1. Now is the perfect time to start. If you don’t use Social Media yet, it’s not too late to begin using social media professionally. Today.
2. Choose your Twitter name carefully. First, check your business name. If your business name is taken, choose a handle that says what you do.
3. Professional is key. Create a bio. Include a picture.
4. Take the plunge. How do you describe to a new acquaintance what you do? Perfect. That’s your initial tweet.
5. Use Twitter’s search feature to search key words important to your industry – general and specific. Look for your competitors, business alliances in your region, your colleagues. “Follow” everyone and invite them to follow you back.
6. Add your Twitter name to your email signature, your next run of business cards and the contact info on your website.
7. Do not watch your follower numbers – slow steady growth is good – but pay attention to your content. Give quality and receive quality contacts.
8. Watch who follows you. Check their page – spammers should be reported and blocked. Normal folks should be followed back. It’s only polite and every contact has the opportunity to become a customer.
9. Twitter is a conversation not a soapbox. Engage your followers for best results.
10. Twitter is personal. Your followers want to know you. Post about your observations and thoughts. People get to know you and they want to do business with people they know.
11. Use a link shortener to post links to articles that you find interesting about your industry, your neighborhood, your clients. Share your expertise.
12. Display your best manners and put your best foot forward at all times. Twitter is public, behave as if everyone is watching, because they are.
