How SMEs Can Use Twitter to Build Business Relationships

Using Twitter for any business is a vital part of an online marketing strategy. Although, you have to know the best ways to utilise it. Gaining followers is vital, but keeping followers is equally as important. Whether you are a massive multi-national corporation or a small business just starting out, you want to connect with your community and show them you care. It's all about building the relationship with your followers.

There are many ways you can get your Twitter page looking great. But it is important to keep all your social media accounts looking similar across the board. You want consistency, which allows your community to automatically recognise your brand whether it be on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest etc. This will also separate your brand from the competitors.

 

Profile Photo

  • You want a great head shot, or high quality logo image. This is depending on what type of business profile you have.
  • For a personal business page, have a great photograph of you.
  • If it is a corporate account, keep the logo simple but recognisable. Preferably the same logo as you have for your other social media accounts.

Recommended size: 400×400 pixels

Bio

  • Create an interesting bio. Keep it short, sweet and on point. When people find your page, you want them to know exactly what your business is within the first few seconds.
  • Include a link to your website in the bio, make it easy for the audience to find you.

Header

  • Your Twitter header is the first thing your audience will see, you want it to reflect your brand identity and portray personality.
  • Change this as needed to draw attention to specials or campaigns your business may be running.

Recommended size: 1500×500 pixels

Content

  • Share valuable content. Think about the content, would you read it? This can include helpful resources and links for your audience.
  • Upload images with your links for more variety.
  • Retweet from others that are in the same industry (but not competitors!). This will give your business exposure and make connections with other brands.
  • Twitter is made up of a sharing culture, so when you retweet others it will introduce you to their followers.
  • Use geolocation to mention specific stores or locations which will help to expose your brand to potential followers the area.

Scheduling Posts

At PB Web Dev, we love using Hootsuite. Scheduling posts across all social media accounts is the best way to get your content out there.

Hootsuite allows you to schedule posts well into the future, which saves you time and effort.

Spreading out posts allows for your brand to gain attention across the day. Stay on top of exposure by researching the best times of day to post.

Experiment with different times and see what works best for your specific brand. Some times to try:

  • Before 9am
  • Between 12.30pm – 2pm (lunch)
  • After 6pm

You can then analyse this information using Twitter's built in analytics system (cog icon in the top right corner of page, then using the drop down menu find "Analytics"). Have a look for the number of clicks your post has (if it has a link included), check out if anyone has retweeted your posts and favourited it too.

Pay close attention to trends, was the most popular tweets posted at similar times of the day? Use this information, and then post your most important content out when you know it will gain the most exposure.

Interaction

  • Answer questions your audience may ask, this can be through direct messages, hashtags that are relevant your brand, or through mentions of your Twitter handle.
  • Be aware of what you are saying to the audience, your brand's reputation is tightly linked to how you behave online.
  • When you post a Tweet, make sure you keep it short enough to retweet. You don't want your precious post to be cut off. E.g. RT @formidable_lou *plus the tweet*.

Followers

  • Your followers are the key to your success on Twitter. Keep following others down to a minimum, but enough to have content to share from your feed.
  • You want to follow those who can help your brand. Keep it industry specific and build relationships.
  • Don't pay for followers. Build your followers organically. It makes your brand appear fake and insincere.

 

For more information or more tips in regards to using Twitter, follow the PB Web Development team on Twitter.

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