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Every time I present on Social Media (doing a lot these days), when the topic of Twitter comes up I can feel the change of mood in the room. It’s palatable.

Then the usual questions from the audience: “Do people really care if I wake up, watch the sunrise, and ponder why the sun always rises in the east?” Or, “Do people really care if I tell them that I just watched the big game, I’m going to the restroom, and I’m going to take a nap?”

Here’s my stock answer (remember, I am standing before a room filled with people): “Personally, I would never Tweet, update a social media site, or blog on anything that I would not share right now in front of this room.”

I am very intentional about everything I share on Twitter, LinkedIn, FaceBook, and the rest of the social media websites I use. What do I mean by “intentional”? Everything I post or write about is designed to cause specific actions or feelings from the readers. I actually take the time to think about the impact of every single communication I send out. Let me say that again. I actually take the time to think about the impact of every single communication I send out.

The questions I ask myself before I hit “send” are as follows:

1. Will this forward my brand?
2. Will it help me to build my business?
3. What actions might people take because of this communication?
4. Is it relevant to people?
5. Which audience do I want to share this with?

Just because the ability to spontaneously send out a message to millions of people from your cell phone is possible now, it doesn’t mean you should send out whatever is on your mind or whatever you are doing at that moment. People will read it, and they will form an opinion about you even if they don’t know you.

Here are a few concrete examples of effective tweets:

“I am preparing for a presentation on Social Media.” This is a great Tweet to send out because it communicates that I am a thought leader in the area of Social Media. Better yet, I could tweet, “I am delivering a presentation on Social Media to 200 professionals on the appropriate use of Twitter to build your business.”

Later, I may Tweet, “Just delivered a great presentation on the appropriate use of Social Media for professionals. Click here (your blog, article, etc.) to read a more” Now I am tweeting on a hot topic that people care about, and I am sending them to my blog to read more.

Let’s take it to the next level. Think about how a tweet like this will help drive people to your blog or website “Before you ‘tweet’ think about how the communication will forward your personal brand. Read more at www.xxx.com.” What is the impact of this message? First, I am seen as a thought leader on this subject. Second, in 86 characters, I delivered a powerful tip which will really help people. Third, I am offering more information on my blog on this topic for those who want to learn more. Fourth, others who follow me on Twitter might find this worthy of an “RT” or “re-tweet” (basically, an RT is when a reader finds what you wrote interesting or valuable enough to send it out to his Twitter community – more on this in the future).

In summary, Twitter is a very powerful business communications tool that will generate results or have an impact on some level. Think about the results and/or actions you want to cause before you tweet.

Your comments are welcomed.

Respectfully,

Robert S. Grossman
President & CEO
Focus Creative Group