Tweet Peeves and Twitter Etiquette

As the world of public relations continuously evolves and adapts to changes in technology and trends, an up-t0-date PR pro has to adapt to the world of social media.

I’m a pretty firm believer that there is no such thing as an “expert” in social media at this point, though. Every time we think we have a process figured out, social media changes. You master Facebook, then comes Twitter. You learn Twitter, then comes YouTube and Flickr and Foursquare and all of Google’s so-far-failed attempts to join the social media world. Marketing, instant media and location-based services will continue to evolve, and to stay relevant, we must evolve with them.

So, while I am by no means an expert in these tools yet, I have figured out a few things that irk me while using Twitter — which is, to me, the most powerful social media source, especially in the PR and marketing fields.

1. Selling in your tweets

If you have a blog, by all means, promote it. I love when people provide original content rather than re-tweeting everyone else’s links. If you have a message, let us hear it. But contribute to us, too. If your profile is full of how you can help me save money with your program and has no advice, articles or tools to help me do so without your program, I’m not interested. I’m much more likely to tune into your message when you don’t make it all about you. There should be a balance of your content, links, retweets and conversation.

2. Automated tweets

If I get a direct message from you immediately after I follow you, we’re done. I don’t care about your “Thanks for following. Check out my website!” tweet. It tells me that you use an automated program rather than your own time and voice. Twitter is about conversation, not broadcast.

3. Too much too soon

There is a certain Twitter stream that I follow called Social Media Today. The people behind it offer great information to teach you about social media and marketing and how to integrate the two. They really do have some fantastic content. But I rarely see it. Once a day, they go on a tweet spree, posting six articles at one time, then they don’t post again all day. I’m much more likely to actually pay attention to their content if the six tweets are posted sporadically throughout the day. C’mon, guys, Hootsuite is free and can take care of that problem.

4. Mixing social media

You have a Facebook account, a Twitter account and other social media accounts like LinkedIn, Foursquare, Gowalla, etc., for a reason: They all have different primary functions. I don’t post my Facebook photos on Twitter. I don’t want to succumb my Facebook friends to my tweets on PR and social media. My audiences are different, and so is my content. Yours is too. Don’t connect your Twitter feed with your Facebook feed, your RSS feed or an automated news wire. Be human.

5. Quality vs. Quantity

This is probably the biggest one for me. Having followers is important. Your voice isn’t worth much if no one is listening to it. But, when someone follows me that seems to have little to do with any of my interests and follows twice as many people than are following them, I usually ignore them. More times than not, they unfollow me just a few days later, meaning they were just seeking followers. Focus on your voice, and people will listen.

6. Be patient

Sure, if you go on a mass following spree of people that promise to follow you back (There’s actually a twitter account whose “name” is I WILL FOLLOW BACK), you’ll get followers. But to me, that’s the equivalent of advertising a life insurance policy on the Disney Channel. You’re not reaching your audience, and your followers are essentially worthless. Building quality followers is like building a brand: It takes time. Investing in a social media plan isn’t something that happens in a couple of weeks. It takes time and constantly evolves.

My tweeting ideals are demanding, I know. It’s just my opinion, and you’ll find plenty who disagree with just as valid of an argument. If you haven’t already, go ahead and get started. Don’t worry about the “rules;” just give it a shot, experiment and learn it. Don’t wait around for a social medial formula for success because it’s not out there yet. If you wait around for someone to figure it out, it won’t be you at the front of the game. And when you get there, give me a shout @caley!

What about you? Do you give a hearty “Amen!” to these points, or do you disagree?