To continue our breakdown of the top social channels, this week is all about Twitter. Individuals have varying feelings about Twitter. Some think it’s simple and conversational and others are overwhelmed with the thought of maintaining a constant stream of conversation about brand communication. Either way, Twitter becomes a highly effective B2B tool with a bit of strategy and planning.
When using Twitter, it is easy to fall into the trap of counting tweets and followers. If you find yourself measuring success in those terms, we encourage you to shift your thinking. Take a step back from follower counts and focus on engagement. What kind of replies are you getting from your followers? Are they retweeting and favoriting your posts? Taking a look at those numbers will be far more beneficial to your company than making sure you hit a set amount of posts per day.
Tweeting 2-3 times per day is not a bad goal to have. But to add a more significant layer to that, make a conscious effort to interact with other Twitter users in more than half of your posts.
If you can’t imagine replies or retweets 50% of the time, it’s likely that you’re tweeting the wrong things. Many companies view Twitter purely as a place to broadcast their work. Followers will notice and disengage. To avoid this, pay attention to your engagement measurements. What kinds of posts get responses? While sharing your own work is appropriate, it must be balanced with engaging, resourceful information – perhaps an article about a new development in your industry, or a piece of news that will influence your business.
When you start getting responses, the most important step is to respond. Stimulate Twitter dialogue with your followers, whether they are colleagues or customers. Use Twitter for the customer service tool it is, and participate in conversations that demonstrate your company’s ability to connect.
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