I’ve been hearing a lot of folks saying, “I created an account, but no one is following me!” and “I’m not seeing any benefits of Twitter.”
(The high frequency of these statements is probably directly related to my recent attendance of networking events in North-Central Wisconsin – which are similar to time-traveling back a few years, social media-wise.)
But at any rate, I am here to dispel some commonalities of bad tweeters by listing the top 4 reasons most people will fail at Twitter:
1. Not Active Enough
Logging in and posting a status update once in a blue moon will not help you gain a following. Most people follow a ton of other folks. So your occasional update will probably get lost in the mix. Not every post is seen by every one of your followers.
Without keeping up a healthy presence on Twitter, your brand will never gain the brand recognition and support you’re likely hoping to achieve.
2. DM’ing Links
If I take the time to follow you and in return you auto-send me a spammy direct message, how am I supposed to take you seriously. I don’t care if you have a proven system to gain 5-figures a month. Don’t spam me. Period.
3. Push, Push, Push…
I believe strongly in sharing links and other information. But don’t expect to gain a strong audience by only pushing out links. The first step is to start following interesting people both inside and outside your industry. However, be sure to become involved with your follow-base. Comment on their posts. Maybe you could retweet other’s messages that you feel continue the conversation with your following. Ultimately, just be social. After all, social media is called social networking for a reason.
4. Self-Centered
The most important reason you will fail at Twitter? Constantly talking about yourself. No one cares if you are having a long day. Or that you just ate a burrito and it’s giving you heartburn.
In order to be successful on Twitter, you must talk to others. Add to their conversation. And become generally interested in your followers. (Successfully listening to your audience often requires you to follow your followers back, so be prepared to create a bunch of lists)
Put in other words, showing interest into the lives and happenings of your following is vitally important. And will be the ultimate catalyst for an extremely loyal audience.
With that said, stop complaining that Twitter isn’t working…
