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- February 27, 2009
How to Tackle Twitter as a Baby Boomer
No doubt about it, Twitter has become all the rave in social media. It’s even popular among baby boomers. That’s right. Despite the fact that some of the research says about baby boomers are shying away from social networking, you’ll find plenty of blooming boomers “tweeting” up a storm on Twitter. Here are a few of the better known baby boomers on Twitter:
Entertainer Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller)
If you’re a baby boomer still trying to figure out how to tackle Twitter, here are some suggestions:
Be a Lurker: A lurker is someone who is logged onto a particular site and reads the discussions but rarely participates. I’m saying be a lurker to follow the flow of conversations—then when you feel comfortable, jump in with both feet and start tweeting away.
Don’t worry about trying to follow everybody who follows you. Only connect with people you are genuinely interested in learning more about or from someone who may be have an expertise in an area of your interest. Keep in mind, all baby boomers are not alike and you just may not have anything in common with some of them, so why follow?
Check out your follower’s profile. After you receive notification that someone is following you, click on their profile and read about them. Also go to their website. Normally, if they don’t have a website, I won’t follow them but if their profile is really interesting, I make an exception.
Be engaging. This is one of the biggest mistakes many people on Twitter make. They come onto the site and immediately start chatting about what they want you to do for them: “Please read my blog and leave a comment.” “Download my free ebook” (with a twist to purchase something). “Buy my book,” “Enter my contest,” etc. I use a different approach. Once I log on to Twitter, I see who’s made the latest posts and I greet them to let them know I acknowledge their presence. Then I start my sales pitch.
Respond: If a follower greets you, asks you a question or makes a comment directed towards you, give them the courtesy of a response. Because of twitter’s fast pace, you may miss a comment here and there but if you do see one directed specifically at you, you owe it to them to reply.
Don’t Be Afraid to Self-Promote: If one of your purposes for being on Twitter is to promote your business or product, then go for it. Don’t just tell people to go to your website to learn more about you. Tell them what you have to offer. Now there is such a thing as OVERKILL but if you do it subtly while building relationships, you will find people will be more accepting rather than clicking the unfollow button.
Re-Tweet: One of the nicest compliments you can give a follower is to “re-tweet” one (or more) of their messages. If you read something you think would be of interest to your own followers, cut and paste the message and send it out. It would look something like this:
RT (or Re-Tweet) @babyboomerbev “When the window of opportunity opens, don’t pull down the shade.”
You can also ask your followers to re-tweet something from you and be sure to thank them for doing so.
Join a Baby Boomer Tweet Chat. The best one occurs on Thursday nights at 10pm EST. You just go to: www.tweetchat.com and type in #AgeOp. The discussions are lively and even though the majority of participants are baby boomers, there are also some younger Twitter members who participate.
Always Sign-Off: This is a courtesy to your followers. If you are leaving the site, let them know instead of just shutting down. Why? Because you may have said something and someone comments back. If you leave the site without saying anything, that follower may feel they were being ignored.
Yes, Twitter is fast-paced and sometimes it can be hard trying to keep up with all of the conversations. If you start out slowly until you get the hang of it, you’ll be tackling Twitter in no time.
7 Responses to “How to Tackle Twitter as a Baby Boomer”
Great tips from a newby twitter.
By Betty Lynch on Feb 28, 2009
I’ve signed up with Twitter and, due to work and other obligations, haven’t returned. I’m afraid I’m considered a “twit” on Twitter. Nevertheless, armed with your great suggestions, I’m going to move on and become a lurker. That seems like a great way to stick my toe in the great tweeting waters. Thanks!!!
By Eileen Williams on Feb 28, 2009
These are great tips. I’ve been on twitter for several months now, and still don’t feel that I’m getting the full benefit from it. I only log in a couple of times a day, but do always try to comment on a few posts. I also check my dm’s and replies so I don’t miss it if someone has addressed me personally.
I also do the same thing – I always check out my follower’s website before I follow them back. If they don’t have a site, I usually don’t follow them because I can’t get enough of an impression of them or what they’re all about.
By Laurie Neumann on Mar 1, 2009
Great stuff from a great communicator. Thanks Beverly.
By marc middleton on Mar 1, 2009
I am still forever learning about Twitter, and how to fit it into my schedule, how to jump into discussions, etc. TweetDeck is helpful because I always know when someone replies, and it organizes things for me. Thanks for the great tips!
By Claudia on Twitter on Mar 7, 2009
Been on Twitter for a while now but only really feel like I’m starting to ‘get it’. Thanks for the tips.
By Kathie M. Thomas on Mar 12, 2009
Nice article. There’s so much to learn here. I was reluctant to get too involved with FB or Twitter just because I’m trying to focus on writing my next novel. LOL! But it’s too alluring to ignore any longer.
By Kathy Holmes on Mar 22, 2009