“What can I tweet to benefit my business?”

If every time I was asked this question and someone brought me a cup of tea and a slice of cake, I’d be one happy lady. This is the question I’m asked most of all. Seems that when it comes to Twitter, everything we learn about talking about our business and connecting with people, flies out of the window. And we get stuck in that constant loop of addictive tweeting and time-wasting.

By golly it’s fun though, right?!

But you’re using Twitter as a marketing and communications tool, so while you’re there having a fine old time, add these simple ideas into the mix to instantly boost your Twitter kudos and make that time investment count.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Retweet With Authenticity

Compile a list of 5-10 tweeters that you trust for inspiration. A rising tide lifts all boats, so get busy re-tweeting their wickedly cool content on rotation so that others can enjoy them too, that way everyone benefits!

The best approach is to always make it relevant to your audience, and ideally re-tweet peeps you want to establish a long-standing relationship with. Bingo.

Hug-A-Hack

Plenty of journalists and influential bloggers are Twitter regulars. If they have a question or query that their latest article hangs on – their communication tool of choice is Twitter. One tweet can provide a pick n’ mix of answers instantly. Pretty cool.

Make a list of useful media connections that you can make yourself invaluable to (not in a creepy, stalker kind of way), and get ready for media opportunities galore!

What’s The BEST Way To Get A Response?

Do you want to know the best way to get a conversation going and learn more about your audience? Ask questions. Lots of them.

Don’t make them too complex. Stick with simple questions that don’t take a brain surgeon to answer and see what attracts the most feedback. Rinse and repeat.

Quotes + Twitter = Match Made In Heaven

Love them or hate them – people go nuts for quotes on Twitter. After all, everyone likes a shot of inspiration any time of the day – which is why quotes are the most shared tweets of all – and with Twitter’s 140 character limit you’ve got a match made in heaven. See…

Goodreads Quotes and Brainy Quote

Stretch Your Comfort Zone

‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone’ said Neale Donald Walsch, and on Twitter that means tweeting with people you don’t know. Instead of just hanging with your inner circle, take a giant leap outside and make new connections daily.

Sprinkle In This Vital Ingredient

These are the social chit-chat, daily musings, funny observations and commentary type tweets.

They don’t have to be business related. Remember Twitter is a SOCIAL network, and just like in any other social setting – whether that’s business focussed or not – small talk and chit-chat takes place. It’s a vital part of relationship and community building.

It’s what makes you human and real. And, when you can be real, be you and be comfortable with that Twitter becomes a lot more fun, rewarding and effective.

Not A Wordsmith? Think Again!

If you’re thinking ‘Yeah right, I’m no wordsmith and snappy quotes don’t exactly roll off my tongue’ think again! You’re an expert, and you have amazing talent and a wealth of experience. I bet you have a selection of snappy soundbites you use when speaking to clients, prospects, in your blog posts, articles or presentations that can be adapted into perfectly formed, totally retweetable tweets.

Exercise Your Subtle Promo Muscle

This isn’t the brash ‘in-yer-face sell-in’, it’s the subtle, modest, elegant way of demonstrating what you do, in a way people understand and get curious about.

Tweet about what you have coming up in your business, what you’re working on, a sneak peek behind the scenes and into your day-to-day life. The more you do this and think like a PR person, the easier it becomes. It’s like exercising a muscle.

Got any Twitter tips? Share in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on Women Unlimited