Twitter is Serious. Are You Serious About Using It?

By Guest Blogger Deborah Shane

When I launched my business in February of 2007, I invested in a branding package: logo, website, cards, and marketing materials. The next thing I did was join some local and national professional organizations. Email marketing came next, so I could grow my relationships with people I was meeting and connecting with.

Then came Twitter. I loved it from the beginning: short, sweet, to the point, and a way to brand myself quickly. 140 characters and 2.7 seconds to get attention has forced us all to be really focused on our clear, succinct messaging — and that’s a good thing!

I have learned that Twitter is not about amassing empty numbers of followers. Rather it’s about having the right followers — who have a commonality and mutuality, and who are active with each other.

The amazing thing about Twitter is that it has become an immediate real-time source of news, information, and announcements for just about anything you can imagine.

Considering how many social networking and marketing choices have emerged and died off the past 5 years, Twitter is still serious, strong, vibrant and relevant.

The Pew Report on Marketing Charts says:

• The percentage of people using the site on a typical day doubled between February 2011 and May 2012.
• Twitter usage is highest among African-American (28%) and 18-24-year-old (30%) internet users.
• Daily usage among 18-24-year-olds also saw solid growth during that time period, more than doubling from 9% to 20%.
• Smartphone users are more likely to tweet.

Here are  ways you can use Twitter to brand yourself and find a job:

Use Twitter to link to great information and articles that align with the industry you represent.

Use Twitter to promote your blog posts.

Use Twitter to meet key people in your industry.

Use Twitter to promote key people in your networks.

Use Twitter to re-tweet information that can get you noticed.

Use Twitter #hashtags to niche and target people and conversations.

Use Twitter to show your fun side.

Use Twitter to create immediacy.

Here are 100 Ways to use Twitter for job search that should give you some more ideas.

If you are using Twitter, here are some ideas to give your Twitter a facelift!

In the new world of business and work, using the best tools, practices and platforms is required. Start with the pillars, get comfortable with them and get a groove going, and then add others!

Follow me on Twitter, at @deborahshane and let’s discuss!

Guest blogger Deborah Shane is the author of the book “Career Transition: Make the Shift,” as well as a branding strategist, nationally published writer, speaker, and media host.

Get more advice in “Career Networking Tips: Get Started on Twitter,” and download Monster’s free ebook, “The Monster Guide to Online Networking.”