Of late, the Interwebs have been all a-twitter about, well, how to effectively use Twitter. We’ve seen posts by Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) about how to become a re-tweet magnet and Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki) and how he tweets; Mashable (@mashable) has list upon list of best practices & tips for use of the micro-blogging site. What’s the best way? We’re told to be “transparent”, “authentic”, “significant” … it’s enough to make anyone’s head explode.
With every ounce of respect going to guys like Chris & Guy, they’d been well-established voices in the realm of Social Media for a long time before Twitter was even a glimmer in Jack Dorsey’s (@jack) eye. People would clamor to hear what they were saying no matter what the forum.
So, if you’re not a member of the so-called Twitterati, do the same rules apply? If you’re just starting out, what can you do to to get YOUR voice heard? What’s the RIGHT way? I’ll tell you what: I haven’t been around all that long, but I’ve learned a heckuva lot about what to do and, just as important, what NOT to do.
- Sign Up. Seems simple enough, right? Choosing a username can be as easy as using your actual name, or that of your company, but if yours is on the long side, you might want to consider a catchy, shorter one (remember: you only have 140 characters to play with; you don’t want them to get swallowed up by your name).
- Find Some Friends. Do you have friends or coworkers who are using Twitter? Check out their feeds. If what they’re saying interests you, follow them. Find people in your field whose opinions you respect. Follow them. See who those people are following. Follow them, too.
- A Thought About Following & Followers. Don’t worry about the numbers. Sure, you can go out and get umpteen thousand people to follow you, but to what end? Do those numbers give you any more significance? Do they mean anything? Do they add value? I submit, and I think most will agree, that looking for quality over quantity is what’s important. If you’re adding something of value, people WILL follow you. It might take time, but it’ll happen. Patience, Grasshopper.
- Sit Back & LISTEN. When you’re first starting out, don’t worry so much about what to say. You’ll get to that. There are plenty of people who’ve been using Twitter for a lot longer than you have. Think of it like arriving late to a cocktail party. Lots of conversations are already in progress. It would be rude to just jump in and start spouting your opinion, right? Well, the same holds true here.
- @ Your Heart Out. When you see people using notations like @startabuzz (that’s me), they’re mentioning someone, or replying to something they’ve said. Do that. Did you read a post that you liked? Tweet something like “@briansolis Thought-provoking post today. Right on!” People work hard on the posts they write. They like to know that others are actually reading and digesting what they’ve said.
- Be A ReTweeting Rockstar. Did you read something you’d like to share? Retweet it! This means to share a particular tweet with YOUR sphere of influence; to share the love. With most Twitter applications except, ironically, Twitter itself, you can click a button that will put “RT” at the head of any particular tweet. The originator of the tweet will see that their words are getting some attention, and you’re spreading something that’s of value to you. HINT: People won’t do this for you if you don’t do it for them. Remember that.
- What Was That? Oh, YOU had something to say? OK. Spit it out! Not sure how to say it? Not sure WHAT to say? Well, what has your attention today? Twitter is about a lot more than telling people what you ate for breakfast. What are you thinking about? Did you read something interesting? Try a great new product? Talk about what’s important to you.
- Be Real, Authentic, Transparent (Insert Buzz Word Here). No matter what word people are using to describe it on any given day, what it boils down to is simply being yourself. This doesn’t mean telling everyone that you suffer from an unfortunate digestive condition, nor of its effects, but rather … being conversational.
- Exercise Your Inner Monologue. This, I think, is one of the most important things to remember. You don’t need to tweet about every nanosecond of your day. Being forced to filter through an endless stream of noise and chatter will put you on the fast track to getting unfollowed. Don’t constantly tell people how awesome you are. No one cares. Don’t get drunk with your friends and tweet about your latest booty call. No one wants to hear about it.
- Enjoy Yourself. Twitter is fun. You should enjoy it. You can learn a lot, make friends, generate new business and have a good time.
Twitter is a powerful tool that can help your business, organize your personal life, bring attention to worthy causes. It can spread news like wildfire, and draw attention to important social matters. Use it well, young Jedi.
