Twitter Marketing: How to Use it to Grow Your Small Business
Twitter is an online news and networking site where people can communicate with each other using short messages, also known as tweets.
When you follow someone on Twitter, their posts are added to your feed using Twitter’s algorithm.
But how do you use it to your advantage and help your business?
Well, the first step is creating an account. Not to worry, though. Let’s walk through it together:
Creating Your Account
When creating your account, you want to make sure it’s optimized for your brand. Having the same brand across all your social media accounts will help people find your business faster and easier.
You can customize all different parts like:
Your handle
Your handle is your username and should include the company name so you can be easily searched for and found.
This should stay as consistent as possible with all your other sites, so try to keep it the same.
The header
The header is an image that appears on the top of your profile page. You can use it to feature different things, like:
Your top-selling products
New products
Any special business events
Anything else that may draw your customers in
Your profile picture
Your profile photo sits at the top of your bio and appears next to any tweet you post.
It should be a picture of your logo, company’s initials, or an image of the face of your company. It should be easily recognizable and memorable and help customers notice you at first glance.
Your bio
Your bio is a brief summary of your company and what your customers can expect.
It has to be 160 characters or less, so you want to be as concise as possible. For example, it can include your mission statement, a blurb about your company, or something that shows off your personality.
Your URL
This section is where you will add your business website URL. Make this your homepage, contact page, or any other page you want your customers to engage.
If you’re having a special event, you can update the URL to send them to a page specifically about that.
Your location
Twitter uses your location to match your content with people nearby, so adding your location to your profile can help you get seen by those closest to you.
Plus, if you have a physical location, it lets people know where they can find you.
Create Lists
Lists help you narrow down your feed and see the accounts you choose instead of throwing everything at you at once. You can make up to 1,000 lists, so there’s no need to worry about running out.
These lists don’t follow Twitter’s algorithm, so they show up chronologically, making it easier for you to catch up on what’s important.
You can create lists to keep track of competitors, thought-leaders in your industry, or even your own team.
However, these lists are public, so keep that in mind when creating them.
You are also able to subscribe to lists created by other accounts, and in turn, people can subscribe to your lists as well. This allows you to follow some of the same things your most-trusted accounts are following.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to get seen by more people on Twitter. Tweets with hashtags receive 2x more engagement than those that don’t.
However, you don’t want to add just any hashtags. Make sure that they add context to your tweets. While using the most popular hashtags can get you seen by more people, it may not be the people you want to be seen by and could waste your time and energy.
Sites like Hashtagify and RiteTag can help you get the best hashtags for your content.
Create a Content Schedule
Posting on a regular schedule keeps your followers engaged and sharing your business. But having to post every day can be exhausting.
So how do we fix that?
Using a content scheduling tool to schedule your posts ahead of time can help you save time for more important things.
Sites like Sprout Social, Feedly, and CoSchedule can make scheduling your posts a breeze.
Don’t forget to show your personality in your content, though. You want to make sure you shine through.
Posting tips
According to HubSpot, the best times to post on Twitter are:
Weekdays between 8 am and 10 am or between 6 pm and 9 pm
Any day Around noon or between 5 pm and 6 pm
For companies that work with consumers, it’s best to post on weekends. This is because your target audience will be most active on social media during this time. On the other hand, business-to-business companies should post during the weekday.
How often and when you post depends on what works best for you and your business. What works will change from company to company, so try different dates and times to see which gain more engagement.
Other Great Tools to Use
Twitter also comes with other great features that can help you with your business, like:
Polls
You can create polls on Twitter to increase your engagement with your followers. They’re a great way to do market research, get feedback, and start conversations with your followers.
To create a poll, go to the same button you would use to create a regular post, then select the poll icon instead.
Chats
Chats allow you to set a time to discuss a topic with your followers and get their feedback and opinions.
To host a chat, you first need to choose a topic, set a time and date, and create a hashtag for the event.
Then take this info and share it in a tweet, on your website, in your bio, or wherever else you think is important.
Advertising
Advertising on Twitter is a great way to promote your account, gain new followers, or promote individual tweets. You can target a specific audience and get analytics on the results and cost of your campaigns.
Moments
Moments are collections of tweets about a specific topic or event and act as a “best of” collection for a topic of choice.
Twitter already has “today,” “news,” “entertainment,” and “fun” sections, but you can create your own for your followers to see on your profile as well.
Are You Ready to Take on Twitter Marketing?
Twitter marketing can be an excellent tool for your business and take you to the next level.
Remember, like with all social media, you need to be interacting with others, not just creating and posting your content.
Social media is about building conversations with your clients, so take the time to get to know and interact with them.
