[MikeGriffith]

Twitter Tips
So you've heard about some explosive tool called Twitter and how it's an excellent way to build relationships and get leads and grow your business.

You heard right. Twitter is an excellent social networking and marketing tool, and here are 10 Twitter tips that will help you get off to a good start...

1. Watch Your Tweet-ometer. Don't tweet every detail of your life. Remember that people don't know you (yet) and probably are not interested in everything you do, line by line.

2. Be a Good Follower. Unless there's a big conflict of interests between you and the person who decides to follow you, be courteous and follow them back.

3. Dont' Be a Tape Recorder. Don't repeat words and phrases over and over. Respect the opinions and intelligence of others and assume they heard you the first time.

4. Have a Good Reason for People to Follow You. When you tweet, remember that most are saying, "what's in it for me." Maybe not audibly, butsubconsciously. Some people don't have time to spend reading tweet after empty tweet.

5. Don't Be a Hog. Don't hog the twitosphere by tweeting all day every day, day in and day out. Some people are turned off by this, and will hit the "unfollow" button.

6. Avoid Tooting Your Horn. You might have the most awesome product or service ever invented, but Twitter is not the place to place your ad. Be subtle. Build relationships first.

7. Create Value. Creating value means giving. It might take the form of information, advice, or comfort. In other words, solve other people's problems and they'll flock to you.

8. Address Needs. Learn the needs of your fellow twitters and meet those needs. Needs take many forms, including entertainment, information, how-to advice and technology.

9. Be Thoughtful of Others. Be friendly. Say hello. Ask questions and respond to things that interest you. Use your sense of humor and take time to listen. Be yourself.

10. Be Patient. If your ultimate objective for using Twitter is to promote your product or service, that's fine. Just remeber that you need to build a relationship with people before they will trust you enough to consider buying what you have to offer. Just be patient and work on relationships first.

After all, that's what Twitter is all about.

[jbolte1976]

Wow Mike,

Fantastic post! Thanks for the great tips.

I started to realize how big twitter was becoming when the news anchors where giving reports on the Fargo, ND flood and stated they'd be giving flood updates via their twitter account.

I'm definetly going to make an effort to get to know this resource inside and out. This could be (probably already is) the next revolution for marketing.


Jason

[shanec]

Hi Mike,

Good tips there. I've only started to use twitter lately, but it's not only a great way to contact people with similar interests. Twitter is also ideal for getting updates and the latest news about your interests, passtimes or industry.

I have started to grow a list of followers and follow people who post these updates. If I was to search for this information by myself, it would take ages.

Shane.

[TomZilla]

I'm awe-inspired, VERY great tips, Mike, VERY great tips.

[newbyiiir]

Twitter, engaging with your followers, and creating powerful partnerships, but what would happen if this single asset went belly up? You don’t put all of your cash into a single stock, so why should you invest all of your social capital in a single service?

[Admin]

Originally Posted by newbyiiir

Twitter, engaging with your followers, and creating powerful partnerships, but what would happen if this single asset went belly up? You don’t put all of your cash into a single stock, so why should you invest all of your social capital in a single service?

You don't.

I never ever invest everything into one basket, whether it is for advertising or otherwise.