Twitter is absolutely my favorite Social Media platform. I’ve built the best relationships in my life on Twitter. The sad thing is, people use it to broadcast, and do little “socializing.” Here are my top 4 things you can do on Twitter, which are the worst things you can do for a brand:

1. Talk about yourself 100% of the time.

People forget it’s SOCIAL Media. Would you go to a party and immediately start talking about yourself, and ignore what everyone else is saying? No? Well, don’t do it on Twitter, either. Nobody likes that person at a party. Jump into conversations. People accept that on Twitter, just like at a party. That’s how you make friends in real life, and how you get more followers on Twitter.

2. #Use #too #many #hashtags

You don’t need a hashtag for everything. Why would you have a hashtag for your brand, if nobody else is using it? It’s ok to create hashtags and have a little fun with them, but they are like a directory in a phone system. You want hashtags to get more people into the conversation about that subject. Also, people don’t like seeing a tweet full of them. Create a tweet, THEN add the appropriate hashtags. The general consensus is 2-3 per tweet.

3. Send an auto DM to new followers.

I still can’t grasp how this is still happening. When I follow a new account, and I get an auto DM, I almost always send one back, asking if they meant to do it. An Auto DM isn’t personal. It isn’t social. It’s entering a restaurant and getting an inch away from the hostess’ face and telling her you’re the best realtor in the land, before she even asks you how many people are in your party.

4. #FF

I hate #FollowFriday, or #FF. It’s spammy. I see tweets of people including me, and I’ve never interacted with them. The tweet also includes 8 other accounts, and 5 of THOSE people with retweet that tweet. Why? Nobody cares that you are in a #FF tweet. NO. BO. DY. Why are you retweeting that? How about on #FF you tweet out accounts you like to follow, individually, and tell my WHY to follow them? “#FF @TheFabulousOne if you’ve ever wanted to know about donating a kidney” or “#FF @TheFabSocial for great tips on Social Media as well as awesome engagement.”