Member Article

Confused about Twitter? Let's go back to the basics

With 271 million monthly active users sending 500 million tweets per day, it is not surprising that Twitter is at the forefront of social media marketing. Both professionals and brands use tweeting as a tool to position themselves as leaders in their field, exchanging articles, publishing news and relaying views on topics and trends of importance to them and their customers.

For many professionals and businesses, using Twitter has now become second nature, but for some it can be quite daunting and a bit of a minefield to manage. I regularly come across users that either don’t know how to navigate Twitter or are confused how to use it as part of their PR strategy.

So let’s go over the basics to help you become an effective tweeter:

1. Be clear about who you are: Generally there three types of Twitter users – individuals for personal use, professionals and businesses. It is important to decide which one of the three you want to be before you set up your profile so other users can easily identify and follow you. Your username and bio will be really helpful in helping to position you so be careful when choosing it. Good usernames are usually very simple such as @richardbranson or there are others that can help identify your occupation and employer, such as @NECCRoss. Your bio will vary depending on the message you want to portray, but if it is professional make sure you include your expertise, job title and a reference to your company Twitter profile (subject to employer permission of course as some may have restrictions).
2. Upload a good profile picture: Your profile picture should be a head shot that will easily identify you. A professional image is always good and should be used if your employer allows it. Do not use the standard Twitter egg image that Twitter provides you as this will put users off following or interacting with you!
3. Be a strategic follower: Think about your professional brand – who should you be following? For a PR professional it would be PR and marketing industry magazines, regional media, connections within companies, influencers, networking groups and clients to name but a few. Be strategic in who you follow so you can start building awareness amongst your followers and target users who you want to follow you!
4. It’s all about the hashtag: Once you start tweeting, it is important use hashtags to build interaction with other users who are having similar conversations. You will find that there are hashtags for everything from TV shows to adverts, events, products and even political campaigns. You can get involved in conversations about any subject and even build a marketing campaign using your own hashtag!
5. Interact: Talking to your audience on a regular basis is vital in helping you build followers and profile on Twitter. Get involved in conversations, retweet, favourite and tweet content regularly that is of value to your target audience.

Many brands have adhered to these basic rules of Twitter and are reaping the benefits so why can’t you? Now it is time to get tweeting …

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by KD Communications .