This is a question that will continue to be asked as social media grows in prevalence and new analytics tools arrive.

While there are many methods for measuring your social network’s success, I’d like to point out two very common measurement myths and debunk these once and for all!

Myth 1: Success is a measure of how many fans or followers you have.

Truth: Success is not measured by the quantity of fans or followers, but by the quality of your social networking community.

I often remind candidates that the number of followers they have is not nearly as important as the number of followers they have that would be able to vote in their election or willing to donate to their campaign. That is to say, the quality of their fans and followers is a much stronger measure of success than the quantity.

This principle rings true for small businesses too. At the end of the day, does it matter that you have 1,000 Twitter followers if none of them will buy what you are selling?  No. Create a social networking strategy that specifically targets your customer base rather than simply broadcasting the message with hopes of gaining traction

As you create your social networking strategy, start by asking where your customer base is (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, or Foursquare) and then find those people and connect with them. On Twitter, this may be as simple as searching for folks in your geographic area while on Facebook it may mean purchasing Facebook ads.

The bottom line is that every campaign, small business, church, non profit, and other social networking entity should be primarily focused on connecting with their base and secondarily focused on bringing new fans and followers into the fold.

Myth 2: Success is a measure of the number of social networking accounts you have.

Truth: Social media success is not measured by the quantity of your social networking accounts, but by the quality of your social network communities.

The simple truth is the number of social networks available will continue to grow as social media becomes an increasingly legitimate form of marketing. This does not mean that your small business or campaign should sign up for an account with every network.  Find the few social networks that best fit your needs and work to create successful and engaging communities there.

Not sure if your social networking strategy is working for your campaign or small business? Contact me today.

I’ve compiled ten tips and observations to help conservative campaigns engage conservative voters in 2010. These important (and perhaps obvious) Twitter tips are based on what I’ve seen campaigns do and not do with their Twitter strategies in the past year.

Take a look, remember that followers are potential voters, and get tweeting!

1. Realize Successful Twitter Accounts Do Not Come Overnight.

Campaigns need to be prepared to invest in this new media tool. Twitter accounts, like all other aspects of your campaign, will require staff time and resources. Start by creating a long term Twitter strategy that focuses on reaching and educating your potential voters. As you continue, remember that successful Twitter accounts are not measured by the amount of followers you have, but the impact your message has on those you are trying to target.

2. Customize Your Twitter Account

Fill in any possible information on the Twitter Profile (name, website, and bio at minimum), including dates for primary or general elections. Create a custom background that corresponds to the branding on your website and Facebook Page or use the background space to list url information for your other social media accounts. There are multiple options for customization, but the point here is to create a Twitter profile that is engaging and informative.

3. Remember You Have a Twitter Account

This seems obvious, but I can’t tell you how many campaigns I have seen start accounts on social networks and then fail to follow through. Twitter should be your second new media priority (after Facebook), but if your campaign hasn’t developed a strategy for using Twitter, don’t launch an account yet. It does you no favors for potential voters to see a campaign Twitter account that hasn’t been updated in months. (Of course, if you are itching to start using Twitter and just can’t seem to come up with a strategy, let’s talk).

4. Know Who Is Tweeting

For most organizations, parties, groups, and online grassroots movements, I recommend keeping personal and business accounts completely separate. However, for campaigns it’s effective for candidates to show a personal side. The trick here is to make sure it’s clear who is tweeting. If campaign staff will tweet sometimes and the candidate others, create an easy way for followers to distinguish the tweets.

5. Hashtags. Use them.

Hashtags are my favorite part of Twitter because they allow you to reach new people and categorize your tweets.  I am continually amazed that there are candidates running for any office, especially Congress or Senate, who are still not using hashtags. Look around and find out which hashtags your potential followers are using and use them constantly. You could also create your own hashtag and feed it to your campaign website (warning: don’t forget that anyone can tweet anything with any hashtag). Either way, encourage your supporters to retweet or tweet about you using the hashtags your campaign is using.

6. Stop Expecting People to Come to You.

Many savvy political tweeters will seek out your Twitter account, but many, many more potential supporters will not. The best way to increase your base is to follow the people you hope will follow you. My tip for finding your followers is to pick influential tweeters in your district and follow the tweeters who are following them. You might even ask those same influential tweeters to recommend people for you to follow.

7. See Follower, Think Voter

When you see the word follower, think “potential voter” and engage tweeters in every way possible. For example, thank followers for retweeting important links and encourage them to do so in the future. Consider encouraging followers to ask questions and use the Twitter account to respond to those questions. However you go about engaging your followers, remember that followers are potential voters and you need them come Election Day.

8. Use Twitter Lists

Engage and recognize your supporters by grouping them in specific Twitter lists. Consider sending the people on these lists your press releases and links to your latest blogs first. It’s likely they will appreciate the recognition and start spreading your content. Twitter lists are an easy and quick way to see what your supporters are tweeting about.

9. Know What People Are Tweeting About Your Campaign

Don’t rely on Google alerts and the Twitter @ reply function (which is unreliable at best) for Twitter reputation management. It’s important to take time to use the Twitter search function to search for your name, district, your opponent’s name, and other relevant keywords. Follow the people who are supporting you and address any questions that have been raised by other Tweeters.

10.  Don’t Stop Tweeting Once You Win

Change your account name from @nameforcongress to @RepName and tweet more than ever. You will be glad you did when the next election cycle rolls around.

Facebook meet the Twitter for Pages application from Involver.com.

The Twitter for Pages application is perfect for integrating your Twitter account with your Facebook Page, while preserving the distinct purposes of each application.  The application adds a tab to your page (located at the top of the center column), allowing fans to switch from the wall tab to the Twitter tab to see what you’re tweeting.

If you choose to install the application on your Facebook Page, I recommend a brief status update that lets your fans know about the cool addition to your page.

The application is easy to install: simply follow the Twitter for Pages application link, click the Facebook install button, and follow a few easy instructions.

This is my new favorite Facebook App (probably because other Twitter for Facebook options were giving me such a headache).  What about you? Is there an app out there you like better than my new find?

Building a quality account and a strong Twitter following takes some time and effort, but with these five (often-overlooked) steps you are guaranteed to be on the right track:

1. Fill in the following information: name, location, time zone, website, and a bio. Each of these things makes you easier to find and subsequently more enticing to follow.
2. Upload a picture. Preferably a picture incorporating your campaign, group logo, or, at the very least, your group name. (NOTE: For your individual Twitter account, upload a picture of yourself).
3. Change the design. Choose colors that represent your group.
4. Change the background. Upload your group’s logo for the background (select ‘tile background’ for a full background). If you aren’t happy with the look your logo provides, try a site like twitterbackground.com or twitbacks.com where you can create a custom Twitter background.
5. Tweet with hashtags. The best way to add quality followers and reach your target audience is through hashtags (search terms that begin with ‘#’). For a general conservative audience, try #TCOT (Top Conservatives on Twitter). For a more specific topic, follow the #tcot updates to see which hashtags are popular for other topics. Finally, create your own hashtag for your specific group. For example, #NRA for the National Rifle Association or #RS for RedState.com.

(NOTE: Steps 1-4 can be found under the ‘Settings’ tab in the top left corner of your Twitter screen.)

These tips seem simple (and are), but they are also really important steps for creating a quality Twitter account that people will want to follow. Even if you’ve already had your Twitter account for a while and you haven’t done some of the basics (like filling out your bio or uploading your organization’s logo), take a few seconds to do it now. I promise you will see a difference!

Do you have other Quick Twitter Tips to add? Leave them in the comments. And, as always, if you have any questions or want more advice about using Twitter, leave a comment or email Jessica.