You often hear about the power of the Twittersphere. But, I would venture to say that most of you don’t know the half of what the little birdie can do for growing your business. This includes me and my measly 43 tweets and 19 followers. So, luckily there are people like Shea Bennett who has written 1,800 articles about Twitter over the past three years, finding a comfy nest over at Mediabistro’s AllTwitter for the last year. Needless to say, he’s got a few tricks of the trade up his sleeve.
Now, get your notebooks out kids, it’s Twitter lesson time.
Twitter What?
You may be one of the few people who are still in the Twitter dark. If you are an entrepreneur or running a startup, you really can’t afford to be one of those people any longer.
So, if you’re thinking about kicking off your Twitter journey, here are a few key tips a-la Shea.
- Make sure you choose a great username. You may be short on options at this point, but you should keep in mind the importance.
- School yourself by reading everything you can about the trappings of Twitter. (You’re reading this, so well done!)
- Remember, the more open you are with your tweets, the better it’ll work for you. Private tweeters need not join.
Twitter Who?
There are several dos and don’ts when you’re creating your Twitter Profile. Things to consider:
- Using a picture of YOU–not your cat, not your baby, not an avatar—should be a rule of thumb(nail).
- Don’t spend too much time on creating a pretty background, most people are fleeting profile viewers and have little interest in a wallpaper of busy backgrounds.
- If you’re a brand, stay away from offensive or inside-joke humor on your bio. This is not good for business.
And, what about finding the right people to follow?
- First, following more than a few hundred people is just overkill. News constantly filters through the people you follow, and you can easily connect outside your following circle.
- Try not to follow more people than are following you.
- It’s ok to regularly revise whom you follow, the list is not meant to be static.
- Try Google searching the people you want to follow first, it’s usually more efficient than a Twitter search.
And, what about finding your own army of followers?
- If you’re useful, interesting and unique, the followers will follow. And, here comes the cheese…just be yourself.
- Remember quality NOT quantity. A few really important people following you is immensely more beneficial than a thousand randoms.
What did you just Tweet me?
- Watch out for your grammar, spelling, etc. You will be judged.
- Leave the text-speak and leet for your phone.
- Hashtags should be used sparingly.
- Here’s some tips on writing the perfect tweet.
Minding your Twitter Ps and Qs
- Monitor and respond to direct mentions and messages.
- Give credit where credit is due.
- The block button is your friend. If someone is spamming you and any other desirables, kick ‘em to the curb.
- You don’t have to worry about thanking for retweets.
- You can schedule tweets, but don’t totally automate them. Major follower turn-off.
Twitter Where?
The Twittersphere is vast and very important. It has over 100 million active users, and if used correctly it can accelerate the growth of your business and, according to Shea, it can change the world.
So, all you baby tweeters, take these tips, go forth and get your tweet on!
Photo Credits
Flickr.com / Flickr.com / Twitter.com
