It seems to me that a lot of people that use Twitter use it simply as a broadcasting platform, but it truly is so much more than that. I know there are still a lot of questions around Twitter and how to best use it – so today I want to share my tips for using Twitter for massive business growth.
I’ve been on Twitter since 2008 and I remember when I first joined I totally didn’t get it. But over the past 6 or 7 years I’ve really grown to love Twitter and it’s been a huge tool for growing my business. Twitter is unlike any other platform – there’s a lot of nuances to it, and those aren’t necessarily the most intuitive for people. So I’ve compiled 8 tips that I think can help anyone better utilize this awesome social media platform.
Know the Lingo. The first thing I think is really important is to understand the lingo of Twitter…and there’s a lot of lingo when it comes to Twitter. If you’re newer to Twitter start by checking out my Twitter Tips, Tools and Trends blog post which covers a lot of the basics. It’s important to know the difference between replies, retweets, direct messages and other terms. Remember, to send someone a tweet you’ll need to include their handle (i.e. @katielance) If you place their handle at the beginning of your tweet, that tweet will only go to them and the people that follow them and the people that follow you.
Check out my Twitter Tips blog post to get up to speed on the basic Twitter lingo.
Complete Your Profile. Another basic to getting started with Twitter is to make sure you have your profile completely filled out. You’ll want to make sure to choose a catchy image for your header – a prime piece of real estate on Twitter. It’s a good idea to change this out regularly as well. Your profile photo is also important and something you should change out from time to time. Finally, don’t forget to use the 160 characters available to you for a bio to showcase who you are professionally as well as personally.
Use the Advanced Search Feature. Just like any other social media platform, Twitter is not a one-way street – it’s a two way street. So yes, while it can be a great broadcasting tool, there’s also a huge opportunity to dig into the search function of Twitter. To get started go to Search.Twitter.com and then click on Advanced Search. This feature of Twitter I believe is really gold. Regardless of your industry, regardless of what your business is, think about what conversations people are having around your brand. Use the advanced search by any key words or hashtags. Another very cool feature is the location search – a must-use for any local business! (be sure to watch my Periscope below for an example of how to use this tool)
The Advanced Search function is an awesome, yet underutilized tool.
Hashtags. Using hashtags on Twitter is important but you don’t want to go hashtag crazy. I usually like to use just 1 or 2 hashtags in a tweet. But don’t just use any hashtag, be sure to search them out. One of the ways I do this is by using Hootsuite. One of the reasons I like Hootsuite is because you can save your searches. So I like to set up saved searches for some of my commonly used hashtags (i.e. #GetSocialSmart)
Twitter Lists. Twitter lists can be really, really powerful. I use them in two ways. One way is to connect with people intentionally. If you’re struggling and overwhelmed with Twitter one of the best things you can do is get organized with who you really want to connect with – lists are great for this! Think about your business and who the key people are that you want to connect with. Maybe that’s a media list. Or an industry news list. The second way I use lists is to curate content. So for example, because I’m connected to many people in real estate, I have a real estate news list.
Don’t push your tweets to Facebook. This is a pet peeve of mine. I don’t like logging into Facebook and seeing someone just posting their tweets – and vice versa. A lot of people think it’s a great shortcut that you can just push a button and your update will go to both places – don’t do that. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t put the same content in both places, just remember that each platform is different and you should tailor your message for each; treat each platform natively.
It’s okay to schedule some of your tweets. Scheduling tweets tends to get a bad rap but I believe you can have a balance of scheduling some tweets and being in the moment. The thing about Twitter is it moves really fast. So, if you’re creating content and you want to extend the life of that content one of the ways to do that is to schedule tweets.
No tweet left behind. This is something I’ve been saying for a long time. If someone takes the time to tweet me or retweet me or follow me, I take the time to respond and say thank you. Responding can be as simple as hitting the heart button or a simple smiley face but the point is that we all want to be acknowledged.
Don’t forget the key to Twitter success, just like any other social platform, is consistency, consistency, consistency. Tweet often and be engaged. Take a few minutes every day and schedule 4 or 5 tweets, take some time to retweet and share curated content, respond to others. Do this day in and day out and over the course of time you’re sure to see massive results from this powerful platform.
Watch my Periscope on this topic:
What are your favorite Twitter tips? I’d love to hear! Leave a comment below or head on over to the #GetSocialSmart Facebook group and jump in the conversation. Click here to join now >>
