Frontline Perspectives

So you know Twitter can help position yourself as a thought leader (No Time to Blog? Tweet). But that’s all you know. Now what?

Here is a quick rundown of all you need to know to tweet like a pro:

Share your (shortened) links
If you find yourself reading an interesting article, tweet it. Use a free service such as www.bit.ly to create shortened aliases to the sites and articles you find interesting. Then add a category and a quick description and submit. This can be as simple as, “Interesting read:” or as informational as, “I completely disagree; we’ve found the opposite to be true.”

Start following the people who interest you
You can “forward” the tweets you find most interesting by retweeting (RT). Just click on the “Retweet” button at the bottom of their tweet and the message will be added to your feed. Added bonus: Many will reciprocate by following you and retweeting your posts.

Use the @ symbol when you’re mentioning another user
If you want to mention a fellow poster on Twitter, use the @ symbol in front of their username (such as @MarketSense7020[link]). Did someone you respect retweet your post? Thank them with a reply! It’s as simple as starting the message with @UserName (as in, @UserName Thanks for the mention!).

Categorize your finds
Use the hash sign (#) in front of a keyword to identify the topic of your post. This will drive people searching for that term to your posts. Use categories to search, too. If you’re looking for people to follow outside of your immediate network, searching industry-specific terms can help you find relevant posters.

Design your page
Keep your Twitter page consistent with your brand. Customize it with your logo and colors and fill out your bio and contact information.

That’s it. Now that you know those basics, you can get out there and start tweeting.