The Twit(ch)Hikers Guide to the Twitteralaxy – Part 2

As promised in Part 1 of the TwitHikers Guide to the Twitteralaxy – here’s part two. Another 5 Must Know Twitter Tips – for newbies, seasoned Tweeters and everyone in between… Twitter Tip 6 – Tune on when your audience is tuned in

The way people use social networks is changing all the time.

With the progression of mobile and smart phones – recent research from CommScore, Nielson and Forrestor – all reports that by 2014 mobile browsing will have taken over desktop browsing. (Good article here from @mashable ).

Research tells us that 48% of mobile usage is being used for social networking – and that level of momentum is having an impact on the time of day people interact with ‘social’.  There’s an increase in ‘commuter’ segments – 6.30 am til 8.30 am, lunchtimes and then post office 5.30 til 8 pm.

Do some analysis using tools like The Archivist or TwentyFeet to get an understanding of when your audience and influencers are tuned in, tweeting and sharing.

Schedule tweets to ensure they coincide with these key times – and of course, if you have an audience based overseas – be sure to take that into consideration too.

Twitter Tip 7 – Know your Keywords

Keywords are effectively like the DNA of your online visibility. What are the words people type into Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube when searching for your products or services? If you don’t know, you really should.

Do your keyword analysis and then be sure that you share those keywords in everything you do online.

Twitter Tip 8 – Use Hashtags Intelligently

If we stick with the premise that Tweets should be conversational – then creating a tweet which is 90% Hashtags is not great practice.  Yes, Hashtags can be brilliant anchors for focusing conversations around (particularly good for connecting people at conferences or events).

But ramming your 140 characters full of #marketing #strategy #socialmedia #snow #analytics – quite generic terms is going to achieve what exactly?

So ok, you may get on the radar of someone that is tracking #socialmedia – but what are they going to think about your conversational skills?

Over packing tweets with hashtags is a bit spammy. Used intelligently hashtags are purposeful – so use them when relevant.

Twitter Tip 9 – Decide Business or Pleasure

Having a relaxed conversational tone of voice works well when we’re conversing both offline and online. You should be tweeting as you talk (without expletives! ;)).

However, what determines the tone of voice you use, the style of tweeting and the content you share must be led by the ‘objectives’ of what you are using the Twitter thread for.

For example, if my objective is to grow awareness of being an expert cat groomer – and sharing my authority in that space, to broaden awareness and build share of mind as the expert that people naturally think of and refer to – then I’m going to ensure that the activity in my Twitter thread is ‘on message’ at all time.

Yes, I can be personable, friendly and communicate my personality. But are people bothered that I’ve just booked a holiday or that I’m having a cup of tea? Er…no.

If your Twitter thread is for business – then think objectively. Yes, be conversational – but make those conversations purposeful.  Sharing to 500 people that you’re bored and having a cup of tea is a waste of such a far reaching broadcast medium. It may turn off some key influencers or potential new customers. So decide your objective and retain focus.

In an online socially connected environment such as Twitter, you are what you tweet – so make yourself valuable.

Twitter Tip 10 – Just Say No to Autoresponders

There’s nothing more ‘non targeted’ and ‘non personal’ than receiving an automated ‘thank you for following me’ message.

And when it’s coupled with ‘Thanks for the follow – now check out my Facebook page and get 100 free tips on blah blah’ – that really isn’t using Twitter for the wonderful conversational channel that it is.

What we advise is that when you check out who’s following you – if you feel it relevant and purposeful to respond – then do so.

I may say something like: Just looked at your tweets – great to connect, I’m looking forward to sharing.

Or indeed – if I see something they’re sharing in the threads that I wish to comment on, I will. Eg: “Liked your tweet about social and mobile, where did you get those stats?”

This shows the person I’m connecting with that I’m engaged, interested – and it opens up a dialogue.

Now I may not get the opportunity and indeed it may not be relevant to personally connect with everyone that follows – but if I think I’ve got a potential highly relevant influencer on my hands, then I want to get that dialogue going asap.

What better way than to ‘turn off’ such a potentially valuable asset than to send them a droning autoresponder.

So that’s it. If you missed Part 1 of the Twit(ch)hikers Guide to the Twitteralaxy you can find it here.

Together with heaps of blog posts via our Carvill Creative blog.  There are over 200 posts in the blog – so be sure to search out your subject, and you’ll find masses of relevant posts.

Best wishes

Michelle

Carvill Creative – the online visibility experts. A digital marketing agency based in Maidenhead, Berkshire.  Carvill Creative covers all aspects of online visibility – website effectiveness, social media marketing, social media management and social media training, user focused website planning and conversion focused website design.

Passionate about Online Visibility - creating an integrated approach across websites, blogs and social media platforms.