Do You Make these Newbie Twitter Mistakes?
As use of Twitter to market local businesses grows, more and more small business owners are joining the social media foray. But, learning how to use Twitter as a tool to promote your business can take time, and building an authentic presence that adds value to your target consumers is key. If you’re investing all that time and energy, it’s important to make sure you’re not making some of these common mistakes new Twitter users are guilty of.
1. No personal avatar. If you’re using Twitter to connect online, one of the first things you want to do is establish your persona on the site by customizing your picture. As fun as the new default Twitter avatar is, it reflects your potential as a user rather than reflecting who you are. Plus, people are more likely to follow accounts with a customized avatar – most people categorize accounts with the default avatar as spam – or, of course, as a newbie.
2. Unclear bio information. Creating a fun, catchy bio in 160 characters or less can be challenging, but you should make the most of this opportunity. Now that the new Twitter has rolled out across the site’s entire user base, your bio is featured even more prominently under each user’s followers list, which now imports the entire bio into the list, so it may be the main factor other users consider when choosing whether or not to follow you. So, make sure to include a little bit about who you are, what you do, and who you do it for. Think of this as a 160-character elevator pitch but what you’re selling isn’t your products or services, it’s the opportunity to connect with you.
3. Inaccurate account location. You’ve probably seen some people choose to make their account location humorous with a line like: “Sitting in front of the computer.” But, when you’re using Twitter to connect with local consumers, it’s important to accurately reflect your actual location by city and state in the bio. Not only does this information matter for search engines, it’s also used on a variety of third-party Twitter tools, such as geographic user lists.
4. The missing link. One of the most powerful components of a customized Twitter profile is the single link you’re allowed to share under the “Web” header. It’s best not to just link your profile to your Facebook page. Instead, pick a link that will give the potential user the most information about you. A LinkedIn page may provide more data to potential contacts. Ideally, your website, blog, or even a customized social media landing page is a great way to provide more information to fans and followers, giving them important details and opportunities to connect.
5. No tweets. Did you know that most Twitter users do not actively post tweets to their accounts? Instead, according to Dick Costolo, now CEO of Twitter, many use their account to simply filter and listen to information other active users are sharing. If you’re in this majority, you’re missing out on much of what the site has to offer. Not only does sharing information help you grow your base of fans and followers, it also helps you cultivate your Twitter listening experience more as you begin to interact with other users and build authentic relationships.
6. Under-using @mentions. If you use Twitter only to share updates and links to information, there’s another part of the full experience you’re most likely missing – and that is connecting with other users online. Unmarketing author Scott Stratten says that 75% of his Tweets are replies to other users, a tactic he credits for building a large Twitter following that helped him launch, among other things, an extremely successful blog.
7. Only promoting yourself. Twitter is one of the hottest social media tools around, and its potential for marketing is robust. But, it’s not simply a billboard for you to share sales, updates, and promotions with followers. To build an authentic Twitter presence just like the pros, make sure to share content from other sites, businesses, and experts. Make sure your content is helpful to your ideal audience, promoting relevant articles, tips, and trends within your stream, and not just links to your own website, blog, or web store.
Do you make any of these newbie Twitter mistakes? Don’t worry – they’re all an easy fix. With a little bit of effort, you could be tweeting like the pros.
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Twitter for Marketing
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About the Author
Tiffany Monhollon writes about social media, marketing, and small business success as the lead blogger for ReachCast, a service that helps local business owners develop their web presence.
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