What are your Twitter Rules?

Clients often come to us and ask what they should Twitter about and how much is too much.

Here are some thoughts. When it comes to your Social Networking Marketing Plan, what are you using Twitter for? Is it to drive traffic to your website? Are you advertising the specials of the day? How about pitching a story idea to the media?

Most likely the folks that follow you on Twitter know what they are going to get from you. While they most likely won't miss you if you don't Tweet for a couple days, they will learn to expect to see certain things. They are following you for a reason.

The best thing you can do is to meet the expectations of those who are following you. If you have been sending regular updates on a fundraising event, don't surprise them with information about what you had for lunch or your weekend plans. If followers are used news items relevant to your business or non profit, don't suddenly talk about the fact that your dog "Spot" is no longer leaving presents on the living room floor.

Your audience and your objectives will determine how often and what to Tweet about. If you think you are Tweeting too much or un-necessarily information, chances are that is the case.

If you question the effectiveness of your postings, take a look at your followers. Do they help you accomplish the goals you outlined in your Social Marketing Media Plan?

Even though some feel Twitter to be limiting (due to the size, number of characters permitted in each post). Twitter is quite forgiving and it is easy to find "better" followers and change course to meet you Twitter expectations.