When we talk to clients and business professionals, we’re always amazed that many are still not using Twitter as effectively as they should. It could be that they don’t realize the benefits that “tweeting” can bring to their business, or it could be that they just haven’t learned enough of the tricks to make Twitter effective enough for their business to justify the time spent.
If you STILL haven’t been on Twitter yet, it’s a social network and mircoblogging service that allows you to answer the question, “What’s Happening?” by sending short text messages, (280 characters in length) called tweets, to your followers.
Whether you want to admit it or not, social media is one of the most important tools in most businesses’ marketing kit for the foreseeable future. Like most social media, Twitter is free, and with a modest amount of time and effort, the results could produce a nice return on investment – potentially opening doors to new clients, sending past customers back to your door, increasing brand awareness as well as boosting your website’s SEO.
That being said, we believe there are ten tips that you should be utilizing to make your Twitter account work most effectively for you. We will go over the first five this week and the other five next week (nothing like a cliffhanger blog, eh?)
#1 Post Regularly
Tweeting regularly will help keep you on your followers’ minds and as a constant source of information. This could eventually pay off big time when that follower looks to buy a product or service similar to yours. Also, the more you can tweet at a regular time and with a consistent voice, the better off you’ll be.
A word of warning, though: Regular posts will be welcomed by your followers. However, too many posts can be a killer too. No one wants to be flooded with messages. Use your best judgment. If your tweets are regular and always relevant, your Twitter audience will continue to grow.
#2 Retweet Useful Content
Retweeting useful, quality content and relevant links provide added value to your readers. It’s considered an act of kindness to your readership and helps to build trust, strengthening your relationship with your followers.
In many cases, you will often receive a note of thanks from the original poster too, having given them full credit for the content’s origin. This courtesy may be returned one day with a retweet of your own content.
Just make absolutely sure that the retweet is a benefit to your followers, otherwise, it may be deemed as spam.
#3 Be “Helpful” with What You Post
If your tweets are helping solve your followers’ problems or fulfilling a need, then congratulations, you’re probably ahead of your competition in this important rule of etiquette. If you have an answer to someone else’s tweet, by all means, chime in and respond. You may be helping out other followers as well. Just make sure your info is accurate and not self-promotional.
While tweeting information, make sure you’re not sending outdated business articles or content from unreliable sources.
#4 Don’t be a “Copy Cat”
No one liked the copy cat in grade school, and being one on Twitter (or any social media site, for that matter) will make you just as unpopular. Don’t think you won’t get caught stealing other's ideas or words. People are savvy. Someone will know and it won’t take long for all of your followers to get informed, then no one will want to play with you anymore.
If you feel you must repost someone’s information, then, by all means, retweet the content so the original poster gets the credit they deserve. (see #2).
#5 Be Relevant to Your Business
If you sell kitchen cabinets, does it really make sense to send out a tweet about the cool vampire movie you saw last night? Yes, we understand you’re pumped about the flick and it’s so tempting to blurt it out to everyone, but it’s really best to keep your messages relevant to kitchen cabinetry or general household remodeling to relay the most benefit to your followership.
It is important to remember that your followers want to hear information that covers topics about your business/industry; Posting that you’re eating corn flakes in your underwear or that your poor dog has gastric problems really isn’t helpful to anyone but immediate friends and family (if that).
(Don’t forget to tune in next week as we continue our top ten tips for Twitter. Thanks for stopping by, and we'll see you on Twitter: via @captivation)
