Are you new to Twitter and unsure about Twitter etiquette? Etiquette on social media platforms is something I’m always asked about and Twitter can be a real minefield. In truth, one rule doesn’t fit all but I hope you find the seven tips below useful. And today, I’ll even let you in on a very well-kept, guilty secret of mine.
Keep reading to find out 🙂 …
- Should you follow everyone who follows you? No… why would you? Only follow people that are of interest to you. In an ideal world we would be nice and follow everyone but your timeline will already be busy enough. But if you do decide to follow everyone, use lists. They are a great way to break down the white noise of your timeline and allow you to categorise your own interests and topics.
- Should I automate a direct message when someone follows me? No… No… no…never! Sorry, but this is one that really bugs me. Tweeps do not like direct messages that are automated and yes, we will certainly know if they are automated. It’s so easy to tell by the tone and content. If someone follows you, check out their bio and say ‘thank you’. Use this as an opportunity to strike up a conversation with them about a common interest.
- Should I respond when people retweet my tweets? ‘Yes’ is the simple answer but it will depend. Or if you shared someone else’s blog article should you respond? This also depends on who it is, and it may give you an opportunity to strike up a conversation with someone of interest personally or professionally. If they retweet your content it’s nice to be nice! At the very least, you can say ‘thanks’.
- Should you use your brand or your name? This will depend on your strategy. For example, do you want to be the face and name of your brand? If so, then use your name. But if it’s an account to handle customer services then you might consider only using the brand name and logo. It’s always good to allow people to know who the person is behind the account so on customer service tweets, you can always sign off with initials.
- Should you tweet once or ten times a day? There is no one rule that fits all. And this will be very dependent on your strategy, your network and how active they are and your time and resources. Twitter should be something you do daily and become a habit. You check your email regularly so now add checking Twitter and tweeting to the mix.
- Should I tell them personal stuff? Well that is truly down to you and your strategy but you have to decide just how much personal stuff your followers want to know about you. Do they really want to know when your toddler starts using the potty or are they just happy to know that you are interested in the same TV shows as them? As an example, I join and generate conversations regularly about shows like Dragons Den and The Late Late Show but I do not talk about other shows that I watch like The Only Way is Essex (shush, don’t tell anyone now… 🙂 )
- Should I try selling my products on twitter? Not really – avid Twitter users do not like being sold to. Just today, I saw a tweet by a UK company promoting their clutch handbags and they used a business related hashtag which was really spammy and did not go down well with the target audience (in this case, me!). Your followers should know what you do and where your strengths lie, without you having to constantly push a sales message at them.
Something we forget about social media platforms is that they must be ‘social’. Good manners are welcome in any form. So even though the platforms are new, old-fashioned manners never go out of…well…fashion! Comment below and tell us about bad manners you’ve encountered on Twitter.