It’s no secret that social media can have a huge impact on businesses. Avenues such as Twitter and LinkedIn drive high volumes of traffic to corporate websites. However, too many businesses are under the impression that merely maintaining a Twitter account is equated to having an active social presence. In order to be successful in the realm of savvy tweeters and social media gurus, there has to be a strategy involved. Here are four tips for improving your presence on Twitter:
- Interact With Your Followers. Twitter shouldn’t be a one way conversation. Ask your followers questions and respond to tweets. It sends the message that every voice matters and delivers a more personal experience. Whole Foods (@WholeFoods) has built an exemplary Twitter presence, reaching over 2.1 million followers, by following this interactive strategy. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Whole Foods began a weekly Twitter chat, for an hour every Thursday, to discuss topics such as holiday menu planning, with its followers in November.” By taking the time to interact with their followers, a supermarket with over 300 stores enters the kitchens of its customers.
- Find Your Voice. Rather than ramping up your Twitter presence by giving an intern a list of tweets to post throughout the day, take the time to develop your voice and personality on Twitter. Once you have created your branded voice, stay consistent. Followers should be able to recognize your tweets based on the content alone.
- Twitter Should Not Be Used As Another Avenue For Advertisement. Think about it. When you’re watching a television show, you deal with the commercials because you are interested in the show. The same logic is true on Twitter. Users have to be attracted to your Twitter account through humor, interest or reward before you can start pushing advertisement at them. The more attention-grabbing tweets you deliver in comparison to promotional tweets, the better. The main focus should be connecting with your consumers, not short term sales gains.
- Share. What’s happening today? Share blog posts, pictures, videos and upcoming events that are relevant to your industry. Lean away from generic content and focus on all that is fresh and creative. The easiest way to identify fresh content is to ask yourself: Could I have posted this yesterday, last week or worse yet, last month? If the answer is no, tweet away!
Love the idea of a weekly chat…great way to stay “sticky” with your customers.