Twitter Bird Pillow by iconpillows

Do you tweet?  If you do, do you mix business and pleasure?  Do you think about your on-line ‘brand’?  How do you decide who to follow, who to interact with?

Welcome to the first in a series of random musings and (hopefully) helpful hints about my sixth true love: Twitter. (In case you’re curious the other five, in no particular order, are: my husband, our two mutts, family in all it’s permutations, Etsy, and Caramello Koalas.)

I use Twitter, and I’d have to say I have found it more than a little addictive.  I love how it’s helped me make friends in an unfamiliar land, and how it’s exposed me to and endless array of inspiring, smart and just downright funny people.

And although I did make my first ever Etsy sale through a Twitter connection, if you’re looking for a start-tweeting-and-watch-your-business-grow how-to this is not for you.  I am no social media guru.  I tend to be a little suspicious of those who claim to be.  But, what I can do is talk about my experience and what I enjoy.  It’s up to you to decide if it’s right for you and your business and, if so, to figure out how Twitter can work for you.

Twitter Handy Hint #1

Never, ever use twitter.com as your main Twitter platform.  Ever.  It is a wee bit limited, confusing and inefficient.  Plus I personally don’t think it maximises the true genius of Twitter, which lies in networks and connections.  There are many (mainly free) Twitter applications available to download.  These will make your Twitter experience waaaay more fun and user-friendly, and will be invaluable in helping manage the information over-load as you begin to follow more and more people.  I swear by Tweetdeck, but other options include HootSuite, Twitterific and Seesmic…Have a play and see what you like.

One example of how twitter.com can ruin your fun is ‘mentions’.  If someone tweets ‘@insert-your-name-here makes gorgeous jewelry, check it out: yourshop.com‘ you’ll know about it by clicking on the ‘@insert-your-name-here‘ link on your twitter.com home page.  But what if they tweet ‘check out this gorgeous jewelry by @insert-your-name-here: yourshop.com‘? (Notice how the @insert-your-name-here bit isn’t at the start?).  Well, you won’t know about that unless you are using an app like Tweedeck, which will alert you to any ‘mentions’.  Kinda important to know who’s tweeting about you, especially to say a big thank you, doncha think?

Tweet Stitch by youheartus

A good place to start with Twitter might be to think about what you want to use it for:

• Do you want to set up a business account and use it to inform current and potential fans of new products and promotions?
• Do you want to introduce new people to your products, with the aim of building your customer base?
• Do you want to engage with new and existing customers and make them active participants in your business?
• Perhaps you are keen to connect with other crafters and Etsy sellers, and share experiences, frustrations and knowledge?
• Or all of the above?

Your answer to each of these will impact how you set up and use your account – things like your Twitter name, what you use as your avatar and (obviously!) what you tweet about.  Have look at some different twitter accounts and you’ll start to get a feel as to what I’m on about.  Check out @handmadespark for example!

Do you think I did any of this sensible planning and thinking before becoming a Twitter obsessive?  Nope, I just thought ‘hey, what is this Twitter thing?’ and typed ‘Quite enjoying following Stephen Fry, and FLWbooks, but can’t see the point in posting my own ‘tweets’?’ Yep, that’s actually my first ever tweet. Oh dear indeed.

But that’s ok too, because I really believe – as with any social media – that it’s all about figuring out what works for you and your business.  There’s no right or wrong way, provided you approach it with common sense and a basic respect for others. It’s finding an on-line ‘voice’ that you are comfortable with, I guess.

But more about that in part II…

Ps. If you are looking for an overview of Twitter basics (setting up an account, following people, etcetera), here’s a good step-by-step guide with no technical jargon.  Mashable also has a comprehensive twitter guide that covers the basics (and then some!).  You can find it here.