A very kind gentleman named Ajay reached out to me on Twitter to ask me: "How would one draw tweets to escalate influence?"
Like most twitter nerds ... I happily tweeted back a number of spontaneous responses, with customary #hashtag accompaniments. These were my responses:
- @ajain31 Great question Ajay! Draw tweets by #RT articles that resonate with U, quotes, beautiful images ... likeminded will be attracted
- @ajain31 Plus using #hashtags on specific topics you like may inspire those who gravitate towards same interests #socialmedia
- @ajain31 Be courteous, consistent, respectful ~specifically thanking those who follow or #RT is a powerful law of attraction #socialmedia
- @ajain31 share your #wisdom ~Udon't know how important what U know is until you start to share with others=positive reaction #socialmedia
Jeannette Marshall
There was where I did discover my own faux pas that I should know better: not checking his bio first! I clicked on his profile on Twitter. For folly's sake, this gentleman has over 11,000 followers to my mere 8661 (as of today, January 22, 2015)! And I'm giving him advice? Jeepers ....
Ajay, has another rule I recommend: an interesting bio that says who he is, succinctly while giving a glimpse of his interests:
Recently diagnosed with Parkinson's. Twitteraholic, I am on TWITTER to help, assist and educate the Tweeting population. Follows back all. Progressive Democrat
Once you start getting into the grove and accumulating followers, you may start to see notifications such as the following:
P. H. Solomon
These are so nice to get. The tweeter is recommending you among others. Etiquette requires that you should retweet #RT thank the Tweeter (i.e. P.H.Solomon) and then you can decide if you want to follow the others (by reading their bios). Some may have already followed you and beat you to the punch.
P.H. had a #WW hashtag included, so I went and clicked on the #WW to see what it meant. I was able to decipher from all the tweets assembled that it is all about writers. By scrolling through the content in there, I was able to find some great nuggets on articles I found myself wanting to read. A best way to acknowledge that you have read the tweet and compliment the person who curated that content - is by replying to the person - and most importantly retweeted (remember #RT) when you are suggesting others may want to read and #RT.
Another way this tweet became memorable, is the unique, cool image he included in his tweet. Like all else, when you include an image, it will visually stimulate and draw viewers to click, #RT or click on the star. The statistics show that the following was #RTd 20 times.
.
Retweeted 19 times
Chris Thrall Author
The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2015 #amwriting #writingtips #writers #ww http://fb.me/1ywSUiQr2
Another stat provided is who clicked on the STAR which means favorites with images of the people who did so. What another fantastic way to find like minded people.by who did like it. Certainly, they may have done so because of the intriguing image, or because the content was valuable to them, or they may have wanted to keep as a reference later on. I may favorite because I'm just buzzing through for a few minutes and I want to be able to go back and read more (i.e. bio, see other tweets, how many followers, or a multitude of other reasons). Packing it under favorites can also be customized to where I want to keep tabs on certain topics, people, or whatever way I identify with.
There are a couple of rules of manners that need to be addressed. If someone follows you, you don't have to automatically follow everyone that follows you, however, if you don't follow back, expect that you may be dropped down the road. If you have been graced by the fact that they like what you share, they may follow you regardless. Note, with bigger brands or personalities, the ratio of followers to who they follow may be tipped by a huge scale. Some may get an ego boost by their numbers (anyone remember Piers Morgan @piersmorgan on CNN always referencing his followers on Twitter, or vocally comparing his following to his guests?)
By looking at someone like a Piers Morgan, who would be considered an influencer strictly based on his follower to follow ratio, you can learn from his bio (you already know who he is). Piers follows a principle of having his own witty quote:
You can easily grasp that Piers is for anti-guns or more about gun regulations based on his tweets. You can also see his sources for tweets based on checking out who he retweets #RT
I went to check out Gawker ( +Andre Joseph on Google Plus) you can see that they are a media organization. You can follow sources like them or traditional media outlets like the New York Times to source interesting articles that you can share to increase the likelihood that it will be retweeted #RT and/or attract followers that share similar interests.
You can also tell that Piers has a pretty large ego because he tweets about himself a fair bit:
If you are just hopping on for a few minutes to check if you have any new followers (remember to personally thank them for the follow), any #RT (retweets, that you should also thank personally) or simply to catch the news. You've heard of news going viral. How they go viral on Twitter is the key words are preceded with a hashtag #. Well, one way to see what is catching everyone's attention, is by taking a look at the TRENDING box (this is today's February 12, 2015):
If you have a website, you should have Twitter -- it can drive traffic to your site and value proposition. Likewise, if you have Twitter, you should have that identified on your website so that your customers, readers, following can follow you on Twitter:
Certainly, birds of a feather flock together, and you can #RT their articles or tweets as well ... reciprocating others loyalty is the rules of the social media jungle. Unless, you're One Direction, with millions of adoring fans tweeting at them, that is impossible. If you have someone handing your corporate Twitter account, ensure that your social media representative is acknowledging, thanking and even #RTing those who #RT your content. Don't fall short on engaging with your audience in a unique manner. They could be customers giving you valuable feedback that should be acted upon. A non response to a negative tweet could escalate very quickly if you are not paying attention.
I've shared a few tips about Twitter today. Hopefully, it will help you get into the groove and demystify some of the cool advantages social media brings, specifically Twitter. At the very least, it can help you get started.
OPTIONEERjm NOTE: All persons/parties referenced in this article were Tweeted at to let them know that I had included them in my Blog. As a courtesy, I let them know and also that I would remove it if they ask me to. No response will indicate it is ok, and permission granted.
There are a couple of rules of manners that need to be addressed. If someone follows you, you don't have to automatically follow everyone that follows you, however, if you don't follow back, expect that you may be dropped down the road. If you have been graced by the fact that they like what you share, they may follow you regardless. Note, with bigger brands or personalities, the ratio of followers to who they follow may be tipped by a huge scale. Some may get an ego boost by their numbers (anyone remember Piers Morgan @piersmorgan on CNN always referencing his followers on Twitter, or vocally comparing his following to his guests?)
By looking at someone like a Piers Morgan, who would be considered an influencer strictly based on his follower to follow ratio, you can learn from his bio (you already know who he is). Piers follows a principle of having his own witty quote:
'One day you're the cock of the walk, the next a
feather duster.'
~Piers Morgan
You can easily grasp that Piers is for anti-guns or more about gun regulations based on his tweets. You can also see his sources for tweets based on checking out who he retweets #RT
Justice, gun-toting U.S. cop style > RT @Gawker: Video shows Washington police fatally shooting man as he runs away http://gaw.kr/s4IfgKJ
I went to check out Gawker ( +Andre Joseph on Google Plus) you can see that they are a media organization. You can follow sources like them or traditional media outlets like the New York Times to source interesting articles that you can share to increase the likelihood that it will be retweeted #RT and/or attract followers that share similar interests.
You can also tell that Piers has a pretty large ego because he tweets about himself a fair bit:
Very proud @MayorofLondon just declared me one of London's finest exports to America - he forgets they don't get sarcasm out here....
If you are just hopping on for a few minutes to check if you have any new followers (remember to personally thank them for the follow), any #RT (retweets, that you should also thank personally) or simply to catch the news. You've heard of news going viral. How they go viral on Twitter is the key words are preceded with a hashtag #. Well, one way to see what is catching everyone's attention, is by taking a look at the TRENDING box (this is today's February 12, 2015):
Trends
·If you have a website, you should have Twitter -- it can drive traffic to your site and value proposition. Likewise, if you have Twitter, you should have that identified on your website so that your customers, readers, following can follow you on Twitter:
Certainly, birds of a feather flock together, and you can #RT their articles or tweets as well ... reciprocating others loyalty is the rules of the social media jungle. Unless, you're One Direction, with millions of adoring fans tweeting at them, that is impossible. If you have someone handing your corporate Twitter account, ensure that your social media representative is acknowledging, thanking and even #RTing those who #RT your content. Don't fall short on engaging with your audience in a unique manner. They could be customers giving you valuable feedback that should be acted upon. A non response to a negative tweet could escalate very quickly if you are not paying attention.
I've shared a few tips about Twitter today. Hopefully, it will help you get into the groove and demystify some of the cool advantages social media brings, specifically Twitter. At the very least, it can help you get started.
OPTIONEERjm NOTE: All persons/parties referenced in this article were Tweeted at to let them know that I had included them in my Blog. As a courtesy, I let them know and also that I would remove it if they ask me to. No response will indicate it is ok, and permission granted.
