Top !0 Ways to get Twitter Klout

The next 2 months are such a great, festive time of year. As I sat down to create lists of invitees for my holiday parties, I realized there are similarities between choosing party invitees and choosing people to follow on Twitter. So here’s my:

Top 10 Ways to Get Twitter Klout by Treating It Like a Party

1.
Bring something to the table no one else is bringing.
I do a Christmas holiday party every year and friends love it because there’s great food, drink and a very eclectic mix of people. I follow people on Twitter (and invite people to parties) who are interesting, considerate, engaging, talented and add something to the conversation. Party highlights always include something out of the ordinary; the talented classical guitarist who plays Rodgrigo y Gabriella, the grappa brought in from Tuscany, the special Kahlua pig from a family recipe. If you just come to the party to gossip and add nothing new, it doesn’t make for a very interesting party.

2.
Define your goals.
When you’re going to a party, the goal is usually just to have a good time. But having a Twitter account (at least one that achieves a goal) takes a little planning and it starts with answering the question “Why am i here?” If the only goal is to have fun, that takes less planning. For my Twitter account @mediafortemktg my initial goal was to stay abreast of search engine news.

No matter who I follow, I choose to have one stream that is my top favorite accounts for search engine and online marketing news. Whether your goal is education or awareness for your business, making that goal is important to your Twitter success. Remember Twitter isn’t a marketing strategy it’s a venue.

3.
Understand the dress code.
I live in Hood River, Oregon and standard issue town attire is sporty clothing (often fleece, often with words). I have one holiday party that states “Semi-Formal Attire”. It’s fun to see my friends gussied up. For 3 years in a row I had a guest who refused to even make an attempt at the criteria set for the party (needless to say I quit inviting him). You’re welcome to dress as you’d like and to Follow whom ever you like, but if you want me to invite you or Follow you, be respectful of the tone.

4.
Don’t spend the whole time complaining.
I had one attendee who never brought a dish or a drink (requested on the invitation) and always complained that I didn’t serve beer or that there were too many men. Needless to say he’s no longer invited. People don’t just want to hear diatribes, share solutions. Parties and Twitter relationships are about give and take, not just take.

5.
Don’t make it all about you.
I often decide to follow someone because of their Profile bio. If it’s missing or super salesy I pass. This person’s bio reads:

SEO Manager 4+ years Exp and PMO Executive 3+ Years, Per hour rates = $10 to $15 (Price negotiable if projects r long term)

This person followed me and I was tempted not to follow for several reasons.

First, because it was so self-motivated “I’m here looking for a job”, second because a good SEO can make a lot more than $15 an hour and third, because he shortened “are” to “r” which just pisses me off (but that’s another story).

I decided to follow this account because at least he’s being honest about why he’s here. I actually had a friend come to a holiday party and say, “I have to go to a family event and can’t stay, but wanted to come by to try the food.” Fair enough.)

I’m also following this account because I’m interested to see the outcome. Clearly this is a short-term goal and limited outcome and when he gets a job he’ll change his goal (and profile).

That said, don’t make it all about you. Relationships are give and take and no one wants to read your Twitter posts that only advertise a widget or beg for a job. There’s not value for both parties.

6.
Don’t be a Ho.
I can tell when Tweeps set up a bunch of auto-tweets and just push their agenda. If you’re not engaging with others your just talking to yourself and people get tired of that fast. Even if you’re sharing great info, you may get followed for awhile but it won’t last. Twitter success is about engagement. If you just want to hit it and forget it, go spam somewhere else. You’ll eventually be called out as a Twitter Ho. (Unlike parties, unfortunately, you can’t be uninvited but you’re not likely to get much out of it.)

7.
Don’t be cliquey or desperate.
If you go to a party with your spouse or friend, it’s considered rude to sit in the corner and just talk to each other. It defeats the purpose of the party.

It’s totally fine to Tweet to just one person about something particular just to the two of you, but doing this all the time makes people feel like they’re listening in on a conversation they don’t belong in. If it gets too personal or cliquey, DM or take it offline. I don’t want my stream littered with posts about where Bob & Jane want to meet up for dinner. If you want to engage the crowd and get advice for a restaurant, that’s better because other Tweeps can learn from your experience.

Crashing a party you clearly didn’t get an invite to or begging for retweets is, usually, in poor taste. Have some self respect and be interesting so people will want to retweet you.

8.
Create a gathering that makes sense for your goals and interests.
Choose quality over quantity. Don’t just go to a Top 1000 Twitter Accounts list and follow everyone on that list. I know a lot of people, but I wouldn’t invite ALL of them to a party. Select your Follow list on your interests or needs. I love Tara Bloom’s @maternitique messaging for pregnant moms and I keep her Tweets in a List for best practice engaging. She’s an expert in the new mommy space; she’s gracious, funny and offers great advice. However, my kids are 20 & 21 and I just don’t need that particular advice so that account isn’t part of my daily interactions.

I go to a lot of parties with kiteboarders and find a lot of discussions very fun and interesting, but if I get stuck in a corner with someone who can ONLY talk about kiteboarding, I’m out. If you can get something out of a conversation because of the conversationalist, that’s great. If not, move on.

9.
Know what you’re getting.
There are some fantastic accounts with millions of followers (love @ShitMyDadSays). That said, the chances that you’re going to have some meaningful one on one engagement with @AshtonKutcher is unlikely. Twitter relationships (my favorites anyway) should be a two-way street. Deeper engagement with a smaller base can be very valuable, don’t make the mistake of putting quantity above quality.

10.
Use tools to know how you’re doing.
There are some great tools for getting a sense of how influential you are on a particular topic. Your Klout Score can be an interesting way to understand how you use Twitter (as an Informer, Influencer, Specialist or Thought Leader) but at the end of the day a Klout Score doesn’t mean a whole lot. It’s one way to quantify your social media efforts. Other tools such as MentionMap, Hash Tracking (in closed beta) and Qwerly are super helpful. These tools are a great way to seek out the accounts and conversations that will add value to a particular topic. Google + is great for making it easier to have different “tribes” based on interest so you can share different things with different groups more easily.

Using tools can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses. It’s easy to be in a bubble on Twitter because your communicating from your computer or laptop. It’s great to ask others how you’re doing. But, just like a party, ask yourself, “If I got invited back to this party, would I come.” If the answer is yes you’re probably on the right track.

Morsel of the Story – If you want to get invited to a great party, be a great party guest.