When you are looking at working with Twitter, are a couple of ways to use it: the right way and the wrong way. Your posts, or tweets, need to be kept brief, 140 characters or fewer, and they should be beneficial or helpful. People aren't interested by what you had for lunch, or that you just brushed your teeth. These kinds of things will get people to stop following you pretty quickly, even if your breath does smell good.
After using Twitter for quite a while here is a list of the top-10 things I've learned (not necessarily in order, but maybe) are most effective when taking part in the Twitterverse.
- Tweet Regularly: I'm not saying you have to post daily tweets, however doing so wouldn't hurt. You should show up regularly. Kind of like when you were in school - if you hoped to pass, you at least had to come to class. Become a contributor your followers get to truly know and anticipate your Twitter posts. As a business person you probably don't have time to do this easily. If this is your case, there are services that help you schedule tweets ahead of time. My personal favorite is Social Oomph - the link is at the end of this article.
- Retweet Other's Posts: When you notice Tweets published by other Tweeple (Twitter+People) you believe your followers would enjoy, retweet them. It takes only a single click, and you'll also be building relationships with other Twitter users simultaneously. When you retweet, you can include your own thoughts or opinions before posting it.
- Be Helpful: Remember Twitter is a type of social networking, so social relationships are important. It isn't all about you. Anytime the opportunity arises to respond to a question, take part in a questionnaire, or help fix a problem, do so. This way you are taking part in the community. This may help your brand and image when other people know they are able to rely on you for support or comments.
- Don't Follow All Followers: Do not follow everybody who follows you. This might be my greatest issue in regards to Twitter. A lot of people turn this function on to auto-follow people who follow them. Why do this? I would rather have those I follow be individuals and subjects I have hand-picked, rather than random followers who might be ranting about things I don't have any interest in. Be discerning in whom you follow or your Twitter stream could rapidly fill up with spam. To find quality people within your industry or interests, check out Twellow - the link is below.
- Things to Tweet: Be sure that the tweets you publish are helpful and/or informative. Recent news relating to your industry, along with any special offers or sales you might have taking place are usually excellent topics. If you discover anything you believe your followers would really like, share it. Additionally, if your twitter posts are great, it can motivate other people to retweet them.
- (Ideas: Funny Tweets, Inspirational Tweets, Helpful Resources, Questions and Opinions, Quotes, Leads and Opportunities, Blog Posts or Your Website)
- Comment: Participate in the community by writing comments on other people's twitter posts. If you're able to respond to a question, do it. It never hurts and folks will really appreciate it whenever you take time to reply to what they may have to talk about. It shows them that other people are in fact listening to what they've got to express in the "Twitterverse".
- Your Mother Was Right: When somebody takes time to retweet one of your twitter posts, be sure to thank them. Just like offline, manners rule online - especially in the social realm, and they will like that you noticed the retweet and took some time to show some appreciation. It might even motivate them to retweet even more of your tweets down the road.
- Be Personal: Once more, people really don't want to know what you had for supper, but from time to time you ought to show your human side with an innovative idea, quote, or any other statement. Show your followers that you're "real" and not simply all business. You should tread gently in this area. Being overly personal is overkill, but a little bit might help in creating a relationship with your followers.
- Post Photos and Videos: Don't forget, Twitter isn't just for text messages. It is easy to publish brief video clips, and photos as well. It is nice to change things up a bit and share content in other forms too.
- Talk About More Than Yourself: Don't make all of your tweets one massive promotional message, for example only tweeting about your most recent press release, blog posting, or report that was published. Nobody will want to follow you if all you are is a commercial. Sure, some of this can be good in small amounts, but you should walk a fine line and mix things up with helpful, intriguing topics.
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