If you all remember two months ago, I knew nothing about Twitter.  As time passed, I learned more and more.  I feel confident in sharing what I’ve learned with you, so that you can do whatever you want with it.  😉  (As I type this I must also tell you that my cat is sprawled across the table where I sit writing, examining everything that I’m typing as it pops up on the screen.  It’s very odd, it’s almost like she can read everything that I’m writing.  Oh she just looked away and fell asleep all in one breathe, I must be boring her. )

1)  Tweet (post) something everyday, even twice a day or more often.  The likelihood of it being read is slim, so you’ll want to tweet as you feel appropriate.

2) Don’t over tweet.  No one wants to hear comment after comment about yourself and your feelings.  Limit yourself there, you can get around this if you have a happy twitter finger by retweeting (reposting other peoples posts).

3)  If you are new to the scene and really want to get your information out there for everyone to see, retweet those you are following and those who are following you.  There are a ton of retweet groups that you can join up with, look for them, follow them and retweet them.

4)  If someone follows you, they generally expect you to follow them back.  If you don’t, they will most likely “unfollow” you.  If you’re trying to build your online visibility, don’t go there.  I’m not suggesting that you follow weirdo’s, but if you have a similar profile follow away.  For example, I “followback” anyone that is an author, writer, general artist etc. but avoid following people that suggest they can get me 10k followers if I go their way.  You don’t need to do this, if you are serious about building your online following, it will come.

5)  Make a list.  Make several lists.  I have a “retweet list” and tweet everyone on that list my book info once a day.  They then retweet it out to their followers and you have just earned yourself a little free advertising.  Note only add to this list if the group specifies that they retweet, you don’t want to spam someone that wants nothing to do with Twitter-marketing and then end up getting yourself blocked from Twitter.  🙂

6) If you see someone wondering around Twitter who’s completely lost, ask them if they need help, (recommend some Twitter rules of thumb for them).  They will most likely be thankful and add you as a buddy.

7) Go to your Home page every so often, establish relationships with people that you don’t know.  For example, if someone has a really cool picture posted, comment on it.  People are going to see you commenting and may quite possibly follow you.  You want this.  You want a ton of followers.  I’m not sure why, but you do.  Just kidding.  Twitter is more of a marketing site, where as Facebook is more so socializing.  There are people who use it mainly for socializing, like my daughter, which drives me nuts because I don’t want people following her that don’t know her, but I screen it, anyhow you get where I am going with this right?

8)  Aside from retweeting, make sure you tweet about your friends that are also marketing their product.  I guess it wouldn’t be called retweeting, if you are actually initializing the tweet right?  So do it!  For example by best author friend tells me of all these cool Facebook sites to go to in order to market my book and in turn when I go through my list I tweet about her book!  (which I love by the way, “The Trouble with Playing Cupid)  Anyhow it helps, or I think it does.  Anyone in Chicagoland remembers that phone number to Empire Carpet right?  (They had a ton of commercials in the nineties and everyone used to give out that number when they didn’t want to give out their own)  Anyhow, you know where I am going with this right?

9)  Post links to your site in your tweets, pictures also look pretty on Twitter walls, but generally take up much needed characters.   Use them at your discretion.

10) Finally have fun with it, seek out followers if need be and add them, if they don’t add you back, get rid of them.  It works.

*Hope you enjoyed this friends.  Let me know if my tips worked for you.  🙂