Avoid these 3 Twitter Chat Mistakes that will Hurt You

Twitter chat done right for personal branding

Recently I wrote an article about hosting a Twitter chat. It’s an excellent way for you to corner your niche.  Yet, don’t host one if you’ve never been on one – the sheer speed of the event will overwhelm you.

So, attend a Twitter chat – yet, just like anything else done online- guard your brand and ensure that the chat is a positive reflection, not a negative one.

Here’s what to avoid:

     1. Steer clear of me, me, me

Every tweet doesn’t have to be about how you could ‘solve that’.  In fact, tweets like that are seen as spammy and do not engage – yet rather tarnish your brand.
Make your tweets helpful and interactive.  After all you are in a network, the basic networking skills are necessary.

     2.  Sending direct messages to people

During a chat, it’s fast paced.  In fact, I call it high-speed – because it is.  Just lurk on one and you’ll see the truth in that statement!

This is not the time to send direct messages.   People cannot see them.  Worse yet, there are people who want to continue the conversation via direct message with links – about them.  No, no, no (shaking head in disgust).

     3. Putting the hashtag in the middle of the tweet and making your tweets 140 characters

If you want to frustrate someone in a Twitter chat, this is the way to do it.  If they want to retweet you, they’ll need to dissect the #hashtag from the middle and shorten your tweet.  In the meantime, the chat is speeding by them.  That frustration then is linked to you.  Avoid it by not doing it.

Follow the basic rule of thumb that every tweet needs to be 120 characters and watch how you’ll be engaged and retweeted.

Looking for a Twitter chat to “cut your teeth on”, why not join #brandchat on Wednesday, 10 a.m. CST.  You can see recaps here to bring you up to speed!