The Bonnier Twitterview: 5 Power Twitterers for Business and Brands

@ThomasMattsson, 1,187 followers

Thomas Mattsson, Editor-in-Chief of newspaper Expressen in Sweden with approx 1.5M readers per day.

Typical tweet:

FACEBOOK-SNACK: Fredagsbilagans panel diskuterar Facebook - läs tjejerna på http://bit.ly/11mIMJ

[FACEBOOK-TALK: Friday panel discussing Facebook -- read the girls at http://bit.ly/11mIMJ]

Why Twitter?  What is it best for?

It's very easy for me to inform about Expressen. I publish links to stories and blog posts for an early adopter audience of media junkies.

What do you generally Twitter/RT about?

I never RT and only twitter about Expressen. My content is circulation and reach statistics, press ethics, technical status of the site i.e.

How long did it take before you started enjoying Twitter? 

Not long. I used the Swedish micro blogs Bloggy.se and Nanoblog.se and my posts are only business, never private, so I want to reach many.

What kind of people do you follow on Twitter?  What makes someone a good Twitterer?

I follow many editors, Expressen staff, other news organizations, media pundits - and Liverpool Football Club, of course.

Do you have any tips for people just starting out?

Private, personal or business? Have a tweet strategy. If people follow you because of your position, they may not give a damn about your food.

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@parenting, 9,361 followers

Michelle L. Dozois, Partnerships Editor, Parenting.com

Typical tweet:

Excuse me, but -- have you seen Lauren's socks? She can't find them because Apple's new iLife knocked.them.off. http://tinyurl.com/bf7nhj

Why Twitter?  What is it best for?

Sharing links & behind-the-scenes tidbits. Interacting w/readers. Alerting bloggers/sites (via @reply) "Hey, we just wrote about you!"      

What do you generally Twitter/RT about?

New articles/blog posts. Recalls/giveaways/freebie alerts. Call for interviewees. RT: ppl talking about us, amusing tweets I happen to see.         
 
How long did it take before you started enjoying Twitter? 

Immediately. I never thought I'd be writing in this particular tone for a parenting magazine, but on Twitter, it works. (So far.)   

What kind of people do you follow on Twitter?  What makes someone a good Twitterer?

Moms/dads/kid-focused ppl, journalists/sites, brands/publicists.  Good Twitterer =  anyone who follows us back, replies to us, & RTs us. :)        

Do you have any tips for people just starting out?

For brands: Add some personality & don't be a robot. (Literally.) Use backtweets.com to find ppl linking to you (then follow & RT them!).    

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@EbbavonSydow, 3,631 followers

Ebba von Sydow, Editor, columnist, blogger

Typical tweet:

Fashion week in Stockholm starting tomorrow - but where's the debate? My Saturday column in Expressen: http://tinyurl.com/ndazp4

Why Twitter?

Since I'm a hopelessly curious person, it's so much fun to follow people and see what they make of this relatively new form of conversation. Most of all, Twitter is - once you master it - a powerful marketing tool.

What is it best for?

Building your brand and getting valuable input when doing research, for example for an article or for a presentation. Also it's great for getting a hold of busy people!

What do you generally Twitter/RT about?

My stylish Twitter feed gives you the latest on trends, style news, e-commerce, shopping, fashion PR and blogging.

How long did it take before you started enjoying Twitter?

I created an account about two years ago when Sara Öhrvall (@saraohrvall) at Bonnier talked about it. But honestly, I didn't get it back then.

What kind of people do you follow on Twitter?

Interesting, creative and clever people who inspire me. Politicians, journalists, social media experts, artists and bloggers. Also, some pretentious personalities and celebs that are unintentionally very funny.

What makes someone a good Twitterer?

Be specialized in your area, weather it's fashion, social media or interior design. Tweet great links and join the conversation, RT and answer when needed.

Do you have any tips for people just starting out?

Ok, I have 5 pieces of quick advice for Twitter beginners:

1. Start to use Twitpic.com, a super easy way to upload snapshots from your everyday life. Gives more life to your feed.

2. Spend a couple of minutes changing colors, uploading a profile picture and a nice background to your personal page.

3. Don't know what to say? Be quiet and listen. Think of it like a dinner party, you don't want to be that loud and annoying person who just talks and talks. Twitter is about quality, not quantity.

4. Be international, Twitter in English. Might feel wrong if it's not your everyday language, but maybe you will be surprised how your "tweets" are spread across the world.

5. Please don't Twitter about what you just had for lunch. I really don't care.

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@AndersOlofsson, 420 followers

Anders Olofsson, Head of Digital media at the SDS-group (Sydsvenskan.se, Kristianstadsbladet.se, Ystadsallehanda.se, Trelleborgsallehanda.se, Dygnetrunt.se)

Typical tweet:

Besökte ålderdomshem. Hur ser det ut om 20-30-40 år?Totaluppkopplat m toksurfande/-skapande/-kommunicerande och därmed piggare åldringar?

[Visited a home for the elderly. What will it look like in 20-30-40 years? Totally connected with crazy-surfing/ -creating/-communication and therefore more alert elderly?]
 
Why Twitter?  What is it best for?

Microblogging for building knowledge and contacts: Links, news and fun. Twitter's the dominating tool for microblogging and foremost there's an abundance of apps.

What do you generally Twitter/RT about?

What I do during my workdays, interesting links about digital/social media and of course about my life as a tractor owner. BM 35 from 1953.
 
How long did it take before you started enjoying Twitter?

I used Jaiku and Bloggy until Twitter started grow in Sweden and when more apps came out.

What kind of people do you follow on Twitter?  What makes someone a good Twitterer?

People that help me build knowledge and perspective.

Do you have any tips for people just starting out?

Get an application for your phone and computer, give Twitter some time and commitment and decide what you can and will tweet. It's conversation, not one way-marketing.

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@MattiasFyrenius, 378 followers

Mattias Fyrenius, Director New Media, TV4 Group

Typical tweet:

Big5 (TV USA) rapporterar ett annonstapp på 22% för höstsläppet. Den s.k. eftermarknaden blir avgörande för resultatet http://korta.nu/down

Big5 (TV USA) report an ad dropping of 22% for autumn release. The so-called after-market will be crucial for the outcome http://korta.nu/down

Why Twitter?  What is it best for?

Began as a PR stunt, at the moment my favorite tool to keep track of changes in the media world.

What do you generally Twitter/RT about?

A mix of thoughts/links about the media world in general and TV4 new media in specific. Almost entirely "professional".

How long did it take before you started enjoying Twitter? 

140 seconds.  Approx.

What kind of people do you follow on Twitter?  What makes someone a good Twitterer?

Swedish and international media related people and a number of organizations/papers.

Do you have any tips for people just starting out?

a) You don't have to tweet yourself to enjoy Twitter.
b) As always, think of who you're writing for.