Bore Your Twitter Followers to Death With These Seven Practices!
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Twitter is a great way to connect with people. I've met some fascinating people via http://twitter.com/ConejoJoe and I've made dozens of friends and acquaintances through Twitter. I'm also doing business with several fellow Tweeters and have helped some Twits finding jobs.
People join Twitter for various reasons (networking, selling, curiousity, meet people, share info, obtain info, etc.). Tweeting on Twitter is hard work. I'd say roughly 50% of my 600 or so "Followers" never post anything (that's not to say they aren't checking out others' tweets). Another 25% post rarely. The other 25% post regularly.
Most Twitter postings are boring, mundane and irrelevant. Often I paying attention or stop following fellow Twitter users as a result. That's not to say that I, the infamous Conejo Joe, have been immune to such practices...in fact, I'm sure many people think I should just shuddup!
But as a prolific Twitter user, I feel it is my duty to share these 7 Twitter Practices That Will Bore Your Followers to Death!
Constantly Promote Your Product
"Eat at Joe's Restaurant" "Joe's has great BLT sandwiches!" "Visit Joe's at www.joesrest.com" "Joe's is open 7 days a week!" "Can't beat Joe's for breakfast!" "Joe's has the best omelettes in town" "Come visit Joe's"
You get the picture. I've seen this many a time. If all you do is promote your product, people will tune you out! Nobody signed up for Twitter looking for advertisements! Mix is up a bit, interact with people, talk about something interesting, for pete's sake!
Say the Same Thing Over and Over Again
Some people set up robo-tweets that tweet the same thing over and over again, spaced out. Booorrrring! Originality goes a long way in Twitter. So don't do this or you'll lose people.
Publicly Thank People for Retweets
I know I'll get pushback on this because so many people do it. But if someone "retweets" your message, do you really have to publicly thank them for it? It's nice and all but the rest of us don't really need to hear you thank them. How about thanking them via Direct Message? Or better yet, take the time to review their postings and return the favor!
Send Me a Direct Message After I Start Following You
"Thanks for the follow! I look forward to connecting!" "Welcome to our Twitter account!" "Hi, check out this service at.." Every time I get a DM, the message goes directly to my cell phone as a text message. I hate that. If you really want to lose me as a follower, send me a DM immediately after I start following you.
Constantly Complain and Whine
"I hate my job" "It is too cold outside" "I'm sick" "My job sucks" is an excellent way to get people to tune you out. Nothing wrong with some occasional venting of course. But to do so regularly really is demotivational to people following you.
Post Mundane Thoughts of No Particular Interest
"I ate a delicious chicken sandwich for lunch" "I'm flying to Peoria today" "Good morning everyone" "My pillow is fluffy" "I'm at Starbucks" "My shoelace broke this morning"
Yes, thank you for sharing. Now go get a life and find something interesting to say, why doncha!?
Long, Boring Public Interchanges
"You going to the Tiddly Wink Convention in San Dimas?" "Yes, and you?" "I'll be there Friday" "We need to hook up" "Yes, where should we meet?" "Will Joe Schmoe be there?" "Yes, let's try to hook up" "OK"
ZZZZZZZ.....come on Tweeters! You really think other people want to hear this stuff? Of course not. This is the equivalent of talking loudly on your cell phone in a restaurant. Use the Direct Message feature for one on one conversations....paleeezzee!
Like I said before, I'm not claiming to be a perfect angel with regard to these Twitter practices. But think about what you share in Twitter...is it really something the world needs to hear?
Be interesting. Be unique. Interact with people. Ask questions. Share useful information. Selectively retweet other posts you find to be standouts. Be funny. Now these are some practicies that will develop long-term relationships in Twitter and beyond!
