For many, joining a social network is a simple process: go to the site, register a username and WALA – you’re in! Using this simple technique I reluctantly started my personal twitter account, @britthopkins, in November 2008 at the urging of many journalism professors.
But just as soon as I logged in for the first time, I had no clue what to do beyond the obvious – answering the question “What are you doing?” I answered the question and immediately thought, “Who cares?”
It took more than three months for me to even attempt using the site again and tweeted sporadically a few more times. But by June something changed. Seven months after I created my Twitter account I finally stopped tweeting because my professors told me I should; I started tweeting for fun.
So what changed? I did some research.
Initially I started looking for blog posts and articles that offered advice for organizations big and small, as well as creative ways others are using the micro-blogging site. Sure enough, everyone who considers them self a social media blogger, journalist, or guru has advice to give, and I absorbed everything I could click on. Various bloggers’ tips gave me insight on the most effective ways to use Twitter for Public Affairs’ page, but also for my personal account. With that being said, I’d like to pass on the most useful tips I found to you:
Tip #1 Quit counting your followers
I know it’s difficult not to keep one eye on your followers at all times. But if you don’t remember anything else from this blog post, remember this: Success isn’t determined by the number of followers, but the number of retweets. When people like your updates, they tend to retweet them, often adding their own two cents to the post. In the Twitter world this is deemed the ultimate form of flattery. Blogger Avinash Kaushik explains it this way: When people retweet your content to their followers, it can add followers to your network who want to connect with you because your updates are important and relevant to them. So, in the beginning stages worry less about who is following you and focus on posting engaging tweets.
Tip #2 Always be linking
So what makes for an update with retweet potential? Links! I found this advice on social media guru Guy Kawasaki’s blog and it definitely enhanced my tweets. He argues that no one cares about your cat or what you ate for dinner. Instead ABL – “always be linking” – to interesting things you find online. In Public Affairs’ case I’ve found that good news about the university spreads quickly, like this update I sent this morning:
There are a few things to keep in mind when linking and trying to be retweeted. First, don’t just post a link. Blogger Chris Brogan says you should always set up a link by asking a questions or giving a quick explanation.
Secondly, if your goal is to be retweeted you can’t use all 140 characters. As you can see in the image above, to be retweeted an individual must put RT and @yourusername; plus most people like to add a comment of their own. For example RT @ChicoStatePA takes about 16 characters, so that’s the absolute minimum number of characters I must save in order to be easily retweeted.
I hope these bits of advice help you as much as they did me. And stay tuned; I’m sure there will be many more in the near future. Please let me know what the most useful tips have been for you in the comments section.
Posted on August 13, 2009
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