Guide to Twitter: Know Your Style

July 08 View Comments Category: Twitter

The first time on twitter can be very intimidating.

You may have questions: Who do I follow? Should I follow someone back? What should I say? Will anyone follow me back? Is this a waste of time?

The answer is in how you use it. Do you know why you are on twitter? Are you there to share or promote yourself or a business? Or, are you on twitter to be a watcher, to find braking news, interesting posts and celebrity gossip? Or to connect with friends that are already using twitter? 

These are things that you need to know. Because, your behavior on twitter will be very different depending on your goal.

For me it breaks down to two types of Users: Content Generators: Go-Getters and Content Absorbers: The Watchers. 

Go-Getter Tips

If you are going to promote and make it a goal to get as many followers in any way possible then you need a game plan. You need to check out certain twitter "celebrity" users who have great tips in what services you can use. At this point in the game there is a service for every type of need. So go out there and start you search. 

I've listed a few that I have used and could be useful. 

(in no particular order)


Road-yellow line                      

             (Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mychatham/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

  • Guy Kawasaki or @GuyKawasaki: Social Media Guru. Can't go wrong with his advice. 
  • Twitter Grader: Grades your site, lets you see how you stack up against others.
  • Twitter Hawk : Real time targeted marketing on twitter. (In process of trying it out) 
  • Twitter Counter : Another site which shows how your twitter account is doing. 
  • Su.pr: Just came out of beta. Best part is the analytics that it provides for your links.
  • Adjix.com: Bare bones link shortener and scheduler. 
  • Bit.ly: In-between Su.pr and Adjix. Try all three and see which one you like.   
  • TwitterFeed: Automatically post from your blog to your twitter. 
  • SocialToo : Set up auto DM's, Post to multiple sites. Set up Surveys. 
  • Mashable: They have multiple articles on twitter and supported services. With constant updates.  
This should give you a good start to where you want to go. I think the best way to get efficient is to explore and see what works for you and what is a waste of time.

Also, it is important that you interact with your fans/customers/random strangers. If you only put out one way communication then your message will be ignored. Others need to see that you are listening as well. If you become big time and can't handle all the tweets, then at least just focus on @ replies and DM's. 

Be authentic with your message and don't insult others. You will get respect if you give respect. So act accordingly. 


The Watchers

Watcher
                  (Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lchifi/ / CC BY 2.0)
Not much to it. If a friend joins follow them and otherwise enjoy the ride. 

I know there are many more variations on the "typical" twitter user. But, I think it breaks down to just two core users: content providers and content absorbers. There might be different styles for each one but at its core these are the two. 

Try to be yourself and be a positive influence in the Twitter community. 
 

  • http://www.juusmedia.com Jason

    Absolutely brilliant thanks for all the useful links! Just signed up with Su.pr pretty cool!

  • http://www.jkru.ms Janis Krums

    Thanks Jason, Glad that you liked my links. Su.pr has become my choice for posting to twitter and FB. Love their analytics.

  • http://www.northstar-website-design.com/ Fred

    As usual, another great and informative post. Thanks

  • Janis Krums

    Thanks Fred, I appreciate it!

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