A Couple of Twitter Do's and Don'ts

One of the challenges in working with clients (or yourself if you’re a business owner trying to promote your company and YOU) is convincing them that what matters to them often matters to their existing and prospective customers as well. In other words, modesty and an aversion to self-promotion (not shameless self-promotion; there’s a difference) must be set aside. I was thinking about the woman who I wrote about recently, the owner of High Tea with Gerri. Naturally, after I spoke with her, wanting to get some facts straight about her website, I rattled off a couple of promotional ideas she might want to consider. And now, as I think more about social networking and how much more complicated it is than simply adopting the top 25 tips for success or whatever the flavor of the day might be, I’m realizing that what might be appropriate for one person (tweeting twice a day) might tip someone else over the edge. In other words, just because there’s a formula for success doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everyone. 

Of course this has been going on for some time, but in many cases, finding that right fit has more to do with really discovering what makes one business owner tick versus how your Great Idea is going to save that person and ultimately make her a bazillionaire. As you think about where you and your business fit in, say, the Twitter universe, consider my brief list of Twitter do’s and don’ts. And then if you’re still not sure, put your reservations aside and focus on your business. But don’t do that for too long. You have your competitors to think about and they might have already figured it all out.

Calibrate your promotional efforts: self-promotion is not a bad thing. Even the proverbial “shameless” self-promotion can reap some unexpected rewards. But too much of anything can backfire. If you talk about yourself too much, at some point no one is really going to care. People want information, but they also want to be engaged. And to truly engage others you need to be interested in what they’re about. Yes, you’re tweeting to sell something, but let your readers figure that out by using subtle language. Don’t hit them over the head.

Be yourself: it’s okay to show your true side to the social media world, not your incredibly truthful side, like what you really think of your neighbor’s ugly dog or how you’d never wear that outfit you saw on your colleague, not that kind of truth. But you want to let your personality come out so that you can distinguish yourself from others, particularly your competition.

For the briefest of a Twitter “do” follow me there @LeslieLevine.