How to use Twitter - Top 10 Tips

#1. Spend a few minutes on Twitter each day.

If you don’t log in to your Twitter account on a daily basis then you are effectively refusing to listen to your audience. This is the hard and fast rule and why I’ve placed it as the #1 tip.  You don’t have to sit online all day, but take at least a few minutes and tweet a couple of things your followers will find valuable. Check for mentions and respond.  Ten minutes of your time could make the difference between an effective Twitter account and one that appears stagnant.

Remember: It’s important that you don’t let a day pass without at least checking in and seeing if anyone has mentioned you in a tweet.

#2. Respond to @ mentions in a reasonable time.

This goes hand in hand with tip #1 but deserves a bigger mention. When someone @replies your account, you shouldn’t let their words go unheard. These are potential customers/followers, and they’re vital to the growth of your brand. Get back to them and show that there is reward in following your account.

Remember: Being on top of your mentions shows that you care about your Twitter presence and the people that follow you.

#3. Stop spewing spam. 

Twitter is a great way to promote your brand, but if you’re too vocal, people will delete very quickly. Go ahead and promote, but walk the line between promotion and spamming very carefully.

Remember: This is about engagement. Don’t turn up to the party and just talk about yourself.

#4. Pay attention to mentions of your brand & engage.

People are talking about your brand on Twitter right now so why are you not getting involved in the conversation? Use Twitter search tools to find out what people are saying about your brand. Use them as if your Twitter success depends upon them, because it does.

Remember: The more conversations you’re able to contribute to, the more people will take notice.

#5. Tweet valuable information.

Be original with your tweets and provide value.

Remember: Make your Twitter account the primary source of information about your brand on Twitter.

#6. Do not send automatic direct messages when someone follows you. 

When I follow an account and I get a DM a few hours later asking me to like their Facebook page it fills me with rage.  Why is the first message from an account asking me to do something? I just followed you!!

Remember: If you want to thank your followers for following, do it personally. Sure, it takes more time, but make a connection.  

#7. NO LOGOS!! Be a human. 

Humans, not logos, create connections. Twitter is social, so show your face!

Remember: Be real and create authenticity. It doesn’t matter how cool or edgy your logo is if you can’t create a connection with other Twitter users.

#8. Manage crises calmly and with understanding. 

You’re not always going to hear what you want about your business or industry. Kindness rules all, even if you receive comments that are less than amicable. If there was a mistake on your part, acknowledge it and apologize for it. Do what you can to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If it’s a difference of opinion, be open to hearing the other side.

Remember: Don't take things personally.  Never resort to harsh words or indifference toward negative comments.  Twitter is a very public forum, you can't afford to get in an argument for all to see.

#9. Re-tweet and share the message of others.

We all want to be re-tweeted, but in order to heighten our chances of that happening, we need to share the content and message of others first. If you re-tweet someone often enough, they’ll remember you and likely follow you. That’s when they’ll probably return the favor by re-tweeting your content.

Remember: Sharing is an important part of building Twitter relationships.

#10. Don’t put your eggs in one basket. 

Twitter is great for networking, promotion and interaction, but it’s not a savior in and of itself. It’s simply a tool. It’s important to recognize that, while social media is showing its true potential in the business world, it’s not going replace other forms of promotion.

Remember: The best plan is a plan that includes a healthy mix of both new and traditional channels of promotion.

More articles on Twitter:
Crisis Management on Twitter
How to Create Twitter Lists
The Importance of Twitter Lists
How to use Twitter - The Pitfalls

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Improve Your EdgeRank Score

So much has been written about social media, how it has 'leveled the playing field,' but inevitably the floodgates opened and a million ‘Gurus’ hit the scene armed with a million Facebook pages. Being able to reach thousands of people online using small budgets was an amazing development, but as our News Feeds were bombarded with status update after status update and our Twitter feeds filled with a million salesmen shouting their latest deals, marketing just seemed, well, dull and uninspiring. Publicity was becoming a cheap discipline (and I'm not talking dollars and cents here). We were all becoming rather despondent.

Never underestimate your audience!

The public soon got wise. They started to block the Facebook pages they had 'liked' from appearing in their News Feeds. They began to delete those Twitter profiles that were spamming with no fear of receiving an 'unfollow' in return. Suddenly numbers, the amount of followers one had, became an ineffective way to monitor just how effective ones outreach truly was. Brands could have a thousand followers on Twitter but how many people were actually reading their Tweets? Analytics are just beginning to catch up, but that's not the focus of this article.

“Content is King” – A cliché for a reason. 

This is why I love EdgeRank so much. It is based purely on the quality of content. Nobody wants to read sales pitch after sales pitch, but they may like to see a great video. They may like to even be a part of that video. Nobody wants to be ignored, but they may like to join a debate on the latest logo design for your company. They may even like to vote on what your updated logo will be. Hell, they may even like to upload their own design for your next logo. Ahhhh the ideas and the interaction...the ENGAGEMENT. This is what it's all about!

4 easy ways to improve your EdgeRank score.

1) If it’s interaction they want then lets give it to them! 

A status update just isn’t going to cut it in the age of EdgeRank. Before you post anything, status or video, ask yourself if there is room for interaction. Does the video inspire the audience to comment? Is it unique, asking a question, controversial even? Is there a Call To Action (CTA)? This can be as simple as asking when you post a video or photo what people think of it.

Above & Below: Two great examples of CTA in place. However, note the difference in comment volume.

2) If you don’t have time to create loads of fresh content, share some links. Become a resource! 

Since you are busy why not post some links on your page? Links require interaction, as users have to click on the link to view. Again, leave a CTA that encourages opening the link and leaving thoughts/comments.

Above: Robin Van Persie, a Dutch soccer star, often posts links to relevant news regarding his team. 42 comments aren’t bad considering it probably took about 30 seconds to post a link on the page.

3) Don’t be afraid to spell out your CTA! 

Don’t be afraid to ask users to share objects or click on the Like button—especially if you’re new to Facebook. It can take a little while for a Facebook page to gain momentum. Anything you can do to help it along will only speed the process.

4) Start a conversation. 

Ever notice how controversial content on Facebook can generate comment after comment? People love to debate and discuss hot issues. Make your fan page a place for constructive discussion on the latest industry topics. Although this approach takes careful management, objects from a fan page filled with healthy discussion are more likely to receive a higher EdgeRank. 

Right: Coldplay have started over 1747 discussions on their page. We all love a good rant, so why not get people started!

EdgeRank

There are many other ways to increase your EdgeRank and we are learning everyday. The above four suggestions however are easy to implement and, from my experience, are a great way to ensure your brand’s updates are appearing in those all important News Feeds.

Do you have any other ways in which to increase EdgeRankings?

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How To Create Twitter Lists

Categorizing your Twitter followers into lists takes little effort yet the benefits are ten fold.  So why haven't you started?!  For me the answer was simple, I just never knew how!  Having worked with many clients, (from advising all the way to full content creation) I soon discovered that arranging followers into manageable lists helped focus my activities.

Here follows a step by step guide on how to create lists, both public and private.

Getting Started - Lists

Once you have logged into your Twitter account you will see the Lists option just below the 'What’s happening?' box (where you usually type your Tweets.)

Simply click on the List option and you should see the following:

Once you click on the Create a list option a window will pop up similar to the one below:

Begin by typing the name of your list e.g., family, social media experts, clients, friends etc into the List name box. 

However, a word of warning: The name used in List name will become your list’s URL e.g., twitter.com/username/Family

Even more importantly you will be asked if you want your list to be public or private.  This is equally important.

What's the difference between public lists and private lists?

Public Lists – These lists can be seen by anyone and anyone can follow them. For example, public lists are ideal for recommended follows.

Private Lists – When Twitter says private, they mean private. Only the creator of private lists will be able to see or subscribe to them.  Why would you do this I ask you cry…this list could be used to monitor your competitors activities on Twitter...and you wouldn't want them know to know this now would you?

So this is part one of Twitter Lists.  Soon I will blog about the way you can utilize these lists to increase your productivity on Twitter.

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How To Use Twitter - The Pitfalls

2011

If you take one thing away from this article, please let it be:

I’m guessing most of you read about Chrysler’s little misshape on their Twitter account @ChryslerAutos.  If you didn’t you can check it out HERE and get up to speed.

Now Chrysler isn’t the only big brand to make a mistake on Twitter.  These ‘mistakes’ are happening all of the time and many are much more difficult to resolve than with a simple, “Oh, urm…our account got hacked.” 

Looking into these occurrences I began to question what strategies, if any, these companies have in place regarding their public persona across Social Networks.  I was being forced to ask myself a very important question – Whom should you trust with your Social Marketing?  Who should steer the ship? Who should be Tweeting?

Once a Tweet is sent it is out there (forever if someone takes a screen grab as evidence).  That Tweet serves as a HTML coded monument to your fleeting thought, sudden passion or, in some instances, your sudden rage.  I’ve been both shocked and amused by some of the big mess-ups from major brands on Twitter and it just goes to show that, although appearing an easy/cheap route to reach your client base, Twitter is a very very difficult discipline.

The funniest example I could find (for those not involved anyway) was by one AT&T customer service representative that appeared to ‘go rouge’ on her employers.  Although coming from her own personal Twitter account, Rachael Pracht decided to reply to a journalist regarding an article he had written regarding AT&T’s service.  She took offence responded over Twitter:

“This is bullsh*t, I am an AT&T customer care rep & if I credit every crazy person who called in I’d get fired.” 

Sadly Rachael bit off a little more than she could chew and Siegler decided to screen grab her Tweets and post a full article on the popular website techcrunch.com. Oops Rachael.

So before you give the Twitter account to the tea boy remember that people are actually listening to what ‘you’ have to say.  Once a mess is created it is there and can become a really big headache to cleanup.  Just as those loose lips could sink ships back in 1944 carless Tweeting can damage your Brand Reputation in 2011.

So what guidelines would we suggest?

1)    Do not Tweet anything you would not say directly, face to face, to the person.

2)    Ask yourself, “Am I happy for all my followers to read what I am about to say?”

3)    Double-check your tweets!  (This simple rule can avoid a multitude of sins.) 

So next time you sit down to discuss your Twitter strategy please think carefully.   Who do you trust to be the voice of your company?  In 2011 that voice is active and influential to your brand’s reputation 24/7.

In Conclusion:

Have some guidelines in place.  If the person/s in control of your Twitter account also have a personal account make it plain that neither should meet…EVER.  Or be linked…EVER.  Caution & Common Sense is the mantra.  

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