Using Twitter for Business and Marketing

October 11th, 2012

While LinkedIn is the traditional social media platform for professionals, Twitter is fast becoming the place to be for business and marketing. More consumers use Twitter than LinkedIn, making it the perfect place to market your company. Plus, Twitter works great as a PR platform and as a way to connect with other businesses and professionals.

We know that Twitter can seem overwhelming. After all, tweets have to be under 140 characters, and writing content that brief can be really difficult. Plus, tweeting requires dedication. You don’t want to have a stale account with no tweets in months.

Below are some simple, easy-to-follow steps to create a great Twitter account for your business.

THE FOUNDATION

• Create a Killer Profile Image. Your profile image shows up next to every tweet, so make sure it represents your company at its finest. Invest the resources to have a graphic designer create a version of your logo that works well in this space, or use it to promote a current offering.
• Create a Custom Twitter Background. Twitter allows you to customize your profile’s background. Take this opportunity to promote your company with cool graphics and succinct messaging.
• Optimize Your Twitter Bio. You only have a limited number of characters for your Twitter bio. Make sure to use those characters to tell people what your company does and why you’re the best. And, show personality! Don’t forget to include your website URL, too.
• Add Your Twitter Handle to Your Website/Collateral. It should be easy for people to find you on Twitter. Add your handle to your email signature and business cards. And, most importantly, add a Follow button to your website so that visitors can easily find you in the Twitter-verse.

KEEP UP

• Follow the Right People. It seems like common sense, but make sure you follow all of your customers, vendors, and partners. Following the people important to your business is like going to a networking event and shaking their hand. It reminds them that your company is around and there for them. Make sure you are only following people, not spam accounts (if they have the default egg profile image, lots of retweets, and few followers, they’re most likely a bot). And, only follow people that tweet regularly.
• Use Links in Your Tweets. Make sure to include links to your website whenever possible so that you can increase your website traffic. Link too long? No problem! Use bitly to shorten the link to a more Twitter friendly length (plus, bitly tracks the number of clicks the link gets).
• Tweet Daily. It’s just 140 characters. You can do it! By tweeting at least once per day, you keep your company visible to your followers. Just make sure you don’t tweet more than 2-4 times per day. You don’t want to inundate your followers’ feeds and devalue the content of each tweet.
• Use Pictures. Twitter now allows you to add photos to tweets. Like on Facebook, photos are a great way to show off a new product, introduce customers to your staff, and generally have better engagement with your posts.
• Use Hashtags Strategically. Hashtags (such as #webdesignsandiego or #NYCcoffee) become trending topics. Trending topics are pages that display all the tweets with that hashtag or keyword mentioned. So, your tweets will show up with other tweets people are already looking at. This strategy is a great way for new customers to find you!
• Promote Twitter on Your Other Social Media Accounts. Want more Twitter followers? Be sure to tell your Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media followers to check you out on Twitter.

MONETIZE

• Offer a Twitter-Only Deal or Special. Want to see how Twitter can help your business? Use it for marketing! Try offering a special coupon, deal, or special only to your Twitter followers. You can require that they re-tweet one of your tweets (a great way to spread your tweets to your followers’ followers). Or, you can start offering special codes weekly or monthly to get free or discounted products/services. That way, you’re sure to have loyal Twitter followers that check out your tweets each week/month.
• Encourage Re-Tweets with Rewards. Need to get more traffic to your website or blog? Encourage your followers to re-tweet a post with your website link by offering a free consultation, free product sample, special deal, seat at a conference or webinar…the opportunities are endless.
• Run a Twitter-Only Contest. Want engaged Twitter followers for an extended period of time? Combine your resources and offer a killer prize just for Twitter followers. The better the prize, the more you can ask. Have your followers tag you in tweets, re-tweet 5 posts in one week, and like you on Facebook.

Want a great Twitter profile picture and background and a custom campaign to drive traffic and revenue? Contact Incitrio today at 858-523-1822 or [email protected] for a free consultation! We are an award-winning web design and marketing agency in San Diego focusing on social media campaigns.

And, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

Entry Filed under: Social Media Marketing San Diego