The first 5 steps to get started on Twitter

Twitter, the online social networking site that everyone talks about, defines “less is more”. With 140 character maximum messages, or “tweets”, as the only way to update your profile, using Twitter really requires that you clearly express your message or thought. Basically, go straight to your point and make it interesting; otherwise, you won’t gain any followers, which is the goal here. If you like to write prose or paragraph upon paragraph about a new product or idea, Twitter will challenge you to think and write more precisely. However, what sets Twitter apart from all other social networking sites is its real-time capabilities. Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn require you to log in to view posts and reply (although this is rapidly changing on Facebook), but Twitter appeals to those who want to stay socially connected online, right now.

From a leadership standpoint, if you have the talent, knowledge, and intuition to become a thought leader, Twitter provides the ideal platform to get started. You can follow others to get an idea of ​​what they’re tweeting and then start tweeting your own thought-provoking ideas to build your own following. The more followers you have, the higher your “authority” rating will be. He wants to be an authoritative VAR, so he’ll naturally be inclined to push that number as high as possible. Countless plugins and add-ons also allow you to track your results with statistics.

Getting started on Twitter can be a bit daunting, especially when you log in, set up your account, and realize there isn’t much on the Twitter site to get you started. Here are some tips to help you join the Twitter craze:

1. Choose your username wisely. When you sign up for your Twitter account, be careful when creating your username, as it will be remembered by the tweeting community. Every username begins with the @ symbol. Something like @superVAR could literally be any VAR with that name. What makes you unique and different? What do your current customers think about you and your services? Work on creating a username that stands out and sets you apart.
2. Add a photo or logo. get real. You will see that there is a brown square on your profile when you first sign up. Adding a photo of yourself or your company logo makes you real. The brown square makes you generic. Remember that the whole world of social media is about connecting with people, not entities.
3. Use words that are important to your followers so they can find you. Just like including keywords and phrases in the text of your website and blogs to get found by search engines, using keywords that appeal to your customers, prospects, and channel partners will help you get found. Consider tweets with terms like “profitability,” “trends,” “ROI,” and “added value.” Once they find you, if you provide interesting or insightful information, they will follow you.
4. Being a follower is just as important as being followed. What is your competition up to? What about your customers? Becoming a follower of other users is just as important as being followed for the mere fact that you can also build your knowledge base (and see what your competitors are up to!). Find other people on Twitter that you can follow. You can also find inspiration to tweet!
5. Feed your blog, Facebook and LinkedIn updates to or from Twitter. An easy way to spread your awareness across all social media platforms and ultimately Twitter is to include them directly in a Twitter post automatically. Visit twitterfeed.com and follow the easy steps to add automatic feeds. Through Twitter, you can also change this idea so that when you tweet, it automatically updates your status on your Facebook page as well.

The number one tip I can share is to start slow; get your feet a little wet as you explore the vast possibilities on Twitter. Once you feel more comfortable with how Twitter works, start using the site to position yourself as a leader in your industry. You’ll quickly discover that Twitter allows you to set yourself apart from your competition, and your following will continue to grow, and perhaps generate new customers, along the way. Now start tweeting!