Page 69 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

58 How to Write Effective Business English

avoid, inspirational quotes, universal truths, or something relat-
ing to a trending topic, etc.

● ● You can actively ask people to share your information: ‘please
share’ or ‘please retweet’ can work for good content.

● ● Analyse which tweets are getting retweeted or ‘favourited’.
● ● Post your tweets in the right time zone for your potential global
readers. Twitter is fast-moving and transient, so re-post tweaked
tweets at differing intervals – and double-check for mistakes
before you post. Speed can trap you into making them!
● ● Hashtags are useful for introducing topics of general interest
and are searchable, for example #BusinessCommunication or
#globalprojects.
● ● The name you write under (your ‘Twitter handle’) and your
Twitter bio can provide an opportunity to describe what you do
and/or your brand (mine is @wordpowerskills – do say hello!).

Where writers err is when the message is all about them and noth-
ing to do with others. What do you think of this tweet sent to me
as a direct message (DM)?

Hey what do you do? I deliver strategic digital transformation. Come
over and like my Facebook page!
If you have written a good bio, complete with your website details,
any tweet writer should have the courtesy to read the outline of
what you do, before making contact in this way. This tweet is ac-
tually only about them. And would you talk to this person so
directly, without introduction or further evidence, in any other
business situation? Also, they can’t assume the reader will be on
Facebook.
As social media is about writing for people, not robots – and
will continue to be, even in an age of increasing artificial intelli-
gence (AI) – it requires accessible, conversational language. I
think tweet 2 below generally works better for the medium than
tweet 1: