Twitter Tricks and Tips - Arshad Khan

Hi, I'm Arshad Khan. I created this blog to help you learn how to grow your audience and engagement on twitter. It covers everything from setting up your profile to growing your followers responsibly.

I think you'll find something useful in this guide. It's been years in the making, so please share it with your colleagues and friends. What follows is a high level overview of all the sections.

New Twitter Accounts

First steps into the wild world of twitter. If you've never created an account before, Let's start at the beginning and work our way through the first few days of your new account.

Your Name & Username

पहला बड़ा निर्णय आपको करना होगा (और यह बड़ा है) वही है जो आपका नाम और username होगा। आपके username जो भी आपके खाते पर '@' चिह्न के बाद आता है। इसे अपने व्यक्तिगत यूआरएल के रूप में सोचो - यह वह है जो आप अपनी वेबसाइट और marketing materials पर पोस्ट करेंगे, और ट्विटर के भीतर यह आपके सभी इंटरैक्शन में अपनी पहचानकर्ता के रूप में कार्य करेगा। असल में, यह बेहद जरूरी है, और इसे चुनने में आपको बहुत अधिक ध्यान रखना चाहिए।

अपने नाम को अपने वास्तविक नाम में सेट करें। यदि आप चाहते है की लोग आपको Google करें और वे आपको आसानी से ढूंढ सकें तो अपने username को सरल रखें आपके username को याद रखना आसान होना चाहिये । twitter मुख्य रूप से अपने व्यक्तिगत विचारों, प्रयासों और परियोजनाओं के बारे में बताने के लिए एक शानदार जगह है।

You have to keep your username in short, memorable, and as easy to type as possible. Whatever you try first will usually be taken, so here are some things to try:

Try using part of your name and an initial e.g. @Aarsh

Add your location if it's relevant e.g. @AarshIndia

Don't use offensive words, and stay away from slang e.g. @ShitHatersGonnaHate @lolAarshYo

Try not to use underscores e.g. @Aarsh_India 

Try not to use numbers (or use as few as possible) e.g. @Aarsh18264526

Try use the same username you use on other social networks

If you can't read the username out aloud and have someone find it first time, then it needs work.

Also, don't neglect formatting - while spaces are not permitted in usernames, capitalization is allowed. Use it to increase the readability of your username.

Your Bio

एक बार जब आप एक उपयुक्त username का चयन कर लेंगे, तो फिर आपको अपने बारे में छोटा सा Bio लिखने का Option मिलेंगा । आपका Bio 160 से कम वर्णों का होना चाहिए और आपकी प्रोफ़ाइल पृष्ठ पर आने वाले किसी भी व्यक्ति के लिए आपकी फ़ीड के आगे दिखाई देगा। आपका Bio आपको संक्षेप में व्यक्त किया जाना चाहिए, लेकिन आपको यह संदेश देने में प्रभावी होना चाहिए । यह अनोखा होना चाहिए और सूक्ष्म विनोदी भी हो न चाहिये ।

This bio gives a clear statement of what this user does for a living, a small titbit of personal information and a tiny glimpse of quirky humor. It gives potential followers an idea of the kind of tweets they can expect from this account. It's effective, professional and personality-rich. It even links to another feed that's connected with the author. This is important to remember - your bio can also include username links to other feeds. This is a great way to show that you're connected with some sort of legitimate organization or enterprise, but be wary any time you send audiences away from your feed.

Here are few tips:

Include a few of your main keywords if they are not in your name/username already.

Put something in that's personally unique to you. Show some humour.

You don't need to use hashtags - keywords in normal text are searchable too.

Be intriguing and create some questions in the reader's mind. Perhaps they'll follow you to find out the answers.

You can do this in bullet form or with sentences.

Don't be rude.

Your Website

Beneath your bio, twitter also offers a space where you can include a link to your website. This is definitely a good idea if you have an official website, but don't use this as an opportunity to make a joke or send users somewhere unexpected. Following a link that leads somewhere other than where a user wants to go is a quick way to accumulate dislike. If you don't have an official website or a website that's relevant to your feed, don't include a link here. It's that simple.

Profile Picture

Show off your smile - Research shows that a picture of you smiling will convert better than that moody pic you took at the park the other day. When people are thinking about clicking that follow button there's only one thing holding them back - fear. Fear that you are going to fill up their timeline with spam, and fear that people will judge them negatively for following you. So definitely no nudity, rudeness, or obscenities. That will reflect badly on them if they follow you, and so they'll avoid it.

If they think your profile is low-quality then they will worry that you are spamming or fake. Your job is to send as many signals as possible that you are real, authentic, and a valuable tweeter. We discuss what to tweet later, but authenticity can be signalled immediately through your profile photo and info.

A profile of you smiling will work best. As strange as it sounds, showing real happiness (laughing, etc.) can send a really positive signal. Our brains are hard-wired to spot danger and safety in other people. We've been doing it for millennia. Just don't do this...

With respect to edginess, this can definitely work if done right. A photo of you that shows some unique aspect of your personality will work even better than a standard smiling pic. But make sure it still conveys the right trust signals. I mean, how can you not like this guy..

Even if you are an individual, by launching a twitter account you are introducing your brand to the world. What this means for you is that it would be wise to upload an image that's consistent with that brand. For example, you might have gotten some awesome glamour shots a while back of you wearing a sexy leather jacket and aviator sunglasses. But if you're a tax accountant, this might not be the kind of image that will appeal to your ideal audience. Everyone can benefit from a professional photoshoot, but make sure the tone of your image gels with your overall brand.

If you are launching a business account, use a version of your brand logo that's optimized for the square format of the profile image. Again, keep in mind the small size of a logo and stay away from tiny script or overly packed content. Remember that directly below your image will be the name of your business or organization and the bio that you compose, so don't try to fit too much information into the profile picture. It should be an appealing, visually simple introduction to your brand.

Header Image

Twitter now allows users to upload a header image that's much larger than the profile picture and spreads across the top of your feed. Many different users have gotten creative with this feature, and you should take the time to find a header image that works for you. Consider hiring a designer to create something visually appealing and effective. This can also be an opportunity to promote a product, whether it's a new software that's just been launched or a new book you've just released.

As with your profile picture, remember that your header image should speak to your overall brand, or vibe. A professional and straightforward profile picture paired with a wild and artsy header image will appear distracting and unprofessional, leaving your audience scratching their heads at exactly what kind of feed they're looking at.

Your First Tweets

Now that you've created your Twitter profile and defined how you'll be presented to the Twitter world, it's time to start building your account. The first thing you'll want to do is seed your timeline with some great tweets.

A general rule for tweeting down the road will be a ratio of three substantive tweets for every one self-promotional tweet, but when you are just starting out that ratio should be much higher. Why? You need to show potential followers that you have something to offer them before you can start leveraging their attention to ask for something in return.

Post inspiring words, funny thoughts or quotes, commentary on current events - whatever you think your target audience will find interesting. Begin with enough tweets that your account appears to be one that will be active going forward, but not so many that it looks like a crazy person shouting into the abyss. Remember, you'll be starting off with zero followers.

Following Accounts

You've set up a great profile, seeded your account with some high-quality tweets - now it's time to start following other users to let the world know you exist. Seek out relevant, interesting and engaging users that fall into your same industry or at least share your interests. Use twiends to quickly and effectively find accounts that share your interests and your target audience.

Targeted following may attract the attention of those users that you follow, but more importantly it will give you visibility of their tweets, thereby creating opportunities to interact with them.

Get Engaged

Now that you've started following some great accounts, engage with them! This is not only one of the most effective tools in getting your account off the ground, but it's a critical skill in maintaining an effective twitter account for as long as you use the service. Comment on tweets that you find interesting and that inspire thoughts of your own. Like tweets that you appreciate, and retweet (with comments, occasionally) the ones that you think your followers will find particularly interesting.

Strike a balance with your engagements - spread your contact across multiple users rather than pestering one big account with attention in the hopes of receiving a mention or retweet. Constantly commenting on others tweets might seem like a good idea, but many users become frustrated with followers who are always commenting on their posts without sharing them. It's all about reciprocation - by retweeting or quoting the tweet of someone you follow, you're showing them that you appreciate what they do enough to share it with your audience. On twitter, as in life, do unto others as you would have them do unto you…

Entering the world of twitter with a new account can seem a lot like being the new kid in school - everyone seems to already have friends, they already know where everything is, and you're left feeling lost and alone. But with patience and a dedication to devoting daily time and effort into your timeline, you'll quickly find your audience growing and your ability to leverage that audience for your benefit expanding every day. Put in the time and follow the practices listed above and your account's first days will be productive, encouraging and conducive to a powerful foundation.