Twitter has really changed my life….before Twitter I was lonely, felt unconnected and had lost a lot of confidence. But one day when my sister introduced me to twitter because I had a business, I embraced this new world and started to make new friends from all over the world. I became really good at it, took to it like a duck to water! And so now I have put together some tips just for you.
1. When you create your account, your username should be similar to your brand e.g. I am @Tweetinggoddess on Twitter and that is the name of my buisness! That way, every time you tweet something, your brand is also coming up!
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. Also, 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.
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.
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
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.
7. 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…..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.
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…There are lots of Mums on Twitter in the mornings I’ve noticed and a very active group on twitter in the evenings so I tweet a lot when the kids go to bed.
You will get to know which groups will be where, the more you interact and tweet. I do most of my tweeting in the evenings because to be honest I don’t have much of a social life as I am separated with two children, so twitter is now my social life! But I can honestly say that 4 of my best friends I actually met on twitter!! So if you see #Tweetups being advertised, do go along to them. (These are meet ups for people on twitter so you actually get to meet the people you are tweeting with)
All of these tips are just how I use twitter. I am sure there are many more formal ways, but this is just how I use it. The most important things for me are interact, interact, interact and Engage, Engage, Engage!!
No one is going to be interested in what you have got to say, if you aren’t interested in them! Be genuine also, 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.
So what are you waiting for? There is a whole new world on Twitter waiting to meet you!
Sam x