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| New year, more social you. |
1. Talk to more people.
It's a lovely idea to think that people will just follow you because you're there to follow, but they won't. Chat to people, make friends, make connections. The more you engage the more other people will engage back.
2. Link to more content.
I'm sure you're a very interesting person as it is, but by linking to other content from other sources you show your followers that you're interested in other things too. It also helps create a stronger network between you and the people you're sharing from. Yay.
3. Make your cover photo pretty.
If you're not aware of the new changes to the Twitter layout by now then you need a firm shake. A friendly, reassuring, but firm shake. You can have a cover image now that will appear on your profile. A lot of people are yet to update meaning they're missing a big trick when it comes to showing off what they can do.
4. Re-size your pictures.
There are dimensions for all your pictures and unless you make them to that size Twitter will adjust them accordingly. This could result in oddly shapes images that are stretched out of proportion or miss of, let's say, half of your face. Your Twitter profile pic should be 73 x 73 pixels, your background image should be 2500 x 1600 pixels and your cover photo should be 1252 x 626 pixels. It's wise to play around with them for a bit to make sure they look alright on upload.
5. Check your spelling.
This one might seem simple and that's because it is. There is nothing more unprofessional looking than a tweet that goes out from a supposedly professional person with a glaring typo in it. Proof read, proof read again and only click Tweet when you're certain you've not used 'too' instead of 'to.'
6. Create something.
Draw a picture, make a model, write a poem, come up with an incredibly useful blog post about what to do on Twitter in 2013.
7. Be consistent.
It's good practice to get used to posting at least 7 tweets a day. Spread them out between 9am and 5pm and mix up the content you're sharing. This will mean you're in your fans feed throughout the day and a good range of your followers are likely to see what you're saying.
8. Mind your manners.
People don't like to read swearing, they don't like to read abuse, they don't like it when you come across as bitter and resentful. You don't have to be on your best behaviour at all times but be aware of the audience you're trying to appeal to and ask yourself whether or not they'd be happy with the tone of voice you're using.
9. Pictures.
A picture can speak several words. Would it be better for you to talk about what you're doing or say a few words and accompany them with an image? The latter, every time. Pictures are vastly more likely to be shared on Twitter than words and they help create a vibrant atmosphere when people visit your page.
10. Follow useful people.
Everyone on Twitter wants to have a lot of followers but if that's your only aim then you're somewhat missing the point. There is a mountain of knowledge out there on all manners of subjects and when you track them down you'll be amazed what you can learn.
If you stick to these tips over the next twelve months then you should be in a much better place this time next year when I post something slightly similar just with a different date in the title. I hope you're excited for it.