If your small business is looking to test the social media marketing waters, Twitter can be a great place to start.
The platform offers potential access to innumerable users whose interests span every conceivable niche and industry. Establishing a Twitter presence is a phenomenal opportunity to make new contacts, win new customers, and maybe even learn a thing or two.
To kickoff your Twitter marketing campaign successfully, remember the following “do’s”:
Do Tweet Regularly
Twitter moves fast. If you want to your business or brand to be visible, you will have to commit to tweeting regularly. Before you start, ask yourself if you will be able to send out 3-4 quality tweets spread throughout the day on a consistent basis. If the answer is yes, consider yourself ready.
Do Add Value
Remember, your followers have allowed you to be a part of their Twitter stream because they believe you can make their lives better. Fulfill that expectation. Use your tweets to offer tips, give great advice, or to link to amazing content relevant to your niche. There’s simply no better way to build authority and goodwill.
Do Offer Great Customer Service
Use a Twitter client to monitor the Twitterverse for mentions of your brand or company. If you see a customer expressing frustration or asking for help with your products and services, reply to him right away and offer to solve the problem. Not only will you impress him, but you may gain a great testimonial in the bargain.
Do Make Judicious Use of Hashtags
Savvy users will often add a “#” in front a keyword within their tweets. This is called a hashtag, and it’s a handy way to help other users find and follow relevant conversations. It’s a great strategy for connecting with potential customers, and one your business should consider adopting. For example, a graphic designer might tweet “The secret to great #design is…” and finish with some sage advice.
Do Make Offers and Promote Your Brand
If you’ve built goodwill by providing followers with plenty of information they can use, feel free to make the occasional direct offer or say something self-promotional. The gurus all suggest different ratios, but generally speaking, offering one pitch for every nine informational tweets you post is considered good form.
Unfortunately, Twitter marketing also comes with its own set of pitfalls you’ll want to avoid. To help you steer clear of these traps, here are a few of the most common Twitter “don’ts.”
Don’t Be Spammy
Remember that rule about one pitch per nine informational tweets mentioned above? Don’t break it. If your tweets are a constant stream of self-promotion that offers no real value to your followers, they will unfollow you without a second thought.
Don’t Stray Off-Topic
You are on Twitter to establish yourself as the “go to” resource in your niche, so stay on task. Tweets about random topics unrelated to your brand will dilute your authority and cause you to lose followers.
Don’t Clutter Your Followers’ Timelines
While you want to offer enough tweets to make yourself visible, you do not want to tweet so often that followers start to view you as obnoxious. Treat Twitter like a cocktail party—have something to say, but don’t dominate the conversation.
Don’t Send Automatic Direct Messages
Some brands and businesses send an automated thank you message to anyone who follows them. While this may seem polite and be done with the best of intentions, most Twitter users dislike the practice and see it as insincere. Don’t try to fight the prevailing culture on this one; you’ll lose.
