Maximizing Twitter Results

Want to get a better return-on-investment when using Twitter for business? Here’s a list of best practices that’ll help you maximize the awesome power of this great social media tool.

One key to using Twitter is to stop thinking about return-on-investment and start thinking about return-on-involvement. Like any other worthwhile marketing campaign, you must be put forth sufficient time and effort. 

Twitter is not as difficult or as mysterious as it first seems. As Bob Dylan sings, “The times, they are a changin’.” Thanks to Twitter, now you are the newspaper. You are your own advertising company and public relations firm. Let’s get the word out!

Here are 5 cool ideas for using Twitter:

1. Talk about things central to your brand or personality. It helps if your tweets are relevant to what’s going on in the media. “Trending” topics almost always get more attention online.

2. Be funny. If you’re not funny, tweet messages from people who are funny. People like to share witticisms. 

3. Post an original tweet at least every two hours. Do not share information that’s been shared to death. Avoid clichés like the plague. :-) You may also want to stay away from negative news.

4. Leave trails to your Web site. Use the first 70 characters of your Tweet to ask a question or pose a problem. Use the second 70 characters to answer the question or offer a solution. Often, but not always, the solution should contain a link to your Web site.  Use tiny URLs that don’t use a lot of characters (www.bitly.com is great at this).

5. Get with the program. Follow those who follow you. Retweet messages from the cool kids. Recommend people on Follow Friday, by posting “#FF” and their Twitter names, e.g., @MichaelACaruso.

These are just a few ideas for sweet tweets. See how I use these techniques and more by following me on Twitter at @MichaelACaruso.

—Michael, Royal Oak, Michigan, www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com