Twitter: Mixing professional and personal content

The Twitter logo, a songbird whose name is apparently Larry (true story: check it out), received a fabulous makeover in June. So why not give your own Twitter handle a makeover, too?

As young, soon-to-be PR pros, we should be keeping our social media sites up-to-date while adding a dash of our own personality. While Ragan.com offers company strategy 

 

Image via

to tweet fresh and new content, I've adapted some of the suggestions to cater to college students in their quest to be ahead of the Twitter curve.

• Tweet interesting articles. If you read something worth sharing, tweet it. Sharing content that was produced by someone other than yourself shifts the focus; followers might be bored of solely reading your own content.
• Share resources. If you recently discovered a PR tool that is worth mentioning, let your followers know. If there's a new iPhone app that is useful, tell your followers about it.
• If you blog, share it. Tweet links to new blog posts, or even older ones, to share it with as many people as you can. Hence the reason we share these blog posts on our Twitter handle @MaristPRSSA, as well.
• Everyone loves inspirational quotes. So, if you've come across one that is relevant and uplifting, go right ahead and tweet it.
• Share industry news. Doing this alerts followers that you are up-to-date with all things PR.
• Link to industry blogs, or even ones you are interested in. Let followers in on where you receive information, PR-related or not. You can incorporate personal interests by sharing that witty, ever hilarious post on Thought Catalog.
• Answer questions. If you are following industry professionals or your favorite companies and they ask a question, engage them and answer it.
• Participate in #FF. Recently realized that #FF stands for 'Follow Friday' (I know, late in the game for me). Twitter is all about sharing content; if you follow a handle you think others should follow too, give them a shout out.
• Tweet your interests. This is what makes you unique. I have come to understand that while we need to maintain a professional Twitter handle, it is completely acceptable to let your personality shine through. Having the right combination of professional and personal tweets will be beneficial to all of your followers ranging from friends to industry professionals to professors.

These are a few ways to update your Twitter handle so your followers are constantly receiving fresh, new content. Can you think of other ways to be professional and personal on Twitter?