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Twitter has always been one of the most popular social networks. It’s used around the world, with over 500 million new Tweets each day. Many businesses have taken notice, and have created their own account to promote themselves. But like any social media account, it takes upkeep and consistent content. I’m sure many smaller businesses have dropped the ball lately when keeping up with their own accounts, simply because they don’t have enough time invested into it; however, you may want to rethink your time management. Twitter has made some recent updates that are making it uniquely perfect for the fast-paced world of business.

The beauty of Twitter is that it shares content instantly, in short bursts of information. Unlike Facebook, you have a guarantee that your posts will reach all of your followers and not be filtered out. Learn more about Facebook’s algorithm and how they filter out posts here. This makes it perfect for businesses that want to rapidly update their customers, or anyone interested, about any new develops within their company.

Getting Started

Like all of your social media accounts, your username and profile picture should be associated with your company. Similar to the Facebook cover photo, you are able to choose your profile header. Since this image is much larger than your profile picture, be sure to choose one that will tell a story about your business. A captivating and intriguing picture could help you gain more followers. Twitter also allows you to customize the background of your profile. This could be used to showcase you brand logo, or any graphic image that could promote your company.

It’s very important to also fill out your account profile completely. You can add your location, website URL, and a short bio about your account. If anyone was interested in contacting your company, this is where they would look so be sure to give them enough information.

Making Connections

On most social media networks, it is necessary to start following as many people as you want in order to garner attention. On Twitter however, be wary of this as your account could be suspended. Read more about why here. Instead, slowly start following customers, partners, or any account that could inspire you. Once people start following you back and begin making more connections, you can increase your following base.

As I mentioned before, Twitter is uniquely fast-paced which can be a little hectic when you first join. Take your time to get acclimated, and see how others utilize their account. Putting out tweets with varying content initially may help you get your bearings and see what works best. For example, tweeting with media (photos, videos, links) attached may garner more engagements, which could help more people see your account. But take your time and see how your followers respond.

Tagging people, or a “mention”, is another way to get engaged with others in the Twitter community. Like Facebook and Instagram, this allows you to mention someone in a tweet, which will give them a notification. Many people will then like or retweet (more on this later on) your post, which will garner your post attention from their followers as well.

For example, we created a post talking about a Hampton Roads Business Weekly (@HRBizWeekly) episode that O’Connor Brewing (OConnorBrewing) was featured in, and mentioned them in the post.  We received two retweets, one of whom was O’Connor Brewing, and nine likes.  Now our post will be seen by O’Connor Brewing’s almost 5,000 followers, and expose our account to a demographic we may have never been able to reach.

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Retweets are another great way to become engaged with your followers, or new people.  You can retweet any post you want, and it will share the post on your feed for all of your followers to see.  This is a great way to promote others and to give them free advertising.  Not only will people appreciate a retweet, but they will most likely begin following your account.

Composing Your Tweets

Since Twitter is all about rapid information, it is essential to have eye-catching posts that will intrigue your followers.  Think of your tweets as headlines that you can use to redirect people to more of your content.  Instead of just posting a link to your website and asking people to check it out, use something from you site that would entice to your followers.  It’s all about providing content that could be useful  and that people don’t already have.  Learn more about how to improve your tweets here.

 

Please comment and share any of your tips that you’ve found successful!  Let us know what you think of our tips, and how you’ve found success with Twitter.

 

 

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