Twitter is such a versatile social platform. Not only can you grow your influence and promote your business, but you can also meet people from all walks of live and make lasting friendships. Sadly, though, a lot of people lose out on capitalising their Twitter relationships. So we invited social media strategist and consultant, Christine Gritmon to share her thoughts about how we can get more out of our Twitter interactions.
Here’s a summary of our chat.
Topic: Strategies to Level Up Your Twitter Connections
Guest: Christine Gritmon
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to contribute.
Twitter, by default, gives you many options. When you open Twitter, on the right you’ll notice a list of relevant profiles Twitter curates based on your activity and interactions. That’s a great place to start. Twitter’s advanced search is also a treasure trove—look up industry-related hashtags and keywords and you’ll find a lot of relevant people to follow.
Christine’s top tip is to browse through speaker lists of conferences you attend, and find them on Twitter.
A1a. One easy tip to finding LEADERS to follow is to look at speaker lists for conferences, experts interviewed in articles, etc. and follow them #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/aj7SW4x1P0
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Some other ways to find people:
A1.
?I follow people who engage with people I already follow.
?I look at their profile to see what content they regularly tweet. Will it add value (educate, inspire, positive entertain)?
? Websites of brands I support, I look for their Twitter handle.#TwitterSmarter— Melissa Jones ✨ Lead With Excellence (@theCEOffice) October 10, 2019
Chats are a great source of conversations. The best part is that during Twitter chats, people share other chats, events, and topics you can join and contribute to.
This becomes easier when you’re following relevant people. As our guest mentioned, just make sure you’re only following people whose content you’re interested in, and that’s all you’ll see on your feed. It’s the most efficient way to join discussions that matter to you.
Christine also reminded us that trending topics can be a viable place to find relevant discussions. However, don’t jump on the bandwagon unless you have something valuable to offer.
A2b. Trending topics can also be a good indicator (just don’t jump in unless you’re bringing something relevant to the table – more on that later!) #TwitterSmarter
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Sarah also talked about Twitter Lists. Build lists by interests and you can easily follow conversations only specific to those lists. It’s a wonderful way to filter and categorize if you’ve got multiple interests.
A2: I find conversations that are relevant to me by using lists to set up custom feeds, as well as the search tool. I use that a LOT.#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/6x5Ozd7K1R
— Sarah Clarke ?? Media Strategist (@sclarkeOville) October 10, 2019
The most beautiful thing about Twitter is that it’s completely public. You can interact with anyone, whether or not they’re in your network. And guess what, you can use private and public lists to do just that!
A3a. That’s one of the greatest things about Twitter: the lowest barrier to entry of all social platforms. Most accounts aren’t “private” so it’s easy to strike up conversations! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/UoVIvPpL4G
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Also, like Maria mentioned, striking up conversations with people you don’t know is the best way to get to know them. That’s how you build connections, and eventually a community. Offer useful ideas instead of being salesy, and people will want to connect with you.
A3: absolutely! That’s the best way to form new connections! BUT, first impressions are everything so make sure that your first interactions are valuable. Don’t try and sell them on something. Instead, act like a human and be social! #twittersmarter
— Maria Marchewka (@_MariaMarchewka) October 10, 2019
Christine also gave us another pro tip. If you manage to respond to people right away, they’ll be more likely to reply and engage in real time.
A3b. Pro tip: if you want to get their attention, try to pay attention to when they’re actually on (like if they’ve Tweeted just now) – they’ll be more likely to see your Tweet! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/5K4596WXtC
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Oh, there’re a ton of ways! But the first thing you need is to have a clear profile. Make sure people know who you are, what you offer, and why you’re doing what you’re doing. This includes updating your profile picture, using the background space effectively, and creating a proper bio with appropriate links.
A4a. First off, make sure your profile communicates at a glance who you are, why people should care, what can they expect if they follow you #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/2F1BAWO1lV
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Then make a strategy. Choose how you will communicate on Twitter. This means you need to find your tone, topics you cover, topics you avoid, theme colors for your creatives, logos, and the style of images you’ll use. It’s important to define this early on and maintain consistently.
A4b. Decide on your tone. What impression do you want to leave on people? What words do you want them to use to describe you, having interacted with you on Twitter? Proceed through that prism. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/eBoA5FAY39
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
A4c. Another part of your brand feel is what kinds of media (if any) you incorporate. Do you do silly GIFs of your own face, like my own playful, personal, human brand? >> #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/BUxdxiCzYj
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
A4d. Do you use infographics, quotes, etc. with a distinct visual lockup? Do you share articles? Do you do videos (shoutout to @MLLNNLmotivator )? How is your content recognizable as yours? #TwitterSmarter
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Our community members shared some more ideas:
Q4: How do you help your brand and personality come through on Twitter? #TwitterSmarter
A4: I'm always "me" on Twitter: my humor, my knowledge, & my sense of community. I retweet things that make sense for my brand. I read & re-read before I tweet to make sure the tone is good. pic.twitter.com/lTZlfQs8b5
— WPCoffeeTalk with Michelle Ames #WCUS 11/1 (@wpcoffeetalk) October 10, 2019
We talk about this a lot on our chat, and the answer is always the same: Not if it’s irrelevant.
To be honest, though, getting involved in a trending hashtag is a fun and instantaneous way to meet new people and contribute to important discussions.
A5a. Trending hashtags can be a great way to identify important conversations that are happening. But make sure you can make a RELEVANT contribution before jumping in. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/VqczRCo66v
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
That said, you should also know what the hashtag is and where it comes from. Most topics on Twitter have a bigger history, and unless you’re careful, you could easily trigger reactions you don’t want to. Get the context first.
A5b. Who is discussing the topic, and why are they discussing it? Make sure you have CONTEXT, and strike an appropriate tone – we’ve all seen brands fail there! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/Qk9e9ApWNs
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Second, evaluate if you’re important to the conversation. Often, trending hashtags aren’t for everyone. If it’s not your place, if it’s not relevant to what you do, then stay away.
A5c. Ask yourself why you belong in the conversation. Can you bring a relevant perspective? Do you want to get the attention of relevant parties – and look smart & helpful? #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/P3oz3tXpBD
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Gene gave us some questions to think about. If you can ask yourself how your tweet serves your goals and the existing conversation, you’ll know if you should jump on a hashtag.
A5 Maybe
Ask these ? questions first:
Does it relate to my purpose and goals?
Can I contribute thoughtfully to the conversation?
It’s certainly possible and advantageous if the trend is related. But be wary of things that are wildly off topic.#TwitterSmarter
— Gene Petrov – LDRBRND (@LDRBRND) October 10, 2019
After all, as our friends from Making a Marketer said, no one wants to be a hash jacker.
A5. No. I think it’s called hashjacking, right? Use of non-relevant hashtags get unfollowed. #twittersmarter https://t.co/ObRkLGxSmX
— Making a Marketer ?? (@MakeAMarketer) October 10, 2019
Not so much, and not always. As Christine said, what matters more than a lot of followers is relevant followers. If the people seeing your content have nothing to do with your industry, then your efforts are pointless.
A6a. “A lot of followers” isn’t nearly as important as “a relevant person with a relevant audience.” #TwitterSmarter
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
And when you do find the person who has relevant followers, don’t just take them out of the blue. Consider other ways of offering value to them so they have a reason to respond to you.
A6b. Tweeting to someone is also absolutely no guarantee of a response. Have a REASON to be on their radar. Start by delivering value TO THEM. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/p0Gh4ljH8u
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Another good idea is to start building relationships with them before you involve them in your content. Quote retweet their posts and let them know you appreciate their work. That’s a nice way to introduce yourself.
A6c. It is also a better introduction to respond to their Tweets, and/or “retweet with comment,” than it is to just tag someone in a Tweet out of the blue. Give THEM engagement. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/6o27qrRtIO
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
The more followers a person has, the less time they have to respond and engage with every mention or tag. That’s where micro and nano influencers help, like Emily suggested. These are people with a smaller, targeted audience, but they have a big influence over their followers. They’re also more likely to partner with you and encourage you.
A6: +100 on engaging people with a lot of followers and not spamming.
I find that I have receive more relevant engagement and reach when I interact with nano and micro influencers.#TwitterSmarter
— Emily Lyman (@emilylyman) October 10, 2019
Christine was an excellent example of having fun with replies. Throughout the chat, she added custom GIFs to almost all of her replies to our questions.
A7a. I’m perhaps an excessive fan of GIFs… they communicate such instant emotion, and are entertaining and approachable! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/OXT6rrvg4e
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Emojis, videos, video replies, photos, and images, polls, line breaks, tweets with various layouts are all great ways to express your personality and tone in a lighthearted way.
A7b. I also keep intending to get on top of video replies more; I rarely do them, but nothing is more personal! It’s almost MORE personal than a DM. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/qhilxGVlPq
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Tagging a friend or a regular tweeter is another way to add cheer to your tweets. Nothing brings a smile like a casual shout-out—people love it when you tell others about them. It’s a good way to expand your network and showcase the spirit of social media.
A7c. Shouting out others is also something I like to do. It expands the conversation, provides value to the other participants AND the shout-ee, and reaffirms that I’m a supportive & friendly Tweeter! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/2N0G0Dnlcx
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Of course, as Chaim demonstrated, sarcasm and witty wordplay is another route to take. Although, as Gene correctly said, not everyone appreciates sarcasm. On a global platform like Twitter, where various cultures culminate, what’s funny in one place might not be in other places.
Hey Chaim! I get what you are saying but a lot of people don’t understand sarcasm (in person let alone in writing). It also doesn’t translate well into other cultures. So, yeah it can be fun. But I try to be careful. #TwitterSmarter
— Gene Petrov – LDRBRND (@LDRBRND) October 10, 2019
The most important thing to know is why you want to build the relationship in the first place.
A8a. Think about WHY you want to build a given relationship. “They have a lot of followers” is lame. WHY do they have them? And WHO are they? #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/5CRmaMxGbW
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
Once you identify the right people you want to engage and develop a relationship with, do so by offering value to them. Avoid being a pushy sales person. The essence of social media lies in being social and mutually helpful. Play your part.
A8b. Start from a place of offering value. What do you bring to the table? Who can use that value? If it’s all about what YOU can get, you’re not going to get it here. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/7dryTV0SrJ
— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 10, 2019
A few other things worth remembering:
A8: Always remain cautious with one's expressions and words – twitter is a public platform where that which is once expressed can never be erased; and deleting tweets indicate lack of integrity. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/Y7blL9Q95S
— SG ?? (@Ganesh_Sabari) October 10, 2019
That’s all from me, folks. Check out this Twitter Moment Joana put together, featuring more great thoughts from our community members. And if you’ve got some time to spare on Thursday, join us for the next #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET.
About me, Narmadhaa:
I’m a writer of all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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