12 Tips to Avoid Being a Dork on Twitter
Posted on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 @ 09:06 AM
Tom Pick (@TomPick) is an online marketing executive with KC Associates, a marketing and PR firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, focused on B2B technology clients. He's also the award-winning writer of the Webbiquity blog, which focuses on B2B lead generation and Web presence optimization -- the fusion of SEO, search marketing, social media, content marketing and interactive PR. Tom was on the Judging Panel of the 2009 B2BTOTY Awards and now sits as a member of the2010 B2BTOTY Awards Steering Committee.
By virtue of the fact that you are reading this post here on the B2BTOTY blog, you’re likely already a Twitter pro. This will be all be review for you. But, you also almost certainly come across new followers and others who haven’t attained your level of expertise. You know the type. You may want to pass this along as needed.
1. Complete your Twitter bio. You’ve got 160 characters to tell the world who you are, what you do, who you do it for, what you’re passionate about. Plus a link. Use it. Seems like a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how many people leave their profiles blank. Whether trying to be mysterious, or just lazy, it looks bad.
2. Use your real picture. Find one that reflects you in your best light. If tweeting for a company, using a logo is okay, but accounts with a real person behind them tend to get more followers. Again, seems like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many people use photos that look like Nick Nolte’s mug shot, or worse – the default Twitter egg.
3. Avoid stop words in your bio. Most people know that “MLM,” “network marketer” and “Internet marketer” are synonyms for “spammer.” Don’t be that person.
4. Avoid obnoxious words in your bio. Unless you are actually a Hindu mystic, have recorded an album that’s gone platinum, or are extremely skilled in the martial arts, avoid the terms “guru,” “rock star” or “ninja” in your bio. They are over-used and just kind of silly.
5. Watch your following/follower ratio. The numbers will never will never be identical, but you don’t want to let them get too far out of whack. The worst case is when someone is following 2,001 people but has only like 300 followers and is on four lists. That smacks of desperation. Or someone who’s ignored tips #3 and #4 above.
6. Neber twet when yur drunk. It wont com out good an u will end up regrething it.
7. Never tweet when you’re angry. If you’re tempted to do so, go get drunk. Then see tip #6.
8. Retweet others! It shows you’re paying attention, helps build your network, and will make others more likely to follow you and share your content.
9. Say “please” and “thank you.” It is common courtesy, something people learn from grandma, but not always common on Twitter. Again, thanking someone for a retweet or an answer to a question makes it more likely they’ll do for you again in the future, and it shows followers you have manners.
10. Know when to DM. A little bit of banter back-and-forth with another Tweeter shows you are social. Too much makes your Tweet stream look worthless. If the interaction goes beyond three tweets, it’s probably time to take it offline and use direct messages.
11. Be careful with repetition. If you’ve come across something, or written something yourself, that is truly brilliant and deserves to be shared far and wide, it’s okay to tweet it more than once. Just be sure to 1) space your tweets at least an hour apart (preferably longer), and 2) tweet other content in between. Nothing turns off current and potential followers like a Tweet stream with the same message repeated over and over and over and...
12. Don’t use automated welcome DMs. One would think that Twitterers would understand by now that automated DMs are pointless and annoying—but like some of the more regrettable music from the 1970s, they refuse to go away.
Following these tips will make you look classy and sophisticated to others on Twitter. Or at least not like a dork. As noted above, feel free to pass this along to anyone who demonstrates the need for it. In the meantime, got any tips you’d like to add? Feel free to share them in the comments below.