5 tips to start using Twitter professionally

You are probably starting in the world of this social network called Twitter, because you have heard that it is a great tool that will allow you to have a presence in different professional areas such as software development, social communication, marketing, among others. And yes, indeed Twitter is a great tool that beyond being able to keep in touch with your friends, allows you to do some networking with different people and companies around the world. 

Twitter is an interesting and effective way to make yourself known to international companies.

Speaking from my experience of the software development area, I have discovered that on Twitter there is a huge community of developers ready to share their experiences, their knowledge, and all the relevant information they come across on the internet, such as courses, tips, tools that can make our lives easier, among others.

Twitter is a great way to strengthen your professional links.

So now we will talk about what you can do to have a greater presence in this network, especially if you are starting and want to get more followers, that more people see the information you share, or simply be a highlight to a company that calls your attention.

1) The first impression is everything

Having a suitable profile on Twitter is one of the most important things you can have. Remember that in the virtual world you cannot know for sure who is behind the screen, so it is our duty to show ourselves as real and trusted as we can so that those who start following us can feel more confident with us.

The profile photo and the cover photo are two very important things as they say a lot about you and also these two things are the first door to the first impression people will have of you.

Then we have the biography. What are you putting in there? How do you describe yourself? What information are you giving to your new followers? Look for a clear, concise, and very summarized way to express who you are and the things you like. This will also help to gain followers that have these things in common with you.

2) Share the knowledge 

Start talking (or tweeting) about the things you like best and with information relevant to you and the people in your area.

• Did you learn something new by studying or working? Tweet it!
• Discovered an incredible book? Tweet it!
• You liked a new movie and want to recommend it? Tweet it!

There are many topics you can talk about in just 280 characters (this is the number of characters you can use in your tweet. Images and links do not count within these 280 characters).

The more you tweet, the more followers will come to your account and your community will grow. At least one tweet a day. Give it a try!

Tip: Tweeting relevant information will help you get more followers.

3) Use the tools that Twitter gives you

One of the best known Twitter tools is Hashtags (#). A Twitter hashtag is a phrase of keywords, written without spaces and preceded by a hashtag (#) or a single word instead of several.

#HelloWorld #WomenWhoCode #HappyMonday #JobSearch

These hashtags bring together different tweets from people around the world (depending on the language) and it's much easier to find topics that interest you or even see who's talking about these topics, and if you like what they're saying, follow them! Here you can see more information about hashtags and how to use them.

Another interesting tool is the Lists: Twitter lists are nothing more than groups of Twitter accounts, with which you create a directory of contacts and a specific timeline. The idea is to be able to group some particular contacts, so you can then read their tweets in a concentrated way.

Here you can find out how to create a list from scratch and learn more about them.

4) Start following other people

Now that you have your profile ready and know some Twitter tools, it's time to start following other accounts that interest you. Search for your friends, your favorite brands, profiles of people you admire, classmates, or work colleagues, among others.

5) Interact, interact, interact

It's not just about following them but starting to interact with them, with their tweets. Answer their questions, give your opinion about some interesting topics you like; this can be done through the replies in the tweets.

Having a conversation with your followers will get them to start following you back, as well as other people who see you interacting and are interested in what you have to say.

Remember to be respectful about the tweets and opinions that you, or others, may have in this social network

Look for relevant topics that you can start tweeting about and start gaining followers to interact with!