That said, here are four pieces of advice we give often, specifically to those just getting started.
Use hashtags (“#” before your keyword) that are relevant to your audience. People will read your tweets if they follow you or find your content via a keyword search. Hashtags extend your reach beyond those who are following you, and help you accelerate new followers directly to your account. Tools like hashtags.org can help you find popular keywords. But don’t over-tag in a single tweet – no more than 3 hashtags per tweet.
Make your tweets a two-way street. Don’t just publish, participate in the conversation. If you see something that piques your interest, retweet it or respond to the Tweeter. This increases exposure to you and your message.
Write for your audience, not for yourself. Twitter’s not a press release page and it’s not your company newsletter. If you turn your Twitter account into a promotional channel, it’ll be difficult to get a wider audience. Think about reaching people who don’t yet know your business. Draw them in through content they care about (independent of what you actually sell).
Have a personality. Take time to interact and develop your public voice. Show that there’s a real, live, interesting person behind the account. The more personality you show, the more people will be attracted to you (and share you with their own network).
