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15 Twitter Do’s for Businesses

Posted by Timothy Lorang on Mon, Mar 21, 2011 @ 10:00 AM

15 Twitter Do's for BusinessesIn a few weeks Edison Research will be releasing an update to their 2010 report, The Social Habit, in which they provide insights in social media usage, behaviors and trends. One of the interesting things about Twitter that they discovered while doing research with their partner Arbitron, is that 92% of Americans over 12 are aware of Twitter. This is near universal awareness. Yet only 8% of Americans over 12 actually use Twitter. That fact and the still prevalent misconceptions about Twitter leave many business owners asking why they should even be involved in Twitter. Part of the answer can be found in Edison’s report: Twitter Usage In America: 2010. According to Edison’s research Twitter users follow brands at a rate three times higher than other social networks. They are more educated than the general population, have higher incomes, are early technology adaptors, use mobile devices, and are active social media users. One of the more compelling traits of Twitter users is that they use Twitter to learn about, ask questions about and provide opinions about products and services. With over 18 million users it seems to me that businesses should not ignore Twitter.Knowing this basic information about Twitter users helps me understand the information in The Science of Retweets by Dan Zarrella, the Social Media Scientist. Read the report for some fascinating statistics on what kind of tweets are the most retweeted with the idea that the goal of a business tweet is to be retweeted and reach more people. Combining Dan’s report, the information from Edison Research, information from other sources and my own experience I have come up with my list of 15 Twitter Dos and Don’ts for Business Tweeting.

  1. Use proper English: Twitter users are more likely to have a college degree and a professional job. They notice misspellings, don’t mind big words and don’t respond to cute contractions like “gr8” and “C U”.
  2. Use Punctuations: Colons especially are a great help in separating thoughts within a tweet.
  3. Be Helpful not Spamy: Offer information or opinions that help others and not ways to “MAKE $$$$$ NOW!”
  4. Use Novelty: Don’t be afraid to say something new or use an unusual word. It is more likely to be retweeted.
  5. It’s NOT about You: Self-referential tweets are not as popular. You can use tweets to update others but don’t expect them to be retweeted. So words like: going, haha, lol, watching, work, home, night, bed, gonna, sleep, bored and so on are not interesting to others.
  6. It is about others: Words like you, please and help are often retweeted. Remember you are speaking to people and tweets that help them are retweeted.
  7. Promote your Blog: Because people are using Twitter to find information you should let them know you have that information. When you are tweeting about your blog tell them by saying things like “new blog post.”
  8. Include a Link: Lead others to your blog or other helpful information. Always include a link.
  9. Please retweet: Believe it or not Dan Zarrella found that the words “please retweet” were in a high percentage of retweets.
  10. Tweet in the Afternoon: More retweets happen in the afternoon and evening. This is probably because most people are busy earlier in the day.
  11. Tweet Multiple times a day: Now this may seem to contradict number 10 but if you have an important tweet, for example announcing your new blog or a business special, one tweet can get lost in a sea of tweets. Additionally, unless your business is strictly location based, people around the world may be reading your tweet. I usually tweet important tweets four times a day, early morning, morning, afternoon and evening. As beer drinkers will remind you, it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere.
  12. Don’t Repeat, be unique: Even if you are sending out 12 tweets about your blog, vary the message. Identical messages look like spam while variety looks human.
  13. Tweet on Friday: More tweets are retweeted on Friday so be sure you are in the mix.
  14. Retweet others: Nothing encourages me to retweet someone’s tweet more than the knowledge that they retweeted me. You should also thank people who retweet you.
  15. Keep track: Pay attention to your tweets and the response you get. Repeat the tactics that are working and drop those tactics that are not working.

Let me know what some of your best twitter practices are below and what you think of this list. You may be interested in some of the other blogs about Twitter I have written: The 10 Twitter Tools I use for Social Media Marketing; A Quick Guide for Using Hashtags in Twitter; and Social Media Answers: When to Tweet and Post to Facebook.

If you would like more information about how Image Media Partners can help you on your businesses’ use of twitter or social media marketing please contact us for a free consultation.

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Topics: Social Media