We have been busy building our Twitter platform at @themktboutique for the last few months and in the process, I’ve discovered a few must-do, nice to do and why don’t you do that practices.

Twitter is a new and most importantly an organic, live medium.  I would even go so far to compare it to working with television and radio with a few exceptions, of course.

The main exception is unlike live television, your audience can easily turn against you….instantly.  As much as one can follow the ‘protocol’ of Twitter, it is the voice of the wider audience that matters and they will let themselves be heard.  Take the McDonald’s social media promotion which backfired on them.

The other important exception is that Twitter along with other social media platforms requires a lot of effort without a guarantee of a concrete ROI.  Last exception when comparing Twitter to television and radio, tweeting sometimes feels like no one is listening….

But I digress…, here is our

Top 10 2012 Best Practices for Twitter

1. Keep working at it.  You will eventually see the fruits of your labour.
2. Be generous.  Provide the occasional shout out, mentions and thank you to others.
3. Be sincere with your followers.  There are some who follow and then 2 days later un-follow just so you follow back.  People know and you don’t get anything out of the social experience.
4. Set a goal.  Unlike a marketing plan, I don’t recommend going after a number, rather make it a descriptive goal.  Visit our social media services.
5. Experience, first. Your time on Twitter should offer an experience.  Consider it your Twitter channel, like watching NBC.  What will you be offering on your channel?
6. Tweet out.  It is not about you, you or you.  Provide quality content. Limit the number of tweets that promote old quotes, someone else’s words and repeating the current popular pop artist.
7. Forget the plan.  As much as you will create your goal, forget the plan because the people on Twitter creates an environment that is fast-moving and ever-changing.
8. People first.  You are dealing with people, not technology.  Limit how and where you will auto response, auto tweet, auto follow, auto unfollow, this is not community building, rather number building.
9. Follow others.  Don’t promote engagement and then don’t follow others.  Don’t claim you are the best in customer service and then don’t follow others.  Follow who interests you but do follow.
10. Clarify your position on social media:  If you are a company, coach or professional blog make it clear when you will be available online to respond to your clients and community.  You can add a Social Media Policy on your website, which will help your clients and community know when you are ‘live’.

Happy marketing!
Cecilia