Twitter, the online social networking site everyone is talking about, defines “less is more.” With messages of up to 140 characters, or “tweets,” being the only way to update your profile, using Twitter really demands that you clearly express your message or thought. Basically, get right to your point and make it interesting; otherwise, you won’t gain followers, which is the goal here. If you like to write prose or paragraph upon paragraph about a new product or idea, Twitter will challenge you to think and write more precisely. However, what sets Twitter apart from all other social networking sites is its real-time capability. Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn require you to log in to view posts and reply (although this is changing fast on Facebook), but Twitter appeals to those who want to stay socially connected online, right now.
From a leadership standpoint, if you have the talent, knowledge, and intuition to become a thought leader, Twitter provides the ideal platform to start. You can follow others to get a feel for what they’re tweeting, and then start tweeting your own thought-provoking ideas to build your own following. The more followers you have, the higher your “authority” ranking will be. You want to be an authoritative VAR, so you’ll naturally be inclined to push that number as high as possible. Countless plugins and plugins also allow you to track your results with statistics.
Getting started on Twitter can be a bit daunting, especially when you log in, set up your account, and realize there isn’t much on the Twitter site to get started with. Here are some tips to help you join the Twitter craze:
1. Choose your username wisely. When signing up for your Twitter account, be careful when creating your username, as this is how you will be remembered in the Twitter community. Each username begins with the @ symbol. Something like @superVAR could literally be any VAR with that name. What makes you unique and different? What do your current customers think about you and your services? Work on creating a username that stands out and sets you apart.
2. Add a photo or logo. get real You will see that there is a brown square on your profile when you sign up for the first time. Adding a photo of yourself or your company logo makes you real. The brown square makes you generic. Remember that the whole world of social media is about connecting with people, not entities.
3. Use words that are important to your followers so they can find you. Just like including keywords and phrases in the text of your website and blogs to get found in search engines, using keywords that appeal to your customers, prospects, and channel partners will help you get found. Consider tweets with terms like “profitability,” “trends,” “ROI,” and “value added.” Once they find you, if you provide interesting or insightful information, they will follow you.
4. Being a follower is as important as being followed. What is your competition up to? What about your customers? Becoming a follower of other users is just as important as being followed simply because you can also build your knowledge base (and see what your competitors are up to!). Find other people on Twitter you can follow. You can also find inspiration to tweet!
5. Feed your blog, Facebook and LinkedIn updates to or from Twitter. An easy way to spread your knowledge across all social media platforms and ultimately Twitter is to include them directly in a Twitter post automatically. Visit twitterfeed.com and follow the easy steps to incorporate automated feeds. Through Twitter, you can also change this idea so that when you tweet, it also automatically updates your status on your Facebook page.
The number one tip I can share is to start slow; Get your feet wet as you explore the vast possibilities on Twitter. Once you’re more comfortable with how Twitter works, start using the site to position yourself as a leader in your industry. You’ll quickly discover that Twitter allows you to stand out from your competition, and your following will continue to grow—and perhaps generate new customers—along the way. Now get tweeting!