7 Tips To Not Botching Up Your Business’ Twitter

Everyone’s on Twitter these days right? So it’s time for your business to get in on the action.  Perhaps you’ve set up a twitter account already.  Maybe posted a couple of products you’re running a sale on.

Stop!  There are right ways and wrong ways to do this twitter business.  If you don’t engage your audience properly you may actually end up doing more harm than good.  Bad social media can have a devastating effect on your business.

Here are 7 keys to effectively using Twitter for your business.

1. Use it because your customers use it

Don’t assume that just because all the other businesses are on Twitter you also need to be.  The question is not whether other businesses are using it but whether your customers are using it.  Ask some of your customers what social media platforms they would prefer to receive news and updates about your business from.  Ask them how they use twitter if they do.  Do they check it every day?  Do they retweet quotes or articles?  What kind of information are they looking for?

2. Display Your Twitter On Your Website

It seems obvious.  If you have a twitter account, people should be able to find it.  You’d be shocked at the number of websites however who do not display their twitter account prominently.  If you don’t promote that you have a twitter account, you will spend a lot of time and effort for little result.

3. Retweet Other People’s Stuff

Twitter is not just about your business.  The point of social media is to have a conversation.  You want to engage with people who are of interest to your organisation.  This comes from following them and retweeting interesting things they post that your followers will also find relevant.  You can also reply to their questions or tell them it was an interesting article.

4. Ask Questions

Beginning a conversation is best done by asking questions.  What have you always wanted to know about your customers? Now is the time to ask.  Steer clear of generic questions like ‘Hows your day going?’ and focus on specific issues as they relate to the intersection of your business and your customers’ lives.  For instance; ‘Which online accounting software do you use?’

5. Provide Helpful Information

You don’t necessarily need to write your own articles to be a source of information for your consumers.  You can be a point of distribution for other people’s information.  Check news websites, online magazines and other blogs that are relevant to your industry.  Follow all of them on twitter and check regularly which ones you can retweet to your followers.  Make sure the information they provide is useful and relevant to the solutions you provide your audience.

6. Have Multiple People Monitor It Regularly

Remember that twitter is a two-way conversation.  Your customers expect you to answer if they tweet you.  You need to ensure you have notifications when someone tweets you coming to your inbox.  Many businesses simply hand over the twitter account to an already overworked marketing person.  This is not the best strategy.  Provide a few key employees with access to the account and request that they monitor it and provide answers and other information where they can.

7. Consider it a Customer Call Centre

Twitter users feel much more empowered to say what they really think, as opposed to a Facebook or a Pinterest post.  Many consumers are apt to use twitter as a way of interacting with an organisation when something negative happens.  The difference between this customer feedback and other methods is that multiple people are watching.  Your other twitter followers want to see what it is you will say in reply.   Consequences for ignoring your twitter followers are greater than for ignoring a single customer service call.

To use twitter properly, be prepared to engage actively and publicly with your audience on a wide range of issues.  Ensure it is properly manned and only choose to get on twitter if it actually a platform your consumers use.