Having Fun and Building Relationships with Twitter

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the micro-blogging and social networking site, http://www.Twitter.com

And I'm not the only one; it seems like everyone is joining the Twitter bandwagon.

So if you are new to Twitter and not sure what to post or how to build relationships with this social networking tool, here's some tips to get you started.

1. Join in the conversation. Answer a question or respond to someone whose tweet made you laugh. Post your feelings about something important that is going on in your life. Be real, not phony!

2. Post links to helpful blog posts you've read, tweet about what books or classes you are reading or taking, share a resource or web site that you think others might find helpful too.

3. Post promotional links every once in a while, not every day. And don't be blatantly pushy when you do. Just keep it easy and light and avoid the hard sell language. It's a real turn off and people will unfollow you if you go overboard with it.

4. Have fun with it! Twitter is great fun and allows you to connect with so many interesting people all over the world. Just relax and have some fun with it and people will be attracted to you naturally.

Power Tips: Make your One Line Bio count, because this is what people use to decide whether they want to follow you or not. You only get 160 characters so use them wisely.

Do not use a sales pitch. Just tell people a little bit about yourself including personal interests and hobbies. People are looking for common interests when they scan the bios in Twitter, so it makes it easier for you to connect with people if you do that.

Also, do not link directly to your sales page in your profile. It's better to link to a blog, or a profile page, Squidoo page, etc. where you are introducing yourself and your background or sharing helpful information. Remember it's rude to walk up to someone at a networking meeting and go straight into your sales pitch and it's rude to do it online too!

Finally, do you have questions about Twitter? A Twitter success story to share? Please use the comments to post them.

Happy Tweeting!

Linda Locke
http://www.twitter.com/lindalocke

Comments

[Audrey]

Really great tips for the beginner Linda. You really can't stress enough that networking is meeting others, not blasting ads.

[Charlie]

Thanks Linda! Very helpful tips you have here. Just new to twitter too and having a blast at this whole new social marketing stuff.

[Brent]

This may be one of the most informative post about effectively using Twitter that I've read. I'm working on building my following, but this will really help in getting others to follow, to view what I post, and to start meaningful conversations and connections.

Brent
http://www.successfulhomebasedbusinessreport.com

[Mike]

Excellent tips, Linda. Especially the one about not using a sales pitch on your Twitter bio. I see this all the time and it's irritating, for lack of a better word.

Mike

[Glenn Antoine]

Both Twitter & Squidoo are so very powerful tools and have so much to offer people trying to build a new business...especially if they have a limited marketing budget.

Glenn
Persistence Marketing
http://www.persistencemarketing.net/