Personal branding is more important than ever. It’s not that you don’t understand it, but you are busy, strapped for time, juggling multiple balls in the air, and don’t have too much time to think and spend on social media.
I often come across Twitter handles of executives, CEOs, consultants, where there are a few tweets put up initially and then no activity thereafter. The Twitter account is collecting cobwebs and it are almost giving away an impression that either they don’t care or they don’t really know how this new world of social media works. In any case, it’s not giving away a very good impression.
“I have Twitter app on my phone, but I don’t really know what you can share there”. I hear it quite often. Well, leveraging Twitter is actually very easy – provided you know how to use it.
Here is a quick list of few things which you, as a startup founder, company CEO, independent consultant or a trainer, could share from your personal Twitter handle –
#1 Industry News – I am sure you read a lot of news, blogs are articles to keep yourself updated on what’s the latest in the industry. Share the articles which you think could be useful and relevant for your followers. It will also show that you do take efforts for keeping yourself updated. Personally speaking, I have subscribed to various magazines on Flipboard which provide me the daily dose of latest updates.
#2 Your own blog articles – You have your blog, or write for your company blog? Great. Twitter is a great place to share those articles. It will be very useful for your Twitter audience if you share some insightful information through your blog.
#3 Books – Sometimes too many lists of recommended books or tables in book stores can be overwhelming. People always like suggestions from friends, connections, or from someone they look up to. Share the names of the books which you are reading, which you have liked/ not liked, or which you would like to highly recommend reading.
#4 Personal Interests/ Passions – Like to write stories, poetry, or like photography? Don’t hesitate to share your passions on Twitter. Don’t think that your ‘personal’ side will interfere with your ‘professional’ side.
#5 Employee Appreciations – Has someone from your company or your team completed some milestone? Spent 5 years, 10 years with you? Got some awesome certification? Why not click a picture with them and post it on Twitter?
#6 About the Organization – You can very well use your personal Twitter handle to talk about your company, some milestone, event, or any important update about it.
#7 Company Blogs – If your company has an active company blog and you especially appreciate some article, go ahead and tweet about it.
#8 POV about Industry Updates – Some big thing about your industry is making news and you have got some views about it – go ahead and tweet about those. It could be release of some product/ service, passing of a new regulation– Post a tweet with your views and link it to the article.
#9 Podcasts/ webinars you attend – Webinars and podcasts are great ways to keep yourself updated with what’s happening in the industry and also learn from the experts. If there are any specific podcast / webinar which you would like to recommend to your followers, go ahead and tweet about that.
#10 Speaker Sessions / Industry Connections – If you are speaking at some conference or a meetup, Twitter is a great place to talk about it – build up the excitement by asking the audience what they would like you to cover in your talk, interacting with then, and letting people ask you questions there.
#11 Polls – Want to get the opinion from your online audience? Run quick polls. Yes, Twitter allows you to run polls with simple question and options. You can get the pulse of your audience and use this data in your research as well.
#12 Presentations of Talks/Videos – If you have given a talk at some event or have prepared a very good presentation, host those assets on relevant platforms such as YoutTube or SlideShare and use Twitter to promote those assets.
Don’ts
Now that we know what all can be shared on Twitter, let me also share some “what not to do”.
- Automated Messages – Many people are in favor of it, but I am personally not in favor of automated RTs or Direct Messages. No matter how personalized the message is, it does not go well with a personal handle.
- Non-engagement – Social media is about engagement. It is not a broadcasting medium – it is for two-way communication. So if someone engages with your tweets in the form of RT or reply, ensure that you don’t ignore it. Acknowledge and respond to it. Don’t forget to ReTweet others’ tweets and converse with your followers and Twitter audience.
- Not Understanding the Platform – One needs to remember that Twitter is quite different from the other social networking platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook. Understand the nuisances of the platform and you will be able to rock it!
I am on Twitter at @radhagiri. Look forward to connecting with you there!
