Never before in history have we had such a platform to generate conversations as quickly and concisely as Twitter.  It’s keeps communication short and simple and allows anyone who is interested in you to keep in the loop with a click of the button.  Twitter is an amazing tool that can build an army of brand evangelists for you and your company if you invest in it and use it correctly.

The following tips will help you get the most out of using Twitter to build your brand:

• Be Authentic: Just because you are a business professional or business doesn’t mean you have to be a corporate stiff.  People are tired of dealing with robots, posers, and the politically correct.  You need to come across as a person who is real and passionate about more than products, services, or a company mission statement.    Inject your life into your tweets so your followers can see the real you.

• Choose Quality over Quantity: Tweet good stuff! It’s OK to share what’s going on in your personal life (see above) but you should also get great information out to people so that you become a trusted resource that others will look forward to hearing from.  Quality is much better than quantity or machine gun tweets.

• Pick a Memorable Twitter Name: It’s a land run now for great Twitter names, and just as domain names, the great stuff might already be taken.  Think through several options that include your real name or business name.  The more memorable or original it is the better.  Don’t chose spammy names such as James3511 as they will probably be blocked.

• Tweet Regularly: If you tweet only a few times a month, you are not going to get much traction.  Some days you will post more and other days not as much, but remember that being seen means a more likelihood of building brand you.

• Don’t Stress About Followers: I would rather have a group of 100 committed people to follow me and my brand than 10,000 people who really don’t have much interest.  Large numbers may be impressive but it doesn’t necessarily mean better connections.  Relationships are stronger than number counts.

• Keep with It: Don’t get discouraged easily when no one retweets you or follows you.  It can take time to build a true following and that is OK.  Avoid those stupid tactics to build quickly or the magic bean for thousands of followers per day.  It’s not worth it.

I admit that when I first started to use Twitter, I thought it would be a total waste of time, but as I have learned the ropes and used it for personal and professional reasons, it really has opened doors for me and allowed me to make some amazing relationships I otherwise would have never made. In time it will help you build your brand as well.