Twitter tools are changing the way we can use twitter

Twitter is used by many different people, using many different twitter tools (and twitter tools are changing the way we can use twitter),  for many different reasons:

entertainment, connections, communicatuion, promotion, selling, making money, engaging with people, building relationships, managing customer expectations, creating customers etc

If you use twitter for business (especially if you use twitter tools rather than just apps), then this content is for you.

There are an ever sophisticated set of tools for twitter, and here are some of the behaviours that will risk reducing your follower count of course it all depends what your strategy is – you do have a strategy right?

Twitter has certainly changed over the last few years. What used to work to gain followers has changed, and so must our strategy for twitter and other social metworks.

Twitter as a marketing tool

You DO have a strategy… don’t you?

Those of us that use twitter as part of our marketing mix will automate. For example, this post was written in a blog, then I have a way of telling my twitter followers about the blog. I don’t want to have to tweet or post this type of thing manually. But auto posting must have its limits. If all we do is broadcast OUR stuff then people will soon tune it out – even if they don’t unfollow.  Some times its better to have less followers that listen to what you have to say and take action, than having the “ego boost” of watching your fokllower count increase.

That is just plain crazy – and in fact the only person you are kidding is yourself!

here are a list of behaviours that you should consider checking your own twitter account.

Twitter tools that provide Multiple @s

when more than 50% of your tweets are multiple @ messages

Twitter tools that provide Nothing but links

having 80% of your tweets with links can be risky, it shows little interaction. also be careful of just rt’ing people

Repeating the same URLs

We all post links, but if you tweet one link more than 20% of the time it just looks like spam – remember to post links to other peoples sites – not just your own!

Twitter tools that allow Posting identical tweets

Repeating a tweet is one thing, doing it so often that it becomes boring is not healthy. It just looks like you have nothing else to say. just re-posting other peoples content stinks of inappropriate twitter tool use.

App spam

If more than 30% of your tweets are from apps (paper.li, blip, 4sq instragram etc), this shows a potential lack of engagement, and lack of origional content. Use twitter tools with caution here.

Twitter tools that uses advertising networks

There are people that try to use twitter as an income source, using tools like magpie, ad.ly, adf.ly, mylikes etc will soon turn people off – just avoid them

@spamming apps based twitter tools

There are apps that @message or @mention people. These include fllwrs, followfriday, mvf, commun.it – these tools are aimed to make people think its a personal message but its not. careful use of shuch tools is required.

No activity for over a month

Twitter is about interactions and information – so why follow a person that does not tweet regularly? here using an appropriate twitter tool can help you maintain a realistic presence

Don’t interact with anyone

What is the point in being on a social media platform if you are not going to be social. this means talking to people (@messages) engaging with their material (RT’ing)

Not engaging is a sure fire way to get unfollowed. Getting twitter tools to tweet for you is one thing – but that is broadcasting not social!

Don’t follow many

Do you followe people, or just expect people to follow you. If what you have to say is interesting, your should expect more than 30% of people to follow you back

Egg heads

Come on – what is the excuse for not having a good head shot photograph?

All talk all of the time

Do you use twitter tools and apps to broadcast AT or talk WITH people? If you put out over 25 tweets a day that are just talk, no @messages or rt’s – then you are at risk of losing peoples interest. Sometimes less is more. use twitter tools with caution.

Twitter tools that provide a high percentage of retweets

If you look at your time line and its 60%+ in retweets, why wouild people follow you? why dont they just follow the people you are retweeting? Don’t get me wrong, retweets are great and should be encourages – BUT again not just all the time – have some interaction too.

Twitter tools that provide a high percentage quotes

if 40% or more of your tweets are quotes – why bother? quotes are interesting, motivating and often stimulating – but keep them few and far between

Self obsessed

Do you talk about yourself (me, I)

A lot of the time? are you self obsessed? Then write a diary or a blog – twitter is not the place for you.

Twitter tools are changing the way we can use twitter

Balanced use of twitter tools

The key to successful social media (for those of us that are not celebraties) is to engage, tweet often – but not too often. Engage and talk with people, Share the links to others sites and blogs, not just our own.

Now I am not saying that these are hard and fast rules, but from looking at some of the tools available to people to follow and unfollow pweople recently, these seem to be increasingly points of interest. If you want to !”stay beloe the radar” and keep people interested and engaged – then here is the blueprint for success.

Twitter toolsare ok, but, they need to be used in moderation, just to automate human tasks – not to provide a replacement for a main stream news feed – keep it real (Twitter tools are changing the way we can use twitter)