Top Twitter Tips from Me to You

As Twitter continues to gain popularity, and everyone from your next-door neighbor to you fiercest competitor hops onboard, it’s become evident that you too should take a leap of faith and join the masses. Trust me, it’s not as scary as it seems. You might even have fun with it along the way!

How do I know these tips will help your Twitter launch? As the social media strategist and digital planner for B+L, I practice what I preach. For the past few years, I’ve used these tips and tactics each day. They are time tested. They work.

But first, in case you’re still on the fence about Twitter, here are a few interesting stats to consider:

– Companies using Twitter average 2x more leads per month than those that do not.
– 42% of Twitter users rely on this channel to learn about new products or services, and 41% of them share opinions about products or services via Twitter.
– 67% of Twitter users are more likely to buy brands that they follow.

Convinced yet? Good. Now, let’s get to those tips.

1. Create a brand- (and user-) friendly Twitter ID (@yourname). Your Twitter “handle” is an extension of your brand, so make the connection obvious and keep it simple — you only have 160 characters to work with.
2. Start building your community. Start by reaching out to known and loyal brand supporters who are also using Twitter. Next, conduct searches for your brand name and relevant services/products to see who is talking about you, your competitors and your product category. Once you identify those people, “follow” them.
3. Learn the lexicon. This may take a little bit of practice, but you’ll get the hang of it. There are certain terms and symbols like “DM”, “@”, and “RT” that you will need to become familiar with, as they are fundamental tools of a Twitter conversation.
4. Pay attention to who “@” replies to you. These are people who are communicating with you via Twitter. They are “talking” to you, so be friendly and talk back to them!
5. Read the bios of your followers. You make every effort to get to know your customers in real life; this is no different. Reading Twitter bios also allows you to differentiate real people from auto “spam-bots” (the Twitter equivalent of spam emails).
6. Create, provide and share content. This should be why you’ve joined Twitter — to share information of value. Naturally, you want others to share your material, since that raises your profile and exposure. Be sure to return the favor, and share links, stories, and other compelling content that you find.
7. Be social, but don’t be a jerk. No one enjoys being around people who only talk about themselves, say uncomplimentary things or are just plain uncouth. The same goes for Twitter. Think of it as going to a party: you want to be the guest every host wants — smart, funny, engaging. If you are the opposite, you’ll be quickly ignored.
8. Use hashtags. Using the “#” symbol before a word or phrase can help identify people to follow and conversations that you could contribute to. Essentially, hashtags categorize the tweets of millions of users by topic (yes, I said millions.) Hashtag examples: #osama / #custserv / #Milwaukee Obviously, you’ll want to pick hashtags that are directly related to your brand and message.
9. Customer Service. Twitter can and should be used as an extension of your customer service department, as well as sales and marketing. It is in your best interest to respond promptly to tweets about you — especially the negative ones.
10. Have fun. Twitter is fun, it really is. It allows you to interact and converse with people who may never have heard your name before, who you may never otherwise have met. That is exciting! Engage people in communication, get them talking — and, most of all, have fun with it!

So there you have it, my top ten Twitter tips. If you’re thinking these are just nuggets of common sense, well, yes they are…but they are important enough to bear repeating.

I have many more tips and tricks to help you along your Twitter journey. If you’re interested, give us a call — or DM me at @boelterlincoln!