be an effective follower on twitter

BE AN EFFECTIVE FOLLOWER ON

Social Media Matters

Connect on LinkedIn, and

The Alternative Board BLOG, &National Events page of TAB’s website.

Twitter is 100 99% public.

“Tweets” (updates made on Twitter) are limited to 140 characters (including spaces).

RT – ReTweet, or Share, a Tweet to your followers.

@ - mentioning or directing a Tweet at another user.

# - calling out a keyword or topic to make the Tweet more searchable.

D - turn a Tweet into a Direct Message, which is private; can only be sent to a user who follows you.

Twitter… a few basics.

Is your Twitter name (“handle”) logical and easy to remember?

Have you selected a decent background, or uploaded one of your own?

Do you have Profile and Header Images uploaded? Do they compliment each other and promote visibility of your Profile information?

Have you completed your profile bio? (160 characters)

Twitter… how do you look?

Your goal on Twitter is have RELEVANT FOLLOWERS… especially if they ReTweet, Mention, Favorite, or Click on your Tweets.

In turn, your Twitter profile can FOLLOW other relevant Twitter users.

You can protect your TWEETS for specific followers to see.

Include links in Tweets whenever possible – give your followers something to click on.

Craft your Twitter profile to align with your other web presence(s): website design, logo, keyword or common name.

Twitter… a few followers.

“Brevity is the soul of wit… and Twitter.

Twitter Takeaway:

“

Keep It Brief:

Use “&” instead of “and”

Use single spaces between sentences (yes, it’s OK).

Use link-shrinkers: ow.ly, bit.ly, etc.

Try to only use up to 120 characters for your Tweet; it makes ReTweeting easier for others.

Following More vs. Following Less

You may choose to follow (almost) every user who follows you*.

You may choose to follow only Twitter users whose Tweets you wish to regularly see.

Follow More Twitter Users

Follow Less Twitter Users

Do not follow “aggressively,” or

you may be flagged as a

spammer. Take it slow.

So who should I follow?

Your CUSTOMERS.

Your BUSINESS CONNECTIONS.

Your COMPETITORS (or, instead, monitor them as a Keyword)

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS related to your business.

BUSINESSES run by people you know, or people within your network (Email contacts, or LinkedIn Connections)

No matter if you’re following everyone or a select few, Twitter Lists can help you organize the masses.

Twitter Lists

Should I follow everyone who follows me? Things to consider…

Your Twitter Feed can become swamped with updates by any active user you are following… whether their content is relevant to you or not.

Unless you have protected your Tweets, you may wind up following a user who is irrelevant or, worse, unsavory to your brand.

If you reserve your follows for certain users, you can make it more complimentary or meaningful as a way of engaging.

OK, why should I not follow everyone who follows me?

Your “Following” list is public to anyone who visits your Twitter profile.

Back to the compliment or meaning of “following;” it will mean more if you are selective in subscribing to Twitter users and their Tweets.

Your goal in following others is to engage, not garner huge numbers of followers who are meaningless to your messaging.

•Do what works best for your brand.•Before your follow, check out the Twitter profile: their timeline (Tweets), bio, and who they are following.

Who should you follow?

“It’s not about how many followers you can get; it’s about how many relevant followers you can get.

Twitter Takeaway:

“clicktotweet.com

Is your Twitter handle in your email signature?

Do you have your Twitter handle or link on your website and/or blog?

If you’re on LinkedIn, have you connected your Twitter account?

Twitter… final thoughts.

Email Rmoore@TheAlternativeBoard.com

Questions?