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How to Get the Most Out of Twitter

August 26th, 2011 | Jennifer | 1 Comment »

Are you tired of tweeting away and not getting the results you want? Do you want more followers? Are you looking to boost sales? Whatever your goals are, Twitter can be a big asset in helping you achieve them. Twitter is an effective marketing tool, but like any tool, you have to use it properly.

Customize your Profile

Your Twitter profile is an extension of who you are, or who your business is. Branding yourself on Twitter is essential to attracting new followers. You don’t want the same Twitter profile graphics as everyone else; you want to stand out from the crowd. A well-designed Twitter profile makes a great first impression that captures peoples’ interest. Once you have their eyes on you, the will likely read what you have to say. If you can’t create a custom profile on your own, it’s well worth investing in hiring a graphic designer to create one for you.

Tweet at Peak Times

Believe it or not, the best time to send out tweets is during the business day. Twitter estimates its peak time between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in all U.S. time zones. Ideally, you should try to send out your tweets in the middle of the day so that you have the best chances of reaching people in different time zones. If you’re unable to send out tweets during that time of day, consider using a program like HootSuite to automatically schedule your tweets.

Use Hashtags

If you’re not familiar with hashtags, they’re words with the # sign in front of them that make the words visible to other Twitter uses that aren’t in your feed. The best way to find hashtags is to look up keywords related to your niche at hashtags.org. You should also look at tweets from other people in your niche to see which hashtags they’re using. Try to use hashtags with every tweet you send out.

Don’t Overpitch

People sign into Twitter for news or conversation, not for sales pitches. If you’re constantly trying to sell or promote something, people won’t take you seriously. Interject lively anecdotes and conversation starters in your tweets. Share links you find on the web. Tweet about things that other people will find interesting and/or useful. The better your content is, the more likely it is to be re-tweeted. If your tweets are frequently re-tweeted, you’ll start building up followers quickly.

Join the Conversation

If someone tweets about something you find interesting, send them an @ reply, not a direct message. Every @ reply you send is visible in the user’s feed and will help bring other people into the conversation. Remember, above all else, that Twitter is a social network. If you’re friendly to other users, they will be more likely to follow you.

The biggest requirement for getting the most of Twitter is time and patience. You have to experiment and figure out what works best for you. Be creative, follow these tips and have fun with Twitter. If you show Twitter love, it will love you back.

(Source: sitetrail.com)