Are you like many other business owners struggling to get their head around Twitter? Not to mention the difficulty in having to write something meaningful and interesting in just 140 characters?

As a self-confessed technology and social media ‘addict’ I must say I love Twitter. However, I’ve been using this tool for many years – and admit that at first, I was also unsure about how to use and leverage this tool.

Thankfully I didn’t give up in frustration, but rather kept experimenting and learning the best ways to integrate Twitter into my brand communications strategies.

By doing this, Twitter has allowed me to build relationships with prospects, clients and joint venture partners as well as build my brand and credibility with my prospects and peers.

In fact when looking at my social media metrics, I’m getting more interaction and engagement on Twitter than in comparison to Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or any other social media tool.

If Twitter is a tool you’d like to use in your brand communications, networking and marketing strategies to build your network and increase engagement with your tribe here are three quick tips to help you:

1. Be Concise

Trying to communicate a meaningful message in only 140 characters (or less) can be a challenge. While you can always abbreviate some of your words I would recommend you avoid using too many abbreviations as you may end up confusing your readers.

I recently read a post that had so many abbreviations that I thought I was reading another language. I just couldn’t understand what the writer was trying to say and I didn’t have the time to decipher her almost cryptic message.

If you want to link to an article – use URL shortening tool such as http://bit.ly

I would use tools such as Deck.ly sparingly, as many people will not click through unless you have written an interesting post, which compels them to want to learn more.

Which leads me to my next tip:

2. Be Compelling

With only 140 characters to spark the interest of your reader it’s important that your comment grabs their attention and compels them to take action.

This could involve the reader engaging in conversation with you by replying to your comment or sharing it with their community through using the ReTweet function.

Remember, that each of your tweets is communicating your brand and will therefore impact on the perception others have of you. Before you hit ‘enter’ ask yourself – would I want a prospective client to read this? If not – then don’t post it.

When writing your Tweet consider the purpose of your Tweet:

• Is it to share information including a link to an article of interest?
  • Make sure your introduction sparks the reader’s interest and curiosity to ensure they click through the link.

Here’s an example of one my recent tweets. Notice how I haven’t included any specific steps in my comment. In order to find out more information, readers have to click through the link.

• Do you want to inspire people and have them Retweet your comment? If this is the purpose of your comment make sure you leave at least 15 characters so that people can RT your comment without having to alter or abbreviate your comment too much.

• Do you want your comment to spark a conversation with your followers? If so, consider including a question in your comment. If your comment is written in a compelling and interesting way, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how many people will be encouraged to share their opinions.

Here’s an example of a recent conversation I had with one of my Tweeps after posting a question and a comment about LinkedIn.

3. Be Consistent

If you want to build your brand and credibility as an expert in your field it’s important to concentrate on your core brand message with each of your tweets (or any other social media tool for that matter).

Tweeting about too many topics (that are not aligned with your brand message) can confuse your audience.

Your tweets are also taken into consideration by search engines, so be sure to include keywords in your tweets and other information about your topics of interest and field of expertise.

Tools such as Peer Index and Klout measure your influence in the topics you share. Commenting and sharing information on topics that you want to become known as an expert in will ensure that tools such as Peer Index and Klout are also measuring your clout (reputation) in these topics.

So, when venturing out into the Twitterverse, make sure your comments are concise; are compelling to influence action and engagement by your followers; and that you are consistent in your message so that you continue to build your profile as an expert.

Has this been helpful? Have I inspired you to start sending out a few tweets? Let me know – I always love hearing from my readers. And, if you did find this post helpful, please Like, Share, Tweet and Google +1 with your community. As always, I really appreciate it!