Top Ten Tips on using Twitter for Business


We here at Socializer Media are big fans of Twitter.  We use it all the time and encourage or clients to do the same.  It’s a great place to engage with customers and gives you real-time feedback.

We wanted to kick off this blog by looking at some of the frequently asked Twitter-related questions.

1.  Use Twitter to Build Your Brand

There are many social networks and pros and cons to each.  Facebook is making it harder to reach your clients without paying for it.  Twitter lets you reach customers easily and affordably.  The important thing about Twitter is that you really have to work at it at first.  You have to build your network.  But you also have to be honest and responsive to customers.  Many twitter users will reach out to brands with customer service complaints, and if you don’t reply, watch out.  They will unleash a social media war.
Twitter will also provide you with  increased referral traffic, the opportunity to build your brand, professional networking and the ability to reach a global audience.

2.   Use tools to connect to your customers on Twitter

Some ways you can find your ideal customer on Twitter include:

  • Using a tool like Twellow to search through public tweets organized by category. This enables you to search relevant categories for new people to follow.
  • Search for relevant keywords using Twitter Search to find conversations happening about your brand, products or niche.
  • If your business or content is largely news related, or if real-time information sharing is important to your business, your ideal customer is probably on Twitter; in terms of sharing news, there is no better social network than Twitter.

 3.  How do I get more followers?

While it’s not all about the follower count, it is important to see growth to be sure you are on the right track in terms of what content you’re sharing.  Here are some of the best ways to get that number to climb:

  • Consistently create new content people will want to share.  SHARABLE content is the key here!
  • Use your keywords in your Twitter bio so the right people can find you.
  • Keep your tweets short enough so they are easy to retweet.
  • Use relevant hashtags so people you aren’t connected to can find your tweets.
  • Follow and interact with people in your niche.  Many different groups hold twitter chats.  Look for some of those and join in.  And you’ll see those follower numbers climb.

4.  Your Twitter Profile Needs the Following:

The goal of your profile is to grab the attention of those looking at it, and to act as an invitation for them to connect with you.

Your profile should include:

  • A professional profile photo
  • A branded header image
  • A branded username
  • Your geographic location
  • A well-written bio free from typos and including relevant keywords
  • A link back to your website
  • A custom background image

5.  Harness the Power of the Hashtag

A hashtag is simply a keyword or keywords preceded by the number sign (#), that help Twitter users find messages on a certain topic. Hashtags help you build your audience, as they allow people who aren’t following you to find your tweets and potentially follow you. They are also useful for you to find targeted people to follow and tweets that you can share and comment on.

6.  Make an Editorial Calendar

Many people often ask, “how often should I tweet?”  There’s no right or wrong answer to this.  It more depends about WHY and WHAT you are tweeting.  The best advice is to try and plan out tweets as much as possible by making an editorial calendar highlighting upcoming events, product launches, conventions, etc.  Schedule those tweets using a service like Hootsuite.  From there, tweet as needed and you should build a nice base.

That said, research seems to indicate that an optimal number is 4-5 times per day. The most important factor is that you’re consistent in your posting frequency…meaning if you can only bring yourself to Tweet once or twice per day, at least be willing to commit to doing that every day.

 7.  Never connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts

This is a giant pet peeve of mine.  There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a tweet that cuts off at the end. What will happen is that you will write out a great Facebook update and hit send.  That update also publishes to Twitter, which only has a 140 character limit.  So if the messages is longer, it ends with, “… ”

Twitter and Facebook are also very different platforms and have different etiquette.  You can tweet more often than you can Facebook.  Twitter is real-time, so people don’t necessarily go back and see everything they missed like they do with Facebook. You can also really start to annoy people on Facebook if you go hashtag crazy!

8.  Keep your Twitter Account Public

By default, your Twitter account will be public. This means anyone can see what you’re posting on Twitter.  If you’re using Twitter as a way to build your brand, reach new customers or increase your online visibility, I would most definitely suggest leaving your account public.

9.  Follow Back If You Want

There’s a group on twitter called #TeamFollowBack – they will follow anyone who follows them.  This is not a game you should play.  You want to keep your timeline full of things that are important to you.  So it’s important to choose wisely.   Take a look at your new followers, and ask yourself if they’re relevant to your business or niche. If it’s obvious that they will have nothing valuable to offer to you or your business, there’s no reason you need to feel you have to follow them back.

10.  Share Your Knowledge and Your Ideas

Offering yourself up as an expert in your field is a great way to build your brand and network.  Twitter is also a wonderful platform for sharing your ideas with others; again, to reach out and connect with other like-minded individuals. Tweet what you know and it will pay off!

Twitter for Business

Twitter for Business