7 tips to make the most of Twitter for business
We have already talked about WHY you should be on Twitter for business… But, beyond just signing up for an account, how can you make sure that you don’t waste your time creating content that doesn’t get seen by anyone? You can create a strategy, but how do you know if the strategy you’re building will work?
Here are seven tips to help you make the most of Twitter for business.
TIP #1: SET UP YOUR PROFILE PROPERLY
This might seem obvious, but there are so many Twitter profiles that are either not fully filled out, or they are not fully thought out. Make the most out of your character count with your Twitter bio. It’s your first foot forward on Twitter when people look at your profile. Make sure you stay true to your brand by using language and a tone that fits with your overall messaging. You also want to make sure that you have a profile picture and a cover image that is consistent with your over brand visuals so you have brand consistency across platforms.
TIP #2: UTILIZE ALL OF TWITTER’S FUNCTIONS
If it’s available to you, then you should use it. In addition to a well-planned profile, make use of the features that Twitter offers. Two of the most obvious ones are the pinned tweet function to highlight an important tweet that you want to remain top of mind and the in-platform analytics. Any time you can make informed decisions about the type of content to share, when to share it, and the best ways to connect with potential followers, you should do it. The provided data will allow you to tweak your strategy to make sure you are using Twitter in the best way possible.
TIP #3: USE HASHTAGS
Hashtags are a great way to make your content easily searchable on Twitter. It is like SEO for your tweets because hashtags are keywords you are highlighting. Followers and non-followers can find your content when they are looking for relevant hashtags. Even though you might think that packing in as many hashtags in as you can would make it easier to find you, it will actually make you come across as spammy and insincere. Keep it to 2 – 5 #hashtags per tweet and try to integrate them where you can so they’re not just tagged on the end.
TIP #4: ENGAGE IN TWO-WAY DIALOGUE
You should put as much emphasis on engaging with your followers and potential followers on a daily basis as you do in creating great content. Find interesting content and reply to it, participate in Twitter chats, shout people out in your content, and make sure you actually reply to people that engage with you. You can also encourage dialogue by asking questions and providing real time updates to things like contests and customer service issues.
TIP #5: GET VISUAL WITH YOUR CONTENT
Twitter is no different than other social media platforms, things that catch the eye will perform better. It helps to break up a text heavy feed and just adds more visual interest if you use eye-catching photos, videos, graphs, and infographics.
TIP #6: PRACTICE GOOD GROWTH
Any growth is good growth, right? Wrong. You want your followers to be a community of people that are within your target market. Follow people you would want to follow you. You will be able to have the most meaningful interactions that way. To ensure that you are able to connect even better with your potential followers, keep your target audience in mind when creating content so you are providing value that they just won’t want to miss out on.
TIP #7: CROSS PROMOTE
If you want to increase your reach on Twitter, make sure you talk about Twitter in other places. Include it in your email signature, on your business cards and other marketing material, have a Twitter button or feed on your website, and talk about it on other social media platforms. You can absolutely promote Twitter on non-digital channels as well – take it offline. For example, you can live tweet an event or have a live Twitter feed at your event using the featured hashtag.
While it can take a bit of work, Twitter can be a very useful tool to help you succeed in business. If you aren’t sure how to plan your Twitter strategy so that you are getting the best return on your efforts, be sure to check out our Social Media Starter Kit or just give us a call!