One vital element of a powerful social media marketing strategy is to use a variety of platforms. Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and increasingly Google Plus are the mainstays, and it is critical for most businesses to use all of them.
That doesn’t mean that you repeat the same content on each. Each one has its own style, and you need a suitable style for each.
You can repeat the same key message on each one, but not in the same way. If you are using Twitter to promote your business, you need to know how to make the most of this particular platform.
Twitter is described as a micro-blogging site. You have only 140 characters per tweet to communicate your message clearly, so that’s pretty micro alright.
But it would be a mistake to equate the low character count with low power. Tweets might be short, but Twitter is not small. Here’s how to get the maximum impact using Twitter to promote your business.
Start by setting up your account strategically so it is consistent with your brand’s image in tone and visuals. Think of every blank to fill in as a marketing opportunity and use it to promote your image.
Choose a user name and profile photo consistent with your other social media outlets. For example, you can use the same profile photo for Facebook and Twitter, and use your Facebook cover photo as your Twitter header photo.
Keeping your social media outlets integrated helps you reach more people with the same message and create a stronger brand image.
While tweets are limited to 140 characters, you can and should use images and video in your tweets. Visuals are always powerful, and your words are so limited, it makes images and video even more important.
You can put videos directly into a tweet, but you can link to your video on YouTube or if your video is six seconds or less, you can use Twitter’s Vine video service.
Of course, you need followers to see these great tweets. Start by following business connections you know and participating in conversations. Watch and learn how hashtags are used effectively.
The right hashtag is far better than three or four almost right hashtags. Just like on any other social medium, focus on creating compelling content that gives the reader something useful.
You can make Twitter part of your strategy to drive traffic to your blog or website, and you can use it to announce special offers and events.
Have a good look around Twitter and see how similar business succeeds – or fail – on Twitter before you dive in.
You will learn by trial and error, of course, but it’s best to learn from others’ trials and errors when you can.