Twitter was looking like 2008’s biggest fad. Now it’s 2009’s biggest trend and there’s no indication that its significance is going into a tailspin any time soon.
Twitter is, in the most basic sense, a micro-blogging platform. You write a short message (140 characters is the maximum) and that message will show up on your profile page, which become, in essence, a little blog.
But that’s really only the beginning of the whole thing. You see, those who “follow” you on Twitter can see that post/message instantly.
Let’s say that you have a Twitter account. Let’s say that you sell widgets. Let’s go one extra step and assume that you have a few thousand other people who have at least some interest in widgets “following” you.
What’s going to happen when you make the following “tweet” (post)?
“The best widgets in the world just got a whole lot cheaper — http://www.Example.com ”
Assuming Example.com is your site, you can safely assume that at least a few of your followers will click on the link to see what’s happening. Traffic.
Now, before you get too excited, you can’t just pummel self-congratulatory spam and self-serving links over and over again. At some point, you must temper that urge and provide some valuable insight and information to your followers.
You also need those followers. To be honest, that’s not too hard to manage.
You can start by isolating and then following a series of Twitter users with interests that line up with your product. If you do that and follow it up by providing some good Tweets, you’ll see a rapid growth in your follower base.
Using Twitter requires “Virtually No Effort” because it’s possible to make it do some great things for you in less than 15 minutes per day. Get into the habit of using Twitter for 15 minutes, being careful not to push your own links too often.
Keep things on an even keel and freely point out other things in which your followers may be interested. Feel free to strike up a conversation with them.
You want to balance self-promotion with being a good citizen of the “Twitterverse”.
Not only does that work in the short-term, it also has longer range benefits. Good citizens get more followers, after all.
Twitter Tip 1: Twitter is a big ol’ community, but it’s still a community. Like any other community, it has a series of conventions, mores and unspoken rules. Before you start posting like your hair is on fire, take some time to get a feel for how people use Twitter and what they both love and hate about it.
Twitter Tip 2: The freewheeling style of Twitter and its 140-character post limit can lead to some pretty blunt and honest messaging. That’s part of what makes it great. It’s also why it can be dangerous. Take a split second to re-read your Tweets before releasing them on the Twitterverse. It will help you hone your Twitter communication skills and may spare you from a few “hot water” situations.
Twitter Tip 3: One of the reasons Twitter is BLOWING UP is because the Twitter people have shared their API with other developers. As a result, many great applications out there can make your Twitter experience more efficient and enjoyable.
Try a few on for size. You might find, for instance, that you enjoy working from Tweetdeck a lot more than you do dealing with Twitter’s “stock” interface.
