The average tweet only has about a three hours shelf life. For business owners, that translates to needing to tweet often -- without sacrificing quality. You need to be on the top of your game to maximize your available 140 characters and capitalize on the few instants of attention you’ll get from followers. If you’re thinking that retweets will get you what you want… think again.

If you’re stumped on where to start -- or you’re just running low on ideas -- here’s a few things to test out:

• Keep it industry related: No matter what you want to post, you can’t go wrong by keeping your content focused on your industry. This is one of the best ways to attract quality followers who have the same interests or profession as you.
• How-to’s/tips/tricks: If you own your own business, you’ve got specialized knowledge of some kind. Think about what you know and boil your knowledge down to shareable tricks and tips that your clients can implement on their own. There’s no better source for original content than yourself!
• FAQ: Think about what questions you hear most often from your clients and customers. If they want to know, chances are, other people will too. So, save everyone some time and tweet the answer! Play your cards right, and this will leave everyone following you wanting more...
• Bold + high quality images: Whether you’re posting a photo from around the office or a sample of client work, an eye catching photo is key. An iPhone photo will definitely suffice, but make sure to use an app like Snapseed or Afterlight to clean up your photos.
• Useful stats: People hear so much information every day it’s hard to know what to believe. Make yourself stand out as a reliable, industry source by sharing up-to-date, reliable stats on your industry… just be sure to double check your information and cite your sources.
• A behind-the-scenes photo: Help people put a face to your company by sharing behind-the-scenes photos of what’s happening at your office. You’ll have to use your best judgment to decide if things like taking the team out to lunch fits with your image -- but no matter what message you’re trying to send there’s definitely something from behind-the-scenes that you can share.
• Capitalize on local: If you’re a local business there’s no better way to connect with new clients than to focus on other local businesses, community events, and the general goings on in your area. Not only does this show you’re in the loop, it allows you to keep up with competitors, and can help you forge valuable connections.
• Stay on top of trends (and help keep your followers up to date): Showcase your knowledge by staying plugged in to industry publications and key Twitter users in your field. This will help you stay on the cutting edge! For example, when a social platform rolls out a new feature we try to be one of the first to alert our followers.
• Take a survey: Ask customers/clients what they prefer or are interested in, what they want to learn more about, which of your products is their favorite, etc. You’ll be creating great content… all while getting insight into your customer’s wants and needs!
• Incorporate relevant hashtags: With limited characters it’s important to pick and choose the right hashtags to use. Content that isn’t related to the hashtag will annoy other users -- and won’t gain you any high quality interest. If you’re looking to reach a new audience (who isn’t?) then jump on to trending hashtags and try out some other new tags.

Do: have fun, have personality, be yourself, credit others when you share information, and respond promptly

Don’t: get political, don’t push too hard, or be too salesy

Keep in mind all of these posting ideas are for your business account. If you find it’s hard to keep your Twitter from getting too personal, start a separate account for yourself. This will allow people to get to know you...without tarnishing the professional reputation of your brand.

Need more tailored suggestions? We can do that. Leave a comment telling us a little about your business -- we’ll respond with more specific suggestions!