This quote has been attributed to Hemingway, Cicero, Voltaire, Mark Twain, and Blaise Pascal. But whoever wrote, “If I had more time, I’d have written you a shorter letter” understood it’s more challenging to write short copy than long copy. This has never been more true than with the phenomenon of Twitter at www.Twitter.com.
Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that works kind of like instant messaging. You choose who you Follow or allow in your inner circle. Others choose to Follow or Unfollow you based on whatever criteria they have. Then you communicate via text messages of up to 140 characters long (including punctuation and names) called Tweets.
Think of it as a giant cocktail party where you contribute to other conversations, share relevant information, and at times include mindless babble. As my good friend, Scott Stratten www.twitter.com/unmarketing Tweets, “Take 5 mins to read other tweets and comment/reply/retweet. Nothing about you. Build, interact, give.”
Sometimes keeping your Tweets under the character limit can be tough, though. So I put together a list of some of the more shorthand so you can work in as many words as possible in your Tweets.

· Instead of ‘you’ use ‘u’
· Instead of ‘and’ use ‘&’
· Instead of ‘your’ use ‘ur’
· Instead of ‘for’ use ‘4’
· Instead of ‘to’ or ‘too’ use ‘2’
· Instead of ‘before’ use ‘b4’
· Instead of ‘favorite’ use ‘fave’
· Instead of ‘great’ use ‘gr8’
· Instead of ‘later’ use ‘l8r’
· Instead of ‘people’ use ‘peeps’ or ‘ppl’
· Instead of ‘are’ use ‘r’
· Instead of ‘please’ use ‘plz’
· Instead of ‘thanks’ use ‘thx’
· Instead of ‘with’ use ‘w’
· Can it be a contraction? Instead of ‘I will do __’ use ‘I’ll do __’
· Do you really need that pronoun? Instead of ‘I hope __’ use ‘Hope __’
· Get rid of ‘that’ and ‘the’ whenever possible

Of course what you choose to Tweet about is even more important than the length of your Tweet. If you want to learn how to use Twitter to build your list sign up for my class *Social Media Strategies to Build Your Community, Expand Your Brand & Connect With Your Target Market* I’ll be giving a full disclosure presentation. It starts March 10, 2010, Wednesday, 1pm PT/4pm ET for 4 consecutive Wednesdays. There are other details to share so I invite you to visit www.RedHotSocial.com now and see if this is a fit for you.

Now go out and Rule the World, baby!

Warmly,

Lo

Just got back from a snuggly Valentine’s weekend with my Hubby! A little dinner, lots of dancing, and an unpredicted costume change.

I had packed three outfit options since I wasn’t sure what mood I would be in. I brought my pink designer mini, my red Grecian-inspired dress, and my multi-colored sequin shift . . .all with appropriately matching shoes and jewelry. (Not sure if guys know what goes into putting together the perfect look for them but that’s another post!)

Well I had never worn the sequin shift before so it was my first choice. Only after dinner (and round one of dancing) did I realize I couldn’t ignore the pain any longer. The sequins were scratching the heck out of my tender armpits. (Cue the red dress. All was well after the change and the night was incredibly smooth.)

After coming home and settling in it dawned on me; a special weekend getaway is a lot like social marketing. It’s a lot of fun but if you’re not prepared it can go terribly wrong.

Let’s take a quick peek at what I mean…

August 2009 research shows one of the biggest social network sites having approximately 400 million users, staying logged in for an average of 55 minutes a day, with 14% earning over $125K a year.

That means almost a half a billion people logging in every single day, building relationships, exchanging information, and making BUYING decisions on everything from services to products to information. (YES, even the things you’re promoting!)

I’d like to explain to you how you can get your share of that huge market in a complimentary teleseminar called:

*7 Mistakes Even Smart Marketers Make with Social Media*It happens Wednesday, February 17 at 1pm PT/4pm ET.

http://www.redhotcopy.com/start/socialmediaintrocall.php

(And YES, it will be recorded. But please register for MP3 access whether or not you can make it live.)

There are plenty of gurus out there who can decipher the social media for you but I’m going to share the pitfalls that I see even A-Listers make over and over again. (My methods have gotten me invitations to speak around the world, interviews with CEOs & celebrities, as well as a very targeted subscriber list devoted to my brand.)

I feel moved to share what I know with you. There is so much power behind social networking when you know how to use it. Although not exactly like a romantic getaway, social media can reestablish relationships (and actually forge new ones). But you must be prepared and have a PLAN. Hope you can join me on Wednesday!

Oh yeah, this is the red dress I changed into. It was much more comfortable!

(I also encourage you to follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/redhotcopy as well as Facebook so you can ’spy’ on what I’m doing and how you can do the same!