Social Media – it’s not all about tweeting!

I was zipping around Twitter the other day when I realised that there were a lot of things that I do with social media tools that aren’t actually about chatting with other people. I’m talking about housekeeping.

So I though I’d put together a list of some of the non-tweeting things you should be doing on Twitter.

• Check out your new followers
  • Follow back as long as they don’t fall into the groups below – after all, they’re interested in what you have to say – it’s nice to return the compliment. That’s how you’ll get engagement.
  • If they post endless streams of junk then don’t follow back – it will only clog-up your Twitter feed
  • Spammers and porn merchants – you can stop them following you by reporting and blocking them. You could, of course, ignore them but do you really want other people to see that you don’t mind them following you?
• Check out your Direct Messages (DMs) – respond to any that need it and delete the rest. You’ll end up with lots that are just spam posts – those dreadful automated ‘thanks for following now please buy something’ ones. No point in keeping them, delete them now and it will be easier to find the important ones later.
• Go into Settings and take a look at the Apps tab – these are all the applications you have given access to your account. Do you know them all? Do you still need them all? Revoke access for any that you aren’t using any more, it will help you spot any misbehaving ones more quickly.
• Check your profile details – anything that needs updating? Weblinks work OK? Do you need to change the destination of your weblink – perhaps to a new offering on your website? Have a look at your Twitter background – does it need a refresh?
• Have a look at your tweets – read them as a visitor to your Twitter page would. Are they all about you posting stuff about your business? Are you having conversations with other people? Are you sharing other people’s content? Would YOU follow this account?
• Finally, consider setting up some lists if you aren’t already using them. They can be a great way of organising different accounts. For example you have a news list which includes all the various news Twitter accounts – it saves you having to follow them all and it keeps them in one place. You can make lists public so that other people can subscribe to them or private so that no-one else can see them.

Pauline Randall

I’m the Managing Director of Florizel Media. I love working with businesses to help them get the best out of social media and being online. I’ve a dreadful weakness for techie toys, chocolate and handbags. Would love to chat about how we can work together