If you’re new to Twitter, it can be tough at times to know what to talk about, what to Tweet, who to Tweet, when and how to Tweet, and how OFTEN to Tweet! (You get the picture right?) That’s why it’s important before you even begin Twittering to figure out your ‘Twitter Strategy’ whether it’s for personal use, or business use.

Your Twitter Strategy is just cool talk for figuring out how to let your personality shine through on Twitter. Think of Twitter as a sort of extension of you and your thoughts, and your Tweets are like sparkling diamonds of personality that you drop within the time line of your followers.

Now your particular cut of diamonds might not be for everyone, and that’s OK. That’s to be expected really, especially as your cultivate your followership and it grows to larger proportions. You can’t please everyone, but if you focus on being the most authentic you possible, chances are your followers will respond and the majority will love you exactly as you are.

So what do I mean by being the most authentic you possible? It’s really not that complicated. It just means being yourself on Twitter, but more importantly being your BEST self on Twitter. If you are funny, express that. If you tend to be more serious, that’s OK too. Express THAT. If you are passionate about animals or children, let your followers know. If spirituality is important to you, show your spiritual side.

It doesn’t mean you force feed your followers the things you believe in or that are important to you, but that you do make a point to share them, so that they get to know you and your true, authentic self. Don’t take advantage of your followers by spamming them constantly, and don’t disrespect them by underestimating them or making them feel insignificant. Take the time to interact with them and talk with them. Get to know them and express the fact that they are important to you.

Share a part of yourself with them, regardless of whether or not your account is for business or personal use. Even when it’s for business, your followers follow you because they WANT that personal connection to you that can’t be had in any other medium out there. So open up, show a piece of yourself and your life, and offer your own wisdom and insight to others.

You can Tweet about your family, and things that move you. Share links occasionally to a video that touches you, or a blog post that stirs your heart. Share a quote that means something to you, or a life lesson you think could help another. Tweets like these dig down and reveal your soul to your followers, which could also be called your authentic or true self.

Twitter is not about putting on a mask, or hiding behind an avatar. It’s about connecting with those that are reaching out to connect to you. Is it good for business? Absolutely. But it’s only good for business when you have first made that all important connection with your authentic self, and it has reached out and touched someone. Then you not only have a possible customer, but a fan for life.

Send a direct message to all of your followers, thanking them for following you. You can automate this with a tool called Tweet Later, check out the tutorial vid below.

A personal touch is best but gets overwhelming when you start having 50 people following you at a time.

When you start having people follow you, follow back those who interest you. At first, most of your followers will likely be people who you already follow.

Now that you are following a popular Tweeter(s) who share your interest, go through the followers of the popular Tweeter’s profile. Find followers who interest you and follow them.

To do this quickly you can mouse over a users picture to get their BIO and see if they interest you. Chances are, if you have similar interests, people will cordially follow you back.

I suggest start following anywhere from 200-400 people at a time.