Twitter is taking the world by storm.  As simple a medium as it seems on the surface, there are a number of common missteps that I’ve seen happen.  (admittedly I’ve probably committed some of them as well.)

As a travel pros, we all need to approach Twitter differently than others tweeting strictly on a personal basis.  Tourism business leaders are finding that Twitter has immense potential to assist or kill a relationship.  Remember the JetBlue flight attendant, the United Airlines guitar debacle?

Here are 3 mistakes others have made and you may want to avoid when tweeting and relating to existing followers:

Don’t forget to be there and respond

Many people set up their Twitter account, post a few times and then get busy with other tasks.  As a pro it’s important to keep abreast of what your followers are talking about and take part in conversations.

The biggest mistake would be to miss out on a conversation that involved your company or your service.  You’d miss the single biggest opportunity to jump in and manage a PR issue.  This would put you in the position of seeming not to care and create a PR debacle rather than a PR success story.

You can avoid this mistake by using some tools to manage multiple Twitter feeds if you have them.  For example, Tweetdeck and Hootsuite allow you to watch multiple feeds, monitor and schedule tweets.  You can also use the Search function on Twitter to search out conversations that involve your company, your destination or you personally.  You can also check out http://twitrratr.com/ to learn what’s being said and how it’s being rated. By searching your company name on Google you can find multiple platform posts about your company.

Not completing your profile

I know this sounds really obvious, but you’d be surprised how many Twitter sites I visit that don’t even list the company website.

As a pro it’s essential that you provide as many ways for people to get involved with your destination, company or attraction.  Twitter is currently used by 2 out of 5 journalists as a sole source for their stories.  You wouldn’t want to miss out!

You can easily avoid this by searching other Twitter sites to see great examples and then build your profile to showcase your unique attributes.  Be certain to add a photo!

Some travel related Twitter sites include:  http://twitter.com/Banff_Squirrel  http://twitter.com/globusfamily

Using only your professional voice

Twitter is another means for your clients, potential clients and brand evangelists to get to know a bit more about you.  Remember the old saying, people buy from people they know and like.  Twitter is the perfect choice!

Many Twitter neophytes only dump product offers, only talk about their company or themselves.

Twitter pros reach out by asking questions, retweeting relevant information and joining conversations as a person.  The professional voice we all use is important, but a bit of fun can be attached to Twitter.  Speaking of fun, remember that the written word doesn’t always come across the same as the spoken…we miss the inflection, the speed and diction.  So try re-reading your posts before you click “post” to avoid a flip or terse comment.

Enjoy your time on Twitter and remember we’re all learning and experimenting.  It’s never too late to dive in.

What are some mistakes you’ve avoided when using Twitter?

Let’s keep the conversation going.  Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.