It’s already been established that Twitter is where a vast number of your clients and prospects are and that you should be active on Twitter to engage and network with them. And, just to encapsulate: Twitter is a very powerful tool for conversation and broadcasting. It’s crucial for you, as a business professional, to follow and be followed by industry leaders, clients, prospects and local people in your market area. Here are some tips for healthy tweeting and a fully optimized Twitter account: 
1. ENSURE THAT YOUR TWITTER BIO IS COMPLETE
Fill in as much detail as you can. This is important especially when sending out follow requests. Some users will not even respond to a follow request unless they can learn something about who is requesting. Similarly, people who don’t know you might not want to follow you unless they have some information about you. A detailed bio helps to let people gain trust in you and will definitely help you to garner more followers.
2. MIX IT UP A BIT
Although Twitter is a great way to share company news and information, followers will also want to see you tweeting about other things. You don’t want to bore people to death with your tweets. Throw in some industry news (links to stories, blogs, etc.) as well as some fascinating market insights. Ask questions, provoke conversations – be interesting. And, every now and again a humorous one-liner wouldn’t hurt either.
3. GET YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT ‘OUT THERE’
Ensure that you include your @name (your Twitter handle) on your business cards, your email signature, your blog and your website contact info.
4. NEVER SPAM YOUR LOYAL FOLLOWERS
Whatever you do, do not repeat the same tweet over and over again. Although more people will see the tweet, you will no doubt lose followers who don’t want to see the same message multiple times. If something is worth repeating, at least wait a couple of days and try to re-word it a bit (see how adept you are with the 140-character thing!) and maybe let your followers know what a valuable piece of information that particular tweet contains.
5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO RETWEET 
Retweeting posts that are of interest to you will increase your visibility on Twitter. People following those that you retweet will view you as someone who shares common interests. Ensure that you include the @name when you refer to other users, as this will develop relationships. And, other users who monitor themselves will be sure to notice your retweet!
6. STAY ACTIVE IN YOUR TWITTER COMMUNITY
It’s important that you participate in the conversation. Find your business community on Twitter. Who are the leaders? What content is being shared? Check out what other industry professionals are tweeting. Being an active part of your industry on Twitter will help you connect to a relevant audience. Involving yourself in business-related discussions will further serve to draw attention to your industry expertise.
7. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR AUDIENCE
Know what your audience is talking about – what kind of questions they’re asking and what information they’re sourcing. By providing tweets of substance, you will attract quality followers. Ensure that you respond promptly to questions in order to build or maintain your status as a valuable resource.
8. MAKE USE OF #HASHTAGS
Hashtags allow people to easily find conversations / topics on Twitter. If you want your Twitter topics found (and of course you do), simply place a hashtag before relevant key words in your tweets – e.g. #Palace for #sale in #Timbuktu
9. FINALLY, AND VERY IMPORTANT: HAVE FUN ON TWITTER
It really is a fun way to share info and to network. It doesn’t take too much time and you can learn so much by just following others. Not to mention, it’s a valuable way to promote your business. Try it, you’ll like it! And, have some fun with it.
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