Justin Wong
Even though Twitter has been around for quite a while now, we still see so many businesses and professionals making basic (and embarrassing) mistakes. Using Twitter properly isn’t difficult, but for those who are still struggling, we’ll show you four common Twitter mistakes and how to avoid them.
- Sounding Too Desperate
We get it; you’re a business. One of the reasons you’re using Twitter and social media is to increase your sales. However, begging people to buy your products or follow you is embarrassing, damages your brand reputation, and won’t work.
What should you do instead?
Provide meaningful content. The 80/20 rule is more relevant than ever nowadays. Eighty percent of the time you should be providing VALUE to your customers, whereas you should only be promoting yourself 20 percent of the time. If you do nothing but parrot sales and promotions, you’ll find yourself quickly ignored on Twitter, or worse, lose followers!
- Hashtag Abuse
I’ve talked about the dangers of using too many hashtags many times before, but it’s just so important. Too many hashtags makes you look desperate for attention, and makes your tweet look confusing and unfocused. Sure, your tweet might be seen by more people, but they’re also much more likely to be ignored.
What should you do instead?
Always try to keep to around two hashtags a tweet. Three is also acceptable but anything over that is a bit much. Keep your hashtags relevant to keep your tweet clear and concise.
- Retweeting EVERYTHING!
Having an active Twitter feed is great, but going through and retweeting as much stuff as you can will drive your followers crazy. Pushing out over a hundred retweets an hour (we know some people that do this!) will definitely cause you to lose followers.
What should you do instead?
Selectively retweet. Think of your Twitter feed as a portfolio. Would you clutter your portfolio with irrelevant information?
Think about why someone would follow your account. Maybe they followed you because they thought you were an industry leader. Maybe they followed you because they wanted deals on your products. Only re-tweet things you think your followers would actually be interested in and you’ll solidify your position as an industry leader.
- Not Caring Enough
Let’s be honest, a lot of people hire interns (or worse yet, unpaid interns) to manage their Twitter accounts. It might seem simple enough work to post a few articles online, but your Twitter is your public image. One mistake, especially if you have a lot of followers, could be absolutely devastating.
What should you do instead?
The best case scenario is if you managed your own social media networks or hire someone else to do it for you. Maybe a reputable marketing agency with over 15 years in the business.
If you INSIST on getting someone inexperienced (and inexpensive) to run your social media profile, make sure you keep a close eye on any wayward tweets coming out of your official account, at least for the first month or so. If this person has no experience with Twitter, have them get approval from a supervisor before the tweet goes out (at least initially).
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