Twitter is a social media application, which has a white box, where you can type in 140 characters or less, and a submit button. And yet many are reluctant to put anything in there; without first asking to see if what they wrote is OK.

I sometimes wonder if people are afraid to share their thoughts and comments on Twitter, or if they are not really sure what to write there. Of all the social media applications that I focus on in my social media training workshops, Twitter is the one that seems to be the hardest to use.

I must say that Twitter is my favorite social media application. It has gotten me more visibility and has helped my business more than any other application. Twitter is just so viral. It’s short and sweet. You can connect at the speed of light it seems.

But why is it so challenging? Maybe because Twitter is so functional. You can use Twitter:

  • To say “Hi”,
  • To engage others in a quick conversation,
  • To send a quick message,
  • To share valuable information to your community
  • To feed Google,
  • To strategically create visibility online.

What I am trying to say is that you can use Twitter to do a lot. So what does one say then? In my last Twitter class yesterday, I taught the class what each different type of tweet does and who can see them. Yes, there are different types and each type has a strategic purpose.

We looked at Twitter for prospecting. I showed them how to start using Twitter search to find people and information. There really is a lot you can do with Twitter. We also looked at what would make a Twitter account more interesting; hint, no broadcasting please.

With all this in mind, it does take a while to get used to using Twitter. It’s not just a white box and a button. Twitter is the door way to opportunity for many. And when one discovers this, it’s humbling. Twitter is something you grow with. It is not something you master.

It’s going to take time to get better at Twitter. But the first thing you have to do is tweet. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Now, I do encourage my clients to proof read their tweets before they send them out. But don’t wait for the perfect tweet. Start getting your tweets out there so that your tweets can get you discovered.

So what is our walk-a-way for today? Don’t be surprised if Twitter takes you a while to understand. There are a lot of things you can do on Twitter. It’s going to take time to get good at Twitter. So start using Twitter. Start with simple messages, say “Hi” and have fun. As you continue to use Twitter for business, it will create opportunity. Just be patient. It’s takes a little time to get some momentum happening.

Want some more info on my social media training? Send me a message on my Contact page. I would love to hear from you.