Like it or not, Twitter is the biggest trend on the interwebs right now. Twitter's success lies in that it is utterly simple. You follow people, they follow you and you all post 140 characters or less of "what are you doing?".
Simplicity is at Twitter's core. But therein lies its magic because "what are you doing?" means ultimately whatever each user wants it to mean! What are you working on? What are you reading? What are you watching? Where are you going? Who are you going with? What do you think about [any topic here]? What cool item did you find on the web? - All these questions fit in the Twitter space and are potential great sources of content for the right audience.
Many people new to Twitter ask me how to get started. Most already have an account and most posted once or twice (months ago.) Also, most have not really figured out what to do next. They may as easily be Twitter ghosts of past tweets. But wait, before you quit, try once more. You might just get hooked!
For those of you getting into Twitter (or thinking about it) here are my top 3 newbie tips on how to follow and be followed on Twitter:
Tip NO 1 - You must complete your profile.
Twitter makes it super easy to sign up. Actually, so easy that a lot of people never bother to update their profile on Twitter. If you want to ever have followers, you have to take a minute or two to complete your profile. In your BIO, use keywords that denote what you are interested in and what you are looking for in terms of followers. Also, be sure to include a URL that talks a bit more about you and what you are interested in.
As an organization, describe your organization's goals in the BIO and use keywords that are interesting to your audience.
In both cases, use the URL to leverage the other ways people can interact with you (like your Facebook page, etc.)
A custom background graphic on your profile is not absolutely necessary as an individual, but it is definitely helpful. If you are a creative type, use something you've drawn or a picture that shows you in an interesting place. Be careful, though, as this background gets covered by the main Twitter interface, so it should show the most important content on the sides.
If posting as an organization, you must post a custom background graphic. Some people like the "pro" panels with a little more about themselves and even a picture (see my Twitter page at http://twitter.com/ericwastaken/ - shameless plug, I know.) Others prefer branding or logos, sometimes in a pattern.
Whatever you do, make sure that it does not overpower the main Twitter interface. After all, we are here to Tweet! (Update) Not graphically gifted? Try a Google search for "Twitter Background" and you'll find many websites offering their help including http://www.twitbacks.com/.
Finally, you must include a picture (or a logo if you are posting as an organization.) Sorry, but there is just no substitute for this one! If you want to be followed, you must be someone people can identify with and, last I checked, a picture of your cat does not quite look like you. Try a picture of you holding your cat, perhaps, if you really want the cat in the picture.
TIP NO 2 - You must follow if you want to be followed.
Sure, Twitter is all about followers. After all, who else is going to know about your latest internet find or cool outfit, right? However, Twitter is also about following people. A profile following no one just screams of spammer! The only people that will follow you are other spammers in a big ironic game of "peddle my stuff" where no one is actually ever seeing anyone's tweets!
The first and most important item in the agenda of any new Tweeter user is to spend some time finding interesting people to follow. Yes, it's ok to pick a few from the Twitter Recommends, but don't just make all your choices there. http://wefollow.com/ is a great website where Twitter users list themselves by interest and topics. You'll find lots of good people to follow there too! Eventually, you too will want to list yourself in WeFollow, but for now, just pick some people that interest you.
Also, if you are tweeting as an individual, be sure to follow people that match your interests AND your values. Remember, others can (and do) see who you are following and it paints a picture of who you are.
If you are tweeting as an organization, it's even more important to be selective. However, DO NOT fall in the trap of following no one. You MUST follow others! Who should an organization follow? Try people you respect in various fields. Although no one really must be “looking” at those tweets from those you follow, it is a great way to get followers to reply to and re-tweet to people you respect. Ask colleagues and see if any are Tweeting (but Tweeting semi-serious interesting topics – not Golf tips - unless you are a Gold oriented company of course.)
For both individuals and organizations, don't just automatically follow anyone who follows you. The more you post, the more "followers" you'll get, but not always by people that are actually interested in you. A lot of your followers will be people that really want you to follow them! So, check their profile, make sure they are "real" and not a spammer and also make sure they match your interests and have something relevant to say with the frequency that matches your interests. Remember, you will also want to read Tweets and if you pick people that are not interesting (or spammers), then you won't enjoy Twitter much at all. Be selective or you might even get to a point where the amount of noise you receive makes your experience impossible.
TIP NO 3 - You must post (if you want to increase your following) and it must be meaningful to your "audience".
One of the items that most Tweeter users look at when considering to follow someone is the frequency of posts and the subject matter of your posts. Infrequent posts (months or weeks apart) and why bother to follow you since you clearly have nothing to say! Too many posts with annoying subjects like "I am going to eat lunch now" and you are just an annoying egocentric waste of time! Finding the balance is not easy, but it is absolutely necessary IF you want to be followed.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with not posting if you are not interested in growing your audience. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with users who prefer to simply be "readers" of other people's posts. There are many people sharing very interesting items that are follow worthy and that's cool too! It is OK in my opinion to be clear in your profile and perhaps state that you are not interested in followers - but just following people! This might save you a lot of hassle.
However, if you want to grow your following, you must post relevant useful items. What is relevant? Well, that depends on your audience and only you can determine that. If you are posting for friends and family, perhaps what you are up to each day (or every few days) might be interesting. However, try to give your posts a little more meaning. For instance, instead of "going to lunch", try "Found a new sushi restaurant near work called Tokyo Cafe. Will go try it. Anyone interested?" Also, try including links to things you find that are interesting to your audience. For instance, "Learned about a new file sharing service called DropBox. Check them out at http://DropBox.com".
Even more important, if you are tweeting as an organization, you definitely want to post relevant information to your business but also to your industry. In other words, don't just post each time you have something new to offer or a press release, but also post when studies come out or interesting news about your industry comes out. Again, you need to provide a service to your audience, not just sell to them every time. As a matter of fact, unless you are open and honest about the fact that you will ONLY sell to people (like the Dell outlet, for instance), you should really not be direct selling at all!
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I hope these tips get you started to an awesome Twitter experience. Yes, there is much more to learn in terms of managing Twitter and posting to Twitter, but that will all have to wait for another post.
In the meantime, go find some interesting people to follow and don't be afraid to try people out. After all, they are notified when you follow them, but they have no idea when you block or un-follow them. :-)
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