Tips for Conquering Twitter (Part 3)

(Part 2 is available here. Part 1 is here)

Social media has become an inescapable part of companies’, organizations’, and individuals’ daily operations. Because it’s a quick, easy, and free way to get more online exposure (and because everyone else is doing it), most businesses and organizations simply can’t afford not to be on Twitter.

Because younger professionals are generally more comfortable with the Twitter platform, companies and organizations often entrust their Twitter presence to younger employees. This is a great opportunity to show your understanding of your company or organization: its mission, its strengths and weaknesses, and its values. If you play the Twitter game correctly, you can add real value to your team’s marketing campaign, and give your career a boost in the process.

Here’s our third tip:

3. Engage in a conversation with your Twitter followers.

-Communication with your Twitter followers should flow both directions.

-Find out what your followers are talking about and show them what you have to offer on the subject. Include useful information, personal opinion, or a simple question.

-When users respond to your input or answer a question, reward their participation by retweeting. These personal interactions will be more memorable to the individual follower than most content or promotional tweets.

-Refer your followers to other users’ content. This helps your followers find blog posts, videos, news articles, or other content that they might find interesting. The other user will usually be grateful for the exposure, and will be happy to link to your content in the future.

-Create a Twitter list of your most active followers. This will make it easier to keep up with their conversations, and interject your own information or opinion when you can.

Tom Swanson is the Programs and New Media Intern for the America’s Future, through the Koch Internship Program. Contact him at [email protected]

(Part 2 is available here. Part 1 is here)