How to Use Twitter to Promote Your Business

To remain relevant in your industry, your company needs to show that it is capable of modernizing and accommodating the needs of the consumer. Right now consumers are online, searching, streaming, pinning and tweeting. You need to make sure you are a part of the conversation, or it will go on without you. Use Twitter to promote your business, but make sure you do not fall victim to a Twitter mess.

1. Know your hashtag

Too often, businesses are so desperate to get in on a trending topic that they fail to actually find out what the hashtag is all about. A perfect example is Digiorno; the company unwillingly used a domestic violence hashtag to promote frozen pizza sales. Spend a few minutes researching the context of the trending topic before you decide to get clever with your 140-character post.

2. Brand your bio

You do not have very much space to project your company’s brand, so optimize the area the best you can: create a hook, link to your landing page, and make sure the information is relevant. Answer the ‘who cares?’ question.

3. Show off a little

Carefully monitor conversations that are relevant to your area of expertise. If you are a brewery or a dentist, you can utilize the Twitter search engine to find conversations about your field. If a user is looking for advice, in need of a change, or unhappy with their current company, jump in with a quick tweet that answers his/her questions and concerns.

4. Network

Yes, you can network without having to leave your desk. First, find companies with whom you do business with or know well; search for businesses in your area; and find your favorite clients online. All you need to do next is start following them and they will likely follow you back.

5. Post videos and pictures

You can generate more activity with videos and images. Share pics of products, happy customers, scenery, fun events at the office, weekend charity excursions, and seasonal pics. If you find a funny photo, you want to upload or retweet, make sure it is inline with your company’s brand and image, but do not be stuffy.

6. Don’t spam users

There is absolutely nothing more annoying than a company that looks more like a spam email and popup ad than a business. Use hashtags sparingly and make sure they are relevant to the conversation. Do not put out the same tweet repeatedly asking for more retweets or followers; no one cares or wants to see it.

7. Consider promoted tweets

Your company can pay to promote tweets, which means it shows up in the feed of people who are not currently following your business. Twitter also has analytics services to help businesses evaluate Twitter activity; this will tell you what is working and what is not.

To manage your company social media presence whether you are in or out of the office, contact us about our cloud services and Unified Communications solutions.