What the Twit? (Twitter Tips)

I see a lot of people comparing it to Facebook these days, but it’s really not like Facebook at all, if you ask me!

So what’s the deal with Twitter?..

I’m going to share with you some info on Twitter as well as some of my top Twitter tips to help you get your arms around the subject and start making some headway with this cool tool. See, if you want to really be in business you need a LIST, as you know…Twitter holds astounding potential to help you with that, so…

If you’re just starting out, these Twitter tips will be very helpful for you…

Twitter Tip #1

Got Tweet?

Know why you’re here! Twitter tip #1 is to help you understand this! So let’s ask the question that many have asked before:

What in the heck is Twitter for anyway?

Twitter is a social media tool! Why social, you say?? Simple. People like to be social and popular! Twitter provides a forum where this huge world can seem a bit smaller, making it very easy for people to connect with other people or resources that they’re interested in. Twitter gives us an opportunity to “at a glance” absorb or share information quickly. This broadens our ability to communicate with the world at large which opens the doors to many things under the umbrellas of spreading awareness, gaining knowledge, and solving problems.

Twitter creates an environment where “LISTENING” (or reading) becomes a helpful way to begin any activity. (More on “listening” to come…this may be our theme for effective Twitter use.) 

There’s a constant stream of info here for us which we may sort and filter. To interact with it, Twitter has given us a limit of 140 character messages. This makes our outgoing messages concise, giving us the ability to quickly engage conversations that are action oriented and productive. Think of it sort of like “speed dating.”

Twitter Tip #2

Click to enlarge

Name it right!

One of the best Twitter tips I can share with you is the mini-step that you can easily do before you come up with your Twitter name. On the signup page, you will see a “Search” bar where you can type in your own name and see if it may be coming up anywhere. It’s always possible that someone has reserved your name before – this is a very big world we live in. 

Click on the Thumbnail to the left here to see Twitter tip #2 in action… this is a search I did on my own name “Catherine Alexandra.” As you can see on the right sidebar of the image, there are other people named Catherine Alexandra. It’s helpful to know what names are being used before you pick one for yourself so you can get the closest to ideal match as possible for yourself. ***When I registered, the exact username I wanted was all ready in use, so I opted for a variation of my own name and went with: alexandra_cath *** You will see Twitter usernames referenced with an “@” before the name (e.g. @alexandra_cath) This is a shorthand that Twitter uses to reference that the username is one that is being used on the Twitter network.

Doing a little research, as illustrated in this Twitter tip #2, you will begin working with Twitter in a highly effective way. The word to keep in mind here is “LISTEN.”

Twitter Tip #3

SMILE!! =)

Personalize!

So now that we know why we’re on Twitter and how to name ourselves, we want to make sure that we’re putting our best foot forward (or “face” as the case may be). This Twitter tip is about setting up a proper profile using a real photo of yourself (preferably a photo where we may see your face).

Ultimately, to make any real connections here, you’re going to want to put yourself out there as a real person and not just some faceless person or company. ***Again, think “speed dating”***

Click to enlarge

I also recommend customizing your profile so that you link back to your blog or website and include a little blurb that shares something fun about why you’re on Twitter in the first place. There are lots of free tools you can use online to create a nice background image to include in your Twitter page and this is also something you should pay attention to! In the extra spaces, you can optimize your impact on Twitter by showing your company logo, photo of yourself, and also different ways that people may contact you! A simple search like this one HERE will pull up all kinds of different sources to help you design this part of your profile.

Twitter Tip #4

Be interesting and engage!

Yeah, I realize that this Twitter tip may sound simplistic here, but think of it this way…You’re on Twitter to engage in meaningful snippet conversations with others. Consider what may be interesting to the people who you want to communicate with – herein lies the solution to getting yourself acclimated with Twitter. This is also going to help you start to build up a nice following of people who will grow to enjoy and trust you. The end goal is to build a nice list of folks who you can engage with and who will perhaps take a self-directed interest in what you have to offer!

Click to enlarge

One of the great features about Twitter is the “Search” feature. You can really get an idea of what the *BUZZ* is by doing searches. You will also notice in the sidebar on the right hand side of your Twitter feed that there’s an area called “Trends.” You’ll see some topics listed there which are hyperlinked (some of which carry the “#” symbol – or “hashtag”). This is what’s HOT right now. It’s what people are talking about. If you pay attention to this, you’ll get a feel for what conversation is picking up traction right now and this should give you a great starting place for entering into or starting conversations. Think in terms of what people are currently focusing their attention on at this time. Think in questions that you may ask to the Twitter world about their impressions of things that are currently hot or trending in conversations.

Twitter Tip #5

Reciprocate!

Twitter is meant to be conversational (brief, yes, but conversational nonetheless). You have 140 characters at your disposal to “tweet” back and forth with people. Be careful about straight pitching to your audience – this kind of tactic is generally ill received b. y the masses and it does nothing to inspire trust or banter with the real people who are on Twitter to connect, share, and learn. Twitter tip #5 is all about the act of connecting!

Click to enlarge

Reply to and re-tweet (A.K.A. “RT@”) other people’s tweets which you enjoy or want to share. Try to reply or re-tweet at least 5 times the amount of personal tweets you make. This kind of behaviour is going to get you some gratitude and help you make some friends on Twitter because most people on Twitter are looking to share their own messages – when you help them to do that by showing your appreciation for what they’ve shared, you begin to build up your following as well as your friends list.

Part of this Twitter tip is making sure to leave about 20 characters free in your tweets (you have 140 characters to use, so let’s say your tweets are abbreviated down to around 120 characters apiece). Why? Well, this gives people room to re-tweet your message while keeping the message intact. See, everytime someone RT’s (re-tweets) something you tweeted, additional space in the 140 character allotment will be absorbed by the “@your_username” which is automatically inserted prior to the message itself.

As you are building up your list of friends, make lists. This will categorize your friends so you can find them easily by whatever name or topic you sort them into...and, people LOVE to be listed!! 

Don’t feel obligated to read each and every tweet you see. Get into the habit of scanning for relevance to you and simply reply with relevance. This is basically the habit here for the most part – listening and sharing.

If you want to REALLY dive in and get more Twitter tips showing how to attract 5-10 targeted FREE business leads daily, fill out the form below and I’ll send you my FREE Twitter Training! I get at least 10 leads per day from this alone!

AND…If you enjoyed these Twitter tips, you may also enjoy my tips for Facebook here.

This FREE Twitter Training will Teach you how to get 10-15 FREE Leads for your Business each Day!

Name:

Email:

Phone:

Powered by AWeber Autoresponders

We respect your email privacy

(Opt-in to get Instant Access to this Twitter Training for FREE!)

If you enjoyed this article or found it helpful, share it with others and leave me a comment!