Don’t let me down (on Twitter)

Social media is a cracking opportunity for businesses (especially the little guys) but many times folks are completely stumped as to the first steps to take. A common cry is “what would I say?! Why would anyone be interested in me?!“. This post is about how to get started on Twitter.

Twitter can be very scary; you look online at highly active accounts like Stephen Fry and get confused about the mechanics, the terms and snow blinded by the dialogue etc.

Don’t panic!

Let these be your first steps.

1) Put Your Profile in Order

Your twitter profile is your business card. It needs to convey the relevant information and be attractive (or, at least, interesting).

Here is mine:

Mine’s no work of art but there are a few things of note here:

• I have a picture (which is me, not some unrecognisable logo; are you Nike?)
• My twitter handle/username is my real name (again, not something random)
• I have a description which talks about the kinda of things I do
• It shows where I’m based (Newport, Wales)
• It has a link to my website

Having this information in order really helps when people stumble across your profile; they can quickly realise this is actually you (rather than one of the many other people with your name) and start engaging with you.

2) Go Mobile

Get your Twitter account set up on your iPhone,  Android or Windows phone. Not got a smartphone? Come on, sort it out, join the 21st century – it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

Download the Twitter app on for your phone, login and away you go.

2) Listen

Scared of what to tweet? That’s fine. Don’t tweet.

“But if I’m not tweeting then what’s the point?” you bellow!

The point is this: you are now contactable via Twitter. If people want to reach you via that medium; then they can. You’ve now installed a shiny new social media telephone :)

3) Be Recommendable

If you’re working with a new client; see if they are on Twitter. If so, follow them; say “hi!“. Get on their radar. And then, when you do work for them, hopefully you’ll see a tweet similar to this:

Big shout out to @NovaCrewLimited & @TheGleeClub for their hard work on the @Handheldconf pre show event. Well done!

— Port80 Web Conf. (@Port80Events) November 29, 2013

This is about a conference that I run and Nova Crew were awesome with the setting up the AV and the Glee Club in Cardiff were superb, helpful hosts. So helpful that I was happy to recommend them both online – that’s free advertising. Hell, that’s the BEST form of advertising – word of mouth.

Note: If they weren’t on Twitter then I could still recommend, perhaps linking to their websites but that’s a hassle. I’d have to waddle off and find the link etc. If it’s hassle then, with all the good will in the world, I’m unlikely to do it.

People will see that tweet; perhaps they don’t need those services now but they’ll remember it. I’ve had it before when folks have come back to me and said: “what’s the name of that AV company you recommend?“. It works.

HOWEVER!!! (isn’t there always a catch?)

I won’t recommend you on Twitter if I think you’re going to let me down. What do I mean by let me down?

If I recommend your services on Twitter and someone contacts you because of that recommendation, you’d better reply. Because if you don’t then (rightly or wrong) then we’ll both look bad.

Simply laughing it off as “ha ha! I don’t know what I’m doing on Twitter!” is not good enough. Twitter is a precision instrument – if you don’t know how to use it, Get Training. What would happen if we let people lose on the roads without lessons? Carnage.

How will I know you won’t let me down?

Well, if we tweet regularly to each-other then I’ll already be aware that you know the rules of the road and how to use the system. Failing that I’ll take a look at your profile again and take a looksie are your tweets (e.g. see mine below)

Above are the recent tweets from my profile. You can’t easily see the meaning of what is going on here (that’s not important) but you can tell two things:

1. I tweet a lot ;)
2. I REPLY to people!

Point 2 is the killer. This shows that I can be trusted to be involved in conversations. And if someone recommends my services then, as sure as eggs is eggs, I will respond. Responding quickly makes me look good (that I’m on the ball) and it makes the recommender look good (as they have helped someone by connecting them with a useful contact).

Hopefully that gives you a blueprint for how to get started.

Remember: don’t let me down

Joel

p.s. We run workshops

 

Tags: advice, guide, help, howto, Social Media, Twitter
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