There has been speculation about the imminent demise of Twitter. “The missing piece of the puzzle, and perhaps the one thing keeping Twitter alive, is that its replacement hasn’t (yet) surfaced.” -Barbara Speed via NewStatesman.
However, if Twitter is a fit for your business (see below to find out!), it’s not a platform you want to ignore. Regardless of what may happen in the future, there are a lot of ways small businesses can and should maximize their Twitter impact NOW.
First, who do you want to reach?
There are over 100 million daily active Twitter users. That’s a huge pool of people your business can appeal to. If your company’s brand can resonate with many different audiences, then Twitter is a great place for you to be putting out information about your business for the world to see.
Manage your consumers’ questions, wants, and needs
Customer service is easy to manage on Twitter. Some companies prefer to handle customer service inquiries on Twitter because they are able to reference and handle requests faster than sifting through numerous emails.
Twitter notifications can tell you immediately when customers may have a problem. You can answer their questions and concerns quickly, and ideally in real-time. This helps your image and gives the customer what they want. When you get positive comments from consumers, you can share those Tweets as well to help gain followers and boost your company’s image.
Join in on discussions
Joining in on discussions with your followers, as well as other businesses in your industry, can also help you learn more about customer appeals. This will help you skip the step of negative consumer feedback and help your company obtain and maintain a positive online brand image.
Pro Tip: Try out Twitter chats to create discussions others in your industry can join!
Ok, I need to be on Twitter. What now?
Make your presence known, and make connections. Educate yourself and learn from others. Research and follow other businesses and people in your industry. Watch your competitors for best practices, ideas, and lessons learned. Don’t copy your competition, but do pay attention to them.
I’m on Twitter, but I’m not seeing results.
If you are not seeing results from tweeting out information about your brand, maybe it’s time to look into better ways to directly reach out to consumers on Twitter.
1. Find who is talking about your business
You can see who is searching for your products by typing relevant hashtags and keywords into the Twitter search bar. Tools like BuzzSumo and TweetDeck can help you analyze the best performing content for any topic or competitor and find influencers to engage with.
2. Engage with your followers
Engaging with your followers gives you the opportunity to answer any questions they may have about your business. Retweeting and replying to your followers also boosts engagement and brand loyalty.
3. Jazz up your Tweets
Use hashtags to make your content searchable on Twitter. Hashtags should be specific and relevant to your industry. You can also choose a branded hashtag to set your brand apart from the rest of the crowd. Read this for more hashtag do’s and don’ts.
Attach videos or colorful graphics to engage with your followers. Make them want to read the content you are sharing with a catchy headline, or make them want to answer a question by reading the rest of your content.
Are you ready to start taking advantage of all Twitter has to offer? Get started today! Let us know if you have any questions about using Twitter, or leave a comment to let us know how you’ve used the platform to grow your business!