Sunday Showcase: 5 Twitter Tips I Learned From a 17-Year-Old Entrepreneur

When I started using Twitter, I had no idea what I was getting into.  I basically understood it as a social media platform that might help me establish a presence on the Internet.  Little did I know, Twitter has its own culture and it’s own rules, and if I wanted to land followers and find other aspiring writers or authors, I would have to learn something from experts.  A simple Google search helped me get started, laying down the basics.

Over the past month or so that I’ve used Twitter, there’s one particular expert I’ve come to admire, and it’s definitely not for his age. 

Marc Guberti (@MarcGuberti) is a seventeen-year-old entrepreneur and his expertise with Twitter is astounding.  I’ve mentioned him before as someone worth following.  He’s been blogging and tweeting, and…pinteresting?—for years, and despite his age, he has a lot of insight in the world of social media, a world I still find to be unfamiliar, alien even.

Marc has an ebook out called 27 Ways to Get More Retweets On Twitter.  It’s free and you can sign up for email updates to view his latest blog while you’re at it.  Out of the twenty-seven tips, I’ve chosen five that have helped me since I started using Twitter.

1. Be a Retweeter

It’s so much easier to retweet someone else’s tweet rather than coming up with your own, and people might just notice when you retweet.  I might also add that other writers and bloggers have inspiring words to share, and those words are worth sharing with more people.  Since I started this Sunday Showcase, I’ve found that I enjoy promoting people, and the same can be said for retweeting.

For the record, I really appreciate it when others retweet my stuff.  It’s encouraging to know when something I tweet helps people.  That’s why I retweet others’ tweets.  It shows that I care more than just giving a little favourite star, which to me is almost as useless as the “like” button on Facebook.

2. Engage With Your Audience

You know what’s really cool on Twitter?  Finding other writers and bloggers who are in the same boat you are, or are experts in their field.  They do a superb job of finding me, and I’m super grateful for it.  What’s even better is when they interact with you.

But it’s not just a one-way gig.  I’m still learning the importance of engaging with my audience.  I have to say I’m pretty bad at it, but engaging with people shows them you care.  It establishes and builds relationships, and it’s important to maintain those relationships.  One goal of mine for this coming April is to engage with more people, and to be the initiator of those engagements.

3. Tweet With 1-2 #Hashtags

If you don’t use hashtags, your tweet will never be seen.  Use too many, and your tweet is hard to read and skimmed over.  One or two hashtags is perfect.  You want your tweet to reach out to the right people, and to a broader audience than just your meagre following of a few people.  Marc says that tweets with 1-2 hashtags are more likely to get retweeted.  I think it's worth our while to take his advice.

4. Tweet Motivational Quotes

My best tweet since I started is a motivational quote I came up with:  “Having an idea is one thing.  Acting on it is another.”  It caught so many people’s attention, I was surprised to see my Buffer update email congratulate me on my success when I woke up the next morning.  I guess people just want to be uplifted.  I tend to retweet other people’s motivational quotes just as often as articles.

Marc saw a huge increase in retweets when he started using motivational quotes.  They were four times more popular than his usual article tweets.  There’s enough proof that people like to be motivated, and a short quote is easier to read and inspire than a long, tedious article.

5. Include Links In Your Tweets

If anyone is anything like me, they enjoy a good article to read.  My favourite tweets are articles, especially ones about blogging, writing, and social media.  Many of the people I follow post links to great articles that help me in my on-going battle with learning about social media and blogging.  These are the ones I’m most likely to retweet.  They’re also the ones I’m most likely to tweet myself.

I also see a large increase in my blog traffic when I post links to my articles.  My Sunday Showcases get the most retweets because I promote other people and their work.  Those people appreciate when others praise them, or when others have had a positive experience with their products.  I’m simply doing for them what I would appreciate from other people.  Do unto others…, you know?

Marc’s ebook has helped me considerably.  If you’re an avid Twitter user and you’d like a copy, head on over to his site and pick one up.

That being said, I’d like to make a shout out to all my Twitter followers.  I made a goal a couple weeks ago to get 100 followers by the end of March.  Only a few more days to go and I’ve surpassed that small milestone.  So thanks to all my followers who took the time to hit the “follow” button.  It’s not much, I know, but when you’re just starting out, it’s a huge encouragement.  People make suggestions on how to get more followers, but it all amounts to nothing without recognition that it’s others, not I, that click “follow.”

On a side note, I use the follow back method to increase the number of people I follow.  If I have some extra time, I’ll search some hashtags in my niche to find more writers and bloggers.

What about you?  Are you an expert tweeter?  If not, what’s your favourite social media platform?  Leave a comment with your answers or tips of the trade.  I’m still a newbie trying to find my way in the social media world, so I could always use the help.  Also, if you have suggestions on a theme you would like to see me cover for my Sunday Showcase, let me know.