If you own business, either new or already established brand, the importance of online presence will be the ongoing trend in the next year as well. Besides web site, which is a must-have, we have to be represented on social media to achieve better interaction with existing and future clients, building our unique style, brand perception and gaining new contacts.
If you didn’t sign up for a social media account, don`t hesitate to do it now, and when you do, it`s advised to follow specific rules. These rules are not official, but they exist nonetheless. Keep up with trends and changes that are very frequent. Social media platforms require dedication and following basic rules. Even though you can`t make big mistakes, you can appear to your followers unprofessional, like an amateur or harm your brand's reputation.
Twitter Marketing
One of the most popular social media platforms is Twitter. It is designed as microblog on which you can write up to 280 characters, share links, photos, videos, etc. Twitter, like the rest of the social media, has specific rules you should follow.
The topic of this article is what NOT to do on Twitter and what common mistakes you should avoid as a beginner. Even if you had made mistakes and did things as you thought was right it`s not too late to correct them. Mistakes happen, but it`s important to acknowledge them and try to remedy the damage. Always strive for perfection. As soon as you start abiding by these simple rules your business will begin to appear a lot more professional to your followers. One crucial state, which refers to all social media, is if you don`t have enough time to post fresh content every day – don`t start at all. Same as your business, which requires a lot of work and effort, so does its presentation on the internet.
Here are several things you should not do on Twitter:
1. Don`t change your style
Before you get your site online and start a social media campaign, it is necessary to make detailed and an elaborated plan.
The first thing people notice is a visual representation of your brand. That`s how they will remember it. If you often change your logo, cover image, theme or style you will lose attention and appear sloppy. When people see your Twitter account, they will notice your logo, cover, content and your tweets and while putting the whole picture into consideration, they might follow you. If you start to change things they might get confused, realize that you aren`t what they have expected and merely unfollow your page.
Don`t go too broad with your content. Stick to your brand. Even if you have something interesting or funny to post, make sure it`s related to your work.
Be authentic; it`s best before you start posting to create a plan and stick to it. Even though the changes look small, don`t forget that those little things make the whole picture.
2. Don`t act like a robot
If you just open your account, post few tweets and close it, you are doing it wrong. Those kinds of actions can be done only on web site. The goal of social media is to connect, interact, slowly build up your clients' trust. So make it your priority. Don`t ignore messages, respond to most of them. Also, send thank you notes to your new followers, or what you think is best depending on your marketing strategy but don’t overdo it. It`s the same with comments, retweets, mentions, don`t neglect them. Be thankful and open to new followers. Show that you are active, post comments likes and retweets often. The most important thing is to let your followers know that your account is not on autopilot or some other form of automation, but someone is working hard on it. Twitter users appreciate that.
3. Don`t mix your private life and work
On your personal twitter account you are free to comment anything, but with the business account, it`s a different story. If you don`t agree with someone`s opinions, it`s best not to get involved in any kinds of arguments. Just ignore it or unfollow the user. Don`t get involved in discussions or fights even if something untrue gets posted about your business. Be professional and calm about it. Don`t fall for it and keep your dignity.
Avoid at all cost political or religious topics, don`t comment on those subjects or follow accounts that are involved in those issues. Especially accounts with inappropriate content. For example, if you are into digital marketing you shouldn`t tweet about hair or beauty products even if you like it.
Stick to what your business is about. Be original and interesting. Connect with people in your line of work. Don`t give opinions on subjects that are not related to your field. Write your professional advice, the experience you had or a suggestion on a related topic.
4. Don`t overdo hashtags
A hashtag is Twitters child, but that doesn`t mean #you #should #tweet #like #this. It sounds unbelievable, but you should use one or two hashtags, at most three. That`s something experts recommend. Avoid misuse of hashtags aka overhashtag; it has adverse effects so don`t look like a beginner or spammer.
Also with overhashtag, you are wasting valuable space for quality tweets. It`s a good idea to have a unique hashtag for your brand.
5. Don`t exaggerate with sales promotions
As you could see at the beginning of this article, Twitter is a social network, and it`s not intended for sales. Also, it`s not the billboard to advertise your services or brand.
Twitter is much more complicated than that. Of course, you will promote your product or service on it but do it cleverly.
For example, if you are selling furniture, the lousy approach would be saying: “Hey buy this chair, it`s on discount.” Instead, ask if your followers like that chair and put #discount hashtag.
Also, do not fill your followers' inboxes with messages with sales offers. Somewhat sometimes, not too often, present your new products and ask for an opinion, whether they like it, etc. When you respect your followers, by offering an exciting content from your field you are making good ground to place your product successfully. That way they will be motivated and drawn to click on your website link and browse your offers. That way you can gain new customers and stimulate old ones. If they were showered with offers about your products, they would get bored and annoyed soon. Creativity plays a lead role here also wit and diversity. Don`t be afraid to be different, unique and exciting. Maintain your authenticity and originality.
Conclusion
When you start posting, follow these steps, soon followers will begin to amass, just go forward, don`t back down. Backing down means that Twitter will not grow on its own, you have to work on it every day. New fresh content, further information, tutorials, pictures, news, etc. There is a lot of material to choose from for your tweets so it will not take too much of your time. Try to develop a unique way of addressing your followers.
Try to post several times a day at specific intervals. Space them apart evenly. After all day of inactivity, don`t tweet all your posts at ones. Give your tweet some time. Try to be in touch with all the new things that are happening involving your brand or service and make sure you share it with your followers.
Research your competition and see if you can get some new ideas from it. Follow famous brands from your line of work and learn from the best.
Avoid grammatical mistakes in posts. Over time, you will get a clear picture what has a better impact and adjust your strategy to it. Good luck!
