Over the past few years, social media platforms have become increasingly popular, and each has gained popularity for its own specific reasons. LinkedIn has become a means of making successful connections within one’s industry, Twitter has emerged as one of the most effective social media tools for gaining and retaining business, and Facebook is essentially a database of baby photos, wedding photos, food photos, and college football status rivalry.
Ultimately, all social media tools play an important role in the life of an entrepreneur, whether it is to promote a product or service, cultivate business leads, monitor the market for business development, or establish connections within a network. These goals are specifically achieved with the help of Twitter. However, with all the various people to follow, how does one decide whose feed to pay attention to, especially when part of the battle in attaining followers is based on who you choose to follow?
Fellow entrepreneurs, allow me to tweetroduce you to a few people you should be following and paying attention to when trying to gain the most out of your tweeterships. Below is a list of some of the most essential local and national tweets, and why they can best benefit New Orleans entrepreneurs.
Governmental and Economic Development Agencies – Local economic development agencies are geared toward gaining and sustaining businesses to further support the economy in the region. Although many of the agencies retweet some of the same stories, it is essential for any entrepreneur to stay up to date on economic and industry news at every level – within the city, state, or nation.
GNO Inc.: Greater New Orleans, Inc. is an economic development alliance whose goal is to promote business to the Greater New Orleans region. www.gnoinc.org
LED Louisiana: LED is Louisiana’s Economic Development agency, geared at creating and sustaining a more stable and vibrant economy. Follow it for all the latest news on companies migrating to Louisiana. www.opportunitylouisiana.com
Business.gov: The Twitter home of the federal government’s business portal, Business.gov provides practical information on taxes, regulation, contracting, lending, and other small business issues
Mayor Mitch Landrieu: The mayor of New Orleans is an advocate of entrepreneurial action and creating and sustaining jobs within the city. www.mitchlandrieu.com
Local entrepreneurial Resources – New Orleans has generated an entrepreneurial community with the help of many resources and organizations who offer tools, information, and resources to the community. Even if not in need of the specific services these organizations provide, their tweets offer news and advice that are helpful to all entrepreneurs in the area.
504ward: A collaborative organization designed to retain young talent in New Orleans, with networking opportunities and events. www.504ward.com
The Idea Village: The Idea Village supports entrepreneurial activity by providing businesses with the resources they need to get started. Follow their tweets for the latest updates in local entrepreneurial news. www.ideavillage.org/
Tulane Entrepreneurs Association: TEA’s goal is to promote purpose-driven entrepreneurial activity within Tulane and the community. www.tea.tulane.edu
Launch Pad NOLA: Entrepreneurs are consistently learning, so the co-working space often offers lunchtime seminars and lectures with helpful advice to small business owners. www.launchpadnola.com
News sites — It’s essential as an entrepreneur to follow the latest news and consistently monitor the market. Monitoring what is happening in your market or even globally offers a competitive advantage in finding new opportunities. Also, any publications that pertain to a specific industry offer practical advice and news.
NOLA.com: NOLA.com Twitter feed has the latest news and updates from NOLA.com and the Times-Picayune. It’s always helpful as an entrepreneur to follow the latest news for new opportunities in the market. www.NOLA.com
NolaVie: NolaVie.com is a website and content partner of NOLA.com dedicated to New Orleans culture, lifestyle, and entrepreneurs. www.nolavie.com/
Silicon Bayou News: Highlights the latest news on start-ups and the entrepreneurial community in New Orleans. http://SiliconBayouNews.com/
New Orleans City Business: The New Orleans region’s weekly business journal with news and updates on local business activity. www.neworleanscitybusiness.com
Mashable: A must-follow for social media trends, including business, culture, and politics. www.mashable.com
The Economist: Direct, matter-of-fact tweets on economic news from around the world. www.economist.com
The New York Times: Headlines and blog posts from the nation’s top newspaper. http://www.nytimes.com/
National business publications — Tweets and posts from these nationally known publications offer advice and guides to help small business owners stay on top of the latest tactics and strategies.
Open Forum: A helpful Twitter feed for those starting a business, it offers very good posts on marketing, money and current business trends. www.openforum.com
Fast Company: Official Twitter feed for Fast Company magazine and FastCompany.com offers a unique blend of innovation in technology, design, practical advice, and inspiration. www.fastcompany.com
Ronald Yau: Ronald Yau is the developer at @Seamless, a Marketing Consultant, and Curator of New Media Marketing & Entrepreneurship. He tweets great marketing articles and advice for entrepreneurs.
Inc Magazine: Tweets from the magazine for entrepreneurs. www.Inc.com
Ad Age: Ad Age is the leading global source of news for marketing and media communities. It provides helpful news and tips for entrepreneurs who are doing their own marketing. www.adage.com
Under30CEO: Under 30 CEO is a membership community of young, budding entrepreneurs that offers their Twitter followers great tips and articles. www.under30CEO.com
Fast Company Leader: Follow Fast Company’s Leaders for ideas that inform, inspire, and get you working.
EONYC: Entrepreneurs Organization is a global network of business owners that engages leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow www.eonyc.org
Taceaux Loceaux: Serving some of the best tacos in New Orleans from a truck usually outside of a grill-less, local watering hole, Taceaux Loceaux tweets about their daily specials and truck whereabouts. Sometimes, an entrepreneur needs a tweet to remind them to step away from the computer, and head out for a beer and brisket taceaux.
A few other tips for tweeting: You can discover many more helpful feeds along your journey, so pay attention to who your favorite tweeters are following and retweeting. And don’t be afraid to interact with those you follow, as they may become valuable mentors or partners in the future, and sometimes even the most helpful PR.
Tweet strong and carry on.
Do you have any favorite twitter feeds or twitter advice to share with other entrepreneurs? Feel free to post them with your comments below.
Adriana Lopez writes about the entrepreneurial community for NolaVie and Silicon Bayou News. She also showcases local start-ups such as the one profiled here through her non-profit organization GenNOLA. For more information on NolaVie, visit NolaVie.com.
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