Twitter is a place to be interesting and relevant in 140 characters. It is not a just place to advertise. There is no question that the topic people like to talk about the most on Twitter is Twitter. I have found it to be very effective to talk about Twitter as I talk about my topic of interest—ONO and the Family First Entrepreneur. See…just like that.

Twitter is also a place to tell people what INTERESTING and relevant things you are doing throughout your day. Relevant meaning relevant to your brand or topic. It’s also a place to pass along interesting and significant news to your followers. I’m sure you have seen it in the people you follow. There are many who do this well. Pay attention to the people who’s tweets intrigue or entertain you. Learn from them. They are your example.

You know that guy that you follow that tweets his tail off about nothing relevant, interesting or intriguing? Don’t be him. People like that fall into the white noise category quickly and as soon as their picture appears we all say, “Next.” Don’t be that guy. There is a ton to be said for someone who is funny or passes along good, interesting information. If that person mixes in a bit of quality info about his or her product or service, it will get read. If it’s all just his or her stuff, less people will read it.

The hook of Twitter is to be entertaining, caring, helpful, intriguing, encouraging, informative and relevant before you earn the grace to promote. If you want to talk to someone in 140 characters on Twitter, talk about what everyone wants to talk about; which is themselves. Talk about them first, eventually they will ask about you too.

If you want to be elevated, you have to elevate others first. It’s that way offline and Twitter is no different. Everyone on Twitter needs to brush up on How to Win Friends and Influence People. Perfect book for building acquaintanceships, which is what Twitter is, in its basic elements.

If you are trying to think of something to tweet, that should be your key to not tweet anything. A tweet should strike you. If you don’t say things like, “that was cool,” or “man, that was interesting” then don’t tweet. Sure, as you build a loyal following, go ahead and tell them about your cats, because now they are curious to know you. But don’t forget what got you there (I’m reminding myself of this now).