Top Ten Twitter Tips

Written on December 15, 2008 by Susan Payton

I talk a lot about Twitter, but decided to go back a step for those of you who are still uninitiated in Twitter.

In a Nutshell

Twitter is like instant messaging on crack. You can have multiple conversations going on with as many people as you like. Why should you care? More business owners are finding it a useful tool to network and develop new contacts.

Getting Started

Setting up a Twitter account is dead easy. So I won’t even insult you by walking you through it. Once you have your account, search for people you know or people in your industry to follow. Following just means you’re going to have anything they say pop up on your Twitter page. If they follow you back (which most will) you can have dialogue with them.

My Top Ten Twitter Tips

Twitter has sort of an informal code; rules to follow. Some new Tweeple just jump right in without doing their homework, so I’ll spare you that embarrassment by providing these tips.

1. Don’t Spam. Just like anywhere, people on Twitter don’t like spam. What constitutes as spam?

• Pushing your web link to anyone and everyone regardless of interest.
• Sending out updates that are purely about your company (sale, link to site, pitch)

2. Don’t be a Robot. A lot of people use tools so that when someone new follows them, they send them a very canned “Thanks for following me! Be sure to check out my website!” Don’t do that. If I want to check out your website, I’ll do so from your Twitter profile. It’s a turnoff.

3. Participate. Twitter is about conversations, and nothing is exclusive. If someone is Tweeting about something of interest, jump in with your two cents. That’s the point.

4. Follow Good Potential Clients. You don’t have to follow everyone, although there is something to be said about expanding your reach with a lot of Tweeple. While you don’t have to carefully pore over the profile of anyone you want to follow, make a follow relevant. One thing I do is follow the people who are following others in my industry. If they are interested in what someone else who’s talking about marketing is saying, they might like me too!

5. Add a Little Fun. While you don’t have to share the contents of your breakfast every day, Tweeting doesn’t have to be all business either. Sometimes I’m sad or bored, and I tweet that. Inevitably I have strangers from all over the world sending me well wishes, and I feel better! Sometimes those seemingly meaningless conversations are what start professional relationships.

6. Connect Twitter to Facebook. And vice versa. You can get your Twitter updates automatically posted to your Facebook (which saves you the effort of doing it in two places).

7. Share Your Blog. If you have a blog, there’s a great tool called Twitterfeed that automatically posts each of your blog posts as a link on Twitter. I’ve gotten great traffic to my blog as a result.

8. Single Tweeple Out. Each day, examine the profile of someone you follow. Send them a personal message (“I love your blog,” “Happy birthday,” “Where did you get that product you mentioned?”)

9. Share Interesting Links. Reading a great article or blog post? Share it with your new friends. Start a dialogue about it.

10. Stick With It. Twitter won’t get you results overnight, or even in a few months. You have to dedicate time to spend on writing updates and adding contacts. It’s cumulative, and soon you will see results!

More Twitter Resources

• Twitip: Darren Rowse’s new blog on Twitter
• Twitter Handbook: Coach Deb and Warren Whitlock’s site with great Twitter resources
• TweetDeck: Tool that helps you manage your Twittering

More Great Posts from The Marketing Eggspert

• Why Social Media will NOT Go the Way of the Lava Lamp
• Taking Networking Offline
• Marketing Eggspert Makes Top Twitterers in Orlando
• Let Go of Your Inner Control Freak

Posted in Social Media, Marketing & Networking

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