Top Notch Tweeting For Speakers

I’m often surprised when I see how little effort many brands and small businesses put into their tweeting. Maybe it’s because I spend the bulk of my online time on Twitter, where I’ve built a nice following and circle of peers, but I often feel that the social media platform that works in under 140-characters or less, doesn’t really get its due.

Twitter Is Terrific

I admit it, I can get all atwitter about Twitter. It’s my favorite social media platform and I spend more time tweeting than I spend on any other type of social sharing. Why? Because I’ve seen and been able to reap the rewards and the results of the time and effort I put into the Twitterverse.

Why’s tweeting so terrific?

1. It’s easy to get started. Signing up for and setting up your account doesn’t require a degree in rocket science.
2. It’s simple and requires you to get the the good stuff immediately. 140 characters.
3. Its fast-paced feed allows for the most repeat shares (smartly done, of course) of any social media platform.
4. It’s easy to connect and converse with your peers and your prospects.
5. Twitter lists make content curation a breeze (more on that in a future read).

If my love isn’t enough to get you on board, here’s what a few other social media marketers have to say about the platform run by the little blue bird:

Getting Started In Social Media Series, Part 1: Twitter

On Twitter’s Birthday: How Twitter Changed My Life

Why Should You Use Twitter: Confessions of a Dedicated Tweeter

I hope I’ve convinced you that tackling some tweeting is worth your while. If I have, you might like to peruse my top tips for tweeting terrific and not terrible!

5 Tips For Top Notch Tweeting

1. Share The Expertise Of Others, Not Just Your Own!

When it comes to tweeting, you have to remember that you aren’t the owner of the only smarts in your industry. It gets real old real fast when you only share your own content, especially if you don’t have a long blogging or content creation (video, infographics, etc.) history.

Smart social sharing involves tweeting what others have created and crafted. Sprinkle your own content in, too, of course, but do it with a sense of balance and an understanding of what your audience is looking for.

2. Acknowledge Those Who Share Your Articles, Videos, Etc.

When someone takes the time to share your latest epic blog post or the slide deck from your latest speaking gig, it only makes sense to acknowledge the sharer. It takes mere seconds to send a quick “thank you” reply to the original sharer, and it’s an easy way to engage in a little extra conversation.

For example, along with your thanks you can ask what they liked best about the read they shared. You could also ask if they’ve written about similar topics. If they reply in the affirmative, you just might find some great content to share that will help you with Tip #1.

And remember, retweeting your own post as shared by another is NOT acknowledgement. It’s self-promotion. Take the time to craft a thank you that doesn’t once again share your own content!

3. Make Sure You Get Credit For Your Creations!

I can’t tell you how many times I try to tweet and share some killer content only to find that the author hasn’t added his/her Twitter handle to the tweet copy. Don’t make me search it out in your site footer when it’s REALLY easy to have it automatically load. I sometimes decide it’s not worth sharing if I have to search an entire site in order to figure out how to attribute authorship.

Go into your social sharing settings and add that handle. Otherwise you’ll have a hard time thanking those who share your stuff. Go too long without tweeting thanks and you just might find your content going unshared.

4. Make Tweeting Easy For Your Readers/Visitors!

140 characters, that’s the Twitter limit for sharing. But the smartest tweeters know to leave at least 20 characters available for those who want to retweet. And that’s including that handle mentioned in Tip #3. And any relevant hashtags.

There’s almost nothing more annoying than having to rewrite someone’s tweet because they didn’t set it up properly for sharing. Except when someone has their blog auto-excerpt their SEO snippet into their tweet. Which is way over 140 characters. Which means it’s truncated.

Craft tweets for the easiest sharing and retweeting and you’ll reap more rewards for your tweeting efforts!

UPDATE: Twitter now allows for MORE than 140 characters per tweet. But you still don’t need to use up every last character. Keep it to the point, use relevant hashtags and leave a little room for retweets. Sharing is so very social!

5. Timing Is Everything When You’re Tweeting!

Ten tweets in ten minutes is not the way to make the most of your tweeting time. In the biz (the social media marketing biz – that is) it’s known as firehosing and it’s a quick and easy way to lose followers and decrease the ROI of your tweeting efforts.

Spread it out. That’s why there’s a plethora of top notch social scheduling and management tools available for varying monthly investments.

And don’t share old content that’s no longer of any value to your peers and prospects. Old blog posts should be revised before you add them back into your tweeting schedule to ensure they’re correct and timely.

Trust me, sharing out of date information is NO way to build trust and wow prospects!

Your Turn …

So, there you have it. A few tips to get your tweets to tally up points for your business and brand. We’ve barely scratched the surface, though. Twitter is a terrific tool, especially for those building a personal brand – I’m talking to you speakers and presenters!

I’m working on a Top Notch Tweeting For Speakers email course and I’d love to get a few of you on board early as a beta-test team.

How can you get involved? Leave me a comment and I’ll get in touch with you re: becoming a guinea pig!