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Until I am willing to manually approve each person who joins my Twitter community, I have no choice but to live with the reality that a significant percentage of my Twitter followers are MLMers, self-proclaimed SEO experts, and consultants who would love to help me run my business . . . even though I don’t actually have one.

But the fact is, my target audience is in there somewhere. And because of that, I need to find a way to overcome Twitter’s notoriously low clickthrough rates and get people to follow my links once in awhile.  Through extensive experimentation with multiple Twitter accounts over the better part of a year, along with a certain level of tracking and documentation, I know there are times when my Tweets perform significantly better than others.  And for the most part, I think I might know why.

Below is a list of 57 ways that may (or may not) increase your Twitter clickthrough rates.  For purposes of making this post as useful as possible, I threw in everything I could think of—strategies related to message tone, design, message construction, strategy, timing and so on; as well as some mistakes I made along the way.  Also, the items in bold are strategies I have had particularly good results with over the last few months.  If your time is limited, I would recommend trying these first.

And finally, if you believe I missed something or would like to recommend your own tip, please reply to this post and do so.  I will gladly add your tip to this list, along with a link to your blog or website should you choose to include one.  Here we go . . .

57 Ways to (Maybe) Increase Your Twitter Clickthrough Rates

1. Say something original.
2. Don’t write like a teenager.
3. Offer something of value other than your thoughts.
4. Resist the temptation to exaggerate or show false excitement.
5. Don’t use shorthand . . . spell out words.
6. Be consistently credible.
7. Use an interesting avatar.
8. Create controversy.
9. Don’t make promises or outrageous claims.
10. Figure out why YOU click on other people’s links, and do what they do.
11. Have your own take.
12. Use a call to action.
13. Respect the intelligence of your audience.
14. Develop your own style—and stick with it.
15. Avoid slang.
16. Check your spelling.
17. Experiment with Tweeting on different days and during different times.
18. Stop using cliches.
19. Cater to multiple nationalities.
20. Tweet in groups of three.
21. Don’t use industry-specific acronyms and terminology.
22. Make on point, and only one point.
23. Don’t use ALL CAPS.
24. Be sensitive to cultural issues.
25. Don’t over-use punctuation.
26. Build a following outside of Twitter.
27. Use spacing strategically.
28. Don’t sound TOO EXCITED!!!
29. Ask, but don’t beg.
30. Don’t get lazy.
31. Say the same thing multiple ways.
32. Create a Username that aligns with your focus.
33. Don’t expect a tool to do the thinking for you.
34. Remind yourself that getting ANY kind of web traffic isn’t easy.
35. Build a community.
36. Cater to people in time zones other than yours.
37. Call a specific audience to action.
38. Choose topics that people haven’t already run into the ground.
39. Stop trying to make everyone happy—become a specialist in something.
40. Break down the results of a research study.
41. Collect your own data for a survey, and publish the results.
42. Don’t Tweet because you’re bored.
43. Construct a well-written profile (people actually read these).
44. Avoid using Twitter ‘isms.’
45. Ask for honest feedback and opinions on something.
46. Don’t bombard people.
47. Keep it fresh.
48. Tweet a “Thank You” once in awhile.
49. Don’t Tweet inside jokes.
50. Check the trending topics.
51. Don’t talk down to people.
52. Use a “Tweet This” or Retweet button to increase distribution.
53. Don’t write like a Ph.D.
54. Ask people (nicely) to Retweet your stuff.
55. Go against the grain.
56. Watch how the pros Tweet.
57. Search Internet Marketing portals like Sphinn for other articles on this subject.

Comments?  Questions?  Feel free to post a reply.  Also, please remember this: much like cigarettes in prison, social bookmarks are currency here at THEsmallCOMPANYBLOG.  If you have a moment, please Digg, Stumble, Sphinn or Retweet this story if you enjoyed reading it.  We have provided handy little buttons for each.

Other Ways to Increase Your Twitter Clickthrough Rates—Submitted by TSCB Readers:

# 58. Allow your personality to come through. (Submitted by Catherine Woods, Editor of RealBusiness UK)

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• Social Marketing Automation: Interview with the CEO of Buzzom
• Article Marketing on Twitter: The Art of the Retweet
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