When used properly, Twitter can be an effective tool for businesses to integrate themselves into the online community. But since Twitter is a sensitive medium, tweeting cluelessly can be dangerous.

Tweeting dangerously? Yes, it can happen. It happens all too often.

If you are constantly working to market and promote your business on Twitter, you may insult the Twitter community, and in effect, create a poor business image online. Twitter should not be used for sales pitches and for advertising—it should be used to build reciprocal connections with others in your industry, as well as your target market.

So, before actively participating in the Twitter community, it’s important to familiarize yourself with Sūmèr’s top five Twitter dos—because it might save you from Twitter rejection.

Top Five Twitter Dos:

1. Do have an account for both business and personal purposes: Twitter users like to feel that they’re interacting with a human being—not a company. Building personal connections on Twitter that also work as business connections is an excellent way to integrate yourself in the community and build working relationships. Just remember, don’t tweet about anything you don’t want known in the business and online community. Reputations can easily be tarnished if you aren’t careful.

2. Do let your personality shine through: One of the keys to success is expressing your distinct personality and showing a human side as opposed to just tweeting about your business. An effective tweet can share information, work to build relationships, or provide value to a conversation. Your personality should naturally flow out of your tweets.

3. Do follow people in your industry or those with the same interests: Following people in your industry is an excellent way to learn from each other and provide helpful feedback. For example, if you own a construction company that builds luxury custom homes, you may find it beneficial to build a relationship with several architects on Twitter. This, in turn, will increase your online exposure, boost site traffic, and possibly allow you to find an architect you’d love to work with.

4. Do listen: There is an abundance of valuable information circulating throughout Twitter, which is why listening to what others have to say is an important factor associated with successful tweeting. Listening also shows others that you aren’t simply using Twitter to post your own information—you’re interested in what others have to say.

5. Do actively participate in conversation: After you begin to get a feel for the personalities of the people you are following on Twitter, you can begin to participate in the conversation and lend constructive advice and comments. If you feel you have valuable information to share with your followers and those you follow, by all means, share the wealth. It’s a great way to illustrate you’re an active participant in industry news and updates, as well as someone who enjoys sharing helpful information with others.

Share your top Twitter dos with us. Or tell us if you agree or disagree with the above. We’d love to hear from you.

If you choose to participate on Twitter, don’t be a tweeter everyone dodges. It’s not good for business. Instead, focus on listening, adding valuable content to discussions, and building reciprocal relationships.

Knowing the right strategies to successfully tweet will lead to an increase in your website traffic, a boost in online exposure, and position you as an expert in your industry.

Familiarize yourself with the top five twitter don’ts:

1. Don’t be negative: Avoid complaining and being viewed as a Debbie Downer. No one wants to read tweets that have negative connotations—it doesn’t add anything constructive to the conversation and discourages followers from following you. This doesn’t mean you can’t disagree with someone. As long as you are polite and still add value to the conversation, you are more than welcome to disagree.

2. Don’t blatantly market and promote your business on Twitter: People don’t use Twitter to be bombarded with advertisements; therefore, don’t use Twitter as an advertising platform for your company. If you want to build a solid Twitter network with working relationships, you must first listen and actively participate in conversations relevant to your interests or industry. Once you have built a solid network and reciprocal connections, you can begin posting links to a few articles, blogs, or informative pieces about your company that you believe would provide value to your followers. However, be careful not to abuse your newly acquired position on Twitter. If you start to only tweet for business purposes once you feel comfortable with your network, you’ll immediately be back to square one. But this time, people will know not to follow you.

3. Don’t do all the talking: Twitter is very much like a cocktail or dinner party— traditional social etiquette applies. For example, no one wants to listen to a chatterbox go off on a tangent about himself for an hour. The same idea goes for Twitter—no one wants to be tweeted at. Rather, Twitter is used for those who want to have intellectual discussions that provide every party in the conversation with valuable information. In the end, successful and solid relationships are built, and a network is created. By building relationships online, you can increase your exposure to potential clients and others in your industry.

4. Don’t neglect your Twitter account: Many people think that by setting up a Twitter account, they’ll automatically get followers and people interested in what they have to say. Some businesses even use autotweets—something that is frowned upon by the Twitter community. If you want Twitter followers, you need to work for them. You won’t build solid relationships if you’re not constantly present on Twitter. But how often should you tweet? Several times a day, throughout the day. Don’t pile all your tweets in during the morning. Space your tweets out in order to reach those who go on Twitter in the afternoon as opposed to the morning. Since fresh tweets always rise to the top of Twitter homepages, yours will most certainly be missed by those who go on several hours after you tweet. Keep fresh and valuable information constantly streaming through your Twitter account.

5. Don’t get discouraged when people you follow don’t follow you: Twitter is a great place to find fresh and useful information, which is why it’s much more beneficial for you to focus on finding people you are interested in following. If you provide valuable information, they may consider following you. Also, it’s not about the quantity of followers you have—it’s about the quality. Having just a few followers who provide you with valuable feedback and information and who are excellent connections for you to have are much more beneficial than having thousands of followers who don’t provide you with anything useful.

Two Twitter lessons to remember:

1. Proper social etiquette is essential on Twitter.

2. The Twittersphere can be a harsh place, which is why it’s important to always keep your Twitter dos and donts in mind.

What are some of the Twitter don’ts you’ve seen?

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