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Everybody seems to be nuts about Twitter these days, and although I’m a real greenhorn compared to some of the Twitter-Top-Guns, even I find myself checking my Twitter homepage before opening my mailbox first thing in the morning. Those who use twitter for professional purposes agree that, the key of a successful Twitter profile is constantly sharing (rather: tweeting) value with your followers.
how to share value on twitter
When I first read these words of wisdom, a pretty natural question popped into my mind: how the heck can you share value in 140 characters?
I was unable to answer this question aptly enough, so I’ve plowed through a couple of thousand tweets to find some real value on Twitter. Here’s what I’ve found.
How to share value on Twitter?
Share a read!
It’s easy, because you don’t have to squeeze it into 140 characters. Just punch a title and a URL, and you’re done. If it’s your own piece, add: New blogpost, if it’s someone else’s that you’ve just come across, add: Reading.
It’s always more valuable, if you share someone else’s articles or posts (and similarly, it is more valuable for you if someone else is sharing your ones), but as long as the read you’re offering is valuable and not completely off-topic, feel free to push your own stuff, too.
Share a tip
A tip or advice can arrive in the form of a tweet (you have to be really smart to give an advice in 140 characters, but I’ve seen people succeeding), or in the form of an URL. Tips, advices and how-to-s are always worshiped by Internet users, and Twitter is no different.
Share a handshake
Twitter is a networking site, after all. Say hello to a friend, who just joined the conversation, welcome your new followers, or say goodbye to someone who’s going to sleep a couple of continents away when you’re slurping your morning coffee. You can do it in a direct message as well, however, if you do it publicly, you show their Twitter names to all of your followers, and they’ll just love it.
People come to Twitter to garner attention, so everybody will appreciate a bit of extra limelight.
Share a hug
Attention, fame and referred visitors are one thing, but people also tend to like the idea of being popular. If a tip you received was helpful, say thank you. And do it in front of the crowd of your followers. If your fellow-Twitter(er) made you happy, you should return the favor. (Hint: you can also show your gratitude by ReTweeting the original tip, for the sake of extra publicity).
Share a wink
Be useful by not being so useful all the time! After all your Twitter-friends are not just cold machines. If they tweet that they’ll try to make the most of their day, tell them, you keep your fingers crossed. If they complain about the London weather, tell them it’s the price they pay for the awesomeness of Marmite. Make their day in 140 characters. What can possibly be more useful than that?
Share a laugh
It’s a professional world we’re living in but everybody will appreciate a good laugh. If not, he or she will immediately unfollow you. And that’s the way it should be.
Do you have any other ideas how one can share value in the 140 characters provided by a Twitter Tweet? Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. And if you liked this post, let your followers know!
Photo: nathan
Great tips. I can’t emphasize enough the value of retweeting other people’s tweets. I think that’s where the real power of twitter can come in as far as using it professionally. I’ve had a few lucky occasions where people way more plugged in than me retweeted my tweets, and the impact was tremendous.
I think retweeting is also interesting because you can get a sense of what people find as valuable. If something gets retweeted again and again, obviously the audience sees value in it. That can help you as you decide what to tweet, even what to blog about. (You can see the retweet stream by using http://search.twitter.com/ and typing in the original twitter name or a keyword.)
One more point (sorry I’m way over 140 characters): I think the 140-character limit is a good discipline. It’s kind of like writing a haiku (although, obviously, not as difficult) because you have to fit what you want to say into a given structure and still make it understandable.