Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has gone from being the social media app where people rant about the most random of things to becoming an integral part of online communication and social media. In fact, as of 2020, the social media platform has more than 180 million monetizable daily active users.
With that many users, there’s no doubt that Twitter is a powerful marketing tool that can help businesses raise awareness, engage with their customers and develop leads. From pinned tweets to hashtags, there’s a lot you can do on Twitter. With the right marketing plan, you can boost brand recognition, increase sales and improve customer service.
So, buckle up. We’re here to teach you how to use Twitter for your business, why it pays to do so and more.
Is Twitter A Good Platform for Small Businesses?
Yes. Today’s businesses work in a market where social media is one of the keys to more customers. In an increasingly crowded social media landscape, however, you’ll need an effective business tool to stand out. This is where Twitter can help.
Advertising on the platform is effective since Twitter guarantees a wider coverage in terms of reach. The number of people visiting the site monthly is nearly three times larger than the number of registered users. This means you’re not just reaching people with Twitter accounts; your Tweet can reach people outside of the space.
How To Use Twitter for Business
Using Twitter as a business tool involves more than just setting up a profile and tweeting. It involves several steps and some tools to make the most out of it.
Twitter Tools
Keeping your accounts organized is a priority. You can easily do this with third-party tools. People who use Twitter for small business marketing often use two popular third-party tools: Hootsuite and TweetDeck.
- TweetDeck. Owned by Twitter, this free tool wows users with a sleek interface and customizable columns where you can organize your feed, notifications and lists. This tool also helps with scheduling tweets in advance, tracking hashtags in separate columns and adding multiple accounts to manage all at once.
- Hootsuite. This tool lets you manage other social media accounts apart from Twitter. Like TweetDeck, Hootsuite allows users to respond to messages, manage replies, schedule tweets and automate the management of their account. While Hootsuite has a free version, you can also purchase the pro version for $.9.99/month.
How to Set Up Your Business’s Twitter Account
To create a Twitter account for your business:
- Sign Up. Visit Twitter’s homepage and sign up. The site will ask you to create a Twitter handle and a username, supply the date of your birth (to confirm you meet the site’s age requirements) and get your phone number and business email. The Twitter handle you choose should represent your business. But if you need to change it, you can do so later.
- Verify your account. Once you’ve signed up, Twitter will send a verification code to the number you entered. Enter the code to verify your account.
- Create a password. Create a password that is difficult to guess and not in use for any of your other accounts. Twitter recommends using a password that is a combination of special characters, letters and numbers.
- Complete your profile. Once you’ve got the basics done, it’s time to fill out your profile. The components of a basic business profile on Twitter include:
- Profile photo. This can be your company’s logo. Upload a 400 x 400 pixel-sized photo and adjust accordingly.
- Bio. Use this part to describe your business. The bio portion only has 160 characters so make every word count. Feel free to include a hashtag or two.
- Choose your interests. Twitter will then ask you to select areas of interest so they can recommend other users to follow. You can skip this part, but it helps to choose areas of interest that are related to your business.
- Let Twitter know if you want to receive notifications. Turn on your notifications to quickly respond to others as you grow your presence.
- Add other business information and upload your cover photo. Upload a custom graphic or photo that represents your business. Twitter’s recommended dimensions are 500 by 500. To add your business location and website, select “Edit Profile” on your main page to add this information.
How To Make Twitter Work for Your Business
Social media is a valuable tool that can work for any business. How well it works, however, depends on how well you use the tool. With Twitter, posting a tweet and being done with it is not enough. Here are some ideas to use Twitter to your advantage.
Use Hashtags
Many businesses latch onto trending topics by using hashtags, aka searchable phrases or words that groups tweets together. These hashtags can help your business contribute to trending conversations or increase your content’s visibility beyond your current pool of followers.
When using hashtags, only use those that are relevant to your business or content. Also, limit the number of hashtags you use. If you use too much, you’re less likely to interact with your content’s target audience because your tweets will look like spam.
Handle Concerns via DMs
Customers will likely tweet you when they experience issues and complaints. Instead of tweeting back, reply to them via direct messaging. Responding through DMs is better since you don’t want other users to see the problem. Also, direct messaging has no character limit, which gives you more freedom to properly reply to your customers.
Do Live Tweets
Live tweeting is another way to jump aboard a trending Twitter topic. When you live tweet, you’re reacting to an event as it happens. If you throw an event and want your participants to talk about it, create a hashtag for the event and share it with your attendees.
What are the Benefits of Twitter for Business?
By investing in Twitter for your small business marketing, you can:
- Reach a wider audience. Twitter boasts of a large user base, which could include your target market. By using the right hashtags, you can reach a wider audience who are based in a particular location or interested in a particular topic.
- Brand identity. Having a Twitter presence can help communicate your brand’s personality and ethos. This should improve your business’s appeal to your target audience.
- Feedback. Twitter is one of the easiest ways to get feedback from your customers.
Twitter is where the people are. If you want to reach more people, Twitter is the place to be. Master the art of marketing on Twitter to learn more.
