Building a business online without a decent Twitter profile is like going to a construction site without your toolbox. What can you really do after you arrive? With that said, there remain many businesses and individual business operators who have yet to embrace the awesome power of this community.
While those individuals are still standing at the starting gate, the wise entrepreneurs will be well down the road toward the success they seek.
The thing about Twitter is this, It’s a social network, so get out there and be sociable.
I’ve listed some tips for building a great profile and using Twitter to your advantage.
- Select your business or personal name if available. This is a key branding tool and what you will be known by for as long as you are on the internet. Multiple accounts for a single business should establish a naming convention. @ABCO_Bill, @ABCO_Linda, etc. Using an underscore as a separator may make the name easier to read.
- Get yourself an avatar. No, not a copy of the movie, I mean a global image, a photo or a logo so that you are instantly recognized when people see you. That standard issue Twitter avatar is being sported by thousands of profiles online, so you have no real chance to stand out and build your own brand. A passport style photo with a smile works best.
- Begin the process of building your follower base. This will take some time to build and you want to do this organically by meeting people with a common interest. Don’t even bother with any of those auto-follow tools you’ll surely encounter. That’s a less than personable techniques designed simply to increase numbers but serves zero purpose in terms of building any real relationships. Twitter is like real life in that you observe and get a feel for things, while making new friends as you go along.
The internet is loaded with sociable and helpful people, so finding friends and followers with similar interests will not be an issue.
- Be sure to complete the bio section of your profile so that people have some idea of what your interests are. When visitors land on your Twitter profile page, you have about 10 seconds to make an impression.
Some key areas that visitors will scan as soon as they arrive:
-
- That Bio, to see what your interests are. This section is limited to 160 characters so use the space wisely.
- Your web address, they will want to know what your website is and likely have a look. If you do not have a web presence, you need to get one as soon as possible. Hit me on my contact page if you need help.
- Number of Tweets. This is not to say that you need to reach some magic number to be successful, but obviously if you are following 300 people and you only have 3 Tweets, it leaves the impression that you will not be interacting with people very much.
- Your last couple of Tweets to see what you have been saying and how you have been engaging with others.
All of this occurs in that 15 second time span I mentioned earlier.
- Strike a balance between the number of people you follow and those who are following you. Following 300 when you have but 5 followers looks highly unbalanced and may even get your account suspended by Twitter. You do not want to take on any of the characteristics of a spammer. Follow 30 or 40 then wait for them to respond, keeping the ratio in balance. This is a slow growth, but more natural way to build a following.
- Tweet something of value. People are always interested in information that is helpful to them, so always ask yourself if someone can use what you are about to Tweet. When Tweeting to an individual, be cognizant of what you place into the main Twitter stream. It is sometimes best to DM (Direct Message) them. For instance, if someone’s website is down or you see a serious error in their blog post, do not place this in the main stream, DM the person and let them know.
- Pay particular attention to “replies” and “direct Messages”. You will want to respond to these in a timely fashion.
- Use a management tool like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite which provides greater flexibility and more features than Twitter’s interface.
- Observe what others do and learn from the top users in the community. You will know who they are, always actively participating in meaningful conversations and Tweeting out something of value.
- Learn the language of Twitter by observing the tweets of others. You may also use this “Twittonary” to look up various words from A to Z.
- Do not get hypnotized by this thing. Be sure to balance your time spent on Twitter and all social networking sites for that matter. They can be huge consumers of your time.
- Know when to hold them and know when to fold them. Inevitably, you will receive some negative Tweet from someone. Your best response may likely be no response, with the exception of an unhappy business customer. In the case of the latter, this could present an opportunity to address an issue and turn it into a positive. We all make mistakes and it is important to face them head on, make the adjustment and move on.
These are some of my recommendations for using Twitter to build your profile. Remember to grow slow but steady. For a more comprehensive look inside the workings of this community, you should visit this excellent Twitter 101 Guide.
I am more than happy to assist you as well; you need only drop me a line on my Contact Page, where I will respond as quickly as reasonably possible.
Happy Tweeting!
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Hit the widget above in the right sidebar — many thanks! 
45 Responses to Build a Great Twitter Profile
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" @TMLPhotography Thanks for the shoutout! :-) " — JimiJones
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jimi Jones, Gordie. Gordie said: Build a Great Twitter profile http://bit.ly/4QnhnM via @JimiJones [...]
I hate the fact that there is a guy out there who has “Gordie” as a Twitter name and never uses his account. I’m so much more worthy. (crying).
.-= Gordie´s last blog ..Personal Development Through Song: “You’re The Best”. =-.
We may have to write him and negotiate a buy-out.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Gordie,
Do contact the guy and ask if he has plans for the account. Tell him it’s your name and you’re interested in it.
My husband was able to snag an amazing name for a biz account this way! Some guy had it, never used it, and said sure… he just deleted his account and sent hubs and email saying it was now available. It was so cool!
.-= Erica Mueller´s last blog ..WordPress Questions? Ask Them Here! =-.
That’s great, Erica! Gordie, if the username means that much maybe it’s something worth trying though. The guy seems to have the twitter account locked up, I wonder what’s the purpose of signing up for it?
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
.-= Ching Ya´s last blog ..How Blog Review Can Help to Improve Blog Traffic =-.
I hate the fact that there is a guy out there who has “Gordie” as a Twitter name and never uses his account. I’m so much more worthy. (crying).
.-= Gordie´s last blog ..Personal Development Through Song: “You’re The Best”. =-.
We may have to write him and negotiate a buy-out.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Gordie,
Do contact the guy and ask if he has plans for the account. Tell him it’s your name and you’re interested in it.
My husband was able to snag an amazing name for a biz account this way! Some guy had it, never used it, and said sure… he just deleted his account and sent hubs and email saying it was now available. It was so cool!
.-= Erica Mueller´s last blog ..WordPress Questions? Ask Them Here! =-.
That’s great, Erica! Gordie, if the username means that much maybe it’s something worth trying though. The guy seems to have the twitter account locked up, I wonder what’s the purpose of signing up for it?
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
.-= Ching Ya´s last blog ..How Blog Review Can Help to Improve Blog Traffic =-.
Build a Great Twitter Profile | Jimi Jones Dot Com…
Building a business online without a decent Twitter profile is like going to a construction site without your toolbox. What can you really do after you arrive?…
Jimi,
This is a great post to get people started on Twitter!
.-= Erica Mueller´s last blog ..WordPress Questions? Ask Them Here! =-.
Thanks, Erica!
Fantastic advice for Gordie. I was half kidding about the buy-out, but you never know about these things until you ask. Your husband’s experience shows a great example.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Jimi,
This is a great post to get people started on Twitter!
.-= Erica Mueller´s last blog ..WordPress Questions? Ask Them Here! =-.
Thanks, Erica!
Fantastic advice for Gordie. I was half kidding about the buy-out, but you never know about these things until you ask. Your husband’s experience shows a great example.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by KiwiGordie: Build a Great Twitter profile http://bit.ly/4QnhnM via @JimiJones…
Jimi,
Lots of good information about twitter profiles. I believe in the world of social media, having a strong bio page is important. But with twitter it is most important. I get a lot of traffic from Twitter, I spend a lot of time on there working my brand and the companies I work for on there.
Another good tip to help drive traffic to your site, or get more followers is to build a custom background and add more information about yourself. I need to update mine, I added social media links to my other social media sites and I get cross system followers. Check out my @element321 profile to get an example of a custom twitter background/bio.
.-= element321´s last blog ..165 Free High Quality Wallpaper =-.
Great tip on that custom background, James. I overlooked that and did not include, but a must have for a business. I have yet to install one myself, but will shortly. There are some really great ones out there, including yours which has all the the pertinent information displayed in just the right line of sight.
I do a lot of my own graphics, so I am likely to make time for that and give a shot.
Thanks for coming by dude, it’s good to see you.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Jimi,
Lots of good information about twitter profiles. I believe in the world of social media, having a strong bio page is important. But with twitter it is most important. I get a lot of traffic from Twitter, I spend a lot of time on there working my brand and the companies I work for on there.
Another good tip to help drive traffic to your site, or get more followers is to build a custom background and add more information about yourself. I need to update mine, I added social media links to my other social media sites and I get cross system followers. Check out my @element321 profile to get an example of a custom twitter background/bio.
.-= element321´s last blog ..165 Free High Quality Wallpaper =-.
Great tip on that custom background, James. I overlooked that and did not include, but a must have for a business. I have yet to install one myself, but will shortly. There are some really great ones out there, including yours which has all the the pertinent information displayed in just the right line of sight.
I do a lot of my own graphics, so I am likely to make time for that and give a shot.
Thanks for coming by dude, it’s good to see you.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Another good tip would be to create a custom Twitter background so that people notice you and remember you. Just one more way to get your brand out there.
.-= Patty Reiser´s last blog ..How To Mask with Text in Photoshop Elements =-.
Hi Patty,
excellent tip on that background. I need to finally do that myself (see @Element321 above).
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Another good tip would be to create a custom Twitter background so that people notice you and remember you. Just one more way to get your brand out there.
.-= Patty Reiser´s last blog ..How To Mask with Text in Photoshop Elements =-.
Hi Patty,
excellent tip on that background. I need to finally do that myself (see @Element321 above).
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Thank havens you have written a great starter guide not just for newcomers stumbling through the social media and net marketing jungle but for more experienced people who may have forgotten a few of the tricks of the trade. Great advice about not being hypnotised, when I first started I was virtually surgically attached to the computer – balance is all.
.-= Kevin Tea´s last blog ..Cloud Computing – What Happens When The Connection Crashes and Burns? =-.
My man Kevin Tea, good to see you bud.
LOL – I remember the early days, having to reel myself in a bit as well.
Thanks for visiting!
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Thank havens you have written a great starter guide not just for newcomers stumbling through the social media and net marketing jungle but for more experienced people who may have forgotten a few of the tricks of the trade. Great advice about not being hypnotised, when I first started I was virtually surgically attached to the computer – balance is all.
.-= Kevin Tea´s last blog ..Cloud Computing – What Happens When The Connection Crashes and Burns? =-.
My man Kevin Tea, good to see you bud.
LOL – I remember the early days, having to reel myself in a bit as well.
Thanks for visiting!
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Definitely a great post about Twitter and what and what not to do when managing your account. My sister can use this info. I’ll have to pass it on to her since she’s new to the Twitter world.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..How Ergonomic Design Can Benefit the Environment: Part 1 =-.
Hello Michelle!
Good to see you, and I know you will see that your sister gets off to a great start. Share those skills you have and some of that sister-love.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Definitely a great post about Twitter and what and what not to do when managing your account. My sister can use this info. I’ll have to pass it on to her since she’s new to the Twitter world.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..How Ergonomic Design Can Benefit the Environment: Part 1 =-.
Hello Michelle!
Good to see you, and I know you will see that your sister gets off to a great start. Share those skills you have and some of that sister-love.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Build a Great Twitter Profile =-.
Build a Great Twitter Profile…
Building a business online without a decent Twitter profile is like going to a construction site without your toolbox. What can you really do after you arrive?…
[...] Build a Great Twitter Profile [...]
Hi Jimi,
This is very encouraging. I have had a twitter account for a while but havent done much with it. I found myself not liking it and kind of abandoning it. i now realize that its only as good as the content thats on it (the people you follow). So im going to start over from scratch and be more tedious in my process of finding people to follow. I will also take your advice and allow for time to build followers.
Hello TheBondgurl and welcome!
For sure, you need to get that Twitter account up and rolling again. I hope it will be more enjoyable for you this time around. Forming the right network of like-minded people will be a lot of fun.
Thanks for visiting!
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..10 Time Management Tips =-.
Hi Jimi,
This is very encouraging. I have had a twitter account for a while but havent done much with it. I found myself not liking it and kind of abandoning it. i now realize that its only as good as the content thats on it (the people you follow). So im going to start over from scratch and be more tedious in my process of finding people to follow. I will also take your advice and allow for time to build followers.
Hello TheBondgurl and welcome!
For sure, you need to get that Twitter account up and rolling again. I hope it will be more enjoyable for you this time around. Forming the right network of like-minded people will be a lot of fun.
Thanks for visiting!
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..10 Time Management Tips =-.
[...] Build a Great Twitter Profile [...]
Appreciate the article Jimi… Twitter has been something that I’ve put on the backburner while launching my site. I’ll be tackling this beast in the near future… bookmarked this page.
.-= Ryan @ Planting Dollars´s last blog ..Hiking Diamond Head and Snorkeling In Waikiki =-.
Hi Ryan,
A Twitter profile will be a great tool for your business, as it provides access to huge numbers of potential customers.
You may wish to start this sooner rather than later, the upside is really worth the effort.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Do You Ever Reach Back For The Others? =-.
Appreciate the article Jimi… Twitter has been something that I’ve put on the backburner while launching my site. I’ll be tackling this beast in the near future… bookmarked this page.
.-= Ryan @ Planting Dollars´s last blog ..Hiking Diamond Head and Snorkeling In Waikiki =-.
Hi Ryan,
A Twitter profile will be a great tool for your business, as it provides access to huge numbers of potential customers.
You may wish to start this sooner rather than later, the upside is really worth the effort.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Do You Ever Reach Back For The Others? =-.
[...] Build a Great Twitter Profile [...]
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