Small Business Owner vs. Entrepreneur
In my reading about small business success, I often come across two terms that seem…
4 Tips to Using Twitter Effectively
I’m going to start this post assuming you already know what Twitter is, why you would want to use it and the very basics of how to navigate around. Despite the fact that many people use Twitter, not all are using it to their fullest potential.
1. Use Hashtags
You might be wondering what a hashtag is. They the odd looking words you see that start with #. For example, if you were browsing Twitter the night of Whitney Houston’s death you might have seen #whitney floating around in a tweet or two. The reason people include the hastags is basically to tag a tweet with the subject content. There’s really no rules when it comes to hashtags, no conventions to follow. One important thing to keep in mind is that the hashtag is one word. For example “#whitney houston” only results in a hashtag of #whitney (without her last name).
So why do these matter? Let’s pretend you have a small pet boutique on Main Street and there is an upcoming parade. You can tweet about the sale for parade goers and tag the parade name to publicize the message to anyone searching about the parade.
2. Acknowledge Others
This may sound like a funny concept to apply to Twitter, but it’s very important. Twitter is by definition a social media platform and therefor the “social” aspect of it needs to be at the forefront. Did a customer deliver treats to your veterinary office? Did your IT provider help save the day? Tweet about these things. If it’s possible, directly refer to the person or the company by using “@TwitterName” in the tweet. They will be more likely to retweet or acknowledge your business. The additional bonus is that you will also be showing your character to future customers.
3. Use a Social Media Manager
Whether it’s TweetDeck, HootSuite or Soobees using a social media manager will simplify your social media life (after you get around the learning curve). These tools will help make sure you don’t miss anything essential. It’s also useful for making announcements at specific times. For example, if you’re a gourmet food truck you can use these tools to announce your location or daily specials. Schedule them for the week and you won’t have to worry about forgetting.
4. Tweet Regularly
I know that everyone hears this often, but it truly is essential. I’m not saying that you need to tweet multiple times a day. You just need to be consistent. Posting five times a day for a couple weeks and then disappearing for months will sink your reputation. You’ll lose followers.
