Twitter Basics
- Step One: Sign up for a free twitter account. Twitter.com
- Step Two: Start following people - you are welcome to start with me :-)
- Step Three: Start Tweeting
- Step Four: Use Twitter Search to find people who are looking for what you've got.
- Step Five: Get involved and stay real. If you are just a chanel for advertising - don't bother. It doesn't work that way.
Twitter asks one question, "What are you doing?" Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message, or the web.
So why should you be part of the fastest growing social network? Because it IS the fastest growing social network.
Once you've signed up (no charge, no personal details - 2 minutes and you are done) you'll want to spend a few minutes personalizing your Twitter home page and adding an avatar. Your company logo or a small friendly photo of yourself is the most effective way to be part of the community.
Now it's time to find some people to follow and collect followers. Start by using the Twitter "Find People" tool. Once you are following a few people and being followed you'll have real life examples of how to use the network.
Don't be afraid to post. Ideally you should be tweeting between 5 and 10 times a day. Simple types of early posts are:
"I'm in the office till noon today stocking the new easter baskets - really cute"
"The sun was spectacular coming up over the mountains this morning. Really lucky to live here"
Bad tweets:
"call me for the secret to an easy fortune."
"You don't want to miss this opportunity."
It's ok to be personal. "need more coffee" "On my way to church". Remember this is a social network.
It's not ok to be mean, gross or profane. You are still trying to make business contacts even if they are wrapped up and a social setting.
Next: "Finding Your New Customers"