Photo courtesy of Creative Tools via Flickr
As more people are discovering the power of social networking and jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, the social media landscape is becoming cluttered. Check out these common Twitter mistakes and then take a look at your own tweets to see if you’re making any.
1. It’s all about ME! Wait…
Sharing your “stuff” is OK, but you should also be sharing other people’s “stuff.” I stick to the rule of thirds… 1/3 of your time should be spent producing new content, 1/3 of your time should be spent listening, and 1/3 of your time should be spent engaging. A few “I’m so cool I make the ice cubes shiver” tweets are OK, but if you’re constantly updating followers on what you’re wearing, eating, etc. they will eventually un-follow you. People like it when you’re more interested in them than yourself…even if you fake it.
2. Do you have a personality?
Being professional in the professional world is a good thing, but in the social media realm, users want you to be personal. Make sure your tweets are interesting enough to let your followers know who you are, but balance your personal tweets with tweets that interact with your followers. Tweets should be informative, but still have personality. We are all humans so speak like one using real life context. Getting personal with your followers allows you to forge stronger relationships and it allows them to relate to you.
3. Too much self-promoting
If all you are doing is promoting your business, your followers will see this and quickly tire of you, so try and find a balance between posting informative posts along with promotional posts. Be warm and friendly in your tweets and send them out in moderation. You don’t want to inundate your followers feed. They may think you are creating noise rather than value. It’s about listening to what others are saying, thoughtfully engaging others in conversation and having real conversations with real people. So build real contacts and connections.
4. Not enough value
Providing value is the key to getting people to trust you. Share links you find interesting, answer questions, share inspiring quotes, or share a picture. When you put a link out, make sure to put a description with it. Never just tweet a link. Followers may think you’re a spammer. Try and post information throughout the day since different users will be accessing Twitter at different times. Think about what you would like to receive before tweeting.
5. Un RT-able tweets
Character space is limited and you should maximize the channel whenever possible. As a general rule, if you want your tweet to be easily retweetable, make it no more than 120 characters including the link. It can be challenging, but just take the time to think outside the box. Use 4 instead of “for”, & instead of “and”, @ instead of “at”, U instead of “you”, etc. There’s always a way to shorten a tweet. And don’t forget to use a URL shortener! Not only will it cut down on characters, but you will also be able to track the impact you have. There are a bunch out there including bit.ly, Tiny URL, and Google URL shortener to name a few.
Bonus Twitter Tip!
Have you heard of a #hashtag?
To create a hashtag, all you do is add the # sign in front of a word…any word. For example, a simple way to follow the Royal Wedding is to click the hashtag #royalwedding and read the tweet timeline. Everyone who uses that particular hashtag will appear in the timeline. The hastag is a powerful tool but you don’t want to create one that is too long or use one that is already being used. It’s frustrating when you have a thought provoking tweet but have to adjust it because the hashtag won’t fit. It’s also frustrating when you create a great hashtag related to your brand, only to find out that someone else is using it. Do yourself a favor and do your research before you start using a hashtag.
To be a good Twitter user, just use a little common sense and you will do just fine. These are just some of the most common mistakes. As you use Twitter yourself, you will see other mistakes that you can add to your own list.
