For most people, the power and success of a brand or user on Twitter is determined by the number of followers they have. Twitter is the second most active social media site; only Facebook ranks higher. For businesses, its real-time conversations, fast feed, and 328 million monthly users make it one of the best websites on which to advertise.
However, for Twitter to work for you, the content you upload needs to be high quality and engaging. Gaining a large following is no walk in the park, but businesses and marketers can leverage Twitter's popularity and make the most of their Twitter presence by following these 12 simple steps:
1. Promote Others
You are not the only brand seeking followers and recognition on Twitter. Numerous other accounts also want to prosper. By retweeting their tweets and following their accounts, they will also reciprocate in kind.
An important point to note is that you should carefully evaluate who you are retweeting. Look for users that are in the same niche as you or support your brand. You can also comment on the tweets that you find honest and sincere. Your followers will appreciate it and find you personal and engaging.
2. Be Consistent
To build and maintain your brand, it is vital for you to be consistent with your timing and your messaging. Don’t confuse your audience. Be present and consider tweeting consistently throughout the day — not just during business hours. This can give your brand more exposure and may even unlock prime engagement times. It also allows you to better gauge what times your tweets are reaching the largest audience and when they receive the most engagement. It can even help your followers build trust and loyalty in your brand.
3. Maintain Your Niche
As a brand, there are things you support and stand for. These are the main topics that you should be tweeting about — not just anything that seems to be popular. Flooding your page with tweets on different topics confuses followers on what it is your business entails. Tweeting about things that connect to your brand in one way or another indicates who you are. When your brand grows, people will be able to regard your brand as an expert in your niche.
4. Participate in Trending Topics
There are new trending topics that engage users every day. While it may be tempting to utilize the most popular hashtags, make sure to preserve your brand’s niche and only use those that serve you best. Trending topics are an engaging forum and knowing how to twist them in your favor can be very beneficial.
One of the common mistakes businesses make is thinking only about business. Some of the best hashtags include those that are in support of positive causes or movements. You may also consider sharing trending topics that you find funny or inspiring if they help your audience better understand your brand narrative.
5. Be Quick
Twitter is a fast place. Topics pop up every minute, and if you are not keen, your tweets will go unnoticed. Answering tweets as soon as you receive them — or within an hour — is ideal if you’re dedicated to building your brand and your presence. Especially because Twitter’s fast nature makes it the perfect place for a support channel.
Being online every minute is tiresome. Considering taking a leaf from established brands who rotate their staff that manage their social media accounts in shifts. Fast replies to customer inquiries lead to happy customers, which can lead to great comments and visibility.
6. Check Your Tone
When it comes to conveying a message, the tone that you use speaks volumes about your brand. Be careful with what words you use, as many can convey a different mood or tone than you intended.
Talk to your followers, not at them. If a customer is unhappy with service rendered, your tone should be apologetic, and if they are having difficulty using your service, let your tone be understanding. This page can assist you in this topic. Realize that you will receive both negative and positive comments from users and you should know how to tackle them on an online platform. Let your tweets be conversational to engage your followers; you can be professional but not too formal for this to work. At times, you can incorporate humor in your tweets or be inspirational to pull more followers in and create an easy vibe around your brand.
7. Be Creative
Thinking carefully about the words that you’ll use and how you phrase them determines the quality of your tweets. If done creatively, users will want to retweet and comment on your posts. Dare to be different for your tweets to stand out. Ensure that as you try to be creative, you still pass on a message and maintain your brand’s image. Spicing up your tweets shows users that you can engage with the conversations going on around them and not just your brand’s services and products.
8. Use the 280 Characters Fully
At first, Twitter only allowed users to tweet up to 140 characters. With the 2017 update allowing 280 characters, you can now put more information in your tweet to woo potential customers and followers. So carefully look for words that will portray your message. If done correctly, it will give your brand a professional online presence.
9. Be Flexible
As mentioned before, it’s good to understand your audience and focus on your niche, but that doesn’t mean it has to be all about business all the time. It is a social network. You need to engage your followers. Broadcasting messages about yourself all day becomes boring to users at some level. Bring in humor at some point or come up with a topic that seeks your followers’ input. Conduct twitter polls, ask questions, and just get them talking.
10. Use Data
Twitter has certain strategies that work for different brands. Before changing your tactic, you need to do your research. Twitter has compiled data on various topics, so take your time and have a look at Twitter analytics on what to do and what not to do for your brand's success. After coming up with the appropriate data, you can use it to make decisions for achieving your future goals. If you post videos and your followers’ engagement increases by a certain percentage, it is an indication that they enjoy your videos and you should do more of them.
11. Join the Twitter Community
Twitter is a social network that people use to connect with others. It is a global community. Knowing Twitter will give you insightful knowledge on how to be a part of its community. And joining this community will, in turn, make you insanely efficient on Twitter. Use your handle to engage users on a personal basis and console them in case of a tragedy. It gives the impression that you care about what your followers go through, making your interactions more than just business-oriented. Through this, you will end up having a community of loyal followers of your brand.
12. Offer Gifts, Coupons, and Discounts
Giving your Twitter followers a chance to win stuff by participating in your brand’s online challenges brings more interaction to it. Users will follow your brand for a chance to get goodies, and by doing this, your brand’s followers will grow in number.
Twitter is one of the most interactive platforms globally. If a brand is able to leverage this platform, they can watch as users become followers, and followers become loyal customers. If you master and employ these techniques, your brand will rise to be among the most respectable ones on the platform.
