Build Your Brand with Twitter

Did you know? Twitter is now up to 271 million monthly active users, and there are 500 million tweets coming out daily! Twitter has a global presence with users spread out to all corners of the globe.

Twitter’s mission statement:

“To give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”

Twitter is a unique social platform, that when used effectively, can be a tremendous asset in growing your personal brand. Are you using this incredible tool to improve your personal influence? Do you have a personal branding strategy on Twitter in place or are you just “on” Twitter? If you are just “on” Twitter then you are missing out on an enormous opportunity to brand yourself among your colleagues, clients, and industry leaders.

The first step to branding on Twitter is to implement a personal branding strategy. When developing your strategy here are a few things to consider:

• Your target audience and the type of followers do you hope to attract
• The message you are attempting to send to your followers about your professional brand
• Clearly define your goals in terms of what you are trying to accomplish

Make sure that your profile is complete and ready to attract followers from your target market. In order to do so, you will want to put a powerful personal branding statement as your header. Need inspiration on developing a personal brand statement? Check out the many excellent brand statements submitted from professionals all over the world for the recent Publishers & Bloggers: Global #Personal Brand Statement: CONTEST. The effectiveness of your brand statement will be a big determining factor in your ability to attract new followers.

Secure your Twitter handle and make sure that it is effective in conveying your brand message. My Twitter handle is @juanblanco76. What’s that, you don’t think my Twitter handle reflects a brand message? Sure it does! I am fluent in Spanish and an expert in the Latino marketplace. Every time someone interacts with me on Twitter they are reminded of the fact that I am bilingual. Whether your account is for your business or a personal account, having a strategic Twitter handle that reflects your brand is critical.

Become known as an industry expert by sharing value based content. Twitter is a great place to share your blog posts, company marketing materials, YouTube videos, or any other digital content that will enhance your image as a thought leader in your network. Utilizing Twitter for content sharing will greatly increase the viewership, and get your message out to a wider audience. Make sure to use strategic hashtags to help your Tweets reach an even broader audience outside of your followers. Once your content starts getting favorited and re-Tweeted you will see the ripple effect take hold and the views on your content will skyrocket. The more you Tweet about the topics you want to be known for, the more impact you will have on your followers. Don’t be shy! Tweet away!

Follow both your current clients and prospective clients. One of the by-laws of Twitter effectiveness is to SHARE other’s content! Don’t make it a one sided relationship. Make sure to interact your followers on their Tweets, and re-Tweet when appropriate. Engaging your target market via Twitter will help you stay top of mind with clients.

Integrate Twitter into your other branding efforts. Make sure to link your Twitter account with your LinkedIn account. Add your Twitter handle to your email signature. Attach it to your website and your blogs. Using Twitter sends a message to your clients that you are up to speed on technology and current trends.

Share some personal Tweets as well. Twitter is an opportunity for you to get to know your network better, and for them to get to know you. It is a proven fact that people do business with people they like. Many times a personal Tweet about something non-business related will catch someone’s attention if it is about something that they too are passionate about. Well done non-business related Tweets can be a valuable tool to build rapport with clients.

Now it is time for your reaction to this article. Did you find this article helpful? Why or why not. Does anyone out there have any personal branding tips via Twitter that they have used that you would like add? Please comment below.