Here are 5 things I wish I had known about Twitter when I started tweeting several years ago:
1. You don’t have to read your Twitter feed, or even a small portion of it.
I glance at my feed a few times throughout the day but never make a point of actually reading it. I’ve discovered much quicker ways of finding and sharing helpful content, like using my Google Reader and Google Alerts and creating Twitter lists of people whose content I want to share.
2. No one cares about what time you got up, what you ate for lunch or when you’re logging off Twitter for the day.
These kinds of tweets add to the noise. They serve no useful purpose. Stop writing about this.
3. Twitter isn’t a numbers game and the person with the most followers does not automatically win.
If only a sliver my more than 20,000 followers cares about what I tweet, and most of your 300 followers hang on your every word, you could be much more successful on Twitter than I am.
4. You can use Twitter to communicate with people, including journalists, who might not otherwise respond to your email or phone call.
The best way to get in front of influential people and start a conversation with them is to follow them and ask them direct questions on Twitter about their areas of expertise, or retweet their content.
5. Use Twitter for business only.
It’s easy to waste time on Twitter. That’s why it’s imperative that if you want to use it to build your business, you use it ONLY for business.
Trying to maintain two accounts—one for personal and one for business—will cut into the time you can spend promoting your business expertise. If you want to communicate with your friends, use a site like Facebook.
Those are only five of several dozen tips I’ll be sharing when I host the webinar Twitter for Beginners: A Step-by-Step, Can’t-Fail System for Experts and Influencers (and Those Who Want to Be).” It’s at 3 p. m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Aug. 4. Everyone who registers will receive a helpful handout that’s a mini Twitter dictionary filled with Twitter definitions you need to know.
This Twitter 101 webinar is perfect for Publicity Hounds who manage their own Twitter accounts and for PR people who are training clients on how to manage theirs. Read about what you’ll be able to do after the webinar, and register.
Another important practice to avoid is going wildly off topic. If you’ve presented your account as being fun and entertaining avoid heavy, depressing topics. Some personal tweets may be acceptable if they tell us more about the mind behind the good stuff. But excessive off topic tweets will get you un-followed in a hurry.
Phyllis, that’s a good point. That’s why people with two very different and unrelated target audiences should set up two accounts–one for one audience and one for the other.
Joan’s seminars are always top notch. She and her guests give more hands on, things to do immediately information than any other webinars I’ve attended.
Also the handouts and other great stuff that accompanies the webinars is a gold mine
Run, don’t walk to join this webinar if you’ve found Twitter as confusing as me!
My assistants created the handout that’s part of this webinar: a Twitter dictionary of sorts, complete with definitions, Twitter slang and Twitter shorthand.
I agree with 2 & 3 but not the rest.
Reading your feed is a reflection of the people you are following. If it is not worth reading, you’re following the wrong people. How do you expect to connect with influential people on Twitter at a personal level if you don’t know what they’re tweeting?
Retweeting will not get you noticed by influential people. Commenting on their tweets and, in particular, disagreeing with them will (works well with politicians….).
Many of us are not able to separate our lives into “business” and “personal”, especially those of us who are passionate about our careers and research. A more personal approach will get you far more quality followers than a business only model, that can just get you blocked as spam.
You can stay on top of what influential people and others who you want to follow closely are saying by creating lists, and reading those feeds, not the general feed.
Many tweeters prefer to combine both business and personal tweets, which is fine. But if you’re using it only for business, as I am, it’s far more efficient to use your time tracking down helpful articles, photos, video and other content to share, to establish your expertise.
I disagree on #2. I use Twitter heavily for communicating with my college students. We share resource links and discuss assignments, and the students ask me questions about course material. I DO tell them when I’m signing off for the day because they may want to ask me a question and I feel it’s only fair to let them know I won’t be responding until the next day. I realize that makes me more accessible to students than many faculty want to be, but it works for me and my students.
Your situation is different, and in this case, it’s fine to tell them when you’re signing off.
But many on Twitter feel the need to let their audiences know what they are doing every waking moment, including when they are going to bed.
[…] 5 things they never tell Twitter newbies, but should July 31, 2011 […]
Hey! I didn’t know these things. Thanak you! I’m quite a lover of Twitter. 🙂
[…] “5 things they never tell Twitter newbies, but should” by Joan Stewart (@PublicityHound on twitter) […]
Thanks for posting this Joan. Are you planning another Twitter webinar for beginners? I checked my calendar and then I checked the dates on the timeline and realized this occurred last August. I agree 100% with the background noise #2. That’s not value based at all. Have a great day!
Sherri, I don’t have another Twitter for Beginners webinar on the calendar. But the replay of this one is available for purchase. You can see the details at http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/twitterforbeginners.htm
[…] The other day someone sent me this link, which I suppose makes sense if you don’t actually WANT to spend your whole life reading Tweets about The Apprentice (what’s wrong with you?), but I found kind of depressing. https://publicityhound.com/blog/5-things-they-never-tell-twitter-newbies-but-should/ […]