Top Ten Twitter Do’s and Don’t’

At Coffee Not Included we are huge fans of Twitter, no scrap that, we adore Twitter!  However, as with most things in life there are best practices, rules of the Twitterverse if you will that make the world a much better place for all that reside within.

So, with this in mind below are our Top 10 Tips for Twitter Ettiquette – Enjoy!

 

DON’T:

Be a show off

You’ve only got 140 characters to play with so use them wisely.  Give your Twitter Tribe valuable content, not outrageous claims or endless links to press releases and self promotional material.  A good benchmark for deciding whether it’s worthy of tweeting?  Would you care if you didn’t own the company?  If not? It’s probably not worthy.

Use poor grammar or spelling

Save text speak for your mobile.  It’s tricky but make sure that punctuation is pristine and restrict the use of “lols” and :-) – these are ok now and again to give a human feel but don’t over do it.

Get too personal

There’s a fine balance between maintaining that personal touch and just being plain creepy!  You are a real person but Twitter may not be the best place to comment on someone’s new hair colour or promote your brother’s rock band.  Keep conversations professional and friendly.

Auto Tweet

If you are away from your desk for a lengthy period or on vacation then these would be the only times that I personally would consider setting up automation for tweeting.  Your Twitter Tribe are smart people and can smell automation a mile off.  The whole point of Twitter is to be personally engaging so why not find a social media management tool (I use Seesmic) and have set times for working on social media and respond in real time.

Over Tweet

It may be a medium for 24/7 conversation but don’t wear it out! That’s not a conversation in the true sense of the word and by constantly tweeting it makes it seem as though you are shouting at your followers – not nice!  Your Twitter Tribe won’t thank you for flooding their timelines and will unfollow you just as quickly.

DO:

Remember Your Manners

Shout out to those that mention you in @replies and tweets whether they are #FF  a RT or striking up a conversation, say thank you and share the Twitter love.  Equally if you see something of real interest or importance that other tweeters have to say, RT it yourself.  Users love it when they see their name in a thank you or some sort of twitter appreciation – go on, admit it, you check your “mentions” too ;-)

Monitor Keywords & Competitors

If you see a tweet from someone struggling with an issue with one of your competitors – jump in there really fast.  Remain professional at all times and offer a solution to their angst.  This is an awesome opportunity for you to gain new fans, convert customers and develop a reputation for being knowledgeable and responsive in your industry.

Have an Informative Profile

Make sure that you use your brand whether that is you or your logo as your avatar and give as much concise information as to what you are all about, stating a clear purpose.  Your profiles main link should direct followers to the most relevant and engaging part of your website.

Personally I find it frustrating when people follow me and I like to see what they do, what their interests are, where they are from and their profile gives me a bit fat zero.

Keep The Conversation Flowing

If someone has gone to the trouble of @replying you to strike up conversation please, make sure that you response asap, within a few hours, You wouldn’t walk away from someone on the street who was talking to you so don’t do it on Twitter either.  We’re an inquisitive bunch and you never know where that conversation might lead.

Join the Party

To get the most from Twitter go to where the action is. Find people that fit your particular market – people that inspire you, interest you then look at who follows them – chances are that these people could well be your target market too!  By building relationships this way it may not get you a direct connection with someone interested in your business but even online it’s not always what you know but who you know.

How are you using social media in your business?

 

 

 


  • http://virtualassistant-live.com/ Michelle, Virtual Miss Friday

    I really enjoyed this article – I am sooooo guilty of the “lol” :)

    • http://www.coffeenotinc.co.uk Tracy Baker

      Have to admit I am too, although I’m trying not to quite so much.  Thanks for the comment Michelle!

  • http://twitter.com/AitchBee_Assist R Hisug-Bridges

    Great article. In last couple of days a supplier’s competitor jumped in as suggested above and was really impressed with their service, speed, responsiveness and quality. Consequently they will be my preferred supplier in future!

    • http://www.coffeenotinc.co.uk Tracy Baker

      Hey thanks so much for dropping by on our blog and for your comments and kind words.  Customer Service whether offline or online is key and it’s great to hear that this has worked so well for you.  

  • http://twitter.com/AitchBee_Assist R Hisug-Bridges

    Great name for the company too, by the way!

    • http://www.coffeenotinc.co.uk Tracy Baker

      Thank You!  I love it, its one of the few things we are not able to do “virtually” :-)

  • Danielle Greason

    Great article Tracy. I’m relatively new to Twitter, well using it daily… and I’m loving it! It’s incredible how you meet people on there. I’d heard it said of course, but didn’t really take much notice until now experiencing it myself. Definitely different to Facebook. Thanks for sharing your insights here.

    • http://www.coffeenotinc.co.uk Tracy Baker

      Hi Danielle! Thank you and welcome to our Blog :)

      Oh you do meet the most interesting people and the art is to keep the conversation flowing. Twitter is quite different from Facebook in that I find it makes it easier to reach so many more people all over the world and how amazing is that?!

      Have a wonderful Monday Danielle

      Tracy
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