I have been following a unique tool provided by HubSpot called Twitter Grader. If you are on Twitter and have some interest as to how HubSpot’s formula grades you on Twitter it is a fun tool to check out. I first went to Twitter Grader about six weeks ago and was facinated by the way this company measured Twitter effectiveness. For some reason, my grade was a bit higher.
It seems my most recent score went down (don’t worry, I am over it.) But does a good score really mean anything? Does a good score make you a New Media Superstar, A-List Blogger, or Social Media Personality? Absolutely not. All a good score means is you are effective in using Twitter as a communication tool. HubSpot says the following are factors:
- The number of followers you have
- The power of this network of followers
- The pace of your updates
- The completeness of your profile
- …a few others
It seems, the more you use Twitter, the higher the score. So again, a high score may seem nice, but is Twitter really useful?
I have to say “yes.” It is a useful tool to connect, keep track, hear news (much faster than traditional media), gather support (Twitter was a big part of this year’s political campaigns), get feedback, find help, promote and find out new stuff. Of all the things I use Twitter for, finding out “new stuff” is really the magic of the tool.
So how do you make Twitter useful for you?
I guess it depends on why you use Twitter. For the purposes of this post, let’s say you have a project that could use a boost and have friends that you would like to keep in close contact:
- Follow those that follow you. If you don’t, Twitter becomes a one way conversation and some people will consider you more of a “spammer” than part of the community.
- Try to create posts that have value. If all you say is “eating lunch” or “on way to store” you, well…may not be too interesting. If you provide value, then people will consider your posts and will look forward to what you have to say. If you find a great video, post the link. If you read the greatest blog post, post the link. If you see news happening, let those on Twitter know. If you see something interesting, tweet about it. I read allot of financial articles through the day and my RSS feed reader is filled with financial news and updates, so when I come across something interesting, I post about it.
- If you take the time to create value, do not be afraid to tell people about your new blog post, video or podcast. Subscribers to my various podcasts have grown since I started using Twitter, and I get allot of feedback via direct tweets. But remember this, promotion without having first created value will be considered “spam” by the Twitter community.
- When someone @tweets you, tweet them back. The nature of the Twitter conversation is to have short bursts of information limited to 140 characters. I am always amazed how much some people can say in such a short space.
- Let people know how to follow you on Twitter. Post a button, or provide a link on your web site. I get new Twitter followers everyday that I know in real life and we always seem amazed to find each other in this social media community.
Ok, that is the short list. Sometime in the near future I will get into other uses for Twitter.
So is twitter useful?
I vote yes.
