Tips to Create an Effective Corporate Twitter Strategy

After hours (maybe even days) of deliberation, you’ve finally selected the perfect Twitter handle (a.k.a. “username”, i.e. @FrozenFireChat) for your brand’s Twitter profile.

You’ve got your brand’s logo and photo loaded and description set. You’ve even taken some time to follow a few important people in your industry. It’s time to start tweeting!

Now what? What do you say with those valuable 140 characters? Twitter is a great tool for conveying your brand’s message, attracting your target audience and generate new leads — but it’s all in what you say.

What makes a great Twitter post? Whether you’re new to the Twitterverse, or you’ve been here a while, here are five tips for getting the most out of your corporate Twitter account.

Have a Plan.

What you communicate on Twitter should be closely tied to your brand’s overall messaging strategy. In addition, take a look at your company calendar and consider developing content relating to what’s happening. For example, if representatives from your brand are headed to a trade show or conference, use that as an opportunity to connect with others at that conference on Twitter.
If It Isn’t Okay in a Face-to-Face Conversation, It’s Not Okay on Twitter.

Think of Twitter as a form of conversation between two parties. The same rules that apply in face-to-face conversation apply on Twitter. For example, if you overhear a conversation between two people, and happen to hear a word mentioned that might, ever so slightly relate to your brand, you probably wouldn’t interrupt the conversation to interject a sales pitch. So don’t do it on Twitter. Instead, take the time to politely introduce yourself and establish rapport with your Twitter audience. In building trust and nurturing the relationship with your Twitter followers, you’ll do a lot more to sell your brand than interrupting with a noisy, obnoxious sales pitch.
Don’t Be Self-Absorbed.

Nobody likes a person who only talks about himself or herself, so don’t be that person/brand on Twitter. Share others’ relevant content. Pass along important industry news. Have fun with it — engage your followers in conversations about current events, whether or not they are directly related to your industry. Share an inspirational quote. And every now and then, say something directly related to your brand. Do you have a special going on right now your followers might want to know about? Tell them! But don’t clog their feed with constant chatter about your brand and your products/services — they will tune you out.
Listen and Respond as Needed.

Twitter is a powerful customer service tool. Someone on your social media team should be actively listening for @mentions of your brand on Twitter. Respond as needed, and not just in a private, direct conversation. If someone voices a concern or complaint about your brand on Twitter, remember that others are listening to, and they are paying attention to how you respond. Ignoring these comments, even if they are negative, sends the message that your company doesn’t care about its customers or how they feel. Be personable and react/respond appropriately to negative Twitter chatter.
Use hashtags, but don’t overuse them.

Hashtags are great for tracking conversations. For example, if you want to have a live Twitter chat, invite others to participate by tweeting a specific hashtag. They are also great for linking your content to a particular topic, but must be used appropriately. Shortly after the movie theater tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, one clothing boutique noticed #Aurora was trending on Twitter. Without paying attention to why it was trending, the boutique jumped in, using the hashtag #Aurora to promote Kim Kardashian’s new clothing line. Epic fail. Not only should you always be sure you are using hashtags appropriately, don’t over use them with more than one or two in a single tweet.

Social media platforms, including Twitter, should be used strategically in conjunction with your brand’s overall digital brand development and messaging strategy. Use this strategy to build your social media content calendar.

Frozen Fire is a Dallas internet marketing and video production company that helps companies harness the most powerful aspect of modern marketing—the internet—to engage customers in memorable and meaningful ways. Ways that ignite sales and business growth. Contact us to learn how we can help your business.