Because how you represent yourself on social media is pretty much unrestricted, people sometimes get carried away. Twitter is an amazing platform, but youโve got to admit it: sometimes it can be amazingly dumb too. This is not because of Twitter itself, of course, but because of how some people use it. Although the 280-character limit may seem restrictive, if you use it wisely, you will have more than enough space to express yourself.
Whether youโre using your Twitter account for business or personal purposes, here are the 7 deadly sins of Twitter you should definitely avoid in your social selling strategy if you donโt want people to cringe at your tweets:
1.ย Random-tweeting
Rule of thumb: think about what you want to achieve with your Tweets and tailor your content accordingly. In essence, become your own editor and publish only what you want to be known for. Want to build your reputation in real estate? Great! Tweet helpful information for home-buyers and sellers or on specific sections of cities where youโre active. Want to build a fashion empire? Excellent! Show amazing or cringe-worthy fashion pictures of the week. Give 5-minute fashion tips. Build your Twitter persona by becoming a go-to person on a topic that matters to you and that youโre passionate about. Be consistent. That said, you donโt always just have to write only about fashion. Because you want to draw in audiences from adjacent areas as well, you could Tweet about the impact of fashion on society or how different societies have different fashion styles, etc. Itโs related but expands your topic a little bit. But whatever you do: donโt post about real estate if you want to be known for fashion.
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2.ย Tweetstorms
Tweetstorms are a relatively new concept denoting a sudden boost in activity around a certain topic โ usually around hot/breaking news or a controversial issue of some sort. Itโs often created by one user who sends a message to their followers using a hashtag that can rapidly go viral. The tweet then spreads as people use the hashtag to tweet or retweet the message. The effect is overwhelming and unprofessional, so itโs best for you to avoid it.
3.ย Recycling old tweets
Even if you think that tweet from two weeks ago was amazing, donโt recycle it just in case someone hasnโt seen it! Itโs lame and people who have seen it will probably roll their eyes. Sometimes itโs better not to tweet at all! So keeping your content fresh and relevant is key. But that said, you should monitor the engagement for your content. And if you see that that post from 2015 with the meme about the cat and the puppy cuddling still gets strong engagementโฆthen by all means recycle it and let people enjoy it.
4.ย Over–hashtagging
Well, weโve all committed this sin at least once, especially when hashtags were still in their infancy. Before they were cool, that is. But, today, when you see too many hashtags in a 280-character-long message, you canโt really focus on the meaning of the message. It looks distracting and takes away from your tweet. Best to keep it to 2-3 hashtags per message #keepitshortandsweet #overhashtagging #toomuchistoomuch #icantdecide #notcool
5.ย Donโt repost verbatim
Some people have a habit of posting the same content across all their social media platforms. Donโt do that. Itโs lazy and shows that you press one big โpost everywhere now!โ button instead of taking the time to tailor your content to the different audiences, styles, and interests that characterize each platform. Keep your social media accounts separate, because theyโre made for separate purposes and audiences. Twitter is mostly for short, impactful messages while Facebook is more visually oriented and speaks to your friends and/or family. So the same messages donโt have the same impact across apps. Itโs best to vary your posts between platforms and keep in mind which audience theyโll reach.
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6.ย Twitter trolling
When a conversation turns into something spiteful and negative, itโs time to go away. Itโs never good to be involved in online fights – after all, the Internet never forgets and you really canโt win. Even worse, if you get carried away by your emotions you could damage your reputation and come across as unprofessional.
7.ย Bad grammar
Last but not least, when you tweet, make sure your message is well-put and understandable. For example, many people thinkย you andย you are interchangeable. Trust me on this: their/theyโre not [sic!]. Mistakes like this can make you seem inexperienced and careless and significantly lessen the relevance of your message, no matter how smart its content is. Itโs always better to proofread your post before hitting that โenterโ button.
- About the Author
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Jock Breitwieser is a marketing thought leader, founder of SocialSellinator, Arcserve VP and has 20+ yearsโ experience in digital marketing & PR. Heโs led communications at TriNet (IPO), Dell SonicWALL, CallidusCloud, and top agencies like (Edelman, Havas, Hoffman).
Named a Top 100 Social Selling Influencer, Jock contributes to outlets like Grit Daily, Marketer Magazine, DevX, Euro News, Hootsuite, Morning Lazziness, BacklinkBuilding.io, Under30CEO, and many others. Jock drives $1M+ client revenue outcomes, mentors startups, and lectures at SJSU and UC Berkeley Extension.
