It’s very easy for businesses to jump straight in and use Twitter. But social media is as much about science as it is about “chatting” to an invisible audience. Strategy, content, outcomes and sales all play an equal part. Here are our ten “must haves” before you get started:
1. LET THEM TALK BACK TO YOU: Every tweet should be around 110 characters of the 140 maximum. This is to allow retweets with reader comments/interaction.
2. USING LANDING PAGES: Never Tweet without using a link to the EXACT page you are talking about on your site.
3. USE THE 80/20 RULE: Never just talk about YOU or your products! 80% of what you say should be useful information about business and 20% about what you do to engage your customers with offers/promotions etc.
4. GRAB THE READERS ATTENTION: We all know the first sentence of any book is vital to draw the reader in. So apply this rule to your Tweets.
5. GIVING SOMETHING BACK: Tweeting about how good you are will engage no one. Mention partners, business specific information or news. Something for FREE always works.
6. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: Social media only works if you apply a consistent approach to putting out content. Use free message platforms like www.hootsuite.com to schedule messages.
7. NOBODY IS LISTENING: Having something to say is great but saying it when no one is listening is worse than not saying it at all. Best times for B2B messages are 7.30 to 9.30 and post 5pm with a short early afternoon window. However, ensure messages go out 7 days a week…your audience is still checking on a weekend.
8. DOING THE SAME THING BADLY: If you have multi site businesses ensure your principle account is used every day. Do one account well rather than several less well.
9. THE EYES HAVE IT: People will click off your website in the first 10 seconds if the don’t like what they see. The same is true with social media. Use a consistent brand identity on Twitter that mirrors your website.
10. WHATS THE POINT: Have a plan first! What are you looking to gain from using Twitter? You may want to be seen as an industry thought leader, a source of industry specific news or a supporter of start ups. However you position yourself the outcome must be the same….To gain maximum exposure for your brand across as many sectors as possible and drive footfall to your site. Otherwise you will be wasting your time and should stop!
