In today’s flourishing world of micro-blogging, there are two main types of Twitter users: Those who tweet purely for social reasons, keeping up with friends and family, and those who tweet for business, using Twitter as a networking tool.
These two groups of users require different approaches to authoring a tweet.
Personal Use
Using Twitter for personal purposes can include any type of content you want to share — from monumental life moments to little things, like where you are and what you are doing throughout the day. However, if you are a business tweeter, the rules of the tweet change dramatically.
Business Use
Your business tweets should be based on strategy. Think through what you are saying and the stigma or reputation that your company will have as a result. It takes companies months to choose what copy to include on posters, brochures or websites. Everything you tweet represents your company, so don’t jeopardize your company’s reputation by not thinking through your tweets. The tweet may be a little thing, but it can carry a lot of weight.
If it’s done right, Twitter can be a powerful tool in strengthening your brand. Your company has the potential to create a successful Twitter marketing strategy, but it needs to be handled with care. Tweeting about your every move will not keep followers engaged, and it could potentially annoy them to the point of un-following your profile. By reading and adopting the following tips, your business can be on the right track to a successful Twitter business profile.
Use Twitter as a Networking Tool
The Twitter community offers nearly limitless opportunities for businesses to connect with people and other businesses in the same field. Interacting with similar businesses via Twitter may lead to the creation of new ideas, temporary or permanent collaborations and partnerships, and stronger relationships. You can take it a step further by posting helpful, informative, and interesting tweets. If enough people find your tweets to contain valuable information, your network has the potential to reach great heights.
Share Your Portfolio
An immaculate website with an awesome portfolio may describe your website to a “T”, but the truth is, no one visits your site on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis. Alas, all hope is not lost! Twitter is a great tool to publicize and bring life to your portfolio. Loyal tweeters visit the micro-blogging site multiple times throughout the day, so tweeting a link to your website featuring a cool new piece of work has the possibility of being re-tweeted and can assist with SEO efforts.
Business Promotion
When promoting your business on any social media outlet, it’s very important to remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of your tweets should be industry information, and the other 20% can be self-promotion. For example, you could tweet about new blog posts and clients, project completions, or exciting agency news. By following the 80/20 rule, you can promote your skills and talents without obnoxious in-your-face advertising.
Keep Tabs on the Industry
Although a Twitter business profile is key in connecting with potential clients and maintaining B2C relationships, following other businesses will keep you up to speed with your competitors and also help you to stay ahead of the game. Besides keeping tabs on your competitors, following similar businesses can be useful to keep up with current events, conferences, and industry trends.
In short, tell what your business is doing. You can be human, but be sure that what you’re tweeting is relevant and interesting to your followers. People don’t care what you are having for lunch, but they do care about your latest project and great industry insight.
If you want to seem approachable, sharing what you are doing every minute of every day is NOT the way to achieve this goal. Try sharing great links, informational videos, interesting articles and pictures. Also remember that success is measured in the re-tweet. I guarantee you no one will re-tweet what or where you ate for lunch!
Resources
http://www.twitip.com/twitter-networking-tips/
http://www.suite101.com/content/using-twitter-for-personal-use-a141674
