Promoting a small business online takes more than just buying ad space. Some of the most successful brands didn’t get to where they are because of flashy ads, but because they made use of the power of social media. One of the social media sites taking the lead nowadays is Twitter. And it is your duty, as a business owner, to at least get to know more of this platform. And if you’ve come to the conclusion that Twitter is necessary to how you want to promote your business, here are some dos and don’ts you can chew on to get you started.
Don’t Show Off
Put yourself in your followers’ position. If the only things you see in your timeline from a certain tweeter are sales pitches, wouldn’t you seriously consider removing them from your following? Twitter content follows the same rules as other online content. You have to engage customers/readers/tweeps by giving them tweets that are informative and helpful. Tweeting about special deals and discounts won’t hurt either.
Do Use Correct Grammar and Spelling
You’re tweeting for a business. Even if you’re trying to convey a more personal, friendly appeal to your customers, the basic rules of grammar should not be ignored. Avoid common grammar mistakes, spell words out, steer clear of abbreviations, and minimize too much “lolspeak”.
Don’t Forget to Maintain Professionalism
Sure, you’re a real person, but you’re representing a business. Tweets about the latest movie you’ve seen or the latest pair of shoes you got on sale should be relegated to your personal Twitter account. Be friendly but professional. Anything too personal might be misconstrued.
Don’t Auto-Tweet
There’s nothing wrong about scheduled tweets, as long as it’s done moderately. You don’t need your followers to think you’re a robot, which they’re likely to assume when everything you post is automated. Another helpful tip is to refrain from automatically direct messaging your new followers. This seems desperate and screams sales pitch.
Do Remember to Keep @Conversations Going
There will sometimes be conversations done through @replies, and as with any other conversations, it’s bad manners to ignore a comment. Or wait two days before giving your reply. Make sure you send a reply as soon as you can. It’s Twitter, not snail mail. People will expect you to respond.
Don’t Tweet Too Much
There are two most common ways most brands and businesses use Twitter. One is the all-out, broadcast-only tweeting, which means the communication is one-way and the brand is only using the platform as a broadcast system. Second is the two-way communication lane where the brand takes time to engage the followers in conversation.
Either way you choose, the basic rule still remains: you don’t flood your followers’ homepages. This is both rude and counter-productive. When you bother people with incessant tweets about something they might not care about, you risk being deleted.
Cultivate conversations. Or if you have no time to have two-way communication with your followers, at least give their homepages room to breathe. Remember, flooding=bad.
Don’t Ignore RTs and @Replies
If a user mentions you, don’t be stingy with your replies. This works for both positive and negative mentions. If there was a negative comment about your product or service, this is a golden opportunity to try to turn the opinion around. If it’s a positive comment, sending a reply that includes tips and maybe a promo will encourage people who’ve had great experience with your business to tweet about it: Free advertisement.
Do Monitor Competitor Mentions
As much as you need to know if somebody mentions you, it is also advisable that you know if somebody mentions your competitor. How else would you know if somebody’s dissatisfied with your competition and grab the opportunity to present yourself and market? Think of all the possibilities!
Do Create an Interesting Profile
Or at the very least, an informative one. People need to know who you are and what you do as soon as they read your profile. Include your company avatar or logo in your profile plus the reason why you’re on Twitter. And when you post the link that goes to your site, make sure it directs your visitors to the most engaging part of your business’s site.
Don’t Use Twitter Just To Use Twitter
It can get a bit confusing sometimes. Some might get involved with Twitter only because everybody they know is. As with everything in your business, first thing you need to establish when getting involved with anything – including Twitter – is if it’s worth it.
Does your target market use the platform? Do they even know it exists? Know your target market, find out if they’re on Twitter, find out if they interact with brands using Twitter, and test the waters. As with anything else, nothing beats good old research.
If you know that your target market is out on Twitter and would like to take advantage of what the platform has to offer, our virtual assistants are trained to help get your business more attention and – as a result – more customers.
