Things to Tweet About

These ideas will help you think of things to Tweet about and also help you figure out exactly: what IS Tweetable? You’d be surprised at how helpful you can be to your Twitter followers when you simply start sharing YOUR unique perspective and expertise. But you do have to mix it up with some personal glimpses of the “non-business” side of you, too. Here’s a list of things to Tweet about and help you get going.

1. Tweet your own advice – of course! In Twitter, people follow you for a reason. Usually, it is your unique expertise. Hopefully, you’re blogging (writing articles that dispense your wisdom and help your tribe solve problems). If so, you can use your blog for content marketing in Twitter (and other social networks) in these three different ways:  Tweet the title itself: “17 Things to Tweet About: (link goes here)” ; by the problem it solves: “Running out of things to Tweet about? Read this: (link goes here)”; and by quoting directly from the blog post (“What IS Tweetable? Find out in my new blog post: 17 Things to Tweet About: (link).”  Bottomline: get as much mileage out of each blog post, as possible. Since people log in to Twitter at different times of the day and night, be sure to spread out your Tweets to maximize your presence for when your followers are most likely there. Data eliminates chance, so start tracking what time you get the most engagement with your tribe.
2. Start a conversation with someone. It’s very easy to network with people in Twitter, so don’t hesitate to start a conversation with someone. From conversations, I have personally gained new clients and friends – friends who refer work to me and also friends who are fun to Tweet with.  If you don’t know how to initiate conversations, simply review the person’s Tweets and you’re bound to find something to respond to.  Compliments are a great way to start. Even if the other person doesn’t respond, you at least got on their radar and if you are a consistent fan (without going over into “stalking” mode) you’ll usually get a response.
3. Tweet the FAQs on your website. The most commonly asked questions you get about your services or products are your “Frequently Asked Questions” – the FAQs. You should actually Tweet the answer because you want to solve problems for your followers.  Hint: You can also turn each question and answer into a blog post, as long as you don’t duplicate content within your site (Google hates that and will penalize you.)
4. Tweet your replies to clients. Well, sort of. If you’re like me, you find yourself writing an email reply to a client and thinking: “I could really turn this into a blog post.” Or you think: “that’s a Tweetable!” So, start keeping all of these in a file and go to it as part of your content treasure trove. (If you find yourself repeating these replies over and over to each new client you work with, compile these into a short checklist and provide it as part of your services when they sign up with you. Or this can be more FAQs.)
5. Re-tweet other people’s Tweets if you think their content is worth repeating to your followers. Be sure to include the live link to their name (like this: @LoriGama). This shows you’re supportive and informative, which your followers appreciate. When you ReTweet (RT), be sure the content relates to your area of expertise as much as possible. People are following you for a reason.
6. Decide if it’s part of your strategy to Tweet when you get a warm-fuzzy feeling about something. Like I just explained in Tip #2: people follow you for a specific reason but chances are that most of your followers will relate to what you say, no matter what the subject, because they like you. You will lose some followers if you do this too much, depending on your strategy. By contrast, I know a Social Media Maven who Tweets about her coffee fetish every morning and gets a lot of her tribe engaging with her just about that first cup of the day. But this is part of her vibe, so showing this side of herself to her tribe endears her to her followers. Bottomline: don’t be afraid to show the “human” side of yourself – just be careful that it works with your strategy.
7. Call in favors: After you’ve published your latest blog post and Tweeted it, get a wider “ripple-effect” of your Tweet and increase your visibility by calling in favors from friends whom you’ve supported over and over when you’ve been retweeting them for a while. Wield your power wisely. Call in favors only when you really need to bring traffic to your blog or website, like when launching an eBook, video, or other product. Or when promoting an upcoming event, webinar, workshop or public appearance. Be sure to promote your friends, even if they’re in the same industry because your customers make choices based on emotion and that involves how they feel about YOU.
8. Share a photo of you doing something right now. People love to see, more than they love to read. By sharing a photo of you having a meeting with your team; or speaking to an audience; or about to record your podcast or video – all of these moments give glimpses of your life that your followers love to see. So show instead of tell — sometimes. And if you find out you get a LOT of engagement by doing this, then why not make it an every day strategy? Don’t forget to look into Instagram and Pinterest to see if it’s worth your time to spend there.
9. Quote from a book you’re reading  – Include the author’s name and make it a live link to their Twitter profile, if they have one. You never know – you might get to exchange Tweets with a long-admired author! And what if that author is in need of your particular expertise or knows of someone? You could also propose to interview that author for your podcast or blog if s/he fits in with your area of expertise.
10. Quote a loved one, with their permission –  if they’re entertaining or inspirational.  You never know: you might end up with your own TV show and book deal, like Justin Halpern did. Seriously. Read about the TV and book deal. Visit Justin’s Twitter page.
11. Rant once in a great while – especially if you’ve received poor customer service and have tried everything else. Twitter has been used by celebrities (@ThatKevinSmith used his Twitter Timeline in 2010 to blast Southwest Airlines for charging him an extra ticket because they said he was “fat”) and bloggers and other people who are influential and not so influential (read the Wikipedia page about “United Breaks Guitars”) as a sounding board for bad customer service they’ve received. I think I’ve only done this once or twice since I joined Twitter about seven years ago . But that’s me. I usually don’t publicly complain or rant in real life either. If you do this, try to do it in a graceful way so as not to turn off people. No one likes to listen to complainers. I would recommend it only as a last resort if you have not been able to resolve the issue with the customer service department of the company you’re complaining about. And when it’s resolved, it would be nice to do a follow-up Tweet.
12. Tweet during conferences, while listening to speakers: Quote their wisdom. Tweet their Tweetables. All the Tweets that conference attendees share just before, during and immediately after a conference is called the “back channel.” It’s made up of you and your fellow attendees’  Tweets about the conference. Go to Twitter now and type in the name of your favorite conference, along with the hashtag symbol (like this: #conference) and you’ll see a Timeline of Tweets from that conference. When you attend a conference and share the advice of the speakers on stage, your followers will appreciate your sharing highlights with them and so will the speaker (include the live link to speaker’s Twitter profile). If you’re a speaker, encourage your attendees to Tweet about what they’re hearing and give them a hashtag (a topic name) to include ahead of time. It’s free publicity for you, helps establish your expertise with a “ripple effect” to the followers of the attendees and increases your Klout score.
13. Tweet while you watch TV  but only if….Only if you want to share a glimpse of your TV viewing habits to show another side of you to your Twitter followers. Think carefully before you do this. People judge you by your Tweets. If you’re a journalist, Tweet during live press conferences, important moments in history as they’re happening. If you Tweet during your favorite TV show: find the Hashtag by entering the name of the show in your Twitter search box to see who else is Tweeting about it. Remember: a potential client might be monitoring you before deciding to do business with you. Always be nice.
14.  Answer the question “What’s Happening Right Now?” Your Twitter Timeline (your Tweets) will be more interesting  when you Tweet the answer to that question a few times per week. You’ll get more followers when you include a variety of several types of Tweets.
15. Seeing a movie tonight? Tweet about it. Or ask your followers what movie you should watch On Demand or in Netflix or HULU. People love to share advice when asked. Remember your etiquette. Be sure to thank people who responded and you can also send a Tweet letting everyone know what you ended up watching and what you thought of it. Note: the movie industry has been significantly impacted by the opinions people Tweet about a movie immediately upon leaving the theater.
16. Out for a morning walk? Selfie! Snap your picture with your phone’s camera and Tweet it. Capture the scenery in the background behind you or take a picture of what you’re seeing on your walk. Heck! Why not take a photo of your worn-out sneakers and send a caption saying “Breaking in my weekend warrior shoes.” You might be skeptical about doing this but remember: it’s those types of tweets, done sparingly, that endear you to your followers.  The CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, once tweeted a photo of a slice of pizza he was warming on an iron in his hotel room. He added a humorous caption and further deepened his bond with his followers. People LOVE to find out you’re only human.
17.  Just experienced a heartfelt moment? If you’ve chosen to be yourself in Twitter, then why not share a personal moment with your followers? But remember: don’t tweet it if you would NOT say it In Real Life (IRL).  @Boris once said this about Twitter: “Twitter is like being in a sauna…we’re all in the same space, we show everything but we’re not really looking at each other…” Well, some  ARE looking at you and deciding whether or not to follow and/or do business with YOU so be yourself, be real, be human and be nice.

Be the person who engages instead of the one who always broadcasts one-way. People will pay attention to you more and share you with their followers. That’s the ripple effect you want to happen.

If you found this blog post helpful, please share it with your followers. Thank you. And if Twitter or social media marketing still has you frustrated and feeling overwhelmed, I can help. It’s what I do. Give me a call or email me.