Under Further Review: How to Use Twitter Effectively

Obviously the title of this post infers a step-by-step instructional guide on how to tweet, follow, be followed and what have you.  That it is not.  I’m talking how to use Twitter to build yourself, “build your brand” if you will.  I’ve heard it over and over again, and lately the reality of it has started to sink in. 

I’m one of those people who actually listen to guest speakers and try to get something out of it.  Even when the speaker speaks for an impressive two hours and fifteen minutes straight without stopping or asking a question, I still try.  Some of you Drexel people will know what I’m talking about in that one.  One of the reoccurring themes of guest speakers’ speeches is that it is never too early to start building your online brand.  Personally, I see Twitter as the possible way to start.


It may just be me, but I feel like Twitter always gets a bad reputation.  Many see it as an extension of Facebook and say, “Well I don’t want people to know what I’m doing all day long, so I’m not getting one.”  Alright, well that person clearly missed the boat here.  I’ll spare you the preaching about not tweeting pictures of your alcohol, drugs, or whatever else you feel makes your Friday night so much “cooler” than the next person’s.  We’ve all heard that close to a million times.  Here are five survival tips for Twitter that you don’t hear every single day.

1) Listen

Listening is a key.  Contrary to popular belief, you can actually learn on social media, especially Twitter.  You learn in real-time, and assuming you follow people that you like, you learn about things that you want to learn about.  Crazy, I know.  You could go on and tweet the most ridiculous things that come to your mind, but if behind the scenes you are paying attention to what is going on in the world, then at least there’s some good coming of it.


2) Read

Follow people who distribute content like articles, blog posts, anything mentally stimulating.  Then read them.  In theory you should be following people whom you value what they say, so the links you see on your feed should be for things that interest you.  Twitter offers the perfect platform to discover things that you’ve never read about before or to read deeper into things that you like. Use it that way. Look at it as an opportunity for personal development.


3) Socialize

After all, Twitter is social media.  Twitter directly connects you to people who have jobs at every level.  It connects you to people in your dream job and people moving up the ladder.  It connects you to people on the same level as you.  Talk to people.  Reach out to new people.  Find one thing in common with someone, all you need is one fact that links the two of you, and reach out.  There’s some kind of underlying stigma that some people always feel when I suggest this.  It’s really not weird.  It’s not awkward.  The person may even be flattered that you reached out to them.  Socializing is how you create opportunities for yourself and opportunities are how you move up in the world.  Don’t you want to move up?


4) Challenge

Challenge yourself to be better.  Challenge yourself to open your eyes to more of the world.  Twitter allows you to do these kinds of things every day and for free!  Take advantage of it.  Challenge your mind with new ideas.  Challenge yourself to see both sides of an argument.  These are things that you could be doing every single day.


5) Discover

Discover new things in the area you live in. Go try new things.  Use Twitter as a way to get out and see things.  Go explore and use Twitter as your guide.  This kind of power is at your fingertips 24/7 yet many of us let it go to waste.

I've written odes to Twitter in the past, and this current one will probably not be my last.  It’s a tool that is underutilized by a vast majority.  It really can do good for people, and people need to realize.  You can be that person that goes on once a week to complain about people you saw on the train.  You can complain about your boss.  But you’re missing the point.  Here is a tweet that I retweeted last month that I think sums it all up well:

Many of us want to get ahead in our respective fields, yet so many people do not have a plan.  Twitter isn’t a plan, but it’s a damn good start.  Brand yourself.  Get your name out there.  Don’t wait for networking events or your next set of classes or the list of Drexel employers offering co-ops to come out.  Start now.  It’s something that you can do all day every day.  That’s how you begin to get ahead of the competition.  Trust me; it can lead to many opportunities that you never thought were possible.