You’ve finally decided to open a Twitter account for your business in 2015. Way to go! Better late than never, I suppose.
Twitter can be an exceptional social media platform that allows you to get information about you and your company out into the digital world. It can be so powerful that it can accomplish pretty much everything from establishing you as a great leader to managing some rather delicate customer service-related issues. However, most of all, it enables you to create relationships with both individuals and businesses that can prove extremely beneficial for you.
So here are 10 crucial things you need to know if you plan on opening a Twitter account in 2015.
Rule no. 1 – See how the land lies: If you are new to the Twitter platform, in some respect, it is like being the new kid in school. Twitter already has its own established culture and conventions. You could go even as far as stating that with the success that Twitter has registered, the platform has helped in the creation and development of a new and unique language of sorts. The good news is that once you join Twitter, you receive its own glossary. So make sure you spend enough time assessing how people communicate, especially when your competitors are concerned.
Rule no. 2 – Be a good strategist: Just because there seems to be an endless stream of mindless Tweets from adolescents, this does not mean that Twitter cannot become an important business tool. This refers to how you wish your business to be perceived, the kinds of Tweets that will best serve the interests of your company and the types of information your target audiences are more likely to both need and want.
Rule no. 3 – Seek out who you should follow. If anything, Twitter is an outstanding place to learn. People share via this social media platform all sorts of information. It is mandatory that you figure out which people share the types of information and insights that will help your business take off on Twitter. A great way to find this type of people is to look for discussions on subjects related to the activities relevant to you and your business. Another great benefit that comes from following people is that many people will choose to follow you simply because you are doing the same thing for them.
Related: 5 Tips on Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
Rule no. 4 – Don’t be afraid to engage the big players: Twitter offers you direct access to individuals with a great deal of influence. So why shouldn’t you take advantage of it? You shouldn’t be afraid to tell a person that you are a fan. It shouldn’t bother them at all considering that people love being appreciated. If everything goes well, it leads to a real conversation. And if that conversation is amazing, the influence you gain can become one of your strongest allies.
Rule no. 5 – Avoid handing the keys to the castle to your social media intern. Despite having Tweeted for years, that does not mean that your social media intern possesses the necessary business judgment to deliver your messages in an intelligent and effective manner. You have to choose from two things: you either manage the account or you hand it to a trusted employee.
Rule no. 6 – Make use of Twitter dashboards: Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are just some of the dashboards that allow you to monitor everything that is being said about you and your company, how much attention your Tweets are receiving and also how to automatically schedule the delivery of your Tweets.
Rule no. 7 – Avoid posting 140-character Tweets: Come to think about it, it’s pretty much the same thing as sucking all the air out of a room. In my opinion 100-120-character Tweets have the best engagement levels. Moreover, they allow space for commenting and retweeting. And guess what, it’s exactly the type of engagement you are trying to drive.
Rule no. 8 – Apply the 80/20 rule. Only 1 in 5 Tweets should be promotional. The other four should focus on building relationships and engaging your followers. Found an article you are ecstatic about? Don’t think twice, just post it. If you’ve encountered a Tweet you like, retweet it, make it one of your favorites or even reply to it.
Rule no. 9 – Use Twitter to engage with journalists in real-time on Twitter. There are thousands and even tens of thousands of them registered on Twitter. They are constantly searching for fresh, new and great story ideas and great sources. Without being too harsh, point out that you are a person worth knowing and your business is worth talking about. Tools such as Cision and MuckRack facilitate the search for journalists that are most likely to be interested in you and what your company does.
Rule no. 10 – Never tweet intoxicated (not even buzzed): While this so-called rule is not life-changing, I cannot stress it enough how important it is to avoid Tweeting while intoxicated. In some instances even a single Tweet has lead to the collapse of a company. Moreover, tweeting while inebriated can destroy the reputation of your company beyond belief.
May the Twitter Gods be in your favor!
