DOS & DON'TS WHEN USING TWITTER FOR BUSINESS

Following our event in June, Claire Boyles, our speaker on the evening, has put together some points for you to bear in mind when "tweeting". Which presumably you are now all doing following her talk!

Some Dos & Don’ts when using Twitter for Business.

By @ClaireBoyles http://www.twitter.com/ClaireBoyles

Number 1 Golden Rule:
Before tweeting ask yourself 2 questions:
1) Would I be happy if this tweet appeared on the front page of a national newspaper?
2) Do my customers & potential customers really want to read this?

Do:

• Do be yourself - be honest, open & transparent. [This doesn’t mean you have to share intimate details about yourself!].
• Do be friendly, join in conversations, this is what Twitter is for, you don’t need to wait for an invitation to @reply anyone!
• Do help others - answer questions, RT questions for others if you don’t know the answer, generally be a good neighbour in Twitterville.
• Do share information, if you’ve learned something new on Twitter, share it so others learn too.
• Do use twitter to expand your network, connect with people who you wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet otherwise (I’ve had conversations with Duncan Bannatyne recently that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to, without Twitter).
• Do share interesting, valuable information & keep it relevant to your customers/potential customers.
• Do share things about your own life, people can relate better when they understand the person behind the tweets.
• Do check your spellings before you tweet - this is your public image, you want to be showing your best!
• Do upload an avatar of yourself, people connect better when they can get a sense of the person behind the tweets.
• Do complete your bio & use it wisely to share with people what you want them to know about you/your business.
• Do engage, don’t just tweet special offers.

Don't

• Don’t spam tweople, spamming is constant tweets about what you’re selling/links to your website.
• Don’t set up automated tweets that go out constantly without you being there to converse.
• Don’t go following 100’s of people, then unfollow if they don’t follow you back. Twitter is NOT about numbers of followers, it’s about quality!
• Don’t criticise competitors in public (Yes twitter is public!) it just makes you look bad.
• Don’t share highly personal information - remember the Number 1 Golden Rule - Would you be happy if this appeared on the front page of a national newspaper?
• Don’t attempt to be something you’re not, you’ll get found out in the end.
• Don’t, Don’t, DON’T tweet when you’ve had a few drinks/are drunk. This is self explanatory & is a really BAD idea!
• Don’t Broadcast, broadcast broadcast broadcast broadcast broadcast broadcast broadcast, Twitter is a 2 way communication tool!

In summary, remember the Golden Rule: Ask yourself: "Would I be happy with this tweet appearing on the front page of a national newspaper?"

And secondly, remember this is a SOCIAL media site - people use Twitter to socialise, they're not on Twitter to buy your stuff, they're on Twitter to connect with other friendly, like minded people.

And thirdly- have FUN :)