Which is your favorite social media platform? Twitter is not the answer I hear most often, but those who love it REALLY love it. They tell me they love the short bursts of information, the need to be concise in tweets, and the ease with which they connect with others on Twitter.
If you aren’t using it, consider giving it a go. Take a look at these timeless Twitter tips to help you be the most successful on this fast moving social media network.
Don’t Be an Egghead
I can’t tell you how often I still see a profile pic that is the standard egg Twitter uses. This is basic stuff, folks. Upload a high-quality headshot if you want to be taken seriously. Make it engaging for your industry, which would look different for a rock and roll band lead singer than it would for a real estate agent.
Speaking of Profiles
Your profile is the first thing potential followers look at to decide whether or not you’re worth following. Fill in your profile fully, using all 160 characters. Include specific keywords people use to find someone in your industry e.g. romance author, small business consultant, residential plumber. Make sure your website link is accurate. Don’t be afraid to show a little creativity in your description, including a few personal bits about who you are. Here’s my own profile example below.
Figure Out Your Target Audience
Who, exactly, do you want to reach on Twitter? You’re looking for the same target audience you’ve already identified for your business.
If you are an author in a specific genre, you want to reach readers of that genre and connect with fellow authors who would love a mutually beneficial Twitter relationship. If you own a local brick and mortar boutique selling high-end purses, then you are looking for women who enjoy fashion, accessories, shopping, and who live in and near your local area.
Learn and Use Hashtags
For newbies, hashtags are a source of confusion. Simply put, placing a hashtag (which is a pound sign) in front of a word makes that word searchable on Twitter and is a way to identify a subject or category.
Let’s use the romance author example. The word ‘romance’ is a great general example to use as a hashtag category like this: #romance. However, there are thousands of hits on that word. Consider narrowing it more specifically like this: #RegencyRomance or #WesternRomance. Notice that I capitalized these phrases as opposed to the single word used earlier. Tweet viewers appreciate this as it makes the phrase easier to read.
Tweet Often
Twitter is fast-moving. It’s like a voracious monster that needs to be fed constantly, and so that means it’s the one platform you can and should post often to. Unlike Facebook, where you would limit your daily posts to 2-5 per day at most, Twitter requires more, more, more for best effectiveness.
You can post 10-20 times on Twitter per day and nobody will bat an eyelash. Frequent posting gets you noticed, builds your expertise and credibility, and catches people who log on at different times of day. Never forget the fact that social media is worldwide, so somebody is on Twitter 24/7. If your audience is worldwide, take that into consideration. If your audience is hyper-local, then the timing of your posts must reflect when they are most likely using it.
Engage, Number One
Okay, so that’s a reference to Star Trek: TNG and Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I just couldn’t help it.
Basically, you are on social media to engage with others. It’s social, so don’t forget to reach out to people directly on Twitter. Most will respond in kind, and in no time at all, you’ll develop an ongoing relationship with a fellow user that could turn into a friend, a client, a customer, or a source of expertise from which you will learn.
Follow Someone Every Day – but not in a creepy way
The best way to build followers on Twitter is to start by following others who interest you first. Once you do, don’t forget to engage with them in some way by retweeting their tweets, commenting on a tweet, or reaching out and saying hello. If you stick to a following routine of, say, 10 Twitter users a day, your own following will build up more quickly than you realize.
I hope these simple Twitter tips will help you get going on this roller coaster ride of a social network. You may find that you love it more than you anticipate, or at the least you’ll build your credibility and connect with others.
Go ahead and follow me on Twitter and reach out. Let’s connect.