Every day we work at it: toiling away on our social media networks, doing what we can to reach our customers and broaden our client base. Twitter is one of the simplest platforms to use when reaching out to people, but you may not be tweeting to your best advantage. So, what can you do to make sure that people actually want to read your tweets and can get the most out of them?

Here are ten things that you should be doing with your tweets in order to make them stand out. The only way to reach out and grab the attention of your followers (and that of future ones) is to have some interesting things to say!

1. Be unique.

When you find an interesting article or video that you want to share with your followers, don’t just copy and paste the title into your tweet. Instead, try to put together your own unique spin on it and give them an idea of what is in store for them when they click on the link.

2. Keep it short.

Twitter limits your tweets to 140 characters, which may not seem like a lot. But really, you’re not supposed to be writing a book here. Keeping it short lets you give only the necessary information without a lot of fluff. Try to keep your tweets to around 120 characters. That way, followers can add their own opinions when they retweet.

3. Think of your tweets as headlines.

When writing articles, the sure-fire way of getting readers is by having an attention-grabbing headline. The same goes for your tweets. Make them easy to read and catchy in order to induce your followers to reply or click on the added link.

4. Use interesting facts.

People love finding out new tidbits of information. These can be random statistics about a topic that is related to your own business. Giving your followers an interesting fact will be more likely to encourage them to click on a link than a boring title.

5. Tweet with your own voice.

Don’t tweet like an automaton. Readers want to know that there’s an actual person on the other end of those tweets, so write as you would speak. This gives your tweets a hint of your own unique personality, which followers love.

6. Get your timing right.

In order for your tweets to get noticed, you need to make sure you’re publishing them when your followers are the most active. Take note of when you get the most replies and retweets. This is when you should be the most interactive with your followers.

7. Add value.

There are a wide variety of reasons that people use Twitter, from how to collect stamps to the newest techniques in web design. Whatever your reasons for using Twitter, focus on tweeting about those specific topics. When you concentrate on one or two topics, followers will see you as a valuable source of information.

8. Be interactive.

When it comes to your followers, think quality and not quantity. Get them to interact with you, ask questions, and make sure you’re responding to their own questions too.

9. Add helpful links.

Since tweets are limited, including a link will allow you to share more information. You can include links to your blog, an article, or your webpage. Use your tweet field to include an interesting way to lure them in.

10. Get them thinking.

Your tweets should always leave your followers wanting more. You want your tweets to be thought-provoking because that’s how you get your readers to stay connected to you and want to interact with you even more.

What works for you in your tweets? Do you have any extra tips for enhancing the Twitter experience? Share with us! We’d love to know what works for you!

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No matter how big or small your business; there is no doubt that your employees are using social media. And not just your employees, but customers, potential investors and future clients as well. It’s very unlikely that you can have total control over the things those people write about you and your company while online, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid having a social media policy in place. You need to take measures so that you can monitor and reduce any negative impact to your company’s reputation.

The best way to keep favorable relations with everyone involved with your business is to implement a policy that lets everyone know what your expectations are. Failing to do so could lead to many embarrassing situations in the future.

There are three things of which you need to be aware when you get ready to set up your own social media policy for your business:

Find Out What’s Being Said

The first step in keeping up with what is being said online is to get involved yourself. Sign up on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Then, you’ll be able to listen in and keep your eyes peeled.

There are also a few online monitoring services that are free to use:

• Google Alerts This will let you know if something is posted about you or your company, your website, or any of your employees.
• TweetBeep This tells you when someone else tweets about you, by name or username, your company or website. You can also read your employees’ tweets by following them on Twitter.
• BackTweets This notifies you when somebody posts a tweet about your blog or website using your domain name

What Can You Do?

When you see that someone has done or said something that could do harm to you or your company’s reputation, you should respond to it. While you cannot dictate what employees post on their personal profiles, you may take them aside and explain your concerns. Anything that’s posted online can possibly be seen by your clients, investors and potential customers. Always check with your lawyer about what actions you can legally take, if any, when it comes to your employees.

With dissatisfied customers, contractors, suppliers, it’s important to speak with them in person as well as online when you offer your apologies and make amends.

Prevent It

Realistically, you can’t expect to stop every negative thing people say or do. Sure, you might be able to fire employees and drop contractors and suppliers. But if you fail to enact a social media policy, you could find yourself in some legal hot water.  Speak with someone who specializes in Human Resources policies or even an attorney when you begin drafting your own company’s policy.

With the constant changes that are brought about by the Internet, it has impacted the way business is done today. All businesses, no matter how big or small, will feel the power of social media and communication online. That’s why it’s so important to take charge and do what you can to avoid any negativity that could come from it. By setting up a social media policy, you can make sure that everyone knows what is expected and how to behave accordingly.

Does your business have a social media policy in place? What are some of the reasons that you felt it was necessary to start one? Tell us what you’ve done to protect your company in a time when social media rules the web!

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