I’m still testing out some of the newest features released from Facebook, but I’ve had a lot of Twitter questions lately so while we finish up checking out Facebook’s latest and greatest, I thought I’d share with you a few fun Twitter tips and tweaks that you can use to make your own Twitter account a little more effective.  If you missed it, be sure to first read through our last round up of tips in our free guide, Why Twitter is Just a Personality Contest.

• Reminder:  It’s not an RSS Feed.  If you’re never logging into your Twitter account, explain to me what’s the point?  Twitter isn’t an RSS feed, so if all you’re doing is pumping out feeds from your blog, from Facebook, or elsewhere, then why bother with it at all? You’re missing the most powerful part of Twitter:  conversations and community.
• Avoid Convention. #FollowFriday is a hashtag that is very popular, but I think it’s overused – we’ve all see those tweets crammed-full-with-as-many-names-as-possible-and-the-hashtag-doesn’t-even-fit-so-they-just-use-#FF.  I find I get lots of response and “feel good” vibes when I highlight people that do something nice for me right when it happens.  So, if it’s Wednesday, and I want to say thanks, I just drop out an #AwesomePeopleWednesday tweet.  Who cares about convention – do something that’s noteworthy.
• Thanks for the RT. I get so many of these Tweets, it’s just overwhelming.  In fact, I get them even when I didn’t RT anybody’s stuff.  I’m not sure how to explain that!  Not everyone will agree with me, but sending out a “Thanks for the RT” message isn’t always the best way to cultivate a relationship.  If I Stumble one of your posts or if I reply to your email or do something else, it doesn’t trigger an immediate message like this does.  So instead of clogging up the networks with all these generic Thanks messages, why don’t you do something bigger?  How about you return the favour – or comment on that person’s blog, or something else to send the karma back?
• First Impressions Count.  I get asked all the time ‘do I really need a Twitter background?’  The thing is, yes, people only see it once, but first impressions count.  Don’t you want them to immediately understand who you are, what you’re about, and how they can learn more?  Your most recent tweets can change from day to day, and your bio is only a few characters, so get that background in shape to help give them a clear picture about you.
• IGNORE Follower/Following Counts.  Just ignore them.  It is what is in the content that matters.  You can tell whether someone is genuine and interesting without looking at the numbers.  Your gut can tell.

Remember, Twitter is like most social networking mechanisms: it’s about sharing experiences and telling stories first, and about selling second.  You have to make the connection before you can make the sale.

PS – Be sure to follow the Travel Online Partners twitter list and keep in touch with all the members of our team!

To Learn More

Be sure to visit our Twitter resources page to see other articles and materials that can help you make the most of Twitter, including our popular Twitter jumpstart package.

Photo by Todd Barnard

If you’ve ready our guide, Twitter is Just a Personality Contest, then you’ll know that the numbers that count on Twitter aren’t the ones listed on your profile.  People keep forgetting that, so as a friendly reminder, we’ve got a new example:  Anil Dash.

You see, Anil was added to Twitter’s “suggested user” list – which means when new users join Twitter, he’s one of the guys the system suggests you follow.  Pretty cool huh?

No, Not Really

As Anil states on the article linked to above:

“Being on Twitter’s suggested user list makes no appreciable difference in the amount of retweets, replies, or clicks that I get….for the most part [new followers] don’t interact with me at all.”

And then comes the punchline.  Wait for it…

“Being on the list just adds followers, not real connections.”

Bingo!

What are you building on Twitter?

Are you trying to work on increasing that meaningless number on the upper right hand side of your profile?

Or, are you trying to reach out and make real connections with people who:

• are existing customers you can get feedback from
• are potentially new customers to meet and greet
• are media and PR folk who are great to know and network with
• are other small businesses in your niche or geography that can provide support and guidance

I’m not sure about you, but to me it’s pretty clear which strategy is going to be more effective for the long term.

To Learn More

Feeling like Twitter is the next big step for you?  Or already there and not feeling effective in making real connections?  No worries – have a look at any of our Twitter resources to see if something might be just what you’re looking for.

So, you’ve downloaded and read Twitter is Just a Personality Contest.  You get the lingo, you’ve got in and started playing around.  You linked your blog up to Twitter with Twitterfeed and you’re making some great conversations with your followers.  But you want a shortcut to save you some time, because you’re having a hard time updating Twitter while on the road our out with your paying customers.

Introducing HootSuite

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We are very excited to announce our latest FREE TOP Secrets do-it-yourself guide, Why Twitter is Just a Personality Contest

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