#1 Don’t start blind…
Before beginning any Social Media campaign, check out the competition. Check out their websites & Social Media accounts. Look at their previous posts/tweets and take note – What did they focus on? How many followers do they have? Do their tweets read similar to your own personality? Who is on their follow list and should you perhaps consider following the same individuals?
#2 Be friendly, but also be true to your personality…
Social Media “Experts” will tell you to be extra friendly, funny and basically act like you are talking to your best friend (or at least a close one). All good advice, except if that’s not really who you are. Today’s Social Media audience is more sophisticated than they were even 5 years ago. They can be located anywhere on the globe, fill every age bracket, and have personalities that range from perhaps a bit too friendly to the biggest grump you will ever meet. If you try to be someone other than who you really are, they will quickly see through it. Be yourself and they will appreciate your authenticity – even if it is a little prickly at times.
#3 Pace yourself, it’s a marathon not a sprint…
A common mistake for those new to Social Media (Marketing or otherwise), is that they over extend themselves. Whether it’s a blog, a Facebook page or a Twitter Campaign, they start out bold and strong, only to discover the publishing schedule they have committed to is unrealistic. Soon writer’s block, other priorities or even an occasional slip of the mind begins disrupt the schedule. Readers quickly begin to question if they can count on regular posts/tweets from you and your fans/followers start to disappear.
To avoid this, start out slow and as you learn what’s reasonable for your schedule, gradually work yourself to that pace.
#4 Take advantage of 3rd party tools & services…
Nobody should be tied to their computer 24×7. Take advantage of third party tools & services that fit your goals & budget. Whether its using a scheduler like Hootsuite or Parllay, or hiring a firm to handle your daily content curation, taking advantage of these free or low cost tools/services can make your life a LOT easier.
#5 Don’t advertise yourself, become a resource…
Followers quickly become annoyed when “self-promotional” tweets or posts begin to outnumber (or feel like they outnumber) actual content. This doesn’t mean you can’t mention your latest blog or newest product on your shelves, just make sure that a heavy majority of the rest of your material stands at least ten feet away. Remember, the goal of using Social Media is to build a growing list of followers who trust you (that gradually can be converted to advocates & customers). If all you do is talk about yourself (unless you are celebrity) or what you want to sell, few are going to stick around or listen to your pitch.
#6 What should I tweet?…
So what should you tweet or post? For starters, make sure you are passionate about the topic and show it. People want to read content from someone who is deeply committed to the topic, not just there for a quick buck. Second, look to provide material that gives the reader solutions or useful information regardless the source. Don’t be afraid to share other people’s content. Seek articles on other sites that maybe of interest to your readers and then link to them.
Depending on your topic, consider including related photos (always make sure you are not violating copyright). Re-Tweet and Share the best material you find from those you follow (giving credit to the source) or you consider influencers in your industry. In other words, include what you would find helpful if you were one of your customers.
Oh, and don’t forget, its ok to sometimes go off topic. Don’t be afraid to wish people a Happy New Year or even Happy Birthday to an active fan on your Facebook site. Even Joe Friday of Dragnet liked the occasional warm handshake.
#7 Keep an eye out for yourself…
Explore using tools such as TweetBeep alerts or regularly run a search on yourself to see if people are talking about you, your company or your product outside of your regular circle. When you find something positive, consider tweeting a link to an article or other material at that same source (if you or your company is noted as part of a much larger article you may directly link to the specific page in article you are on). Why? Think of it this way:
A) While not a guarantee the site or source will post additional positive material about you or your company, it never hurts to provide a little free publicity to those who have just done the same for you.
B) Even if you do not directly link to the material mentioning you or your company, there will be some who will still stumble upon it and note it as increasing your creditability.
C) Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO itself is far too large of a topic to fit in this particular blog posting, but the important fact to understand is that the more links a particular article or the site that holds it has (from a reputable source), the easier it will be to find in Search Engines such as Bing, Google, etc. This in turn increases the likelihood that even those who do not follow your tweet may see the previously mentioned article – free additional publicity for you and/or your company.
#8 Keep it quick, keep it simple, forget the dictionary…
Unlike a formal article, Twitter readers do not pay that much attention to grammar and can even forgive a spelling error or two. They understand with a limitation of only 140 characters there will be some errors. Your post should be readable, easy to understand and attractive.
#9 Have fun…
Just as it is important to be authentic, if you don’t enjoy what you are tweeting about or the act of tweeting, it will show. Find a way to have fun with your tweets and your fans be loyal.
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Want to learn more about Twitter & how to be a Twitter Ninja? 
Check out our book: Twitter ABC: The Ultimate Beginner Guide
