When it comes to Twitter, do you tweet like a songbird or do you squawk like a crow? Get the lowdown on how to Twitter like a pro, and why that matters

if you’re like me, you’re not quite sold on the value of Twitter. Like many of the unconverted, your question is probably this: Why Twitter? It’s a glorified way of texting, right?

Here, I will answer the what and why, and create a how-to list for those who want to explore this unique social media voice. Let’s start tweeting!

So, what is Twitter?

Twitter is a fast-paced, hashtag-forward social media platform. To tweet is to microblog in 140 characters or less.

Imagine texting, but on steroids. You’re no longer sending a comment, update, thought, or question to one person. Your audience is now the Twitter Universe consisting of 500 million tweets a day.

Using the symbol “#” to mark or tag topics of interest was organically created by Twitter users years ago. “Hashtagging” is now the standard of communication, and it is how Twitter users discover new content.

For example, if you wanted to announce your blog post on myopia control, the hashtags “#blogpost” and “#myopiacontrol” could be used to help a potentially new audience find you.

So, why Tweet?

#1. I FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED

When it comes to Twitter, think Usain Bolt. You can instantly let your potential and existing customers know about events you are attending, new blog posts, a trunk show you are hosting, or an upcoming sale. In fact, these are my most popular types of tweets.

#2. EXTEND YOUR WEBSITE

Nowadays, your practice or shop cannot have “just” a website. Think of Twitter as an extension of your existing website.

You could make an announcement on your website for your upcoming trunk show, but it would require the help of Google and some SEO before your customers would make the connection. Tweeting your #trunkshow puts it out into the world in a more efficient and discoverable way.

#3. PHOTOS ARE OPTIONAL

Saying cheese is not for everyone. If it’s obvious why you’re an eye nerd and not a professional photographer, Twitter might be perfect for you.

Photos are optional, yay! You can grow a tremendous following and be the star of the Internet without ever taking one photo.

#4. ASK AND YOU SHALL LEARN

Twitter is an efficient tool for networking, learning, and sharing news. Just ask or search!

I have found many well-written articles and blog posts through Twitter that have helped me grow Oakland Vision Center. Whether you want to learn how to talk to girls at parties, be a Latin lover, or to swim, search Twitter and ye shall receive. And, yes, these were the trending “how to” topics today. And the lesson? You are never alone in the Twitter Universe.

—Tanya N. Gill, O.D.

GROW YOUR TWITTER, STEP BY STEP

1. Send your first tweet.

The first tweet is the hardest. A nice #welcome to say hello to the Twitter Universe is a great start.

2. Do your first search.

From the phone app, click the “EXPLORE” logo in the bottom task bar. Insert a subject such as “glasses” and search by the top and latest tweets. You will pull up thousands of users tweeting about glasses. Start replying, retweeting, and liking the tweets that resonate. Many times, users are looking for answers—and since you’re an ECP, you have answers!

3. Follow for follow (aka #f4f).

Don’t be shy. As a general guideline, following those who follow you is good manners on Twitter. It shows mutual community and will allow you to grow your Twitter followers very quickly. The more interaction you have, the faster you will grow in the Twitter Universe.

4. Hashtag is a sauce. Go heavy.

Any time you tweet or retweet, utilize hashtags. In the below example, all three Vision Expo hashtags are searchable by potentially different users, so I used all three.

5. Go for the retweet via quotes.

Relevant and fun quotes are sharable and hence have a high rate of getting retweeted. Create your own on-brand quotes or retweet ones that speak your brand. Below is a successful quote that gets retweeted every time we post it. Because, #99problems.

Tanya N. Gill, O.D., is the owner of Oakland Vision Center Optometry in Oakland, CA. She is obsessed with ocular surface disease, kick-a$$ female entrepreneurship, never saying never, eating vegetables daily, and brightly colored sneaker pumps. She lives in Oakland with her husband and is the founder of We Love Eyes, a company that makes natural cleansing products for the eyes.