So you have decided to use Twitter in your marketing plan.  You have never used it before, but have read a few tweets since you signed up. In your mind it seems that writing whatever comes to mind is the norm.  But the reality is that there are some things you need to avoid so you keep a positive image for your small business.  Especially remember not to Twitter when you are Bitter!

Here are three tips to help you avoid a bad reputation.

Avoid ranting about local politics because something in the news ticked you off. Instead, start a political discussion about the topic and how it relates to your industry.

Avoid mixing your personal messages with your marketing messages. Your business followers really don’t want to know you had a picnic yesterday and fun was had by all.  Instead, create a separate account for your family and friends and keep one for your business associates.

Avoid ignoring your followers when they comment to your tweets or give you a retweet. Instead, be sure to engage frequently instead of just pushing out your message.

There are many more things to consider when using social media in your marketing plan, so take some time to learn best practices. The main thing is to create material that will somehow benefit your connections and encourage them to interact with you.