With 320 million active users, Twitter has gigantic appeal for business owners, digital marketers, and even solo entrepreneurs. And like every platform driven by user generated content and interactions, Twitter also has some unwritten rules that beginners fail to grasp and end up losing social credibility.

To help marketing newbies and business owners do Twitter right, I decided to share this list of 6 things that Twitter marketers do but shouldn’t. If you are doing any of these, stop right now!

1. Telling People to Connect on Facebook and LinkedIn
Someone just connected with you thinking you hold value in the form of content and you gave them an automated message to connect on LinkedIn. This simply makes no sense since you are already connected on Twitter and can converse through tweets as well as private messages.

This is a big no-no for every Twitter marketer. If you have a very solid reason to connect with the person on LinkedIn, don’t do it in the very beginning of your virtual relationship.

Focus on building a strong virtual bond with people that really matter to you on Twitter. This can be done through Likes, Retweets, and thoughtful Replies.

2. Asking People for Retweets
On Twitter, you got to earn everything through good content. People will Like and Retweet if they find value in your content. People won’t Like and Retweet just because you asked them to. In worst case scenario, people will Unfollow you. I don’t think this is something you want.

Rather than asking people to hand over Retweets, focus on improving the frequency and quality of your tweets. Use apps like Buffer to schedule your tweets in advance. The app will also help you in picking the best time to tweet.

If you share thoughtful tweets and good content, I guarantee people will come on their own.

3. Sharing Same Type of Content
I know motivation sells but this doesn’t mean that your every tweet should be a quote from Zig Ziglar. Sharing the same type of content all the time will sooner or later irk your followers. Bring variety to your content by sharing tweets with media and helpful resources.

Do you blog to connect with you audience? Share links of you recently published post on Twitter. Create content based on day hashtags like #followfriday and #motivationmonday.

There are hundred things you can do to make your Twitter feed exciting. So, don’t be boring by sharing the same kind of content every day.

4. Having No Voice
Every Twitter account with decent following has a unique voice. Be it a business or celeb, everyone has a unique personality which their respective audience can relate to. Twitter users without voice rarely get followers and engagement. Hence, your first task should be to understand what your audience wants to hear.

A good understanding of your target audience and their goals will help you create & share content that matters to them. So, spare some hours to learn what your audience cares about and plan content with the same in mind.

5. Being Overly Promotional
It’s fine to promote your products on Twitter. Every marketer does that. But it’s not fine to do it all the time. Twitter folks have high intolerance for people who are always selling. Instead, talk about the benefits of your products and how it is making a positive impact on users. Look at Twitter as a brand building medium rather than sales generating channel. Sales will happen but you will have to be patient about it. So, the bottom line is ‘don’t try too hard to sell’.

6. Here’s a Bonus Point because you Made it through the End:
Think before you tweet. Keep above points in mind and I assure you Twitter will become a lot more valuable for your business or brand. Got something to share about Twitter communication or marketing? Use comments section to do the same. I would love to hear your thoughts.
And yes, don’t limit yourself to 140 characters!