What should I say or Tweet or Post?

That depends.

Are you tweeting or posting for business or personal or a mix? Of course you are part of everything you do. Since most of my clients are small business owners, how much of their professional brand is them varies. Some people still like a wall between business and personal. Others have no wall or filter. Consider where you sit on that spectrum. It probably depends on your business and will help you decide what to post.

Personally, I like a little division. For me, it’s more about what I perceive as being professional. There are some posts that are meant for family and friends, others that are open to anyone and others that are all business. I use a couple different accounts to manage that. That’s what is easiest for me. You need to choose whichever is better(easier) for you.

First, let’s talk about what not to post. Mom always said politics & religion are not good topics of conversation. I have always disagreed with Mom on this… they make some of the best… BUT for most businesses Mom is spot on. For most businesses (outside the political or religious) espousing your beliefs is personal not business. You run the risk of offending potential customers or clients. Unless it’s what you do, if you’re tweeting for business be mindful of the content and the offend-probability. It’s fine if you disagree, my post, my humble(or-not-so) opinion.

Now, what to say. Again we’re assuming your blog is for business. Talk about new products, initiatives and team members. Talk about what’s going on in the industry or in your shop. If you sponsor an event, talk it up.

One reason I recommended starting with Twitter is that with Twitter it’s 140 characters. Not much prep there. No pressure for pics… although you can add images if you want. It’s low pressure. You can’t really go wrong and it’s easy. WIN! There are apps for your smartphone and for your tablet. You can tweet after a great business meeting or a conference or… anywhere.

Now you can get started…

Look for how often next.