Nobody ever mistook a bird watcher for an athlete. Which is a way of saying, observation doesn’t take any physical effort and can, if you’re a bird watcher, teach you a lot about birds. Twitter is no different. Taking some time to find, follow, and observe people in your industry and community, can better your business while building it.

Here are some tips for using Twitter when you have nothing to tweet …

Research: Search out other professionals in your industry using Twitter’s search function. Have a look at how they’re using their account. If nothing else, you may stumble upon an idea that you can use to make your tweets more effective. Follow the most successful Twitter pages you find, then watch and observe. Repeat as necessary.

Organize: Twitter tools, such as TweetDeck, allow users to set search terms and receive updates in real-time. In other words, if you sell houses in Santa Fe, you can monitor any activity on Twitter that has to do with real estate in Santa Fe. Then join the discussion. You can also use Twitter Lists to organize the accounts you’d like to follow based on any criteria you’d like. Create separate lists for community contacts and industry leaders and you’ll be able to quickly check what’s being said about your town and your industry without having to sift through hundreds of tweets.

Engage: Once you’ve made some contacts and developed a strategy, it’s time to participate. You can learn a lot from observation but you won’t generate any leads unless you engage. Twitter provides an informal way to communicate with just about anyone. Ask questions, leave comments, and re-tweet any interesting information you find along the way. You may find a Twitter-based conversation leads to a real-world referral partner or potential client.

More Twitter tips from The Ibis Network here, here, here and here.

The Ibis Network / www.theibisnetwork.com