26 Twitter Tips

Getting Started on Twitter

Account Creation & Profile Setup

• 1

  Do not immediately start following hundreds of users as soon as you open your Twitter account. For every follower of yours, follow another.

• 2

  Communicate with personal and professional contacts using separate accounts. Multiple Twitter accounts are okay!

• 3

  Never leave your profile fields blank! Include a bio, link to your site/blog, avatar and add a human touch to your online personality.

• 4

  Protect your branding rights by reserving your Twitter account username now, before it's too late and someone else claims it.

• 5

  Personalize your Twitter profile by using a custom avatar and background image. Seem like a human, not a spammer.

Twitter Etiquette

• 1

  Spare your followers of another sales pitch and give them something valuable like sharing what you know, instead of trying to sell.

• 2

  Remove yourself from listings you don't wish to be a part of by blocking the user who created it. Protect your web reputation and identity!

• 3

  Setup an automated thank you message to send new followers. Express your appreciation by following them in return, make them feel welcome.

• 4

  Avoid sending out the same tweets several times, since this will result in being marked as spam and your tweets will be filtered in search!

• 5

  When using Twitter to promote your blog, be sure to interact with your followers by asking a question, or offering news with your links.

Boost Your Twitter Use

Maximizing Benefits

• 1

  A landing page on your site or blog is a great way to introduce yourself to visitors who have clicked through from your Twitter profile.

• 2

  Keep your Twitter stream and account active and live by tweeting once a day or more. A long silence may result in users unfollowing you.

• 3

  Following more than 250 followers or so will make it almost impossible to track real conversations. Choose users to follow with care.

• 4

  Be wary of clicking links promising lots of free followers, as they may be a phishing attack! Only click links from trusted friends.

• 5

  If you have a business, include your Twitter account in your offline media - business cards, letterheads, press releases, seminars and more!

• 6

  Merge your Outlook contacts with your Gmail account, in order to search for people you know on Twitter by their email addresses.

Blog Integration & Interacting With Followers

Tips & Tricks

• 1

  Subscribe to Twitter search results by adding the RSS link to your feed reader!

• 2

  Keep it short and sweet! Leave 25 blank spaces in your tweets, so your followers can retweet using 'RT @username'

• 3

  Creating a unique hashtag is useful for discussing your fundraisers and events. Using them makes it much easier to find important info.

• 4

  Send traffic to your blog by setting up a Twitter feed. which will automatically post headings and links when you post on your blog!

• 5

  Refer to topics of conversation by using hashtags (#) so that other users can easily identify what you are discussing and join in!

• 6

  Encourage interaction from your followers by asking them a question when you link to one of your blog posts. Strike up a conversation!

• 7

  If you comment on blog posts, always be sure to include the URL to your Twitter profile. Make sure others can find you on social sites!

• 8

  Use Twitter for local search by using the format "near: yourcity' to find results near your location! Use the '-' to filter out words.