Twitter is a great arena to engage in conversations about topics that interest you. Developing a presence on this social media platform can promote your personal brand, increase your industry knowledge and can help you further your career due to the ample networking opportunities that it provides.
Getting started
Creating your account is an important step, you must ensure that your account comes across as an approachable yet professional representation of yourself. Here’s how:
Decide what you want to get out of your Twitter account before you sign up
Establish the topics that you want to tweet about. If you are trying to break into an industry, your tweets should reflect your interests.
Include your basic information
Your bio should be a succinct introduction to your resume or a short pitch. Include a professional photo as well as a link to your website and/or LinkedIn profile. Before following or interacting with you, Twitter users will look at your profile to see if you share similar interests.
Make your Twitter username as close to your real name as possible
An alternative is to name it after your website or blog if you are using Twitter to make connections with potential clients. Make your handle short and easy to remember so that your followers are able to easily find and tag you.
Start tweeting about professional topics and interests
Think of Twitter as a social gathering of like-minded professionals. Keep your topics educational, news-related and entertaining.
You must tweet several times before starting to follow people on Twitter
Few people will follow you if they can’t read your past tweets. Don’t worry if no one responds to you at first, as Twitter relationships take time to develop.
Networking
Now that you’re ready to engage, here’s how to make the most from Twitter’s networking capabilities:
Find and follow your former and current colleagues on Twitter
You can tweet them directly at by starting the tweet with the “@” symbol followed by their username.
Identify relevant people and influencers in your field
In order to increase the visibility of your content and get it shared, you must identify and build relationships with influencers within your industry. Follow and interact with them, reach new audiences and form short-, mid- or long-term partnerships.
Reply to as many relevant tweets as possible
Click the reply button and state your opinion, ask a question, or simply say thank you for a helpful post. The only way you will gain followers is through thoughtful and concise interactions.
Tweet consistently, not constantly
Professionals like to follow Twitter users who are up to date with the latest industry news. The key is to post well thought out comments, retweets, and replies. On the other hand, users who tweet every 20 minutes often overwhelm their audience and may end up losing followers as a consequence.
Use hashtags
If there is any big news in your industry, or you know of a relevant upcoming event, look for hashtags related to the event. Tweet about the event and use the hashtag to increase your tweet’s visibility. Don’t overuse hashtags; they are most effective when used sparingly and with care.
Create original content
Don’t constantly retweet other people’s posts. You can tweet articles from your blog if you have one. You can create tweets related to interesting articles, but don’t forget to include your own comments or opinion.
Networking is an essential part of a successful business career, at EU business School we encourage and teach our students to actively engage in all networking opportunities in the classroom, at events and on social media platforms.
