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20 Fundamental Don’ts of Twitter For Business

Twitter is an excellent marketing platform that provides you with the tools you need to reach your targeted audience.


Twitter is an excellent marketing platform that provides you with the tools you need to reach your targeted audience. In my humble opinion Twitter is the best platform for personal branding, content marketing and relationship building. Twitter is great, but understand that with this freedom comes unwritten social media etiquette rules that entrepreneurs should follow to maintain a positive online reputation

Here are twenty things you shouldn’t do on Twitter:

 

  1. Don’t be hard to find.

    Be sure your Twitter name and associated hashtags that you use are relevant to your business. This makes your account easier to find through Twitter’s search function.

  2. Don’t keep Tweets private.

    When it comes to owning a business account on Twitter, you want your audience to see what you have to offer. If your page is private, they’re less inclined to follow.

  3. Don’t obsess over numbers.

    Don’t focus on the number of followers you have. Focus on creating captivating tweets. Remember, it’s better to have 50 engaged followers than 1,000 followers who scroll right past your updates.

  4. Don’t “follow for follow”.

    This may provide you with hundreds of followers, but it’s a general audience, not the targeted audience that you want.

  5. Don’t direct message everyone.

    Unless you have something of value to offer your followers, don’t send irrelevant, automated direct messages to your followers. It comes off as desperate and spam-like.

  6. Don’t only share automated Tweets.

    If automated tweets are clogging your page, it decreases the likelihood that new people will follow you. Remember: “People join twitter in order to share ideas, interact with people who have the same interests and engage in interesting conversations.” (Source: Twitter Tools and Twitter Tips Blog)

  7. Don’t ignore your followers.

    Just because you’re a business, it doesn’t mean you can’t get to know your audience. Getting involved lets your followers know that you care about your audience.

  8. Don’t tweet everything about your day.

    Telling everyone what you had for dinner isn’t relevant to your followers, unless you’re a food travel writer. Some personal Twitter accounts may tweet their every move, but for a business, it’s a move to be avoided.

  9. Don’t be needy.

    Promote things on your own. Don’t ask your followers to do the work of your business.

  10. Don’t spam.

    Don’t push people away by constantly repeating yourself or only sharing affiliate links.

  11. Don’t use poor grammar or spelling.

    Using Twitter lingo is encouraged, but completely misspelling a word or using bad grammar reflects negatively on your business and your personal brand.

  12. Don’t write in all caps.

    You want to get your message across, but doing so by using all capital letters is not the answer. It screams “AGGRESSION.”

  13. Don’t overuse hashtags.

    Hashtags are incredibly useful when used correctly. However, when you go overboard, it looks like spam. Try to limit your hashtags to approximately two or three per tweet.

  14. Don’t be serious all of the time.

    Sometimes, you need to share a little humor with your followers. Try to evoke emotion from your readers. Get them laughing!

  15. Don’t relentlessly promote.

    Companies that are well-versed in their industry will rarely be seen promoting themselves over and over again. They maintain a nice balance between relevant content and sponsored content to keep their followers interested. You should do the same.

  16. Don’t use extra long tweets.

    It’s difficult to convey a message in 140 words or less, but there are ways to make the most of it. If you have something more to say, put it in a blog post and tweet the link. As Social Media Examiner contributor Neil Patel suggests, keep tweets around 110 characters, since”shorter tweets with around 110 characters get 17% higher engagement, and there’s a reason for that. When you leave room in a tweet, it makes it easier for people to retweet you and add their own commentary.”

  17. Don’t retweet every mention.

    It’s great to engage with your followers, as mentioned previously, but to retweet every time they mention you leaves a feeling of narcissism.

  18. Don’t post offensive content.

    Posting offensive content can not only cost you followers, but it can also reflect negatively on your business by polarizing your business.

  19. Don’t forget pictures.

    Posting pictures on Twitter increases the chances of engagement, whether in the form of follows, retweets, or replies.

  20. Don’t be aggressive.

    Being aggressive, whether through constantly repeating yourself, begging for followers, or typing in all caps will scare followers off.

 

This article has been edited and condensed.

Super nerd turned digital marketer, P.J. Howland is passionate about cutting-edge digital marketing tactics. Within his menagerie of skills; SEO, content marketing and digital analytics stand out. PJ currently lives in Salt Lake City with his beautiful wife, working at a digital marketing agency. Connect with @askPJHowland on Twitter.

 

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