Twitter has changed my whole life. Yes really! I began using twitter when I had my first business ‘Funky Goddess’ and used to log on at night when the children had gone to bed. Luckily for me this is one of the busiest times on Twitter (From 9-11pm) so I started chatting at first, connecting with like minded people and then built new relationships and it went from there!
I now have over 46k followers and am an influencer and thought leader. Wow! Who would have thought that would happen? How did I do it? Well I will share my top ten tips on what worked for me and what is still working until today. I am an international speaker and author now too! Here are some tips to help YOU become a thought leader in what you do and boost your social media profile that you can implement Today.
1. Choose a username that reflects your brand and your character. On Twitter you can be a bit more relaxed than Linkedin for example. If you specialise in Yoga there is no reason why you can’t call yourself ‘TheYogaLady’ for instance. If YOU are your brand, use your own name. If you already have a brand name then try to get that brand name into your username.
2. Start by following people who would be interested in what you do! For example if you are a chef and blog about food, follow people who love to cook, or who write about food! journalists are always good ones to follow I find. Or check out #foodies (this # symbol highlights groups or popular topics on twitter at the moment so always check your ‘trending subjects and see what is popular today!
3. Follow people or friends who you know are already on twitter and who have a reputation for Re-tweeting or supporting the work that you are doing. Like minded people or other small business owners will usually support one another, especially if they are part of the Women's inspire network. This community really thrives on the sharing is caring ethos. It is good Twitter etiquette to thank people when they follow you (but keep away from the automated direct messages …just thank them in public). Also, you don’t have to follow everyone back but do check them out and see if they are interesting…then follow them back. I follow about half of my followers back. But every now and then I do a clean up using Manage Flitter
4. Tweet interesting tweets, If it is a beautiful morning where you are, say it!! If you come across as positive, people will gravitate towards you. Tweet about what you do e.g. if you are a chef say something like ‘We are looking forward to cooking our new prawn special today, juicy prawns so fresh from the market!’ Get people’s attention. If you are tweeting good content and interesting tips or articles you are much more likely to increase your chance of Retweets and followers will increase as a result. Start a blog. Share your knowledge like I am doing here.
5. Tweet about some personal stuff too, like if your daughter loses her tooth, say that you have the tooth fairy coming! I gaurantee you will get replies to that one, because others can identify with it. If there is something in the news, comment on it. Authenticity is so important in Twitter land. People love to connect with positive and REAL people. And don’t forget, people buy from people. In fact Twitter folk are over 80% more likely to buy from a small business owner they have engaged with on Twitter.
6. Read the tweets of those who you are following and if you see something that you feel your own followers would like, then Re-tweet it! The person who put the tweet up will instantly get a notification that you have done this, so you are already getting attention from them and they will most likely RT you when you need one. Be Genuine. No one is going to be interested in what you have got to say, if you aren’t interested in them! People can sense when someone is a bit false or insincere and prefer honesty. I tend to mix my business tweets with some personal stuff that is going on, and I also use humour a lot.
7. Keep away from Controversy….keep the conversation positive. When commenting on things that are in the news, don’t get too controversial. You want to attract positive people who will support you not start arguing with you! Also if people are challenging you, this will be noticed by others and your brand will be associated with arguing….even if you are right, just stop commenting and leave the conversation.
8. If you wish to comment on something or say things a little more personal, use the DM or direct message section. This way only you or the other person will see it.
9. Interact Interact Interact…..Engage, Engage, Engage.....for example, if you see someone is having a bad day, ask them about it, or just simply say. ‘Aw sorry to hear you are having a hard time, sending you a hug’ or something like that. (Ok Lads, I know you won’t be saying that but something similar would be something like ‘hang in there’ or ‘tomorrow is a new day). This makes the person feel like you care and makes them feel less lonely and understood. Believe me, there are a lot of people out there that just want to be heard. Twitter is ALL about people and building relationships.
10. Tweet!!! It is as simple as that!! I tweet in the morning and at lunchtime, then in the afternoons I check in to see what is happening…Then check your notifications in the evenings and see what's happening. Twitter is a great discovery platform to find out what's new and happening in real time. If Twitter isn't where your audience are, then learn how to use the other platforms effectively. I can show you how to use all of them with the help of my team.
There are lots of other hashtag conversations you can get involved in. So use the search box, check out what is trending and jump in if it’s relevant to you or a chat that is specifically for promoting business. e.g. #Womensinspire #irishhealthhour #Belfasthour #louthchat #irishweddingchat check them out.
If you need help learning how to use Twitter correctly, get in touch. My live video calls are really effective and helpful. Check out my Boost your social media profile program or Fast track your way to Success program here