An internet search will pull up a raft of what to do (and what not to do). I've just listed 15 which I believe are important when using Twitter as part of an on-line media strategy. I've grouped them into sections - Your Profile, Your Strategy and Your Posts.
Feel free to add more - I look forward to hearing from you!
Hannah Sookias
The Write Solution
Tel: 01283 808460
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HannahSookias
PS Want to learn more about using Social Media such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote your business? "Making the Most of Branding and Blogging" is a practical workshop (in the UK) to help you set them up and start your on-line strategy. Find out more and book on-line at http://www.businesstipsandadvice.co.uk/.
Your Profile
- Personalise your Twitter page so it continues to promote your company's branding. Branding is more than a logo; it is your organisation's image on-line and off-line, so make sure every communication method follows it through.
- Add a photo or logo so people know who they are following. Ones of you partying with your mates or taken with a camera phone don't look professional though!
- Include a concise, description of your business or what your job role is... it's crucial people know what you do so they can decide whether to follow you.
- Include your website - it will help improve your SEO ranking by adding an incoming link and help people to find out more when they like reading your tweets and want to know more.
- Link your Twitter account so it automatically tweets your Facebook status.
Your Strategy
1. Decide how you are going to use Twitter... For example, it can be used for:
- Brand awareness - get your name out there by being seen by others. The easiest way to target potential clients is to follow those you are most interested in (about 30-50) of them. Many will automatically follow you in return, meaning your posts will be seen by them to reinforce your brand.
- Marketing - showcase your portfolio by posting tweets that mention what you are working on, promotions, new product developments or services introduced.
- Competitor analysis - follow your competitors and see what they are doing (and remember they will probably be watching you too!)
- Real-time research - ask questions such as 'does anyone know...' or 'what do you...'
- Direct sales - promote offers and links to products and service e-commerce sites
2. Add Twitter to your marketing mix. Remember to add posts about the things you promote in other ways!
3. Write a list of things you want to add posts about. As mentioned below, it is better to tweet regularly and often than 10 in one go, so keep a note of ideas you can refer to.
4, Make a plan of how often you will add a post, I appreciate this isn't always practical to follow, but if you aim to tweet once a day, do it and people will start to look out for your posts.
5. If you keep forgetting to add a Twitter post, add a regular appointment in calendar or on-line diary to help you remember to tweet!
Your Posts
- If you are using Twitter as a business tool, keep at least 80% of your posts about business issues. Yes, it's OK to mention some personal stuff so people get to know you, and your likes/dislikes, but it's not a good idea to mention lurid details of parties, drunkenness and the like if you want to be known as a serious professional! Likewise, keep your language clean (i.e don't swear).
- Post regularly and often so your following get to know and expect to see items from you. It just isn't effective to post 100 things one day and then not touch Twitter for 6 months...
- Try not to abbreviate. You will lose followers if you use them too often and people outside your company/industry don't know what they mean.
- Add links to things you mention and ALWAYS check links (to make sure they work and to check they are not spam) before forwarding posts
- When re-posting, give credit to the person who tweeted it first.
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