I’ve had so many IRL friends tell me, “I just don’t get Twitter.” So many of them have tried and then walked away. And if I’m being completely honest, Instagram is my current favorite social media platform… the community, the friendships, the inspiration and the imagery, oh my! But Twitter, which once really was such a place of conversation, still has so much to offer (especially for brands and businesses)… if you know how to use it and leverage your presence there!
That is what we’re going to talk about today! Welcome to my little slice of the Better Blogging Blog Tour, where I’ve teamed up with some fabulous bloggers to bring you a virtual blog conference at your fingertips in one blog tour.
Let’s get into Twitter shall we?
Table of Contents
Profile.
Your profile is what sells your business or brand to others, and it’s how people first see you. How do you think people will respond to the image your conveying? Your name, summary and profile picture should all work together to tell a story. For personal accounts, use a photo of yourself that shows who you are… and your face! For business accounts, use your logo, unless your personal face is a big part of your brand.
Tips to note: Your bio is searchable, so use those 160 characters wisely and show others why they should follow you. When writing your bio, takes notes from other Twitter summaries that you like to write something similar, but personal to you.
Consistency.
Most studies show that more tweets equal more followers, so being consistent in your tweeting is key. Those that post on a regular basis tend to have more followers than those that don’t. That being said… don’t post it all at once, because, well that’s just annoying. No one wants their feed flooded with your play-by-play (you get a pass if you’re part of a Twitter chat), otherwise, spread the tweeting love out over a period of time.
On top of being consistent, content is important as well. Research according to Buffer App shows that tweets including links are 85% more likely to be retweeted and tweets that include an image get twice as much engagement than those without… so add those links and photos! I use a link shortener (bit.ly) to shorten my links and give myself more room to talk.
Tips to note: You can schedule your tweets with apps like hootsuite and tweetdeck, so that you’re still posting even when you aren’t actively online, just be careful that your not sending out too many impersonal broadcasts about you. Remember, tweeting is like holding a conversation. Absolutely share about your blog or business and link to posts, but being too impersonal is what will turn followers away. Also, do not auto-post from Facebook or other platforms, let your voice on Twitter be authentic within your posts.
Hashtags.
Just like Instagram and now Facebook, use hashtags to grow the visibility of your posts on Twitter. In fact, Twitter is where the hashtag was born!
You will see 21% more engagement when using one or two hashtags compared to using three or more, so don’t overdue it. Hashtag use is a place where you don’t want to reinvent the wheel, use hashtags that already have a following or are easy to understand and find… because this is how your content will be found as well.
Tips to note: Search hashtags (in the search box at the top of your profile page) within your niche and join in on the conversation!
Engage.
Who likes to have a one-way conversation? I know I don’t! Because Twitter is supposed to be about conversation, you need to stay engaged with your followers, after all, they represent some of your most interested customers and fans! If someone mentions you and follows you, respond to them in thanks. If someone has great content, retweet it. Reply to questions and comments. In the Twitterverse there’s a bit of an 80/20 rule (not that I am the best at following it, but I try)… let the 20% be your own content that you’re sharing and the rest is for sharing other’s content and for conversation.
Tips to note: Get involved in weekly chats and engage with others in your field. This will help to meet new people, learn, gain new followers and stay connected in your industry.
Reply.
Answer people. Always.
Are you familiar with the @ symbol? If not, you’re about to be. Using the @ symbol at the beginning of your tweet is considered a reply. For example, if someone tweets @tabithablue and then follows with the rest of their tweet, only people that follow me and the person tweeting will see that tweet. This is great for conversations and when you want to tweet directly to (or at) someone.
When it doesn’t come in handy is when you want to share about someone. For example if someone tweets “@tabithablue is awesome you guys!” (because that happens all the time, haha), the tweet will only be seen by me and others that are following me and the person tweeting. For this type of situation, you would want to either add a period before the @ symbol like this .@tabithablue so that ALL of your followers see the tweet, or reformat your sentence so the @ isn’t at the beginning of your tweet.
Tips to note: Please don’t use any of those automated systems to reply for you when you have new followers, etc! It really is impersonal, and I never read them… as I assume most others don’t either.
Lists.
Lists let you separate groups of people into easy to find categories. When you find someone that you’d like to add to one of your lists, click the settings icon (near the follow button) and find ‘Add or remove from lists’. From there you can create a new list or add them to an existing list. Its a great way to able to find people in the shuffle of Twitter and organize those that you follow into easy to manage groups and categories.
Tips to note: You can easily see what lists you’ve been placed on by clicking ‘lists’ on your profile page. From there you’ll see two sections, ‘subscribed to’ and ‘member of’. When you click on ‘member of’ you’ll see a list of lists that you’ve been added to. This is a great way to find others that may be of a similar style or niche.
Voice.
Wheras with other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram where posting too often can really turn someone off, Twitter is more of a high volume network. The great thing is you can feel good about sharing more often because of the fast pace of the conversation that happens there. Yes, there will always be the questions of how much it too much… but as long as you still have time to live your life, eat and sleep, then you’re not posting too often on Twitter, just make sure it’s relevant and interesting to your followers. And the most important aspect of what you “say” on Twitter? Be you. Be real. Be authentic. People will follow you because they want to “hear” you… so let them.
Twitter, and for that matter all forms of social media, can seem like a rough landscape to navigate at first, but spending just a few minutes a day engaging and building content on Twitter can consistently build your following and brand. Stick with it! I’ve heard that it’s best to choose one or two forms of social media to focus on and master first before moving on to others. I hope that this little crash course has helped you… and when you’re on Twitter, come find me, and then find your favorites, follow them and learn from them.
To read the other posts in the Better Blogger Blog Tour, click the links below!
- 5 Tips to Keep Your Facebook Page Alive
- 10 Tips to Using Instagram More Effectively
- Favorite Vlogging Tips and Tricks
- 8 Must Know Pinterest Tips for Bloggers
- What to Know When Switching from Blogger to WordPress
- How I Got on the Huffington Post
- Blogging With A Partner 101
xo
Think this post is worth a read? Please share… I’d greatly appreciate it!
Meg O. says
Love this post so much! It has really gotten me inspired to get back on twitter. I’ve felt like it’s been such a ghost town on there. It used to feel so active and fun, and now it’s just the auto tweets from people’s instagram posts. It really used to be my favorite way to engage with others, find blog posts, and share posts. I think everyone should get back on it like the good ol days! Going to revamp and try to get twitter to work for me again! Thanks for collaborating with me!!!!
Tabitha Blue says
Thanks so much Meg!! I definitely think that we can make Twitter a better place!! Haha, kind of like it used to be. There really is some great connection there, you just have to find the right people!! 🙂
Kristy says
Love this, Tabitha! I’ve always been scared of Twitter, but it moves so quickly for me. I’ll definitely be looking into hootsuite and tweetdeck. I’m one of those people that Meg is talking about and just shares my Instagram picutres. 😐 Boring. I’m definitely going to try and liven it up a bit! 🙂 So happy to be collaborating today!
Jessica Dimas says
Awesome tips, Tabitha!!! Of all the social media platforms, besides Google plus, Twitter is one where I’m not super well versed in how things work. Which I NEED to be because Twitter is one of my biggest sources of traffic. I didn’t know that about the hashtags!! Thank you for shedding some light on Twitter etiquette, this was SO helpful!! Honored to be partnered up with you <3
Tiffany @ A Touch of Grace says
This is awesome Tabitha! I’ve been so reluctant to get on Twitter. I don’t know why, probably because my life is boring and I have no idea what I’d tweet about, ha!
Excited to be collaborating today!
Tabitha Blue says
That’s the great thing about Twitter… you can share anything!!! And it’s great to share other people’s content too, so that helps 😉 Tell me when you get on there!
Havok says
Twitter I am still trying to figure out, ha! Well, that and Facebook and how to translate Instagram to the blog, ha. Social Media is fun, but it seems to take a LOT of work! That and trying to not get sucked into spending my whole day watching Twitter, ha!
I do like the idea though that more is, well, more (and better!). I try and post over there every few hours, when able, but I do notice that it just gets buried even with just as few people as I follow (130 is few, right?!).
Tabitha Blue says
Haha, it really can suck you in and take a lot of work. That is definitely the beauty of scheduling… and then catching up quickly when you do log on 😉 I’m making it a goal this month to put my phone away for a certain period of time and step away from any Social media every day!!
Holly says
I have forever struggled with growing my Twitter following, but I’ll apply some of your advice! Thanks for these helpful tips, love!
Alycia @ Crazily Normal says
Thanks for all the great info Tabitha!! I have recently tried getting into twitter but feel lost. I feel like i am getting no where with it. this post will definitely be helpful!
Thanks for the great collaboration!! XO
Christie says
Great tips!! Thanks for organizing all of these helpful posts! I’m on to the next one…
xxChristie
http://www.KiKiMac.me
Tabitha Blue says
Awe thanks so much Christie!!!! xoxo
Rahela @ Rahela's VA Service says
Hi, I just bumped to your page on Pinterest. Beautiful and clean page. Very informative blog posts. Great work!!! Love it. 🙂
When it comes to Twitter tips, it’s a bit spammy. I don’t like automatic messages. I get them all the time. Like your tips.
Rahela
Tabitha Blue says
Thanks so much for your comment!! 🙂 I agree… I don’t like the automated messages on Twitter either, definitely not personal and a turn off for me.
Mar says
gret information
uk writer says
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome tips. In my opinion, twitter is a powerful instrument for blog or online business, so that’s really nice that you are publishing this type of content. I hope that you will continue doing this type of articles.