Is your business getting the most out of Twitter? Unless you know how to use it effectively, you’re probably not using your Twitter business account to its full potential.
The same strategies that build an engaged community on Facebook don’t work on Twitter. Twitter is a powerhouse tool for business if you know how to use it. Follow these five tips to get more out of your Twitter for a business account.
1. Create a great Twitter profile
You can’t throw together a profile and call it done. Instead, remember that first impressions count. Each profile element, from your Twitter name down to the pinned tweet, have to make a statement.
Don’t make visitors guess about what your business does. Be obvious. For example, this Bixler University profile uses imagery and concise description to explain what the business does and who it serves.
Use images that visually represent your brand. Profile photos are typically company logos. Make sure your image is optimized to look great in the small space provided. This is the image that accompanies every tweet you send, so it has to look good. Follow Twitter’s recommendations to optimize your images.
Write a concise 160-character bio to describe the important aspects of your business. Include details about your business’s purpose, a link to your website and physical location.
2. Build your community
Promote your Twitter username far and wide. Ask current customers to follow you on Twitter. Promote your Twitter account on your website and Facebook page. Follow your colleague’s Twitter accounts as well as industry leaders.
Follow influencers and retweet relevant tweets. Engage in conversations. Build a Twitter following by fully engaging in the process.
3. Make your tweets count
The most effective tweets are short and focused. Convey a single informative message. If you want to expand on the information in a tweet based on a blog post or website, add a link.
Visuals capture the attention of viewers. According to Twitter’s internal statistics, a tweet that contains photos and videos attract three times more engagement than text-only tweets. Use captivating images designed to stand out and draw people in.
Use hashtags to tap into trending conversations. The hashtag must be relevant to your business in some way. Trying to cash in on a trend that has nothing to do with your business turns people off. Use hashtags only when there is an authentic tie-in.
4. Engage with customers
It’s one thing to attract and engage followers, but it’s another to build strong relationships and a positive reputation. Providing customer service via Twitter is where its real power shines. Twitter provides strong customer service tools to quickly respond to customer inquiries and questions.
Your responses to customer tweets become a public showcase for how you treat your customers. Over time, you build a strong customer relationship that not only keeps current customers happy but attracts new customers as well.
Engage followers by asking questions, running polls and conducting surveys.
5. Grow your brand awareness
Use Twitter for breaking industry news, new product announcements, to provide information that relates to your business and inform your followers. Actively engage in conversations you follow and start your own conversations.
The more you engage with Twitter followers and build connections, the wider your reach.
