Twitter Do's and Don'ts

Tara Baboushkin | @TaraBaboushkin It’s hard to believe that Twitter has only been around since 2006. In just seven short years, the microblogging platform known as "the SMS of the Internet" has literally changed the meaning of the word “socializing.” With over 550 million registered users and an average of 58 million tweets per day, there’s no question that Twitter is one of the most effective and far-reaching marketing tools for your company.

Unlike the business of celebrity, however, when it comes to professional social marketing, there is such thing as bad publicity. A weak social media presence can promote a negative brand impression, quickly deterring potential followers or prospects. And in cyberspace, where bad news travels even faster than in Hollywood, it’s even more important to create and maintain a professional image.

As one of the largest and most respected social media marketing companies in Texas, we’ve compiled a list of Twitter do's and don’ts to help you avoid some of the pitfalls of social media and bolster your company to “viral” status.

DO

1. Fill in your bio, including your location, and upload a professional-looking profile picture
2. Establish a strong brand voice and show some personality
3. Take time to explore the site, understand the vocabulary and learn about the various business features
4. Tweet regularly to promote a consistent and active presence
5. Tweet at different times of the day to make contact with different groups of people and to account for different time zones
6. Search and follow relevant industry leaders, including competitors
7. Share original and expert content
8. Try to acknowledge all tweets and retweets that you receive
9. Use Twitter to direct users to your other social media profiles
10. Take the time to network and build relationships

DON'T

1. Forget that building a strong presence on Twitter takes time, and time is money
2. Follow anyone and everyone
3. Forget to “talk” to people
4. Ignore a tweet
5. Sell
6. Tweet for the sake of tweeting
7. Write too much in a single tweet – space it out
8. Overshare about your personal life
9. Retweet without crediting the original tweeter
10. Forget to check your spelling

So there you have it. Like any marketing strategy, creating a strong and successful presence on Twitter – or any social media platform for that matter – takes thought, planning and most of all, time. As the social media landscape continues to evolve and the rules of engagement continue to change, these basic tenets of social media etiquette will help you to maintain an enduring and prosperous social media presence.