Have you been thinking about becoming more active on Twitter and haven't gotten around to it yet? Often, it can be difficult to dive in.  I've seen this often through planning a department wide social media plan, and I've gotten the same questions from both new hires and executives.

Common concerns I've heard are:

What do I talk about? Who do I follow? Will I get fired if I tweet the wrong thing?

These questions cause many to push social to the backburner again and again. But don't quit just yet! The best way to answer these questions is observe and experiment.

These are my personal tips for establishing your profile:

Find social role models.

Look in your organization or industry for someone's social style that appeals to you. Follow them and see how they set up their tweets. Once you look at a few, you'll see a simple combination that you can use to model yours after.

Example:

Build your newsfeed.

Now look at the people your role models follow. News sources and magazines can give you interesting articles to reference, as well as industry bloggers. Follow people and sources that get you excited. Chances are you will attract others who share the same passion

Having writer's block? Promote an event.

Think about announcing an upcoming event or initiative in your team, department, or industry. An event can always use more awareness, and keeping your followers alert to new events will make them see you as someone who keeps them in the know.

Peer pressure is a good thing.

There is instant gratification in following your friends or teammates and reposting their content.  I've seen firsthand new users feeling more motivated from seeing a handful of teammates following them on Day 1.  Once a few people start posting, others feel more comfortable joining in on the fun. Teammates will inspire you with their own passions and keep you active.

Make time for social media.

A good starting off point is 15 minutes on Monday morning -10 minutes to hear this week's buzz and five to say something yourself.  Once you follow valuable sources, you'll see your twitter feed much like a morning newspaper. Eventually you can work your way towards a daily routine.

Do you have any tips that have worked for you or advising others? I'd love to get your feedback about what works! Feel free to follow me @annautio and I'll return the favor.