Christine SkiffingtonTwitter provides businesses with great opportunities like real-time marketing and instant connections with their audience in a casual, meaningful way. In fewer than 140 characters, businesses have the power to captivate and engage with thousands of users. Consider these tactics to maximize the benefits of your business’s Twitter account.
Tip #1: Use visuals. Adding images to your tweets is a proven way to increase engagement. In fact, tweets that include photos average a 35 percent boost in retweets, according to a study conducted by Twitter. Utilizing other visuals, such as animated GIFs and video, are also excellent ways to stand out among the many tweets your followers see. Connecting Twitter with video sharing sites, such as Vine, allow you to seamlessly integrate rich video content into your tweet stream.
Tip #2: Embrace the Retweet. Follow Twitter’s power users in your field to keep up-to-date on your industry and retweet some of their posts so that your audience can see them too. Your customers are also influencers and can be your most powerful brand ambassadors. Retweet them when they publish kind words about your business and thank them for their patronage – they will not only appreciate the acknowledgement, but those who follow you will like to hear the feedback. Ensure your tweets are “retweetable” by publishing valuable content.
Tip #3: Reply to customers. Even if people aren’t mentioning you by using the @ function, your audience is likely talking about you on the platform. Review hashtags and search the platform for terms that are relevant to your brand or business. Then, reply to users who are referencing your company, products or services. Use the “reply” button or start posts with “@username” to converse with select users. Engaging with other Twitter users, especially customers, shows that you care. If someone says something negative, apologize and offer to make it up to them – old fashioned customer service still goes a long way. Be sure that all tweets have a personal touch because publishing in your own voice will humanize your business and make you more relatable.
Tip #4: Generating ideas. Inspiration for Twitter updates can come from everywhere around you. It will be seamless once you fully understand the platform and your audience. Events, sales, special offers, and company news are all things you should share. A behind-the-scenes look at your business is always appreciated. Furthermore, celebrate milestones and holidays (even unofficial ones like National Pizza Day). Share blog posts, links to important content on your website, and external articles written about your business. Your audience may also be receptive to articles about topics that are similar to your business. For example, as a Web hosting company, 1&1 has developed a strategy to include tweets with tips about achieving success online and many of its customers apply those suggestions to their online strategy. Asking questions and encouraging engagement will promote audience participation, drive more conversations, and spark new ideas.
Try out these tactics for your business Twitter account and let me know how it goes @1and1 or @cskiff.
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