
    Where possible try to be the first person to break news. If not first, be one of the first. For example you could be walking in a mall and see a ridiculous promotion or an entertaining situation or even unexpected traffic. This way you are informing your followers of something that is useful, new and relevant.
    2.     Chat
    Tweet about things you can converse about. Even if your Twitter accounts is for your business, talking about topics that you can converse about is far more interesting to your followers than self-promotion and none engaging statements. As an individual be careful about talking about yourself too often or you may end up on Tweetingtoohard.com and users will follow you for the wrong reason.
    3.     Link to something interesting or that adds value
    Give your followers the opportunity to spread your content by adding a link to your tweet. Twitter users love spreading content and interesting links. Also, spread other people’s content that you find interesting in return. This way, your Twitter stream will be filled with a variety of interesting links.
    4.     The golden 25 characters
    Twitter allows you enough space for a 140 character message however, if one of your followers wants to manually retweet you they will need a few characters to add the RT and some commentary. Leave at least 25 characters for them to do this. You need to make a retweet as easy as possible for your users and you will reap the benefits. Remember to also use a URL shortener, this saves you loads of space.
    5.     Unique
    This relates closely to being forthcoming on Twitter. To be interesting enough to be retweeted you should offer some sort of uniqueness. This can be an opinion about an event or a unique sense of humour even if it’s controversial. People love quotes, jokes and funny comments.
    In the end, you need to be original and genuine when sharing with others. It’s simple, if you share something you genuinely find interesting, chances are other like-minded people will find it interesting as well.

    Each time one of your Twitter followers re-tweets one of your tweets they help develop your Twitter influence. Retweets can help grow your amount of followers, drive traffic to your website and ultimately create more customer conversions. Here are a few tips and tricks you can put into practice to get users retweeting you. Read Further

  5. US Embassy Uses Twitter to Create Online Community Posted in Community Management, Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Agnes Sokol December 8, 2010

    As Spokesperson for the United States Diplomatic Mission to South Africa, Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau has the job of managing one of the most robust new media platforms worldwide. From the US Department of State headquarters in Pretoria, Elizabeth engages American visitors, students and professionals alike, and has become a trusted news source for expatriates living abroad. Read Further

  6. The new tools of interacting and building an online community Posted in Community Management, Digital Strategy, Social Media, Videos, Concocted by Mike Perk December 7, 2010

    Digital marketing maven, Walter Pike talks at the November Heavy chef event about how interaction is changing. Walter highlights how traditional brand building theory is changing and how new technology and the dawn of the attention economy means we need to interact in new ways.

    Read Further

  7. How do you gain influence on Twitter? Posted in Twitter, Concocted by Jason Bagley December 3, 2010 3 comments

    This is very much a follow up to the post I wrote last week about getting your first Twitter follower. How do you gain influence on Twitter? In other words, how do you get others to almost look up to you and listen? Not everyone is influential so trying to become influential on Twitter, or any Social Media platform for that matter, might not necessarily work for you! That being said, everyone can definitely increase their number of followers and gain respect and possibly influence on Twitter. Read Further

  8. Writing for Engagement and Interaction Online Posted in Community Management, Social Media, Twitter, Videos, Website Usability, Concocted by Mike Perk December 1, 2010 1 comment

    “Research shows us that, on your web, you have 15 seconds to give your reader the info they are looking for. That’s about 30 words. And then, they’re off. Gone”.

    Tiffany Markman explains how engagement is totally different to print and what you need to do to write in order to build a community, rather than just an audience.

    Read Further

  9. Using Twitter for Charity Posted in Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Neerali Gajjar December 1, 2010 4 comments

    Social media has taken over our lives – it has become the new place to ‘hang out’. We can chat to friends who are across the globe and it also allows us to get recommendations from friends about which products and services to use. It is this latter point that has become a new marketing feeding ground that has been coined as crowdsourcing. Jeff Howe from Wired magazine defines it as “delegating a task to a large diffuse group, usually without substantial monetary compensation”. Read Further