8 Best Twitter Practices for Businesses

Twitter could be the vehicle that takes your business to the next level. But there’s both an art and a science to tweeting successfully. Keep reading to get some of the best Twitter practices intended to help your business become or remain competitive in a challenging marketplace.

Tweet Relevant Content Frequently

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According to an infographic published by AdWeek, 92 percent of the top businesses on Twitter tweet more than once a day. Furthermore, the majority tweet an average of 10 times daily. This includes posting something new and replying to someone or re-tweeting content.

When populating your Twitter feed, always do so strategically, both in terms of frequency and topics. If your company specializes in travel planning for older active individuals, you might publish something about how your business has a special offer on bicycle vacations in Spain for the next month, then post an article a few hours later about perks associated with traveling as an older adult.

The more frequent, relevant and interesting your content is, the greater the likelihood people will notice and respond to it favorably.

Don’t Just Stick to Text-Based Content

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Twitter is a social media realm that requires brevity. However, sometimes text-based content isn’t sufficient for what your business needs to communicate. In those cases, spice up your Twitter feed with several types of visuals.

You might create graphics to promote special offers, such as sales that are ending soon, and spread them through Twitter. Alternatively, maybe your business often tweets blog posts. Encourage people to read them by including an enticing image that captures attention and holds it. By using visuals, your company can appeal to a larger segment of a target audience.

Consider Using Software to Improve Your Twitter Techniques

There are numerous software packages that help businesses tweet and track content, making it simpler to do things like schedule tweets at regular intervals and see what type of content resonates most with audiences. The software you pick will probably be closely related to the kind of functionality you need most.

For example, Hootsuite allows you to target your tweets so only people in certain regions see them. You can also manage more than one Twitter account for your business via Hootsuite, which is especially useful if you have different Twitter handles for particular segments of your company.

Also, consider ManageFlitter, which makes it possible to unfollow people connected with your Twitter feed who are inactive or not contributing useful content. There’s also a feature that facilitates finding influential users related to your company’s industry and reaching out to them to create worthwhile connections.

These are just two examples of Twitter software you might consider. Looking at the features they offer should clearly indicate why it’s crucial to choose software that matches your social media goals. Whereas Hootsuite has many tools associated with posting content, ManageFlitter could help you focus on other parts of your Twitter strategy, such as finding new followers who will eagerly share the content you distribute.

Select wisely, and you’ll find the software equals money well spent.

Rely on Twitter to Improve Your Customer Service

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Recently, companies ranging from airlines to banks turned to Twitter to assist frustrated or confused customers. If you’re serious about using Twitter to grow your business, think about doing the same, but only if you’re equipped to go about it in a dedicated way.

Often, that means hiring at least one person who is solely responsible for responding to customer queries via Twitter. On your company’s Twitter page, let customers know the expected timeframe for responses. You can simply say something like “Tweet us on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and get a response within an hour.”

Recently, Twitter made it even easier to use your feed as a customer service platform because it unveiled a direct messaging feature so companies can send welcome messages or serve up quick replies depending on the type of help a customer needs.

No matter how you use Twitter to improve customer service, position your business as one that truly cares about its customers and wants to help them quickly. That may make disgruntled people more likely to stick around instead of taking their patronage elsewhere.

Tweet Relatable Content

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Twitter offers chances for your company’s personality to shine. It’s so important to create and maintain an authentic voice. Otherwise, customers will likely feel you’re disconnected from their lifestyles and won’t keep following your feed.

Showcase your company as able to solve a problem or make life easier. If your business is a heating and air conditioning business, you could post something about how much of a hassle it is when a heater breaks down in the middle of a cold winter. Then, mention that customers can receive discounts on winter heater tune-ups if they contact your establishment soon.

Recognize Your Team Members and Customers

People like to know they’re doing business with companies that convey gratitude. If your company regularly does that on Twitter, you’re making it clear you understand how the endeavor would not be as successful if you didn’t have a strong team of employees and consistently loyal customers.

Think about highlighting an employee or a customer on your Twitter feed weekly. In both cases, that thoughtful content gives opportunities to portray your establishment favorably. In the first instance, you’re demonstrating how your company has highly competent workers. When calling attention to customers, you might explain how long the people have been doing business with you and describe how your products or services have been beneficial.

Use Twitter Analytics to Tailor Your Content

There are built-in analytics on Twitter that let you learn valuable insights about your audience.

When implementing Twitter practices, find out their interests, when they are most active and where they live by clicking the respective tabs at the top of the Twitter Analytics page.

Adjusting your tweeting habits based on that data could help you reach larger amounts of people who are more likely to take action. It may also help you angle tweets so they are more appealing to certain needs or emotions. When tweaking your tweets, remember it can take time to see a payoff. Put new techniques in place for a realistic amount of time before changing course.

Optimize Your Twitter Presence

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In the same way it’s useful for companies to engage in best Twitter practices for search engine optimization, you also need to make your brand as visible as possible on Twitter. Have a simple handle that’s easy to understand and relates to your brand.

Also, enhance your bio with links, hashtags and handles for associated accounts. Before working with hashtags, perform analytics to see which ones are used most in connection with your company’s industry. All these things boost visibility on Twitter and help people find you, perhaps even for the first time.

Get Started By Leveraging These Twitter Practices

These best Twitter practices should get your company off to a strong start in using Twitter successfully. In closing, realize it may be necessary to customize how you put the tips into practice for best results.