As social media use continues to explode across all generations, many business owners find themselves in the tricky situation of knowing that tweeting will be beneficial to their business, but unsure of where to start or how to get involved.
The statistics speak for themselves: Twitter has over 500 million registered users and is one of the top ten most visited sites on the web, meaning the exposure potential for any company or service is huge.
But knowing how important it is doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to navigate. With a communication system unlike any other website, and a language all of its own, starting tweeting can seem very daunting. But fear not, our guide to what you need to get going will tell you everything you need to know.
- Choose your Twitter handle, or username -. You
are allowed 15 characters for this, so try and keep it as short as possible (as replies/retweets will include this and
there is a 140-character limit per message) and as close to your business name as possible – we’re @BoxxComms - Choose a profile image– you can get started without this,
but having a strong, recognisable image on your profile a) makes you look
professional and b) allows your tweets to stand out as they scroll through
your followers’ timelines - Fill out your profile – you’ve only got 160 characters, so
again you need to be succinct and to the point. Pitchy and punchy is what
you’re aiming for, and don’t forget a link to your company URL. - Start following other
people in the same field as you, or who might be interested in what you
have to offer. Use Twitter’s inbuilt search to find other people in
similar areas, or close to you geographically, and follow them. Hopefully
they will follow you back don’t be afraid to say hello to anyone who
does this. Following people and starting conversations with them is one of
the best ways to be successful on twitter. - Start tweeting yourself. As long as it’s error-free and complimentary to your
brand, you can’t go too wrong. Look at what other accounts are
tweeting and consider what it is you want to promote your products and
services, maybe, or your latest blog post? You may also have something to
say on big issues within your industry. - Use Hashtags to get involved in conversations fast. They look like this #twittersuccess. Hashtags are designed to
make all tweets around an event or topic searchable, and anyone can
contribute to the conversation by adding the hashtag to their tweet.
The above tips should be enough to give you the confidence to jump into the waters of Twitter but remember to treat online interactions as you would those you have in the real world: be yourself, and watch your brand or company exposure reach new heights.
If you want more social media advice check out our previous Social Media blog post or take a look at Talk Social.
