Lessons learned from using Twitter for the past 4 months…

I started using Twitter about 3 or 4 months ago. Ok, actually I 
created an account about 5 months ago and then let it sit for a month 
before I really started to use it. In between that time, I picked up a 
book on Amazon- Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile 
Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online by Warren Whitlock and Deborah Micek. It’s a great book and it will help you if you are just starting out on Twitter. I highly recommend it to all my friends and clients that want to start tweeting effectively.



If you are currently using Twitter, you may have seen a few of these 
suggestions already, but there are a few that I stick by:


1. Have a BIO. If you don’t have a bio, it’s highly unlikely that people will follow you. It’s simple to fill out and you can make it something funny about you, this will help people follow you & remember you. Read other profiles for examples and to get ideas.



2. If you see people that are following 1000 people, but only have 5 followers and one update – there really not worth following. You’ll read more about this in the Twitter Revolution book.
 


3. If somebody is following you, but you don’t see relevant 
“tweets” from them, you don’t have to follow them. I love finding
interesting people to follow, but I don’t follow everybody that follows
me. If I did, I would easily have over 2K followers and it would be even harder to follow the people I’m interested in. My motto on this is quality vs. quantity.
 


4. Spend time finding people in your field. Research people using 
the “Find People” feature, the website “search.twitter.com” on topics
and events that interest you. I’ve found some really cool people in the same or similar fields and I have to say I really feel connected to them. I love using twitter to find new “tweeps” (people on Twitter).



5. As my friend Bernie Borges (@berniebay) says… “Re-tweeting is 
the real power.” Re-tweeting somebody else’s tweet is the ultimate thank you. If you find that they’ve posted something that you find interesting, share it with others that follow you. You’ll be surprised what others may re-tweet of yours as well. It’s great to see and makes you know that others are reading & enjoy what you write. Just don’t go crazy. A few RT’s per day is enough.
 


6. Customize your background. Don’t just be ordinary; be extraordinary. Have something that people will remember & that will make you stand out, just like your bio. That being said, my twitter background will be changing this month. So stay tuned (@dougmcsorley)
 


7. Useful tools that I’ve found in using twitter – Tweetdeck and Twirl. The only drawback that I’ve found using Tweetdeck is that it’s a memory hog. It really slows down my MAC when I’m using it. I started using Twirl a few weeks ago and really enjoy using it. It’s simple to use and there’s no memory issues using it.



And finally, don’t be afraid to use Twitter. Jump in & start using it. Try to set aside some time in your schedule when you can use it without interruptions. Maybe before you get into the office or first thing after you get in the office. Or later in the afternoon when you’re getting tired and need a caffeine kick. I like using it to break up my daily grind… usually tweeting every few hours if I can.



I found an interesting statistic from CNN a few weeks ago, “Only 40 percent of people 
who start using Twitter come back a month later. So while lots of 
people are trying the site, most of them aren’t with the trend for 
very long.” *
 If you start following interesting people and seeing the value in
using Twitter, you will be hooked. There’s more to tweeting then just telling others what you had for lunch.

Take the plunge and start using twitter! I’m sure you’ll be glad you did. Connect with me 
@dougmcsorley and tell me how I can help with your twitter experience.
 


* For the full article “Nielsen: “Twitter quitters” could block 
growth.”



I hope you enjoyed my first posting. If you have some lessons 
learned, please feel free to post them here. I’m always looking to learn new things because I still consider myself a newbie.
Keep in mind that I’m fairly new to using Twitter and have made as many mistakes as anyone. Any tips you can add to these are greatly appreciated..
 
 
 


Another article that I’ve very useful in learning the ins and outs of
twitter include:
 
Twitter and Tweet from the Trenches by @berniebay
 
and one that @socialpmchick wrote back in March. It’s a great article, “Tweet it forward“. 

There’s a few more and if I can find them I will post them in here as well.

Tagged as: Learning twitter, Twitter