By Annika Martins – Guest Blogger
Annika Martins
More and more business owners are discovering the value of the social media tool Twitter. The casual, conversational tone on Twitter makes it possible for entrepreneurs to quickly build strong, direct relationships with customers and key influencers, as well as with fellow entrepreneurs. But for those of us who are just now discovering Twitter, the rules can be tough to figure out. Here are three of the biggest mistakes new tweeters often make:
- Relax! Twitter is not at all a formal, professional environment. So using highly formal language or writing as if you’re preparing a corporate memo is not the best strategy. Think of every tweet as a casual conversation with a colleague or someone you just met at a cocktail party. Using more relaxed language also allows you to let your personality shine through, which helps make you easier to relate to and therefore more interesting.
- Take off your saleswoman hat. Because so much is said about Twitter as a marketing tool, a lot of Twitter newbies use it purely to promote their products/services. Their only contribution is to brag about themselves and why others should buy from them. Frankly, this annoys people. There’s nothing wrong with mentioning promotions, new products or recent accomplishments/awards, but these things should be mixed in with a whole lot of Tip No. 3…
- Give. Give. Give. Think of Twitter as an opportunity to give value to others. Maybe you might recommend a helpful blog post about time management to someone who mentioned how overwhelmed she is. Maybe you could offer to introduce two people who have similar interests. Think of how you can use Twitter to assist others. This will help you build a strong reputation, which will translate into more people being interested in your business. Remember: Giving gives to the giver and the receiver.
Keep these tips in mind the next time you log onto Twitter, and you’ll watch the quality of your interactions skyrocket. Do you have some other Twitter etiquette pointers that we didn’t get to today? Please feel free to share in the comments section below.
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Annika Martins is a business development coach who helps women entrepreneurs remove the roadblocks from their business and personal lives.
Absolutely, David. It’s not about eliminating every ounce of professionalism, but rather toning it down a bit. It’s a social conversation, like you would have at a cocktail party, not a board meeting. Glad you see the distinction too
Your right Twitter is not the place for a corporate memo. This does not mean you have to be informal, it just means that Twitter is business casual not business professional. There is still proper protocol for using Twitter. It’s called netiquette or Twetiquette.