How To Use Twitter To Its Fullest Potential

Since its founding in 2006, Twitter has become a global force in the field of social media. Though there were many that doubted the minimalist social network platform that asked users to speak to each other in a 140 characters could ever challenge the giants of the industry, this San Francisco based tech giant has proven the naysayers wrong by proving to be nothing short of a phenomenon.

How To Use Twitter To Its Fullest Potential

Over 310 million people use Twitter on a monthly basis to stay in touch not just with their friends, family and favorite celebrities, but indeed with the world at large. Many have adopted Twitter as their go to source for breaking news, opinions and discussion. Its ability to reach millions of engaged users in a matter of mere seconds is unrivaled by any other platform. Needless to say, this has turned Twitter into the promised land for marketing and advertising experts that recognize the potential of this platform to expand their audience in ways only previously dreamed. And we can speak from experience by promoting our price comparison website.

But while Twitter does indeed have the potential to reach a global audience nearly instantaneously, the appeal of Twitter as a marketing platform means that the social media haven is also a jungle of attention grabbing attempts. Put simply, every business in the world is trying to reach the full scope of the Twitter universe and this congestion of advertisements can often make it difficult for your lone voice to stand out amongst the crowd. As the song goes: “If you can make it here, you’ll make it anywhere.”

Rather than fret over whether or not your voice will be heard though, it’s time to step up and speak out as loud as you can in order to maximize the advertising potential of Twitter. It takes practice to make a name for yourself in 140 characters or less, but with these tips as your guide, you will soon be on your way to maximizing your Twitter time:

Build A Unique Online Identity

When it comes to Twitter, your business must be more than a product and its employees. It should be a living, breathing entity with a personality all its own that users will want to come to even when they’re not actively looking at using your services at that moment.

What does this mean? It means tweet about more than just new releases and product pictures. While you don’t need to extend too far out of your comfort zone and become the leading Twitter account for the latest news and entertainment, broadening your horizons a bit in terms of outgoing content will help ensure that you are able to engage customers before they even think of becoming one. The best place to start is to professionally comment on events within your own industry, but even stepping outside of that comfort zone to inform your followers of other areas like daily life in the office goes a long way in helping you establish a personality for your Twitter account.

Maximize Profile Presentation Options

At first glance, it seems that Twitter doesn’t offer many options in terms of profile customization options. You choose a username, you write a brief summary, maybe design a header and that’s about it. While Twitter may not offer quite as many profile building options as a site like Facebook, it offers enough to allow your account to stand out if you know how to maximize what you are given to work with. Make your summary as informative as it is clever. Include a relevant business link in there that will allow users to access your services directly and immediately know who you are and what you offer.

Most importantly, invest in having your header and background options professionally designed. Stock images or stretched out business logo image files will not do here, as you need to find a visually pleasing image that will immediately grab the attention of any curious Twitter users. It may take a few tries to find what works, but the effort will certainly be worth the results.

Avoid Trying To Ride Every Trending Hashtag

#NationalCupcakeDay may be the number one trending topic on Twitter today, but that doesn’t mean that you are necessarily in a position to join the discussion unless you so happen to be in the cupcake business. While occasionally joining popular topics can help you to build an identity beyond your brand, you must resist the temptation to jump on every trending topic in an effort to gain exposure. Doing this too often can actually dilute the promotional potential of your Twitter account by making it stray too far from your business message. Instead, engage in topics that either directly relate to the business or ones that your social media team is capable of adding interesting points of discussion. Better yet, create your own hashtags that start the trending topics.

Properly Engage With Other Users Directly

If you want to put yourself ahead of 90% of business Twitter account holders out there, then you need to know how to engage with Twitter users directly. With a little luck, you are going to start generating a series of direct messages and tweet mentions from your fans and customers. Some of these interactions will be positive and others may be slightly more negative. While you may think the positive ones are easier to reply to, even then you must be able to craft a message that goes well beyond a simple thank you and exhibits just as much thought and appreciation as the unsolicited message you received.

Though it may be tempting to disregard negative interactions entirely, it is not advisable to do so. Should the negative message be a valid comment or complaint regarding your services, be sure to reach out to the user that made it directly in order to point them to the right direction on where they can acquire assistance or leave official feedback. While a public reply helps everyone know that you are engaged with the person, a private followup with them to ensure they are helped is always welcome. It may not seem like you are directly promoting your business through these interactions, but wowing people with your customer care abilities will make them remember you over countless others without the ability to do so.

Put A Twitter Twist On Traditional Marketing Techniques

Coupons, contests, billboards…sometimes the oldest marketing techniques are truly the best if you know how to properly use them. Twitter can be an excellent place to employ all of these advertising techniques if performed in moderation. Launch the occasional contest or retweet competitions when you feel the situation makes sense. Offer up deals for a limited time in order to encourage your followers to promote amongst themselves. Even better, take advantage of Twitter’s paid promotion options and their suite of relevant engagement metrics to directly put your business out there and better understand just who you are reaching with your messages. Even a limited run of this system can help you discover who is following your business and what grabs their attention while a successful extended campaign can yield the type of direct benefits that traditional marketing techniques were designed for.