How to Rock Twitter

7 Secrets to Becoming a Star on Twitter

To rock Twitter, you need to focus on your area(s) of expertise and to actively build and engage with others who share the same interest(s). This takes time just as real-life relationships.

With over 11,500 followers, I’ve learned about Twitter by using the platform and observing what works and what doesn’t. My investment of time and attention has yielded returns in the form of friendships and learning I couldn’t have gotten elsewhere.

Here are my seven secrets to becoming a star on Twitter.

1. Build a circle of friends. Twitter has provided the opportunity to meet people from around the world that I’d never know any other way.  It requires more than just dipping your toe into the non-stop conversation. You must actively engage with influencers, chatters and others. As an early member of #UsGuys, the welcoming, 24/7 non-stop tweet stream, I’ve made friendships that have extended offline with live meetups. (Please feel free to stop by and join us!) Actionable Marketing Tip: Be helpful and pay-it-forward but don’t skip the small talk. People need to see your human side.
2. Track relevant hashtags, keywords and/or groups. To make Twitter more relevant to your specific needs, use a Twitter client like HootSuite that enables you to track the conversation around a specific hashtag or keyword. Actionable Marketing Tip: Develop a list of relevant hashtags for your needs (using a source like Hashtag.org.) Alternatively, select hastags from relevant Twitter chats and events you’ve attended. If you want to create a new hashtag following, understand that it takes time and related promotion to build.
3. Curate useful information on Twitter. Select the best of the available content in your category that your Twitter audience needs to know, to be in the know. Source a combination of original articles and content, retweet other people’s tweets, and answer other people’s questions. Read content and tweets before sharing them to ensure they’re worth your followers’ time and are on topic to help build your Twitter following. Actionable Marketing Tip: Schedule tweets throughout the day to avoid clogging followers’ streams. Tweet ten times about others for every tweet about yourself. People don’t respond well to promotion on Twitter unless you’ve got a Deal of the Day account where you can tweet one deal per day. (Here are twenty-four tips on Twitter etiquette.)
4. Reach out to people and influencers in your category. Get noticed by retweeting their content and tweets. Don’t include their Twitter handle in your tweets only to get their attention. Since your goal is to engage with them, don’t  bug them or trick them into doing something. Actionable Marketing Tip: Pay-it-forward by doing something that helps the person with whom you’re looking to engage. Look at their Twitter bio and related links. Consider how you can help them without thinking about your personal gain.
5. Actively engage in relevant Twitter chats. Don’t just stop by to poke your head in for a few minutes and leave. That’s a me-me-me approach that’s frowned upon on social media. Instead welcome newbies and connect with people who have questions and answer them.  Actionable Marketing Tip: Think of Twitter chats as a business gathering or cocktail party. Your goal is to interact with others in real time and where possible help them. Also, let your followers know you’re participating in a chat so they can ignore your Twitter stream if they’re not interested.
6. Enhance live events by sharing information in real time.  The biggest benefit of live tweeting is that it helps you focus on what’s being said to crystallize the essence for your followers. Use the event’s hashtag as well as the speaker’s Twitter handle. This helps others and pays respect to the information’s source. (BTW, I use Tweetgrid to keep up with the show’s hashtag, the speaker’s Twitter handle and my Twitter handle. As a result, I can respond quickly.) Actionable Marketing Tip: Enhance your live tweets by adding related information and/or sources cited by speakers. This is particularly helpful because it provides context for your tweets for followers who can’t see the presentation slides.
7. Take Twitter engagement offline. Whenever there’s an opportunity to meet people with whom you’ve been tweeting in real life, grab it. There’s nothing like meeting someone face-to-face to enhance your relationship. Actionable Marketing Tip: Conferences and other types of events provide opportunities to connect. I recommend seeking out at least three to five individuals at each event. It shows you care about them.

Being a star on Twitter takes time to accomplish. It requires engagement and interaction to your connections and follower base. The more active you are, the more you’ll find your investment yields measurable results towards your goals.

What are your secrets to rocking Twitter?

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen

Here are a few other columns on Twitter you may find of interest.

• Make every tweet count – 10 tips and research 
• Twitter isn’t a conversation – Dan Zarrella Research
• 15 Ways to build your Twitter following.

Photo credit: http://naldzgraphics.net/freebies/free-icons-6-adorable-twitter-icon-pack/