Picture credit: Bubblefriend
Twitter might be about social networking, but it’s amazing how many people tweet away without ever getting any real response. You need to interact with others if you want social media to really work, so it’s important to get as much interactivity as possible. Here are a few tips to get people talking.
1. Ask a question. It might seem simple, but it’s very effective. However, the question you ask will determine just how much of a response you get. People love to help, so request a recommendation for invoicing software, ask for help choosing a restaurant or anything else that they can feel useful responding to.
2. Comment on a link. When someone shares a link, take a look and see what it’s about. If you like it, send them an @ message to let them know your thoughts. Chances are they will respond back and you can really get a conversation going.
3. Post a quote. Not surprisingly, a lot of people love quotes, particularly funny ones. They are quite likely to re-tweet and get your name out there, or respond and discuss the quote, so make sure you choose a good one. It’s fairly easy to find quality quotes on specific topics by searching on Google or your favorite search engine.
4. Say thank you. Gratitude is something that gets lost in the hustle and bustle of online messaging, so you will gain points for saying thanks. What should you be thanking people for? Anything from giving you some information to following you. Those who regularly thank their newest followers tend to gain more quite rapidly.
5. Respond to messages. When someone sends you a direct or @ message, be sure to respond. Even if you missed it at the time and noticed a few hours later, it’s the polite thing to do and will make people more willing to send you messages. Of course, spam can be ignored.
6. Use hashtags. This is a great way to interact outside your usual group of friends on Twitter. Anyone can join the hashtag group and respond to you, so it’s a great way to meet others with similar interests. People are far more likely to respond when you have use a hashtag, as well, since they know that you are interested in that topic.
Carrying on a conversation is really the best way to make use of Twitter. Often those who have issues with the social network have never really made the attempt to interact with others. Unless you are talking to people, there’s not a lot of reason use Twitter . . . or any other social network. So get out there and be social!
Thank you fo these great tips. It's the only way for me to make sense out of Twitter and I've made so many good friends that way.
It is a challenge to keep constant and healthy interaction. Thank you for the tips. I agree with the gratitude part. It is so important to be grateful also in Social Media
It is a challenge to keep constant and healthy interaction. Thank you for the tips. I agree with the gratitude part. It is so important to be grateful also in Social Media