For new Twitter users, the medium can be an overwhelming stream of ideas and news, in addition to the pressure to populate your feed with good content. Keep in mind you do not need to read everything that comes into your Twitter feed. However, to have a credible and valuable presence, you must be engaged on a regular basis. Yes, this means pretty much every day. This means you need to read, reply, tweet and retweet, but not all of these every day.
To get the beast under control and establish a good Twitter habit, try the framework below. It is not cast in concrete, but does cover how you can effectively use Twitter to share ideas, generate interest in your point of view, and engage other influential people. For business users, the promise is to expand your reach to uncover additional business opportunities and to build your personal brand.
Caution for ultra-beginners, read Twitips – 10 Easy Steps for Twitter Beginners, and then come back.
- Monday: What do you think?
Ask followers a question related to your work, industry or a content you or your company recently published. - Tuesday: Tip of the week
Offer a tip that adds value to the Twitter community. - Wednesday: Retweet
Twitter is not only about broadcasting your content. You add true value when you share valuable insights and ideas from others through retweeting and linking. - Thursday: Engage followers
Select a tweet that resonates with you and post a reply to it. - Friday: FollowFriday
On Fridays, it’s popular to use the #ff or #followfriday hashtag to endorse other Twitter users. Again the idea is to share and spread valuable ideas to your followers. - Saturday and Sunday: It’s the weekend and I have a life
Try a non-business tweet on Saturday or Sunday, something interesting from your travels, a hobby, a favorite restaurant. But, be sure to stay clear of politics.
For new and experienced Twitter users - keep Mashable’s Twitter Guidebook at hand. It is by far the best resource out there.
