Best Twitter Advice Ever

Posted By: Seth

First off, lets look at what Twitter is and why you should care. When I bring up Twitter people ask me, “So is it like Facebook?” I tell them it’s kind of like blogging and texting mixed together. That seems to be the best and simplest explanation.

First off, lets look at what Twitter is and why you should care. When I bring up Twitter people ask me, “So is it like Facebook?” I tell them it’s kind of like blogging and texting mixed together. That seems to be the best and simplest explanation.

Twitter is really just a glorified status update, but the power of Twitter is direct access to people to whom you would never have access otherwise. I’ve had the opportunity on Twitter to rub elbows with millionaires and influencers from around the world. I have been able to develop relationships with people who are making huge changes in the world like Kelly King Anderson of Startup Princess, @startupprincess and Gwen Bell of Kirtsy, @gwenbell.

I heard about Allen Iverson cutting his hair before anybody else from @the_real_shaq. I was re-tweeted by one of my mentors @ed_dale. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to have this kind of interaction without Twitter.

So, you’ve decided that Twitter is interested and you’ve signed up for account. How do you maximize your use? The Twitter web interface is good for some, however there are some great tools that have been really helpful. I have used many more, but these are the tools that have stood the test of time for me.

1. Tweet deck – Fantastic way to keep track of all the people who are following you and talking about you. You can see all of your messages on one screen so you never miss a communication.

2. @Mrtweet – Mr. tweet is a great tool to help you find out whom to follow.

3. Twitter Grader – twitter.grader.com is one of the best tools for Twitter. It shows you how you rank in comparison to other Twitterers who have used the tool.

4. Socialtoo – Socialtoo.com emails me stats about who has followed me and who has unfollowed me every day. It is a great way to keep on top of my Twitter account.

Now you’re hooked up on Twitter, but everyone keeps using funny letters and symbols. What do they mean? Here are the basics:

@ = Placing this before a person’s Twitter name (i.e. @sethjenks) is an open conversation directed toward that person. Anybody can see this communication between you and the person your @ing. You can @ anybody on Twitter, even people who are not following your updates.

D = A private conversation between you and a person who is following your updates. There is a space between the ‘d’ and the person’s name and you don’t need to use the @ sign. You can only direct message people who are following you.

RT = Re-tweeting means, Sweet! I like this! Passing it along. Always give props to the original tweeter.

# = This is the hash tag. It means that the tweet that you are sending out belongs to a particular topic or conversation but is not directed to anyone in particular. People interested in that topic will search that hash tag and find your update on the subject.

Now that you’ve learned the ropes on Twitter, you will need to find a voice. Some people have a hard time finding things to tweet about. They think, “My life is pretty boring, who wants to hear about what I have to say?” Remember that Twitter is about relationships, not what you are doing at the moment. Use it to learn from leaders and build others up, focus on making connections, and you wont have to worry about what to say. Your natural voice will come through and you’ll find that you have a lot to say that’s interesting.

I try to provide content to people interested in design, SEO, and Social Media. Most of my posts fall within that scope. I also want people to know that I’m a real person too, so I also tweet with people regularly, ask questions, and post pictures.

Make sure you have a face on Twitter. An avatar is an image that represents you. It could be a logo of your business or a picture of yourself. Whatever you choose, make sure that it’s unique and interesting. Put your best face forward. I don’t usually follow anyone who has the default image for an avatar.

Whom to follow and not to follow. Here is how to spot different kinds of Twitter users. You can use their following/followers/updates stats to figure out who’s who.

Newbie - has a proportionate number of followers and people following, usually several updates.

Spammer - usually following a high number of people has few, if any followers, very few updates.

Influencer - following very few people compared to the number of followers.

Active user - has a lot of people following but also a following a lot of people, has a lot of updates.

Seek out and follow people who can teach you something. For example if you’re a designer try Googleing “Designers on Twitter.” You will find lists of interesting successful people. You may even find our own Adam Smith, @atsmith. Try following them and @ them when appropriate to start a conversation. You may also go find people you respect who are influencers. Follow the people they follow.

Spammers are prevalent, but are easy to spot and the Twitter team does a pretty good job of cleaning them up. Don’t follow them. Report spammers to @spam. You can always block them, too.

All in all, 99.99% of the people I know on Twitter are stellar and are committed to building a positive friendly community. I am often impressed at the amazing people who are on Twitter

Now you can become a leader on Twitter. You don’t need to be a millionaire or the president to be a leader on Twitter, although it helps. You simply need to have a passion and be an authority on it. Quality content is key to building a strong following. Do your best to feed your followers information that will be helpful. Remember quality is better than quantity. Be sure to share a little about your life - friendships bloom through openness and trust.

Well I hope that gives you a good start. Feel free to leave any advice that I forgot in the comments.