The Basics of Twitter – Dominick Evans Style
I don’t claim to be the authority when it comes to Twitter. In fact, like you, I’m still learning, every day, the inner workings of this exceptional social media tool. What I do know with quite a bit of certainty, when it comes to Twitter, is this. Twitter has changed my life. I’ve been on Twitter less than a year and it has changed the way I’ve done business, for the better.
I may be behind the experts in the social media game, but I’m a quick study. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make the most of your experience in Twitter. I’ve managed to get over 500 people following me, in less than four months. Even I was surprised at how quickly the follower number rose. I didn’t have a following when I started Twittering. In fact, the only person I had on my Twitter the first few days was my life and business partner @ashtynevans.
At first, I didn’t really know what to say. How could I, Mr. Dominick “the King of long winded” Evans sum up my entire life “going-ons” in 140 characters? At first, I added only a few people. I knew some of the pros had Twitter accounts. I added the @probloggers and other, popular blogging experts. And then…I watched them. I wanted to see what people found so engaging about them, so I could be engaging and worthwhile to Twitter, too.
A-HA!
Then, the thunderbolt hit me! I realized something. Twitter is more than just about following people. It is more than just about summing up your life in 140 characters. It is about conversing, sharing, learning, and, for me personally, embarking on a journey of self discovery, in an effort to find my voice, my talent, and my place in the vast, sometimes unforgiving, Internet. In just a few short months, I’m finding that voice and that place. Without Twitter, I wouldn’t have found these things.
Today, people actually listen to me. People follow me. Every day I get new followers. I have long, engaging, and entertaining conversations. I debate with other Twitter users on a wide variety of subjects from sports to disability rights, politics to GLBT issues. I argue, on occasion, with those I disagree with, but always I am 100% honest, upfront and passionate. I think that’s why people listen. I like to imagine they can hear the passion in my voice, even though, in this case, it’s oozing from my fingertips.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to offer up a few Twitter tips, that will get you more engaged, passionate followers.
It’s Quality Not Quantity
This is true not only in the number of followers you have, but in the number of Twits you post. If you have 8,000 Twits of you saying, “uhmmmm”, “hmmmmmmm” and “yea! Right on!” then people aren’t going to find you nearly as engaging as someone who is posting 140 characters of advice, tips, or something else of quality.
By the same token, you can have 8,000 followers, but only 5 of them will respond when you ask questions, re-tweet your posts, and converse with you on a regular basis. Meanwhile, another person on Twitter may have only 50 followers, but 45 of them respond to their twits. So, who would you rather be; the guy/girl with only 5 people responding or the one with 45? I’m guessing you picked the answer I did. Quantity truly does not dictate quality.
Be Entertaining and Fun
Twitter may be used for business, but all work and no play are sure to make you less engaging to your followers. The key is to make people on your Twitter see you are a person. You can have a little fun, from time to time, between all the heavy handed business talk. Maybe you want to brag about how your favorite Sport’s team made it into the playoffs. Perhaps your son or daughter won an award and you just want to take a moment to tell the world how awesome they are. The more human you become to your followers, the more likely they are going to want to read, respond and relate to you. We all have lives, families, and interests outside of work. Won’t you share yours with us on Twitter?
Don’t Make it All About Your Business
This goes hand and hand with the last tip I shared on being entertaining. What I really want to stress here is that nobody likes following someone who doesn’t respond or interact with others on Twitter. Nobody wants to engage with someone who only posts about their business or links to their website. Nobody cares about the folks on Twitter that constantly send out DMs with download links to free (paid) e-books or websites that will “help” people who visit said sites.
I will tell you this. I will not follow someone if:
1. They have absolutely no Tweets on their Twitter page. I don’t know who they are or why they’re on Twitter, so I see no purpose in following them.
2. They have several Tweets, but every single one of them is a link to their website, their product, or ways to buy said product. I will be the first to admit I promote my website on Twitter, but it is all about finding a balance between Twits where you link to yourself and Twits where you don’t.
On Twitter, Grammar Doesn’t Matter
Considering I used to be an editor of the written word, it almost seems funny that I am encouraging you to not worry about Grammar or spelling. It took me at least a month to get over my narcissistic need to be grammatically correct on Twitter. You see, I love grammar and punctuation. I especially love commas. I like to be as grammatically correct as I can be, so adapting to Twitter was a real challenge.
You know what though? Today, I just don’t give a darn! I will post 2 for too/to/two, 4 for for (how’s that for some Grammar?!), @ for at, b/c for because, w/ for with and any other abbreviations I can come up with that make sense. Heck! You only have 140 characters to get your point across so use those characters wisely!
Don’t Be Afraid to Get a Little Dirty
I don’t mean go out and play in the mud. I think that one of the best ways to get people to take notice is to be passionate about topics that interest you. Maybe you support/oppose gay rights. That topic is still a bit taboo, so why not get the discussion started, on the topic? Love your view or hate it, you will get followers by going out there and speaking your mind on the issues and topics that matter to you. You will need to make sure your posts don’t over-preach, over-rant, or get too angry. Half the fun of debate is educating people. Show you know something on these controversial topics and you will find that like minded folks will start to respect you and, if you’re lucky, follow you.
Be an Expert without Saying you’re an Expert
You wouldn’t be in the business you are in if you didn’t have at least some knowledge about your niche. You need to own your niche without bragging about how much you own it. When I was in college, I was studying theatre. I would tell everyone I knew how good I was, as an actor, as though I had something to prove. Anyone who would listen, I’d recount with tales of past acting endeavors, and I’d always sum it up by mentioning all the praise I received. I was good, so why shouldn’t everyone else think I was good, too? Well, in the process, I didn’t audition for anything and people stopped listening because I was all talk and no action. It wasn’t until I actually appeared in a show, and people could see I was good, that anyone started listening to me about my skills again.
The same is true with Twitter. You need to show your followers you know what you’re talking about. Nobody wants to hear what an expert you are at this or that. They want your advice, when it comes to your niche. They want you to interest them with your expertise. They want to see what you have to offer them.
This brings me to my last tip.
Be Selfless without Losing Yourself
Be giving. Be selfess. Help others on Twitter and they will help you. I like to help people whenever I can. That’s just the kind of guy I am. I will pass on RTs, donate when asked (if I can), and I try to help people solve their problems through Twitter. If I can be there for someone, I will. I’m not saying you have to give money to every cause, but if a person has been kind to you in the past and they ask for a re-tweet of one of their Twits, why not just c&p the message? It takes less than five seconds to do it, and it helps to show that you care about those whom you are following. I’ve had more people follow me back after I have re-twitted their posts. To them, I’m hoping it shows I care about them enough to help them out.
You can be selfless, but still promote yourself. In fact, helping others over Twitter is one of the best ways to get more traffic to your website, more followers, and better, higher quality, engaging Twitter responses. Be kind to those you Twitter with and in turn, they will be kind to you.
While I don’t claim to be a Twitter expert, I’m sure having fun, posting about my life, my family, my business, and my interests every day with the excellent group of followers I have. The key to getting Twitter to work for you is to be yourself. Be honest, heartfelt, and engaging. With these three things, you’re set to become another Twitter Rockstar!
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