What We Know: Twitter for Business

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Before Twitter, we may never have known that 50 cent’s grandmother still makes him take out the trash. It is a travesty in this day and age to think that such important news could have evaded the masses. Twitter is great, no argument here, but it is so much greater than we sometimes give it credit for. Aside from reading celebrities random musings (we all do it), we should also be using it to build strong business connections. Unfortunately, not everyone gets…

..but those that do, can build incredible campaigns with it.

At Ecanvasser, we use lots of different social media platforms and just like everyone else, we don't always get it right.

How are you supposed to represent your company in 140 characters? The truth is, you can’t. Your Twitter account is the culmination of hundreds, maybe thousands of tweets that when examined together should provide people with an informed understanding of your brand voice, purpose and attitude to customers. In the following article, we will take you through the top tips on how to make the most out of Twitter and how you can best represent your company.

Get The Basics Right

This means getting your bio correct. Give a simple and clear explanation of what your company does and add in a fun one-liner to help people remember you easily. Choose a profile picture that represents your company and don’t forget to add a cover photo (This is situated at the top of your page, similar to a banner). You can also choose a theme, i.e., the color scheme that best matches your company colors.

Company V Personal Twitter Account

It is always difficult to bridge the gap here. While you need your Twitter account to have a personality, you also need it to represent the ethos of your business. This is where research needs to be done. Examine others who operate in your sphere and attempt to do what they are doing, but better! A tweet from a business needs more thought than the average tweet, you need to peak interest from fellow influencers, possible investors and customers.

Don’t follow, lead your own conversation. It may not work instantaneously but remember Twitter is a busy place, where ten tweets a day is seen as small. Don't be afraid to be controversial in order to get attention (but don’t defame others in the process).

Dealing With Trolls

“Ecanvasser is a software company, what do you guys know about trolls?”

Ironically, people who tweet you out of the blue are also the same people who hate canvassers, who knew? We have dealt with our fair share of twitter trolls and we've learned to go high when they go low, as Michelle Obama has taught us. For example, our “thuggish goons” wardrobe didn’t live up to this guy's standards.

While we choose to ignore most tweets of this nature, other businesses enjoy the back and forth. Tesco Mobile are one such company that have made a name for themselves thanks to their hilarious comebacks and witty responses.

Whichever method you use to deal with trolls, be thick skinned. Keyboard warriors are quick to multiply!

Routine Isn’t Everything

Not every Monday is “Good morning, it’s Monday” and every Thursday shouldn't be “Throwback Thursday”. It’s easier said than done however as we have fallen victim to predictability ourselves.

Falling into a routine may sometimes seem like the easiest thing to do and if social media wasn’t so fast changing we would say keep going with it but because the nature of the game is always evolving so should your strategy.

The best plan here is to reevaluate your social media strategy every month. Check what is working best on Twitter and change if necessary. Try and tweet people directly instead of tweeting to the masses. Use clever hashtags and always keep an eye on what's trending.

Use Images

People prefer visual stimulation so instead of tweeting a big long quote, tweet a picture of it. If you have a really good graphic artist on staff, why not make use of their talent and let them wow your Twitter audience. Remember an image can explain something much better than 140 characters.

Don’t Tweet Business 24/7

Yes, we understand that you are a business but please don’t tweet work all day, every day. Incorporate behind-the-scenes stuff, lunch outings, office talk, anything that shows there are people behind the computers.

Now go out there and be the best Twitter page you can be.