Twitter is one of the best ways to get noticed, gain an audience and network. It’s also a fantastic way to completely ruin your personal brand. Before talking about how Twitter can ruin your brand, it’s imperative to note that Twitter can be remarkably helpful in spreading your message.
The idea of using Twitter to enhance your personal brand is older than Twitter itself. People often wrote letters to the editor about interesting subjects and part of the reason was to enhance their credentials within the community. This was how to lend your opinion to a trend before trending became commonplace on social media.
Throughout history, people have used the media to varying degrees of success, and Twitter itself is media. It’s a short-form broadcast. Because it’s media, you must always remember that if you don’t mind it being printed on the front page of the New York Times, then it’s something acceptable to say in public.
That is a simple rule governing nearly all behavior, but the following rules are different ways that you can ruin your personal brand on Twitter. Avoid at all costs!
- Bad Handle. Let’s say you’re looking for a serious job in accounting, having a Twitter handle such as B-Dogg68 is probably as unprofessional as it gets. Moreover, if you’re tweeting using accounting hashtags, people are immediately discrediting your input based on your stupid handle. If you’re seeking to be funny, be subtle, perhaps Numbers_Nerd81 is more accounting appropriate. If nothing else, people assume right away that you like math.
- Commenting on Everything. When Tweeting, stick to stuff you know. If you’re not a fan of boxing, and you see Tweets about an upcoming fight and decide to weigh in, this can lead to all sorts of negativity and trolling on your timeline. The bottom line is stick to two or three topics that you really enjoy and are knowledgeable about. Your Tweets will be compelling and interesting and you’ll gain followers!
- Watch Who You Follow. The great temptation with Twitter is to follow everyone who follows you. Resist at all costs! There are many accounts that follow you, which seem innocuous but in reality they’re promoting links to malware and some have just downright inappropriate images attached that will decimate your professionalism. The right move may be to block these followers. Having a low follow count where you only follow the right people is the best move for your brand.
There’s really nothing like the fun of tweeting and scrolling through your timeline. Using Twitter responsibly can greatly enhance your personal brand. These three tips allow you the unencumbered fun of Twitter without the socially devastating horror of being “that guy” to millions of people.
