I have always been, and will probably always be a huge supporter, and user of Twitter. I’ve had an account since its early days…you know, the days where there was so little happening that the main page was a live feed of the stream. I remember that after 10pm Central the newsfeed would primarily be in languages I am unfamiliar with. I also remember that people would talk…yes I do mean REAL conversations. Over the years I’ve experienced great success with Twitter, not just for my own personal account, but also for clients. So many ask how, and while the tips are so basic, it’s truly about the follow through.

1. I never stop building my community – Follow, follow, follow. I use Tweepi to key into conversations that are currently happening as well as to find very targeted accounts that I’m interested in. I’m not about the #Follow4Follow lifestyle, I want conversation. I want to build a legit community.
2. I create engaging content – this can be anything…images, polls, text, blogs, gifs. Your thoughts, what you’re doing, what you’re eating, where you’re at, what you’re excited about…this is all engaging.  HINT: Quotes are overdone, especially when it’s a constant steady stream of clearly automated quotes. You can do better. I believe in you. 
3. I’m authentic, I show my real human side – whether you’re Tweeting for yourself or for a brand always show the human side. Not everything has to be a sales pitch. For company Twitter accounts showcase your company culture. (for more awesome company culture stuff check out @WeVue, we love them, tell them we said hello! Their software turns people into story tellers, because culture starts with a shared vision and values and enhances how communication happens.) It’s very true that not everyone is going to care about the people behind the scenes, but many do, especially customers and clients.
4. I do not run auto feeds – seriously. Auto feeds are horrible for so many reasons.
5. I Tweet the things I am truly interested in – stop Tweeting about topics just because you’re hoping to score some new followers. That’s a waste of time and energy, instead build an engaged audience around your true interests…trust me, you’ll enjoy Twitter so much more when you do this.
6. I NEVER send auto DMs – people are very turned off by your sales pitches directly after they follow you, they are also turned off by your automated DM thanking them for following. Seriously, I never respond to these and when the user becomes spammy I unfollow. Auto DMs are horrible!!!
7. I have customized my Twitter profile – Have a sweet Twitter background that showcases the personality of the account user/company. Mine is a Super Mario Bros. scene because I flipping LOVE all things Mario & NES. Make sure you have a completed description, link your website/blog and make sure you’re not a Twitter bird or an egg, upload your profile picture that best showcases who you are OR is the company logo.
8. I am not ashamed to admit that I cut the dead weight – About 3 or 4 times a month I use Manageflitter to see who is inactive, what accounts I may have followed that are actually very spammy, and ones that never followed back. TIP: I don’t always unfollow accounts that don’t follow me, I follow many account because their content is awesome and I don’t care if they follow back or not, but sometimes I follow accounts based on conversations or interests only to find out the account really doesn’t Tweet things I care about or maybe for a client they aren’t really the target market. 
9. I key into trending topics and engage if it fits with my brand – this doesn’t mean to Tweet a sales pitch adding the trending hashtags, this means if you have something to contribute that’s on topic, do it, if you don’t my suggestion is to move along.
10. I share other people’s content – I RT, I share blogs I read, I RT and comment. However you can do it, share. The more you share, the more you show your community that you care and they in return will begin to care about the content you share.
11. I never forget that social media is intended to be SOCIAL – that’s right, when I notice a drop in content engagement I check myself and have to remember that the biggest factor to all social success is that you’re social and engaging. Reach out and Tweet someone new, engage in a Twitter chat, live Tweet sporting events with likeminded fans or TV shows with others that love the same shows.

It doesn’t matter what any of the experts say, if you’re not constantly adding to your Twitter community, you’re not growing. If you’re not Tweeting and engaging on a daily basis, no one is engaging with you…no one is clicking your links, no one is noticing your content. You’re stagnant, possibly one of the worst things you can be on Twitter. I personally and professionally only follow accounts that have Tweeted in the past 24 hours and I know I’m not alone on this.

Have you Tweeted in the past 24 hours? 

Bottom line: Chances are you will not be the next Oprah, Gary Vaynerchuk, or Kim K. People will not flock to your account “just cuz”.

Have questions about finding your own success with Twitter? Contact me at kim @ kimedia strategies [dot] com or by filling out this contact form.

You can follow me on Twitter at @_KimRandall 

Comments