Yesterday I posted a reader question looking for your Top 3 Twitter Tips. The answers were quite varied, but here are some of my personal favorites that came in:
- Don’t tweet & drink- it is worse than drunk dialing. @recruitnik
- Engage people around you. @ reply them, FollowFriday them, talk with them. You get a lot more out of Twitter when you engage. @jbwagner
- Don’t be one of those obnoxious “auto thank you” people. @jessicawaters
- Don’t answer Twitter’s question of what are you doing? Unless you’re mega-famous, nobody care’s what you’re doing. @robneville73
- Forget “monetizing” (other things are more important – and that’s not a real word, anyway). @SpikeTheLobster
[Though I disagree that it's not a "real word" - I do agree that it's best kept off Twitter. - Lara] - Don’t make it all about you and your company and don’t post the same type of update over and over. @timeontaskva
- Use TweetDeck to filter your followers. @pereca
If you have more Top 3 Twitter Tips to add, please feel free to do so here or on the original post.
@MarkMayhew
“don’t answer Twitter’s question ‘What are you doing’” might be the dumbest thing I have ever read on the ‘net.
Mark, the reason I included it is because I believe it’s referring to the mundane answers people give to that question.
“Cleaning the litterbox, then going to the store to by more litter.”
“Drinking green tea with honey.”
“Thinking about my girlfriend.”
Sure, if what you’re doing is something interesting that could engage your followers… by all means post it. Otherwise you’re cluttering up others’ streams with drivel.
@LetsJustDance_1
I agree with Mark. “What are you doing” is the FOUNDATION STONE of Twitter. It’s where ALL the conversations, interests and followings begin. That tip should be deleted. I’m sure you have a good tip to replace it.
@magickalrealism
I’m with Mark on this one – when you Twitter, you HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. I’ve started off some good conversations when I mention what tea I’m drinking – swapped recipes, the whole bit. There is a point – usually scatalogical – where I just don’t want to know, but for the most part people who are doing things are far more interesting than people who are twittering just to take up space.
@tweeminence
Great tips! I would add that while Twitter isn’t an optimal medium for monetization, it is a great medium for funneling leads that can be monetized…and it can grow your list virally.
For example, run a giveaway related to your content where people have to join your email list to enter. Then offer extra entries if they retweet about it.
@marketlikeachik
Nice tips! I’d add using Twitter search & #hashtags to find conversations & peeps talking about what you’re interested in or your niche. If you have something in common it’s much easier to find something to talk about.
@vlb
No, no no. Twitter may be about “what are you doing” for the first week. After that, it’s all about “What are you thinking?” and “What do you want to know?” and “What do you want to share?”. “What are you Doing?” is a terrible question and it makes people who don;t understand Twitter think Twitter is mundane. It’s long past time to retire that question. Most of us who have used Twitter for a while ignore the question entirely.
@billso
1. Retweet, retweet, retweet those quality tweets you wish you had posted.
2. Always check that short link before you RT it. You don’t want to RT a 404 or malware link.
3. When you get Twitter spam, send that tweet’s Twitter URL along with the username to DM spam – Seesmic can do this in one step, so I just favorite the spam if I’m in another client, then process and unfav it when I get to Seesmic. Afterwards, you can unfollow and block the username if you wish.
@srpatterson
I like to direct message mentors when they post interesting tweets about topics I have been working on.
@dawntrenee
IMHO it’s okay to post about the mundane tasks you are doing, as long as that is not all you post and not a minute by minute run down of your entire day. Sometimes what you are doing is business related or might start a conversation with someone new.
Now my tip:
Offer tips and quotes that will be helpful or intriguing to followers.
@gdan
I joined Twitter and when I saw the question “What are you doing”, I stopped because I was thinking “who cares”.
I took me few months to understand and realize that Twitter is a great learning tool.
Select, check it out and disseminate good information.
After all, does it match your lifestyle?
@starsandfrogs
I try to follow the rule: If you wouldn’t say it openly at a bus stop you probably shouldn’t tweet it.
@onviolence
The “what are you doing” stereotype of twitter is easily the most pervasive and incorrect thing non-user think about the site. Strange.
Hi,
Here are a few more -
1. Search Twitter bios
2. Search other’s followers
3. Search for other users on WeFollow
4. Follow relevant hashtags and phrases
Twitter Search Tips For B2B Marketers
I agree with you. I like to direct message mentors when they post interesting tweets about topics I have been working on.