by Joanna Lord (follow her at @joannalord) from the Online Beat.
Well the time has come. Just like with any other popularity explosion, the crowd is no longer asking if we should spend our time on Twitter, but instead has shifted to how can we optimize our time on Twitter. Let’s be honest, some of us spend a lot of time on Twitter. Some of us have spent hours (entire days…okay maybe multiple days) tweeting away before we see the sunshine again. We are left with hundreds of thousands of caffeinated, shaky, hyperactive, information-sharing insomniacs, all desperately seeking out ways to streamline and optimize their Twitter-filled hours.
Although the argument can be made there are a number of ways to capitalize on your tweeting (i.e. desktop apps, mobile apps, search engines, etc.) in my opinion the key to maximizing your return from Twitter really comes down to timing your tweets for success.
What does that mean?
It means a few different things. First things first know your audience. We all have times we hope to catch a specific user’s attention, whether hoping for a RT or to ignite a conversation. A new application, TweetOClock.com is all about facilitating that exchange for success by calculating the best time to tweet someone. The best part is, no password required. You just enter someone’s username and the time zone you are in and it returns the day and time that you are most likely to catch them in full Twitter mode.
Another way to increase a tweet’s success is to build up some momentum. No one likes seeing pictures at the top of Everest without hearing stories of the climb. When you are about to break some worthy news be sure to harness some attention first. Engage in conversations and get your twitter stream actively responding, so they are on the look out for your reply. You can even tweet a few sensationalized tweets, then post the information you want picked up. You need to engage your followers or your tweet will fall on blind eyes.
Lastly, when timing your tweets for success make sure your tweets are timely. Confusing right? Not really. Don’t tweet something that doesn’t belong. For example, don’t tweet something as breaking news if it isn’t. Also don’t interrupt a feed fluttering with buzz on a topic (let’s say something crazy like uhmm—Skittles) with something that doesn’t relate at all (like asking your followers which logo you should pick for your new business cards). Some would say you gain increased visibility when tweeting against the grain but I would say if you are seeking a longer, more substantive exchange, interrupting an oiled-up twitter feed for personal gain—is not your best bet.
As Twitter continues to grow, so does its demand on our time. Everyday we find a new use for the unparalleled wealth of knowledge to be gained from valuable Twittering. Now is the time to start optimizing your energies, not just with apps like TweetDeck and EasyTweets, but also with your Tweeting strategy itself.
@techxav
Nice article! By the way, thanks for sharing Tweet O’Clock…
@MatthewLoop
I’ve actually tried TweetOClock and it works very well…. even when tweeting those with massive followings. Great app
@erichamm
Twitter is a growing beast, no doubt. I’m finding it harder and harder to effectively utilize it’s potential as the number of users grow. I know this is only from my lack of understanding and this is something I’m working on.
Timing is certainly everything, so I thoroughly enjoyed this post. Thanks for the tip on the Twitter time zone site as well and the pointers on precisely when to push publish.
And YES, Twitter can certainly be a time SUCKER. To make the most of it we’ve go to get in and get out. The more time we spend just ‘Twitter Surfing’, the less effective our Tweeting becomes. (Not to say you shouldn’t spend time connecting with the community.) At least that’s been my experience thus far. Eric
@EricHamm
Woops! I messed up the Twitter id part. I guess I’m showing my Twitip newbie status.
Eric
@Doug_Caldwell
Life is a matter of inches and seconds sometimes. Sending a timely tweet can make an impact of importance rather than a splat of a flop.
@yfncg
Interesting article. The beauty of Twitter, for me, is that it doesn’t require my full attention to use it effectively. Whenever I’m on my computer and a I have some time, I’ll check the most recent tweets from those I’m following, reply to anything interesting, follow any links that look helpful, RT those links that truly ARE helpful, and maybe tweet something myself. Then I leave. Takes 10-15 minutes, and I get a lot of useful stuff out of that time.
There’s a lot of over-tweeting out there and I think most of it is unnecessary.
Of course, I guess that means I’m not much of a hard core twitterer, but I’d argue most people who use twitter are not…or don’t need to be.
@Szetela
Joanna,
Great post as usual.
I’ve appointed myself the role of finding the best published resources for PPC advertisers, and tweeting or retweeting the links. I don’t have the self-discipline to time them, so I typically spew them out in 10-15-tweet bursts.
Some followers have complained about the sip-from-a-firehose difficulty of trying to follow all that. Partially in response, I’ve been using a great Wordpress plugin called Twitter Tools (http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress) to publish a list of all my tweets at the end of every day. Here’s an example: http://twurl.nl/7qur58
I’ve surveyed followers from time to time re: that technique, and so far the feedback has been positive.
What do you think?
Cheers,
David
@googleandblog
I think this coming week the Twitter timing will be MUCH later in the day as half the TwitterSphere attending PubCon in Austin recovers from the evening before’s late night activities
,Michael Martin
Google And Blog
@moneyenergy
Fascinating, this new twitter culture… I’m still a bit new on Twitter so have only just been learning about RTs and still don’t know about “following feeds” – I have some catching up to do – interesting, though, I am finding I prefer Twitter to other social media like Facebook – I like the more active, wider-network feeling available on Twitter, whereas Facebook seems to anchored to clicque-ish, close-circle social modules – anyone else agree/disagree? (Sorry, don’t mean to take it off topic.)
@marioremedios
Wow, very nice post. As a new twitter user myself, I’m always looking for ways to improve my experience. Thanks for sharing!
@katemorris
Proving again how fantastically intelligent my good friend Joanna is … no seriously. I hadn’t thought about “You need to engage your followers or your tweet will fall on blind eyes.” Going to mental note that one, can’t count how many times I have sent something out, gotten nothing … and it’s because I wasn’t active at that time. Nice one lady. Thanks!!
@hectorhenry17
Than you for the pots, and of course for the recomendations.
@ganeshsrinivas
Handy tool. Can be pretty useful..