1. Creating the right image on TwitterTwitter
I don’t know about you, but if truth be told, I find it really annoying when I discover a follower that hasn’t made any effort to upload their photograph to their Twitter profile. To be honest, I’m not really interested in building any kind of relationship with someone who can’t be bothered to upload their photo, in fact I find myself wondering “Why are you here?”…. On the other hand, if you don’t know how to upload your photograph, click here and I’ll show you how!
2. Make first impressions count
As those of you who have attended my Social Networking seminars will know, Twitter is nothing more than a Social Networking tool and should be used to communicate with your followers in a similar way as you would by attending a face-to-face network meeting. The first thing people see of you on Twitter is your profile image. People form instant impressions, you only have those first few valuable seconds before people form opinions about you. It’s all down to you to ensure it’s the right opinions, in fact you could make it (or break it) if you’re not careful with how you present yourself.
3. Write a killer bio and tell us where you are
Who are you, what do you do, what do you like and why should I click your follow button? Whether you think you’re a sales person or not, to gain followers you need a bio that makes people want to click your follow button and interact with you, and that means you have to sell yourself. There’s no point in following a “Bored mum of 3″ or someone who’s “Watchin’ the world go by…”, that sounds totally uninteresting. If you can’t think of anything interesting to say about yourself then it’s far better to say what you love doing, what inspires you and what you’re looking for in life. That gives people something they can get their teeth into, interact with and get to know you better. It’s also interesting to know where you’re from, “Somewhere on the galactic InterWeb…” may sound amusing (the first time) but it’s really not! I want to know where my followers are in the world and it adds a lot more weight, meaning and colour to Tweets when you know whereabouts in the world they’re coming from.
4. Use a nice friendly photograph of yourself
You wouldn’t go networking with a paper bag on your head would you? No! Why don’t you upload your photograph? It really is important!! It’s not as though it’s rocket science or really complicated. If you haven’t already uploaded your photo then what are you waiting for? If you are one of these people then why not take a few moments to find a half decent photo of yourself, crop it to size with your desktop paint application and upload it. We want to get to know you! If you would like to learn how to know how to upload your photograph, click here and I’ll show you just how easy it is
5. Pay attention to your appearance
When I’m at a network meeting and I meet people who haven’t bothered about their appearance I’m left with the impression that they’re disorganised or lazy, or both. I for one wouldn’t recommend someone like that to my fellow networkers, or entrust them with work for my clients. I’m not saying that they have to be in designer clothes and dripping with expensive bling, just as long as they’ve made an effort to make themselves presentable. After all, they may have to accompany me on a client visit and I don’t want to have my reputation damaged by someone else’s lack of attention to their appearance as this comes across as unprofessional. Having a decent photograph of yourself on your Twitter account makes all the difference, it goes a long way to creating the right impression to people visiting your profile.
6. Don’t use your logo – People buy from people!
One of the most common questions I’m asked at my seminars is “Is it OK to use my logo?” If you’re a huge anonymous organisation like the BBC, I think that’s fine. However, you have to remember that Twitter is a Social Networking tool, and the keyword here is “Social”. Just take a moment to imagine this… You’re at a social network meeting and someone comes up to you and shoves their business card in your face and then proceeds to give you their five minute elevator pitch – Would you be impressed? No! Would you continue a conversation with them after that? Probably not, you’re more likely to smile politely and move on to someone who’s less uptight about selling you their business. I enjoy finding people I can work with, who are fun and likeable and who have things in common with me and what I’m trying to achieve. I never build relationships with businesses; I build relationships with the people who work in them.
7. Don’t wear dark glasses, unless you have to
The first thing I look at when I meet someone is their eyes, so make sure everyone can see yours in your online profile photograph. I find that people wearing dark sunglasses make me feel uneasy, that’s because sunglasses hide the eyes and create a barrier. Don’t wear them in your photo unless you need to for medical reasons, or they’re actually part of your online persona.
8. Don’t change your photo too frequently
I hate it when I get used to interacting with someone and they keep changing their photograph every week, I lose track of them too easily. By all means, if you really have to change it to update your seasonal dress (because you look silly wearing a scarf and bobble hat in the middle of summer) that’s fine! It’s not a good idea to get to finicky with your photograph and keep changing it every five minutes because people lose track of who you are, particularly if they already follow a lot of people. Your photograph is part of your brand and you should build your reputation on it, and change it only when it’s absolutely necessary.
9. Make it “up close” and personal
Your photograph should be up to date and your face should be prominent, in fact the closer the better as it comes across as much more personable. If at all possible, your photograph should also reflect your character and personality. If you’re an approachable, laid back happy person then make sure this is reflected. It should say as much as possible about you so that the right people are attracted to you and it makes it easier for them to interact with you.
10. Be careful your photo doesn’t contain private information
Take a careful look at any photos you upload to your online profile. There are some really unscrupulous people out there who will do anything to get hold of your personal information, so just check that your photograph doesn’t contain any, and doesn’t give too much information away. I’ve heard horror stories where children have posted photographs of themselves onto the internet which were taken outside their house, with their door number clearly showing! Just as you wouldn’t put that nice new PlayStation 3 in your window for any passing burglar to see, make sure that no private information is featured in your online photo for the world to see either, you could be inviting trouble!
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Unprecedented growth of Social Media
Don’t be confused by Social Networking
,but would also appeal to the fully competent IT “SuperGeek” that doesn’t get out enough, and could even be watched by people who know a little and wanted to learn a whole lot more. The video below is the result of our first module of 20 which will follow over the coming months – and it’s totally FREE!
A few attendees to my Social Networking seminars have told me they’ve had some problems uploading their photograph to 
