In terms of social media platforms, Twitter is the least talked about or understood in Australia. However, like all social media platforms, Twitter can be a very effective tool for building brand success.
The platform allows you to reach a wide audience quickly with what is called “tweets”. These “tweets” are a type of microblogs and are short, 140-character posts that cater for quick, succinct real-time conversations.
Incorporating the brand
Incorporating the brand when setting up a Twitter account is the first step. This is as simple as using the name and logo of the brand as the twitter username and picture. This is important as followers can then identify the brand easily.
Also, include a relevant cover photo, this can be something other than the logo but should still be on-brand. Identify any relevant links such as a website or other social media pages and finally, include a bio that describes the brand, defines its key purpose or values and uses the brand voice.
Twitter activity
Because Twitter is all about real-time conversations, active brands are the most successful on this platform. Posting regularly throughout the day or actively engaging in conversations on other profiles, is the best way to build your brand. As a good rule of thumb, tweeting 10 – 20 times a day keeps the brand significant in Twitter streams. The more consistent you are the better results you’ll get.
For new brands, it‘s best to interact with the platform as regularly as possible. Connecting with other users will grow the brand faster. As a new brand, this means spending time on the platform rather than planning and scheduling content as you want to be involved and engaged with relevant real time conversations as they are happening.
For more established brands it’s about maintaining relationships. This can be 20 – 30 minutes daily and with the option to schedule content across the day.
Everything you post should add value. Whether this is providing useful information about products and services or links to relevant blogs and websites. Be authentic and provide information appropriate and useful to your audience.
Be a part of the conversation
To be successful on Twitter is to be involved. Being a part of the conversation is the best way to stay relevant and visible to followers. How do you do that you ask? It’s as simple as following and engaging with the right people and streams. Our suggestions:
- Follow active users – follow other relevant users who are actively interacting with you
- Follow leaders – follow key influencers and peers in your industry
- Join Twitter chats – join active chats and be expanded by their community
There are many ways to be active and involved on Twitter but doing these three simple things is a great way to get started in the Twitterverse.
Advantages of blogs and videos
Twitter is designed for short and sharp content. This is great for getting involved in conversations, engaging followers and keeping your brand relevant. However, this format can make it hard to showcase the brand and what you do in more depth. Having a blog is a great way to take advantage of the Twitter platform while still showcasing the brand in more detail.
A blog adds context, content and weight to your brand and is great for highlighting expertise in a particular area and diving deep into a concept or product you’re passionate about.
Another way to add to your Twitter content while still keeping in the tweet theme is by incorporating images and videos into your posts. A picture tells a thousand words and when using a medium like Twitter that has limited word counts, using this content can be very useful. Videos, in particular, stand out and they are a great way to show off your brand without using words. You can use these to highlight staff stories, events, locations, products or as a way to be more personal such as tailoring responses to followers through a video message.
Twitter is different from other forms of social media and requires a different type of content. This content is more immediate, shorter in format, and tailored for real-time responses.
Not sure if this is for you? Get in contact with the team at Purple Giraffe today and we’ll help you get started.
