Business Tips for Web Sites, Blogs, Social Media and Online Marketing

Tweet Like the Bogey Man: 6 Twitter Lessons you can Learn from Andrew Bogut

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I'm a huge fan of Milwaukee Bucks Center, Andrew Bogut. But not only is he successful on the court, he also has a huge Twitter following (almost 37,000 followers, of which I am one of). In honor of the Big #6, here are 6 Twitter Lessons your business (and mine!) can learn from Andrew Bogut:

1. Update your profile. Include a photo, bio, and website link. Also make sure you take the opportunity to brand your business by using a unique Twitter background. Andrew Bogut's twitter account includes all four of these updates. (Although his bio is simply his website address; I would recommend that businesses update their bio a bit more than that.) 
    
   According to research done by HubSpot, Twitter accounts with a profile picture have 10 times more followers than accounts without pictures. Twitter users with a bio have over 8 times more followers than users who haven't included a bio. And users with a website link have over 7.5 times more followers than users without. 
     
2. Don't just tweet about yourself. No one likes to listen to (or read!) a stream of someone's self-promotion. Although he has a lot to brag about (i.e. his amazing NBA stats this year!), Bogut usually tweets interesting news, compliments fellow players, and promotes charitable giving (most recently, fundraising efforts for the Queensland Flood Relief Auction).
    
3. Find your voice. Your writing style should match your personality - within reason, of course. As a business, you probably don't want to offend potential clients who may not appreciate your twisted sense of humor. Yet, you don't want to sound like a robot either. Have some personality in your tweets.
   
   Reading through a handful of Andrew Bogut's tweets, you'll quickly realize that he definitely is not afraid to be himself. In fact on his website he states: "I know that I am not always the most politically correct person out there. … I must say that I never want to be viewed as someone that has been told what to say, whether it be for money or marketing, it doesn't matter. I firmly believe that everybody should be themselves and not always try to answer something with what people want to hear, but rather stand up for what they believe is true, not what they were told is true." Whether you appreciate his straightforwardness and humor in his tweets or not, you have to admit he does establish his personality through his Twitter account. That makes for an interesting read.
    
4. Monitor your company or brand on twitter – and interact. Many of Bogut's tweets are responses to - or retweets of - other tweets that mention him. As a business, you should monitor what people are saying about you by searching for your twitter name, company name, and industry. Then respond when appropriate.
    
5. Be consistent. On most days, you will find a handful of tweets from Bogut. Yet he doesn't overwhelm his followers by tweeting multiple times per hour, every waking hour. Business take-away: Tweet often enough that you don't get lost in the shuffle; yet make sure you are posting quality content. Unless your business deals with weight loss or nutrition, I doubt your followers care what you're eating for breakfast every morning.
    
6. Share your twitter profile on your website. This can be as simple as including a Twitter icon that links to your profile. Or, you can go a step further like Andrew Bogut does, and include a twitter stream of your most recent tweets. Either way, make it easy for your current and potential customers to stay in touch with you.

I know there are some lessons here that I need to work on with my twitter account. How about you?

Photo Credit: Halopino