How-To Tuesdays: What Should I Tweet About

There has recently been a lot of chatter among the social networking savvies about the quality of tweets. According to data analytics provider, Pear Analytics, 40% of all messages on Twitter constitute pointless bubble. What they mean by pointless bubbles is not even spam (3.75%) but rather messages of the "I feel like ice-cream" kind.

Sure enough, the numbers change if we pay more attention to who we choose to follow. Nevertheless, these stats uncover the sad truth about Twitter - many people don't know what the tool is for and don't know how to use it.

What should I tweet about? - the answer will vary from person to person, depending on their personal style, the reason they joined Twitter in the first place and what their followers might be interested about.
When you are a crafter you should divid your tweets into two categories: self-promotional and community-minded. Use 15% to 20% of self-promotional tweets and 80% to 85% community-minded ones and you will be fine.

1. Because Twitter is ALSO a marketing tool:
Let's not kid ourselves, most of us joined Twitter to promote our craft. Yes, we want to connect with other crafters and read what's new on etsy but mostly, we are there to let people know about our latest projects. And that's ok.

Twitter is a potent marketing tool and, if used properly, will direct traffic to your shop and blog. Tell your followers about new handmade items you posted to your shop. Most of them follow you for this information exactly. Tell them about the great feedback someone left, after purchesing the fabulous bracelet you made. They will share your excitement.

2. Because Twitter is NOT ONLY a marketing tool:
Once you shared links to your shop and blog, realise that Twitter is not only about self-promotion. It is also about the community:

- share knowledge (by posting links to articles, tutorials and blog posts)
- share finds (by posting links to craft artists or objects you find amazing)
- retweet valuable tweets
- share your craft moments (tweet about inspirations or lack of these)

And most of all, be personal about your tweets!