With limited time during the work day and millions of Twitter accounts, it’s easy to feel lost amongst the sea of Tweets and Retweets. Some people have spent hours sending thousands of Tweets and following hundreds of users, but are still struggle to reach a larger audience and meet their personal goals. There is no 100% guaranteed guide to using Twitter or a fool proof plan to gaining thousands of followers instantly. However there are definitely methods to ensure you are making the most of your Twitter account and the time you have available. Read below for Guaranteed SEO’s guide to using Twitter efficiently.
Don’t Tweet too often or too little. You want to ensure your presence is known amongst your followers, but not so much that they tire of your Tweets and ignore your attempts at interaction. Everyone has different amounts of available time and while some are able to post every hour, others may have to limit their Tweets to once a day. The key is consistency. Engage your followers regularly, but also take a break and focus on other elements of your social media strategy rather than pouring all of your resources into one account. For those who are particularly busy, you can also schedule Tweets in advance or manage multiple accounts on services like Hootsuite. According to statistics, your Tweets have the biggest impact on weekends or in the evenings so if you have limited time, schedule some of your posts for these periods.
People don’t want to read one-dimensional slogans from companies trying to make money from Twitter. Your Tweets should engage your audience and build a relationship with them that benefits you in the long run. Users will eventually decide to share your content and spread the word, but this is a natural process and not something that can be forced through a one sided marketing approach. Tweets should include original content when available and build a conversation that engages your audience. Tweets should provide a form of value and keep readers interested. Share industry news, helpful tips, be witty or unique and be an entertaining and informative voice in the discussion.
Ever called, emailed or texted someone and they just ignored you? Feels pretty bad doesn’t it? Ignoring someone on Twitter can make them feel the same way, particularly if you are a smaller business which actually sees all of their comments. As we stated earlier, Twitter isn’t about one way communication. It’s about interacting and the best way to do that is by getting involved in the community. Mention people, retweet them and respond to DMs. By doing this you can actively engage in reputation management every time you log-on and organically build your audience. Twitter can also be an excellent customer service tool when used right. You can reply to complaints or queries in the public eye and others will see how your business handles itself.
Twitter is a proven method of improving SEO. Linking to your own material will increase your rankings on search engines and drive more people to look at your material. Ask people to retweet and if they like your work, they’ll share your links with their followers. There’s an endless potential audience out there.
Make sure your Twitter page says enough about you and gives the impression you want to leave with customers. This is your personal brand and you should take pride in its appearance. People will follow you based on how interesting or likable your account seems. For your Twitter ID use something basic that clearly states your company name, the same thing also applies to your profile name. You want people to be able to easily find you in search engines and know who you are. Also, don’t just go with cliché templates for your profile picture and background. Show off with a professional and creative design. Look at Pepsi’s Twitter design, it’s simple yet effective right?
This one is obvious, but many novice Twitter users still make this mistake. Don’t protect your Tweets so only certain followers can see them! If you want to potentially reach a massive audience of new fans, don’t hide your Tweets and wait for people to ask your permission to view them. Most people won’t bother and they’ll quickly forget about wanting to add you in the first place.
Realistic goals will help you stay motivated and enable you to keep track of your progress. Keep your goals realistic and monitor just how effective your Twitter usage is. If your current method isn’t working you can switch it up and try something different. Hootsuite has helpful analytics software as does Socialbro and Tweetanalyzer. You can check who is retweeting you, analyze your followers, see how large your current audience is and more.
Treat your Twitter account like an investment. There isn’t going to be a miraculous jump in your sales profit or millions of followers flocking to you immediately. There is no magic short-term shortcut. However, if you use Twitter efficiently and effectively you can definitely benefit in the long run. Be patient, build fans and supporters then success will come. If you need the help of seasoned social media experts to grow your Twitter account, don’t forget that Guaranteed SEO is here to help. We have been around since before Google and our team is dedicated to giving you the best service possible.
