A friend of mine just joined Twitter and asked me what to do next. Here’s 10 tips for getting started.
- Start with a Twitter search on a subject that’s catching your attention. Click on the tweets that look interesting. Follow the tweeps that look cool.
- If someone follows you, follow them back. Unless it’s a spammer. I occassionally don’t follow tweeps that don’t show their real name. There are other strategies that work well.
- Always thank new followers with a quick DM (direct message). Don’t tweet your thank you’s into your tweet stream. It’s just plain annoying for your other followers.
- Add value to your Twitter followers. Share interesting links, ones that they’ll find interesting or amusing.
- Don’t spam your tweeps with links to your blog posts. An occasional one is cool, but people get bored with people who talk about themselves.
- Twitter is all about relationships. Work on the relationships by participating respectfully in the conversation first. The business benefits will flow from there.
- Stay a patient follower unless someone is spamming or acting the tool. Don’t follow to get followers then unfollow to make your following/follower number look cool.
- Make a nice background. Like this one, or this one. Let it tell your story.
- Be interested in other people first. Followers will come from there.
- Follow your favourite bloggers. They’re often great tweeters. Learn from the masters.
So there it is. Twitter is a place that makes no sense at all to just sit back and watch. Get in there, get active.
