Every successful dinner party, apart from having a sumptuously appetizing menu, should have:
- Interesting and engaging guests
- Polite and respectful conversation etiquette
- Balanced and intelligent dialogue
When combined, these elements have the potential to create an entertaining experience, fondly remembered and eager to be repeated by all invited guests. Think about it. The same conversation and behavior standards that apply to a winning dinner party also apply to your social media networking.
Host your next Twitter “event” in style, impressing and increasing your followers, shaping the perception of your business one tweet at a time.
the 5 tweet tips that make the difference
- Introduce yourself. Look your followers in the eyes when you talk to them. Don’t skip over creating a Twitter bio or including a profile picture. Give your followers a tangible image and personality to associate with your tweets.
- Be genuine. No one likes fake or forced conversation, whether your interactions are in person or online. Artificiality makes your business appear dull, lazy, irritating and a touch inconsiderate of those with whom you intend to converse. Twitter is about creating real, interesting dialogue. Avoid auto-tweeting responses or original tweets out to your followers. Twitter fans will see through this meager attempt at social media marketing and will often opt out of following your feed.
- Don’t repeat yourself. No one wants to get stuck trying to chat up that tedious person who never has anything new to say at a party. Luckily on Twitter, social networkers can simply choose to un-follow tweeters who break this basic rule. Avoid this common rookie mistake. When re-tweeting yourself, wait at least 10 to 15 messages to give other tweets and responses time to populate your page and keep its information fresh for your customers and followers.
- Keep private conversations private. Just as it’s uncomfortable to find yourself seated between two old friends catching up in a closed conversation, reading only two-way communications for 10 or more messages on a Twitter feed, can be off-putting and irritating. Continuing posts like this with only one other Twitter user could lose you followers and isolate you online in the long run. If you find yourself engaged in a robust conversation with another tweeter, use Twitter’s direct message option to continue your conversation. It’s simple, private and a great alternative to the more visible main feed communication option.
- Real world social etiquette rules apply across the browser board. In a typical, laid back social gathering between friends, compliments are given, stories and jokes are told and a general tone of merriment and mutual respect and appreciation blankets the event’s atmosphere. Like a dinner party of friends, Twitter is also a communication forum that encourages the shared respect and admiration between tweeters and their followers. Be polite in all of your Twitter interactions, particularly if you are representing an organization outside of yourself. Respond to questions and comments quickly, thoughtfully and with appreciation. When re-tweeting, give credit where credit is due. Cordial and respectful communication will coerce your followers to share their feedback more strongly than brash, offensive or lackadaisical commentary.
Next time you get the urge to tweet for your business, consider following these five easy steps. When used correctly, Twitter becomes a valuable tool that can help your business to drive consumer activity and achieve real results.