You’ve Set up a Twitter Handle for Your Business, Now What?

Sixty-five percent of businesses in the U.S. use Twitter for marketing. If you’re part of this population, you’ve already created a Twitter account for your company. Setting up a Twitter account is only the beginning of using Twitter for your business and marketing efforts. To create brand awareness and increase lead generation, you’ll need to put time and effort into creating a social media strategy that will work for your company. Having a Twitter handle isn’t a “set it and forget it” initiative - you’ll need to consistently publish, monitor and engage to get the results you’re looking for. Below are the common questions we get from our clients about how best to use Twitter for business.

How many people should I be following?

There is not a specific number of people/accounts you should be following. What is important is that you’re following the right people. Following your current customers and prospects is a good place to start. Think about where you go for thought leadership in your industry - what blogs, magazines or people do you look to to stay up-to-date? Follow them on Twitter if you don’t already.

Should I follow everyone back that follows me?

Probably not. You want to make sure there is a purpose behind each person that you’re following. It isn’t reason enough to follow someone back just because they followed you. Are they a customer, prospect or industry thought leader? Give them a follow back. Is it an account with no profile picture, no biography, or is too self-promotional? It’s probably not worth your time to follow them.

How many followers should I have?

Some sources will say you should have more followers than people you follow. This isn’t true when it comes to using Twitter for marketing. The quality of your followers is more important than the quantity. Wouldn’t you rather have 50 followers who are in your target audience, that share quality content and engage with you on a regular basis than have 500 followers who you don’t hear a peep from? The answer is to how many followers you should have is there is no right answer. Focus on building relationships with customers, prospects and industry leaders and the followers will come.

How often should I tweet?

You should be tweeting on a consistent basis. Aim to tweet at least once a day, if not more. If you’re not consistently tweeting, people will forget about you and you won’t be a part of the conversation. But, don’t tweet just to say you tweeted that day. Make sure you’re tweeting about content your followers and potential customers will care about. Keep your messages educational and informative, not promotional.

Should I create Lists?

Twitter Lists are a great way to stay organized and keep track of the content people you follow are sharing. Try creating a variety of lists, including:

• A list of your current customers
• A list of your current prospects
• Influential people in your industry

Keep in mind, when you add someone to a public Twitter list, they are able to see that they were added. This can benefit you in a few ways:

1. It gives you immediate brand awareness when the person you added sees the notification. It brings attention to your company without even having to tweet or mention that person specifically.
2. It’s an ego boost for the people on your lists. If you call a list “Inbound Marketing Experts” and someone gets notified they were added to that list, they’ll immediately associate positive thoughts with you and your brand.

How should I engage with my followers?

Now that you’ve created Lists, engaging with people that follow you and people you follow should be a breeze. Read the content people are putting out in the Twittersphere and work to build relationships with them. How can you do this?

• Retweet an article or tweet they’ve shared
• Respond to an article or tweet they’ve shared by mentioning their Twitter handle and adding your comments/thoughts
• Ask questions and answer questions others are asking
• Respond to everyone that mentions or retweets you

Follow the tips above and you’ll be likely to connect with the audiences you want to - prospects, current customers and industry thought leaders. Twitter for marketing can be a tactic that leads to increased brand awareness and lead generation, but it must be a priority and done the right way.

What other questions do you have about using Twitter for your business? Engage with us by leaving a comment.