As a small business owner, you’re permitted to be a bit confused about the various social media networks available. While everyone knows about Facebook, networks like Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram are also noteworthy. Each has unique strengths that a savvy business can use to build brand awareness.

Of the ones listed above, the social media network easiest for a business to implement is Twitter. A participatory tool, Twitter is great for taking part in short conversations and for building relationships. Twitter doesn’t require a substantial time investment yet it’s still valuable for creating connections with current and potential customers.

 Here are 5 easy tips to using Twitter for business:

  1. Pick An Account Name Close to Your Brand Name – Ideally, you can get your company name. But if it’s already taken for some reason — or it’s a long company name — try to secure one that’s clearly connected. Stay under 15 characters, if possible.
  2. Understand Character Count – All tweets have a 140 character limit, including any links and your Twitter handle. You’ll need to practice, but Twitter isn’t effective if you can’t learn to communicate concisely.
  3. Build Your Network – After you create your account, start looking for people and companies to follow. You want to focus on influential people and brands that have an active Twitter presence. Follow friends and family, too. Once you start engaging with these Twitter accounts, many of them will follow back.
  4. Create a Twitter Strategy – You have your account, you’re following accounts, and hopefully some are following back. Now you need to provide a reason your account is relevant. What is the tone of your account? What information do you want to share? Make sure you converse with other people and accounts. If all you do is retweet other brand content and information, your brand looks shallow and, perhaps even worse, boring.
  5. Learn and Use Hashtags – You can place a hashtag — otherwise known as the pound symbol — in front of words or phrases to increase tweet visibility. Suppose you’re taking part in a Twitter hang-out sponsored by an industry organization. The event may have a hashtag, which you can use and search by to connect with other like-minded accounts. Hashtags are a critical aspect of any brand awareness effort.

Adhering to these five tips will help you create a valuable Twitter account and increase awareness of your brand or business. You may also discover it’s a lot of fun. Contact us today to learn more.