How To Be Highly Relevant On Twitter (and every other social media site too)

Posted December 16, 2008
21 Comments

Last night was no fun. A batch of tainted Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausages owned my ass from 9:00PM until 4:00AM this morning. No fun at all.

I imagine that you’re fine not hearing any more details for two reasons:

  1. It’s disgusting
  2. It’s not relevant

A few hours before my hot date with KOHLER, I was on a conference call where someone asked: “How can I get a lot of engaged followers on Twitter?” I scratched my head a bit and than realized that the majority of my posts have been about the one thing everyone on Twitter cares about: “How do I use Twitter more effectively?”

Consider this “Relevance” Graph:

relevance graph How To Be Highly Relevant On Twitter (and every other social media site too)

In the above graph, you’ll notice that relevance has two factors: Timing and Usefulness.Teaching someone how to set up an account on twitter might be useful, but if they’re already on Twitter, the timing is bad.

I know, I know… you’re saying to yourself: “John, you’ve got an unfair ‘relevance’ advantage. How could ‘feeding the hungry’ be as relevant to Twitter users?”

How To Be Highly Relevant On Twitter

1. Know your followers

If your non-profit feeds the hungry, make sure that those following you are interested in that topic. Use Twitter’s Search Engine to find these folks. Connect with them – be useful.

search twitter How To Be Highly Relevant On Twitter (and every other social media site too)

You can easily manage the stream of tweets about “feeding the hungry” with an RSS reader. In my Twitter searches, I include the keywords, “how do” and “how to” to catch people when they need help.

2. Help other folks with their Twitter questions

Let’s face it, Twitter is not rocket science. There are many resources  for Twitter tips, including TwiTip.com (which I think everyone should bookmark), and the Twitter Jump Start Guide. Another good article to read is one I wrote for TwiTips called “How To Be Useful On Twitter Without Going Crazy”.

Thousands of new folks join Twitter each day. You know more than they do. You will find that most people needing help,  only need a link for the answer. SEND THEM THAT LINK AND YOU BECOME A HERO.

If you help them out in a way that’s relevant, they will associate that gesture with a good feeling about your non-profit. In the end, it’s about the value that you’ve created for another person JUST WHEN THEY’VE NEEDED IT MOST :-)

If you found this post useful, leave a comment, subscribe, or find out how I can help your non-profit.

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  • Great points there John.

    I think Twitter's search functionality is incredibly important and I use it often to engage with people talking about the same interests or about my practice.

    Let's face it, Twitter is a global chatroom with thousands of discussions happening simultaneously, and you need to find your desired audience, who can be located anywhere.
  • Hi John,
    Great advice. I agree.
    I think with Social Media, as with any type of marketing, it's a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Look for a need and fill it.
    Once they're following you, ask for their advice and encourage them to speak up about things they care about. Find other things they might be interested in learning and passing on to others. That way, you're not only filling their first need, you are continuing to be a part of their entire experience.
    Thanks.
  • Nice post John.

    I would say that your reason for using twitter will dictate your desire for 'relevance'. Twitter itself asks 'What are you doing' rather than 'Please input highly relevant message'. If you're trying to establish yourself as a twitter expert then I think your advice is great. If you're just chit-chatting with your friends or thinking out loud, you don't need to worry as much about being relevant.
  • Dear John:
    Great post. I especially like your very well done Relevance Graph.
    Nice idea.

    Roger
  • Hi John,

    Great post and some good links in there too. Quick heads up that the TwiTips link isn't working.

    Craig
  • Great tips on using twitter, especially the one on twitter's search capability. I've recently been using TweetGrid to track multiple search terms in real time. All the data can be overwhelming, but it's great for staying abreast of who's talking about the topics you're interested in.
  • @Paddy - thanks so much for the comment!Yes, the search enables folks to manage the stream without going insane.

    @Pamela - Yes, timing is everything.

    @Karim - Very true. If you don't have a goal, then being relevant is meaningless.

    @Global - The thing I like about tweetbeep, twitter search and monitter is that you can use an RSS feed or email to get the data delivered. You don't have to stand over the computer...
  • I liked the article but the link for "being useful without going crazy" is broken.
  • @Brandon - Thanks. Still recovering from the chicken sausages...
  • John- Thanks for distilling the never-ending stream of Twitter advice down to two simple, easily-digestible and relevant points! Robin
  • @Robin - You're welcome (and thank you for taking the time to comment!). There's a lot of stuff out there, and I get a lot of questions. Most of my posts are in answer to direct messages I get on Twitter.
  • I'm a little late in offering my condolences about your recent night on the town...I mean on the toilet. Yuck. That is fairly disgusting to post about but you know what, I've learned to just post about "real" life and see what happens. Either way, I'm just here to tell you to stick to toast and Cheerios for awhile.
  • Mark
    I don't appreciate your crude language. Just some feedback for you to consider.
  • @Mark - Thanks for the feedback. You should have seen the first draft!
  • Amy
    Dear John,

    Your language was not crude enough for me. Please do a draft #3.

    Thanks,
    the blog police ;-)
  • Dear John,

    If you have any other crude posts, please pass them along.

    Father Joseph
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