In our last blog post, we discussed why B2B companies should have a social media presence and some of the benefits that result from social media engagement. As a follow up, we’ll be taking a deeper dive into the social media platforms you may want to consider building first for your organization starting with Twitter.
At first glance, building a presence on Twitter may sound like a waste of time, but by taking the proper steps, B2B companies can leverage Twitter to build brand awareness, establish themselves as a thought leader by posting valuable content and to build relationships with industry influencers. To help you get started on building your social media presence, we’ve put together a short guide on the basics of Twitter, and what you should do as you learn the ropes of tweeting.
Getting Started on Twitter
- Visit twitter.com and click “sign up” to get started on your desktop or mobile device
- To create your account, you’ll need to choose a handle. If available, try going with your company’s name or your full name if it’s a personal account you’d like to set up. If the handle is taken, consider abbreviating or adding numbers (for example, @launchmktg rather than @LaunchMarketing, or @JaneDoe85 instead of @JaneDoe).
- Upload a professional headshot or company logo for your profile picture and a wide image for your cover photo, if you’d like one.
- Write a brief bio describing your job role, company, and interests (for a personal Twitter) or the company’s brief mission statement (for an organization’s Twitter).
Twitter Terminology
Keep these terms in mind as you learn to navigate Twitter:
- Twitter handle: the unique username for your Twitter account
- Hashtag: The # symbol, followed immediately by a word, marks key words or topics in a tweet and connects that tweet to similar content.
- For example, including #marketing in a tweet ensures that people who search ‘#marketing’ will come across your tweet.
- Mentions: When one user includes another user’s handle in their tweet.
- If @JaneDoe tweets “Check out the @launchmktg blog!” she is mentioning Launch Marketing.
- Follower: A user who followers you on Twitter and will see your content on their Twitter feed.
- Retweet (or RT): A tweet from another account that you share with your followers
- Like: When you find content interesting, you can click the heart-shaped button to “like” the tweet.
- These tweets will then be visible under the “like” tab on your profile.
- Direct message (or DM): A message exchanged privately between accounts that follow each other.
How to Tweet
To compose a tweet, type the tweet in the text bar on the home page or click the top right button in the navigation bar. Keep in mind, all tweets must be under 140 characters. If possible, aim to tweet two to three times a day—in the morning, midday, and evening, and experiment with different posting times to determine when your audience is most active on Twitter.
To make a tweet more engaging, consider:
- Mentioning the brands and authors of 3rd party content you share
- Adding one or two relevant hashtags based on your industry
- Attaching an image to complement your tweet
Who to Follow
Start by researching and identifying popular influencers in your industry and follow influencers who have amassed a large follower base. Additionally, you can leverage the influencers you’ve identified and follow to retweet their content, and show your audience that your brand is in the know with the trending topics of your industry. You should also consider following partners, media outlets and publications (i.e. Mashable, Wired, TechCrunch, etc.).
You can also search through relevant hashtags to see who else is posting content in your industry. As a general rule of thumb, it is good Twitter etiquette to follow back people who follow you, if they’re posting similar content. The more interesting content you post that aims to educate, inform or entertain, the more likely people are to follow you and engage with your brand.
These tips will help you gain a larger social media following to promote your brand. Follow the Launch blog for more tips and advice on social media marketing. In our next blog post, we’ll discuss the steps your business needs to take to have an effective social media presence on LinkedIn.
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