Do Motivational Tweets Help or Hinder? 5 Tips


There’s nothing like the right kind of motivation to kick start a day… or is there?


Motivational tweets are an easy way for Twitter users to show value to their followers… but that plan can backfire if you’re not careful.

The problem motivational Tweeters face is coming off as fake, preachy, saccharin, syrupy, or just plain one-dimensional.

If you like to share feel good thoughts in the Twitterverse, or perhaps you’re thinking of rounding out your edgy crabbiness with a positive note every now and then, check out these tips culled from the Viva Visibility observation deck.

When you communicate that you’re a REAL person, that’s when you start making the connections that create incredible impact on Twitter and beyond.

5 Tips for  Motivational Tweeting

1. Make sure your Tweets are not ALL motivational quotes. First of all, it makes it look like you’re not really on Twitter, or that you’re faking it somehow. Mix it up with real time replies. Perpetually “up” people have been known to cause phobic reactions in laboratory mice. (I made that up. But how much do you want to bet there’s a study out there proving me right?)

2. A joke, a smile, or some wit can be just as motivating as a platitude on goal setting/achieving. Be creative in how you inspire others.

Follow these folks. They’re funny. (Or at least me and @KayBallard think they are)
@catdog03
@joshacagan
@paulapoundstone

3. You can’t FORCE everyone to be happy. I’ve actually witnessed “positive” people berate others for Tweeting about life’s ups and down. Instead of forcing someone into happiness, how about brightening up their day through other means? That human connection can be way more powerful than another Tony Robbins quote!


4. Recognition is motivating too! Find a stranger and retweet that person, mention him or her on #followfriday, or do something nice like that. Your motivating can work on a low level as well as a big platform.

5. Lead by example. There are some people I see on Twitter who have such great dispositions, I can’t help but feel good reading their Tweets. They’re not one-dimensional happyniks either. Just real people appreciating the present moment that Twitter has us focused on, sharing that present moment with the rest of us.

What are your tips for being a force of positivity on the web? (Think outside of the motivational quote box.)

If you are a motivational Tweeter, how do you mix it up so you don’t sound like a trip down the greeting card aisle?

Leave your comments below!


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About Nancy Marmolejo

I'm a soul-driven strategist who teaches entrepreneurs how to turn followers into fans and fans into clients using social media and heart based marketing. My approach integrates proven strategies and intuitive hits so each client finds her special way to stand out and sizzle in the spotlight.

  • http://merchantofnewyorkcity.com/blog/about Christopher

    I like the recognition tip. It's simple to give away and it means a lot to folks who work to deliver value in your life.

    Me? I like to high five the happiness into people :)

    <abbr>Christophers last blog post..Update MONYC: Life, Money, Things Of Interest</abbr>

  • http://www.vivavisibilityblog.com Nancy Marmolejo

    Love that! "High 5 the happiness into people" and you're deff an example of a Tweeter w/ a great vibe.

  • Amy Miyamoto (@Lotus

    Nanacy, I love your take on this as well as your very insightful tips. P.S. I love the lifestream additional on your blog – I am working on adding that to my blog. So much fun and adds mor dimension that just twitter updates.

    ?

    Amy (On twitter @LotusAmy)

  • http://www.vivavisibilityblog.com Nancy Marmolejo

    Thanks Amy! I like to keep it well rounded. The photos, etc, speak louder than words much of the time. :-)

  • http://www.kolpiacounseling.com Loren Fogelman

    Always enjoy reading your posts. I agree that everything needs to be done in moderation. The way that I balance motivation is having real discussions with other tweeple.

  • http://mediamojito.com Angel McClinton

    I think you are a perfect example of great value added style. You're real, funny, intuitive, trendsetting…I guess that's why we all LUV you!

    <abbr>Angel McClintons last blog post..Defense Budget: How A Free Tool From Youtube Can Save Your Business Time and Money</abbr>

  • http://www.drtoddschafer.com Todd Schafer

    Brings to mind those anti-motivational posters you see in humor forums.

    I think humor, particulary self-deprecatory, goes a long way toward adding the human factor.

  • http://www.solo-e.com Terri Zwierzynski

    When I'm not feeling very creative or just not feeling "up" to a motivational quote, I often retweet something someone else has written that made me feel good. laugh, or just stop to think. It's a two-fer…I'm acknowledging someone else, and I'm sharing their vibe with my followers, too! :)

    <abbr>Terri Zwierzynskis last blog post..The Presence-Based Coaching Course: Part II: Evoking Self-Generation</abbr>

  • http://www.deskaway.com Priyanka D

    Good article! At DeskAway we send out work tips once a day. How does that sound?

    (@DeskAway)

  • http://www.shahtraining.com Parth

    Thanks for this post. I'm really starting to get a hang of how twitter can be used. Although, I still don't spend a whole lot of time on it. How do you form relationships/exchange conversations? I just feel like I'm text messaging random people. Someone gave me a suggestion to search for my niche and reach out to those people. But I just feel like a stalker sometimes. What do I say? – Hey wats up man! Saw your tweet on bodyweight training, hows it going with you so far..etc.

    <abbr>Parths last blog post..Frustrated? Use Deep Meditation for Fitness Success</abbr>

  • http://feeds.feedburner.com/sandramartini Sandra Martini

    Hey Miss Nancy,

    As usual, you're right on target!

    All the motivational tweets without anything to back them up in the way of "live" (yep, you must actually tweet live in order to be a Tweeple) conversation ring false.

    The timing of your post is great — a client asked me yesterday why 253 people would unfollow her over the course of a month when she puts out all "positive" stuff.

    The answer…it's all positive thoughts and quotes and little live interaction.

    Twitter IS multidimensional — that's what makes it so wonderful — and we should embrace it as such.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Sandy :-)

    <abbr>Sandra Martinis last blog post..Ethical Question: Sandy's Response</abbr>

  • http://www.vivavisibilityblog.com Nancy Marmolejo

    Sandy, your client's situation is a perfect example of why it's important to be multidimensional. Imagine if we were all characters in a story and we could only have 1 emotion… pretty boring, huh?

    thanks for sharing your thoughts. :-)
    Nancy

  • http://www.michelepw.com/blog Michele PW

    Hey Nance,

    Great post as usual. What I especially like about what you've written is it's a bit edgy. How could anyone say anything bad about motivational quotes? But there's a lot of truth in it.

    I rarely post motivational quotes on my own, typically I retweet those, and it's always because the quote made me stop and think for a moment. And, by retweeting, it allows me to help promote someone else.

    I guess the other thing to mention is not all motivational quotes are created equally. Some make your eyes roll, but others get you to think and give you the space to work on your mindset. The latter are what I focus on — I feel like if it helped me even for a moment then maybe someone else will get the same feeling.

    <abbr>Michele PWs last blog post..Business Success — How to Create the Twilight Series Success in Your Business</abbr>

  • http://www.vivavisibilityblog.com Nancy Marmolejo

    You nailed it Michele PW!

    not all motivational quotes are created equally.

    thanks for calling me "edgy", see that totally motivates me right now! :-)

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  • http://www.DefytheBox.com Leah Shapiro

    I think I just learned a big lesson here.

    I am now a "former" motivational tweeter…teeheha!

    Thanks for the different perspective.

    <abbr>Leah Shapiros last blog post..Defy the Box Radio Starts Tuesday April 14th at 9 PM EST</abbr>

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  • http://www.happypublishing.com/blog Shawn

    I am the perfect motivational poster child for how to do it wrong! All I do on Twitter is post motivational quotes (I'm @motivational) and never reply or even check my messages. I've known from the start that it's wrong…and occasionally try to interact with folks, but it's a bad habit now. Thanks for this post. I will go dust off my tweetdeck…. :)