Setting goals for your Twitter use helps you to manage your time so you get the most important activities accomplished each day. Your Twitter goals also influence how you set up your Twitter profile.

• Before You Start: You have a business Twitter account.
• Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
• Article Last Updated: Sunday, December 4, 2011

Your Twitter Goals

Before you take one more step, stop to figure out your Twitter goals. The reasons you use Twitter plays a major role in the rest of the decisions you make about your Twitter account.

To figure out your Twitter goals, ask yourself the following questions.

• Why am I considering using Twitter? (Or, why did I start using Twitter?)
• Will I be talking to friends and family on Twitter? Or am I planning to use Twitter for business?
• Am I looking to find my customers on Twitter?
• Am I hoping to connect with peers and create a professional network?
• Am I going to use Twitter mostly to receive information, or do I plan to send out information on Twitter?
• What do I plan to talk about on Twitter?
• Do I want to connect with potential customers?
• Are my potential customers located in my geography or anywhere Twitter goes?

Write down your answers to these questions. This is the raw information that you will use to build your specific Twitter goal.

Compatible Twitter Goals

You can have more than one Twitter goal. However, your Twitter goals must be compatible for you to combine them in the same account. When you have goals that are not compatible and you want to use Twitter to meet them, you will need more than one Twitter account.

Here are some examples of good Twitter business goals that may work well together.

• I use Twitter to share information with my existing customers about my products, services, and industry so they are well-informed consumers.
• I use Twitter reach out to potential customers who could benefit from the product, service, and industry information I share with my customers on Twitter.
• I use Twitter to direct my followers to information about my products, services, and industry that appears on my blog and website.
• I use Twitter to allow my existing and potential customers to ask me questions about my products, services and industry.

Here are some good Twitter goals that may not be compatible with these goals.

• I use Twitter to ask and answer questions with my peers so I can learn more about my industry, recent trends, and best practices.
• I use Twitter to communicate with my contractors and vendors to make sure that my projects and supplies stay on schedule.
• I use Twitter to communicate with my business partners about new and existing business we work on together.
• I use Twitter to solve customer service issues with my existing customers.

Here’s one way to figure out if your Twitter goals are compatible. Imagine you have a room full of the people that make up your Twitter community. If they were in the same room, are there some conversations that you would not feel comfortable having in that mixed group? If so, you may need more than one Twitter account.

However, if your goals drive you to set up multiple Twitter accounts, ask yourself if each goal is best met on Twitter. There are many conversations that should remain private and should continue to use your existing communication channels, such as email or telephone. Twitter isn’t the solution for every business goal. That’s a bit like only having a hammer in your toolbox. Don’t let every business problem look like a nail!

Your turn: Do you have Twitter goals in place for your accounts? How did you decide on your goals? Share your insights with the community.

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• Twitter Profile Checklist
• Write A Great Twitter Bio
• Write Great Social Media Goals
• What Do You Expect From Social Media?