Twitter is unique among social networks for its short messages and 140 character limit, which lends itself to real-time conversations with other users. These features also mean that posting on Twitter requires some special consideration. Here are 13 quick tips for making the most out of your small business Twitter account:
1. Use a service like tweriod.com to find out when your tweets will have the most impact on your followers. This is the best time to tweet.
2. Tweet multiple times daily. The real-time, short message nature of Twitter means that you can tweet more often.
3. Gain followers by tweeting engaging content and by following users who might be interested in what you have to say.
4. Use a link shortening service like bit.ly to shorten any URLs you want to include in your tweet so they take up fewer characters.
5. Include keywords relevant to your company in your bio for SEO purposes, as well as your company's location and a link to your website.
6. Monitor keywords relevant to your industry using a tool like HootSuite to find conversations to participate in with potential customers.
7. Join in on trending conversations by using the top trending hashtags of the day. Your tweets will appear in searches for this trend.
8. Mention the Twitter handles of industry leaders in your tweets to get their attention and potentially engage them in conversation.
9. Create tweets with links to your website to drive traffic - but don't over-promote your business to your followers.
10. Retweet relevant news stories or educational pieces to your followers to offer value to your followers and keep them following.
11. Take advantage of Twitter's new functionality - embed videos & photos in your tweets to add variety to your feed.
12. Share what your company is doing right now! Quick messages on Twitter are perfect for giving your audience updates on your business.
13. Don't forget to tweet on weekends! Some of the best times to tweet are between 10 am and 2 pm, when the highest number of users are active.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy 7 Easy Steps To Turn Your Twitter Account Into A SEO Magnet
I never thought about mentioning industry leaders. How cool would that be to get a relationship going with them. Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed the post, Nick! Thanks for reading.
I agree about the importance of timing your tweets for best impact.
It’s worth also being careful about following the advice of just one tool which tells you when it thinks the best time is, as different tools can give very different results (see my experience at http://www.markpack.org.uk/38262/when-is-best-time-to-tweet/). It’s best to call on more evidence than just the one tool’s results.
I don’t know if you saw our tweets but your article was used recently in an episode of Edge of the Web Radio. We focus our show around small business owners and your blog entry fit perfectly! Here is the podcast link: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/show-41-google-authorship/
Thanks for featuring my article in your podcast! By the way – loved your discussion on the importance of Google Authorship. I agree that it’s underused but SO important.