So this year you resolved that you’d get involved with Twitter. You are going to figure it out if it takes all year! You still don’t understand the hype around Twitter or what you’ll actually get out of it, but you keep hearing that you have to tweet!

BloggingSuits is here to help, with 5 simple Twitter tips that will help you get rolling. These five tips are really for beginners, so if you’re an expert Twitter user, feel free to add your tips in the comments.

1. Pick a Twitter name that makes sense - Using your first and last name or your firm name is obvious and memorable. You might choose yours first name and your designation (such as CPA). My twitter handle is @sequenceinc. I stayed away from using my name since it’s too easy to misspell my last name.  Having my company name as my handle also works well because my website is www.sequenceinc.com. Clever names seem cute, but I say if you’re promoting a professional business, you should stick with something more intuitive like your name.
2. Have a good profile picture – Don’t go picture-free, and don’t use a cartoon, avatar, or abstract picture for your profile picture. You want your Twitter account to be personal, so include a good picture of yourself. It should be a close-up professional picture of you, not a crappy snapshot or a far-away picture. You could use your company’s logo for the profile picture, but I advise against it because you lose the personal factor.
3. Post regularly and consistently – Try to tweet a little bit each day. Too many tweets per day and you become annoying to your followers. Too few, and they forget about you. Take a little bit of time each day to nurture your Twitter account and see what your friends are talking about.
4. Retweet! – A retweet happens when you tweet something someone else has already tweeted. Sometimes you might include your own commentary. Other times you won’t. A retweet (abbreviated RT) looks something like this – - I wouldn’t do well in prison.RT @EverydayFinance: Would You Do 3 Yrs in Prison for $20 Million? Whistleblower Dilemma http://bit.ly/79ISj8 – What I retweeted is after the RT, my comment is before it.
   
5. Give and take - Remember that the key to getting something out of Twitter is both the give and the take. Are you only on Twitter to promote your blog posts and your firm? Boring! And what real interaction is available for those kinds of tweets? It’s fine to promote yourself and your writings, but you also need to be involved in an active exchange of information and opinions. You do NOT have to answer every tweet that is sent in your direction, and you do NOT have to read everything that everyone tweets.

Twitter should not be a burden to you. Of course, you could literally spend hours each day reading what others are tweeting about. But more efficient use would probably have you spending less than 30 minutes each day on Twitter. The key is offering good content and comments in active discussions with other tweeters. And have fun with it!