Tweeting Away

After using Twitter through trial and error, I have compiled some tips for twitter users.

1. Automatic Direct Messages (DM’s)

One of the first things that you will notice about following people on Twitter is the automatic DM. You follow someone and immediately you have a new message waiting in your inbox from that person. You then reply to this message, and most likely the other person never responds. DM’s are a “personal” conversation between you and the other party, they are something that should not be taken advantage of. If you are a business that partakes in the tactic, I recommend ending it immediately. Not only will users understand what is going on, they might unfollow you and hold your business in disregard.

2. Posting Useful Information

Helping your user base out by sharing useful information with them is very important. You’re a dime a dozen on Twitter (especially if you’re a business) and you have to earn the communities respect. If all of your posts relate to your product or service you provide, you can bet on losing that respect while finding it harder to gain in the long run. Twitter is a community, and most likely 90% of your followers don’t know you or your company personally, so help them out by offering them something valuable that they can benefit from (articles, tips etc.)

3. Your Progress

Let the world know what your company is up to, including updates on your trials and tribulations. Doing this will help a community build around your company, while adding valuable feedback to your struggles or success. If you have a question about something you want to implement, ask your followers — you will no doubt receive some great gems.

4. Blocking Your Profile

Leave your profile “unlocked” to the world so that people can see who and what you are before deciding to follow you. With roughly 5 million users online, the choice of people to follow is unlimited (besides the 2,000 cap), so making it easier for people to see what you are about should be a priority, especially for a company.

5. Retweeting

If you find a post useful, Retweet it. In Twitter, Retweeting it is the ultimate complement. Not only does it say that you like what that person is posting, it also sends the message that you are willing to share that information with your friends as well. To Retweet just put: RT @UserName Copy and paste the post here.

Once you get the hang of Twitter, I highly recommend using an application called Seesmic Desktop. Seesmic Desktop not only allows you to sign into Twitter on your desktop, but also Facebook as well — saving tons of time and the monotonous task of logging in. Also, here is a great video that can help you get started using Seesmic Desktop (skip ahead to 2:39 minutes):

All in all, try to remember that social media (Twitter, Facebook) is just like the real world. So try to follow the rules of real life and the golden rule: “tweet others how you would like to be tweeted!”

PS. If you like our blog, you’ll love our Twitter – follow us on Twitter!

Also, take a look at Twitter 101, which can help guide you through getting the best out of Twitter, from the people that created it.