I went into this book loathing Twitter.  It seemed so mindless.  It was just constant streams of people sharing things like, ‘I had a PBJ for lunch,” or, “Cat threw up again on my sweater.”  I knew Twitter could help my business (because everyone kept saying it would) but I’d tried it before and all I gained was a Twitter username.  Jess seemed to know all of this when she wrote her book, The Crafty Guide to Twitter.  Her short e-book takes all the hype, promise, and lingo of Twitter and makes it relatable.  She explains why she uses Twitter and who to follow (did you know crafty people are much more interesting than celebrities?).  She also explains how to use Twitter to build your brand and your authenticity as an amazing creator.  This is definitely an eye-opening read if you’re jaded like I was or if you just want to learn a more effective (and fun!) way to use Twitter to boost your online exposure, traffic, and sales.

Product: The Crafty Guide to Twitter

Creator: Jess Van Den

Claim to Fame: Jeweller, Creative Business Blogger, Publisher of *bespoke* zine

Star Ratings: 4 Stars!

What it Includes:

• 29 page e-book
• Lots of activities to work through
• List of steps to take to grow your following daily

What I loved about it!

Jess really broke Twitter down to its main components and showed me how to use them to communicate with other creatives, fans, and the media.  Gaining loyal customers is all about trust and authenticity and as an online creative entrepreneur, Twitter was one of my best assets to creating both of those!  But how was I supposed to convey my authenticity?  What should I tweet about so that I wasn’t spamming people or just broadcasting what I had for breakfast.  Jess really helped me with those two issues by explaining how my fans view my feed and what exactly I should tweet to get their attention and loyalty.

What makes Jess’s e-book unique?

Perspective!  Jess doesn’t get into the nitty gritty of Twitter but instead delves into the personal side of it.  Twitter is all about conversation and that’s the biggest thing I needed to learn.  Jess showed me how to market my products conversationally and honestly.  She walked me through how to choose the best twitter name and avatar to represent me, not just my company.  After all, I am the reason people love my small business.  Her explanations were down to earth and really helped me understand the main motivators behind an awesome Twitter presence and campaign.

Best of the best!

A schedule!  At the very end of her book, Jess gave me a little schedule to follow everyday.  It’s a small checklist that gives me ideas of what to tweet about.  Showing off a product twice a day, sharing my latest blog post, commenting on other people’s remarks, retweeting five things other people I follow said, or passing on the news about someone else’s giveaway.  All of these little things build consistency and authenticity for me and my business.  I’m not just shouting, ‘Buy my stuff!’  Instead, I’m engaging in actual conversations that could lead to sales, collaborations, and new friends!  Doesn’t that sound better than just learning whose pet got sick on their sweater again?

So if you’re ready to rock Twitter, if you’re ready to start letting your fans see how incredible you really are, then you will want to pick up The Crafty Guide to Twitter, as an early stocking stuffer for yourself.  I promise Santa won’t mind.  And if you’ve never played with Twitter before, don’t worry because Jess has 2 great videos that walk you through the initial set-up!