Mark Shaw

Jan 17, 2011

Joining the Twitterverse

When I ask people if they are on Twitter they generally respond in one of three ways:

1. They stare at me blankly

2. They ask me what my Twitter name is

3. They ask me why they would be interested in hearing about what people had for dinner or if they are going to the pub!

I must admit I was quite sceptical about its use but have been converted by people such as Mark Shaw to this particular social media platform.

So what is so good about it?

a. In every blog I’ve done Twitter delivers the most targeted, engaged and consistent traffic second only to Facebook. There are occasions when being mentioned on high traffic blogs has meant that there has been a spike in traffic but Twitter always comes out tops on Google analytics for referred traffic. Overall it accounts for about 25% of visits.

b. Twitter is the single most effective place for picking up useful information about your market, interest or passion. The beauty of it is that you can follow the thought leaders in any subject and the free information they pump out is invaluable. Twitter people are a very generous lot.

c. If you have a problem, someone on Twitter usually has an answer. No more trawling through forums or searching the web, which sometimes gives you duff information. I’ve had lots of help from Twitter about blogging, using social media, finding applications, buying the best gadgets and programs – the list goes on. Others I know have got help about marketing, setting up a business and even legal help all for free.

There are many other advantages and, of course, some disadvantages with Twitter. You need to be disciplined and have clear ideas about what you want from it. It isn’t for everyone – some people prefer to focus on other social media, such as Facebook as it suits their business or personality more.

Perhaps the most important thing is not to sell on Twitter and to get into conversations with people rather than broadcasting information. There are some things that will guarantee you won’t be a success on Twitter such as spewing out quotes, posting a link in every tweet, using robots to send out tweets to new followers directing them to your website, and generally not adding any value to your followers.

I’m sure you have some additional comments on what is good about Twitter and how to be successful or not using it. I always send people to Mark Shaw’s Twitter Blog so that they learn how to use this tool effectively for their business or charity.

I usually say to people when they have formed a negative view about Twitter that it’s only a tool just like a chisel. And you can either do a lot of damage with a chisel or create a masterpiece. Make sure your efforts create something worthwhile.

Finally for those who have taken up my plugin suggestions you may notice a new tweet/retweet button on the bottom right of my posts. This is a handy little Twitter retweet plugin for WordPress self hosted sites from Topsy. It has some excellent options for positioning and different colouring to fit with your blog.

What has your experience of Twitter been and would you recommend it to others?

By Andy Britnell Social Media, Twitter 11 Comments Tags: blog traffic, business, Mark Shaw, plugin, postaweek2011, Retweets, social media buttons, viral sharing