Twitter is the fastest growing social media platform on the Internet. According to data by Global Web index, there are 485 million total account holders and 288 million active Twitter users. Doesn’t those figures just blow your mind and what also makes it awesome is to know you are apart of this Twitter awesomeness when it comes to your Twitter marketing.
Every second, of every minute, of every hour you get my drift, someone somewhere is tweeting some kind of message.
We have learned to embrace the use of the once limiting 140 character usage. Now it allows us to say with conviction and to stop waffling, well most of us anyway.
To get the best out of your Twitter marketing you need to get the basics right first. If you want your business or blog’s first impression to be a good one, then you need to make sure these 5 steps are taken care of.
1) Adding your Twitter Profile Picture
First things first show your potential followers, your potential customers a picture that either reflects you or your business.
Twitter’s default image is an egg, you are not an egg head. If you can’t be bothered to replace the default egg head image then why should others be bothered to read what you have to say and follow you. You could say I am being to harsh its only an image. Well, I’m sorry but if your business or blog is really important to you then how others see you and your brand should also be important.
Whether the picture is an image of you, or your product, or even an avatar is more professional than the default egg head image Twitter provides. We are talking about 1st impressions here, and the first part of Twitter people will see is your Twitter profile picture. Even if you use sites like Hootsuite, simply by clicking on the name will reveal the profile picture 1st and very big may I add. So sorting out your picture needs to be attended to if not done already.
2) Filling in your Twitter Website Link
Are you using Twitter marketing to promote your business right? Well, let me just say the number of times I have come across Twitter profiles that do not use this section of Twitter but yet are promoting their products. I personally like to visit a business via the homepage and not just by clicking a link to a product. Twitter provides a place to add your website or blog url so please use it.
I see some creatives use this space for your Facebook page, my recommendation is don’t do this unless you don’t have a website or blog.
If you don’t have a website or blog the next question I want to ask is why, especially if you are in business?
Sending people to your Facebook fan page is only going to get you a LIKE if they decide to like you. You want these potential customers to explore your place of business or blog. So they get a sense of what you are offering, then they can visit your Facebook page if they choose to. You could find that by sending your potential customers/readers to Facebook, could turn into them talking to their friends, viewing friends and families photos and them forgetting all about your Facebook page.
Send them to your business and let them get a mental picture of what you are offering. They can bookmark your site for future shopping or future reading if it’s your blog, this is your end goal.
3) Writing your Twitter Bio to help your Twitter Marketing
Share some information with your potential customers/readers. You have only 140 characters to play with so you need to keep it short, sweet and to the point. Saying who you are, what you do, what you create or sell are great places to start. However, saying something like “I create unique handmade items that are made with love and care” or “Items made with you in mind” says nothing about what you are offering or selling and these types of statements are not unique. If you want people to click your links give them something to read that will make them want to click to find out more.
Check out the image below to see where you need to place your picture, your website link and your Twitter bio information.
4) Your Twitter Follow Response
You got people interested and they decide to follow you. How do you respond to this action? Well many will thank these new followers and many of you are simply pushing them away to Facebook for a LIKE. Is getting a Facebook like more important than sending them to your business for them to look at your products and possibly purchase? I understand that it’s nice to get people to travel around all your social media platforms and like you, follow you, pin you and Google + you but none of those places are showcasing your products that can be brought straight away. Yes engage them at all of your social places, but after they have visited your business first.
Instead of pushing them away to Facebook, engage them in a conversation, go visit their place of business/ blog and share something about what you have found theirs with them. Show them you are taking interest in those that chose to follow you. Encourage them to visit your business, to look at your products before you start sharing Facebook links. Plus if you have Facebook links on your site they can go there if they choose to and not because you asked them to, as your first response to them following you.
Let’s look at a few replies I received, that wasn’t subtle when it came to their first response:
Here’s a few Twitter replies that made me smile & moved me to want to respond:
5) What to Tweet on Twitter?
Sharing more than just your links to your products or blog post can keep your followers engaged. Of course, you want your Twitter followers to view your products or read your posts because the goal of your Twitter marketing effects. However, posting just these can become boring for them. Here are a few ideas of what you can share with your Twitter followers:
Share what you are doing, if you are working on a new project tweet it
If you writing a blog post, tweet it
If your reading a good book, tweet it,
If your reading an interesting blog post, tweet the link
If you’re making another product, tweet your progression
Go visit your Twitter followers businesses and blogs and tweet what you find there. Those tweets will surely get retweeted by the Twitter owners and they will be so happy you did.
You get the idea, don’t just tweet about the final products you are selling, share you, and your interest in others as well.
