I’ve been on Twitter for about a year now. There are still things I’d love to change about it, but there are some things I like about it, and one of them is its immediacy.
If there’s one thing about Twitter it is an impersonal social network. It’s actually better to share tweets and follow people you don’t know, rather than your friends on Facebook. There’s something about sharing news and tidbits with people who are interested in a conversation or topic.
So when someone follows you on Twitter, do you turn on the auto welcome response or not? I get those “thanks for the follow, we look forward to your tweets” all the time. I generally don’t mind those as much as other DM messages that self-promote garbage links and things I never asked for. But, just because Twitter is impersonal, isn’t it up to us to approach our network and value it from the start?
While I haven’t begun sending personalized thank you DMs to each of my new followers, I think it’s worth it to find the time and do it. If you can’t send a quick and personalized welcome that basically appreciates the follow, then don’t bother with auto responses. I’ve actually read some people automatically unfollow those who send general DMs like that.
Hotels: I would absolutely recommend sending a welcome message to your followers and make it personal. If you want to go the extra step, as we are doing at the Hotel Heritage for a limited time, we’re offering a comp drink at the bar for new followers. Whatever you do as a welcome response, personalize those 140 characters.
And perhaps someday Twitter might become less impersonal.