Are the days of Twitter marketing over, especially in the light of stiff competition?
With over 100 million active daily users sending over 500 million Tweets a day, Twitter is no doubt a major marketing pathway to consider.
eMarketer predicted that 70.7% of US companies will use Twitter for marketing in 2017. This figure may rise.
Whether you’re an individual or a business entity, Twitter can help you improve your productivity or profit margin if done rightly.
Below are ten reasons to reconsider Twitter today.
10 Reasons to Reconsider Twitter Today
● Over 1 billion registered users
● Over 328 million monthly active users
● Over 100 million daily active users
● Over 500 million Tweets sent per day
● 54% of users earn more than $50, 000 a year at least, etc
● It is available on web, iOS, and Android
Now that you know why, here are
10 Ways to Maximize Twitter Marketing
1. Username
Your Twitter username is your identity or name. That’s what your followers type when sending:
Your Twitter username is your identity or name. That’s what your followers type when sending:
● @replies
● Mentions and
● Direct messages (DM)
It also forms part of your profile URL.
Choosing a wrong or unbefitting username could send wrong signals about you or your business.
Choose usernames that
● contain relevant e-commerce keywords
● are easy to pronounce or spell
● are not too long
● you can brand
● will allow you to scale with growth
Always remember that by their usernames you shall know them.
2. Header Photo
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, in other words a picture can almost summarize this entire blog post. So for you, what would that one picture that speaks a thousand words about you or your business look like?
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, in other words a picture can almost summarize this entire blog post. So for you, what would that one picture that speaks a thousand words about you or your business look like?
For businesses this could depend on your customer base. B2B customers are more formal, anything less could mean loss of sales, and vice versa.
Here’s an example of a good Twitter header photo by Nordstrom:
Your header photo could contain your
● Logo
● Colors
● Products
● Headquarters
● Happy staff/customers
● Testimonials etc
3. Twitter Bio
3. Twitter Bio
Before some influencers follow you or follow you back, they glance at
your Twitter bio. What does yours say about you, your experience or expertise? Is it convincing enough to earn a follow or follow back?
Below is Neil Patel’s Twitter bio:
Source: Twitter (screenshot)
Note his experience, social proof, follow count, website URL and YoB.
You have 160 characters to sell yourself or business which should mention
● Your business or industry vertical
● Relevant keywords
● Social proof
● Relevant statistics
● Your business URL
● A call to action etc
4. Home(Timeline)
This is like your Twitter homepage, where people arrive when they click on your Twitter profile.
It displays your
● Full name
● Username
● Twitter bio
● Location
● DoB
● Follow count
● Number of Tweets, Media and Likes
● Tweet to field
Here’s an example of a Twitter home or timeline:
5. Followers/Following/Follow Count
A high number of relevant engaged followers can boost your personal brand or business.
A high number of relevant engaged followers can boost your personal brand or business.
To organically grow your following do the following:
● Follow relevant accounts (double check their Twitter bio before following back: irrelevant feeds from their Tweets can hurt your business)
● Who to follow recommends influencers you may want to follow
● You might also want to follow suggests people/accounts similar to the ones you’ve followed
● Like other people’s Tweets
● Retweet other people’s Tweets
● Tweet relevant stuff at regular intervals
● Include your Twitter handle in your author bio if and when you guest post
Here’s Amazon’s follow count as of October 11, 2017:
6. Notifications
“You will now receive notifications when XYZ Tweets”, that’s the message you get when you click the star icon next to XYZ’s DM, and follow icons. It means whatever they Tweet will show up on your timeline.
If relevant and useful, other people will likely Retweet and follow you. If harmful, it may dent your timeline and hurt you or your business.
Be prepared for steady stream of Tweets and Retweets from the people/accounts you receive notifications from
Do the following:
● Research before following
● Mute notification sounds if you wish
● Ask your followers to turn on notifications so as to receive your product/other Tweets, e.g. new product alerts, promos, discounts etc
7. Tweets/Retweets/
Number of Tweets is an indication of how long or how frequently an account has been Tweeting. Many influencers and thought leaders tend to Tweet a lot.
Over 500 million Tweets are sent daily!
Realizing that many followers have subscribed to your notifications should affect the quality and quantity of Tweets and Retweets you put out.
If likes, replies, and Retweets of your Re/Tweets are consistently low, it could mean you’re Tweeting irrelevant or unhelpful stuff, or perhaps they think you Tweet too much.
With Tweeting, it should be quality over quantity, follower interaction and engagement would hint you.
Your Tweet activity dashboard gives you relevant insight into just how your Tweets are performing.
Click on a Tweet and click on VIEW TWEET ACTIVITY. Here’s how mine looks for an old Tweet:
8. Direct Messaging
On following some accounts you get an instant DM (Direct Message), some thanking you for the follow and suggesting you connect on other social platforms.
On following some accounts you get an instant DM (Direct Message), some thanking you for the follow and suggesting you connect on other social platforms.
If you use DM prompts try not to be too salesy. It turns new followers off when you try too hard too fast to make a sale.
If you run a business, think of your DM as a sales funnel, connect before you try to convert, social always comes before commerce in social commerce.
Say “hi” before you say “buy” or they’ll say “bye”.
Say “hi” before you say “buy” or they’ll say “bye”.
Below is an example of a good DM.
A good DM should:
● Be friendly
● Be short, simple, and to the point
● Be about the follower/customer
● Include a call to action
● Include a question to prompt an answer in response
9. Mentions
When you mention others Twitter notifies them, they take note of you and are likely to reciprocate the gesture. Just make sure it is natural and not fake or forced.
When you mention others Twitter notifies them, they take note of you and are likely to reciprocate the gesture. Just make sure it is natural and not fake or forced.
A good mention from the right source can send new followers and potentially new business your way, as each mention shows up in their timeline and followers feeds.
A mention = @ + username within a Tweet
e.g. “Some awesome summer specials sorted by @e-storefinder”
e.g. “Some awesome summer specials sorted by @e-storefinder”
Good mentions should include:
● Correct username
● Relevant praise
● Link to article containing more detail
● Short and simple description within Tweet
Maximize each mention you get.
10. Mixed Media
Using mixed media enhances your Tweets, increases reads, likes, Retweets, overall interaction, and engagement.
Businesses and individuals can include a lot of images, videos and GIFs to make up for Twitter’s 140 characters only policy. A lot more can be said via photos, videos and GIFs plus words can still be embedded in them.
CONCLUSION:
Whether you're a business or person, mastering the basics of Twitter can improve your business profits and help you increase productivity when applied rightly.
Author Bio:
Amos Onwukwe is an AWAI trained eCommerce B2B/B2C Copywriter featured in eCommerce Nation, eCommerce Insights, Understanding Ecommerce, Floship, Huffington Post among others.
