Last week I talked about how you can get started with Twitter, and how to manage your account. This week I want you to start using Twitter to declare your expert status!

With Twitter you can reach people you might never have access to all over the world. You have conversations with people from all walks of life. You can tweet @Oprah and she just might tweet back. Meet millions of people online talking right.this.minute. about the live March Madness basketball games. You can just jump in and join the conversation!

Twitter helps you find your niche and jump into the river of people out there waiting to find you as just the expert they need.  The general consensus by “social media scientists” (oh yes they do exist) is: “Twitter is key for all forms of online marketing and communications.”  Science Of Twitter 2013 from HubSpot

[Tweet “Want to know the top three words to use in your Twitter bio?”]

Today I want to tell you exactly how to establish yourself as an expert on Twitter and start using this wonderful tool to your business advantage.

1.  Fill out your profile – Having a profile picture increases your number of followers by an average of 1000%. Yup that is a real number.

2.  Make sure your bio tells your followers why they should believe you. – Are you the founder? Are you an expert? Guru? Speaker? Author? It has been proven that official, founder, and speaker are three of the top words to use in your micro profile. Please please please include a link to your website!

3.  Link to the stuff that makes you smart! – Add links to your tweets about 60%-80% of the time. This is the sweet spot to promote engagement (aka re-tweets) and to show that you are a valuable resource to follow.

4.  Be the first to know something and share it. – Found a fantastic article that appears not many people have read? Found the most comprehensive list on the best green smoothies, best way to stay organized, top business tricks in your niche? Share it and share it fast!

5.  Aim to tweet at least 22 times per day. – Last week you saw this and made a lot of noise about it, so I’m going to say it again. It is very difficult to over tweet. This is the one place no one will tell you to stop sharing, stop posting, or complain you talk too much! Wondering how to manage this? Take a quick read of my post here that tells you exactly how to set yourself up for success and not get overwhelmed with posting 22 times/day.

6.  As always, talk about your prospective client. – People like to know you are interested in them. Tweets with the word YOU are statistically the most often retweeted.

7.  Talk about your niche in a unique way. – There might be many life coaches, real estate agents, consultants, writers, etc out there, but there is only one YOU. You have your own special brand of advice and knack for sharing that with your followers (and soon to be followers!)

8.  Finally, and most importantly:  Use your own voice. Your people will listen.
So, my fellow business experts, what is the first step you are going to take this week to set yourself up for success on Twitter? Click here to tell me, and I promise I will retweet!