Although Twitter has hundreds of millions of active monthly users, many individuals and businesses still aren’t on the platform. Whether you’ve dabbled in Twitter or are completely new to it, if you’re ready to start using it to build your personal or business brand, here’s what to do:

1. Use Lists

One of the most common questions people have about Twitter and other social platforms is who they should follow. While it’s generally a good idea to be on the conservative side with your initial following activity, you shouldn’t feel limited. You can experiment with following different types of profiles and easily stay organized by using Twitter’s list feature. Then you’ll always be just one click away from checking the latest updates from specific groups of people.

2. Always Respond

Engagement is at the heart of Twitter. So in addition to using the @ symbol to include people in things you post, always take the time to respond to any notifications or messages you receive from other users. Being highly responsive will not only help you build a following, but allow you to build one that’s highly engaged.

3. Try a Social Media Management Tool

Another roadblock many people encounter with social media is feeling like they don’t have time to post as often as they like. Since consistency can have a big impact on how quickly and much your profile grows, using a social media management tool can ensure that your profile is updated with a steady stream of content even when you aren’t sitting in front of a computer.

4. Create An Awesome Bio

By default, Twitter displays an egg icon for new profile photos. You’ll want to update that with a picture or logo as soon as you start your account. In addition to using a profile image that looks great, you’ll also want to write an interesting bio for your profile. By writing something that grabs people’s attention, you can give them a reason to take a look at your Twitter profile and then hopefully follow you.

5. Find the Right Balance

The worst thing an individual or business can do with a new Twitter account is only tweet links to their website. While sharing your own blog posts is great, you don’t want that to make up all of your activity. It’s important to have a mix of text posts, retweets and sharing content that’s relevant to the audience you want to build. By focusing on delivering value to the people who follow you instead of simply thinking about promotion, you’ll be able to maximize the value you get from Twitter.

If you’d like to learn more about building an engaged following on Twitter that will help your personal or business brand flourish, be sure to take a look at the social media certification I offer.