In case you didn’t know, Twitter is ranked 4th amongst all the social networking sites. In 2012, Twitter beat Google+ and Facebook in growth numbers. If you have been thinking about using Twitter as part of your business strategy, here are 4 easy steps to help you get started.

• Step 1: Decide the strategy & goals for this initiative
• Step 2: Clarify the voice of the organization
• Step 3: Set standards on following people, companies and publications publicly and on private lists
• Step 4: Make a Twitter schedule

Twitter Strategies & Goals:

I am not a fan of doing something just because someone else is doing it. Before you send out your first tweet, identify your goals for tweeting. Simply put, what are you doing on Twitter? And what do you want to get out of it? Some companies use Twitter to build their company up as an industry leader, while others use it as a customer service and retention tool. What is your reason for being on Twitter? As you ask these internal questions you should also begin to think about how you will measure the success of your goals.

Clarifying the Voice:

Before you begin tweeting you should decide what your Twitter voice is, or as I like to say, your Twitter personality. Are you informing and educating people? Do you want to be the company to turn to for information regarding a particular topic? Do you want to show support for other local businesses or possibly share jokes or sports scores? Will your tweets be only industry related? Deciding the personality and voice of your Twitter account for the organization can help with focusing your content and deciding whom to follow.

Deciding Whom To Follow:

Before you tweet it’s a great idea to start by listening; you can do that by identifying the companies and people your Twitter profile will openly follow. When you choose to follow a company or person they receive an email that you have decided to follow their tweets. You can use Twitter to make private lists to organize people and companies into manageable groups to follow.

Choosing who to follow should be based on your goals for Twitter. You may want to follow clients, partner companies, news outlets and people who provide information in your industry.

Make a Twitter Schedule:

Twitter will only be of value if you use it daily to share information. It has been my experience that creating a schedule of topics is the best way to stay focused. Without a schedule, people struggle to find things to discuss. You can differentiate yourself with what you post but having a breakdown of day-to day topics makes it easier to focus. You will want to try and post 3-4 times daily to see a real ROI for your business. Planning out topics will help you stay focused and you should also make sure you retweet others you value and follow. Engaging with others – or socializing, as I say – is needed in life and on Twitter.