“I refresh Twitter as thoughtlessly as some twirl their hair.“
So your small or medium sized enterprise is on Twitter but you don’t know how to utilise it efficiently in order to get the results and attention it deserves. Here are 10 quick tips that can help you gauge interaction, engagement and those invaluable re-tweets.
But firstly lets start with the stats or reasons behind using Twitter as a social media platform, as mentioned by Jolene Slow in the we are social guide picture below.
So let’s get too it, here are the 10 top tips from a budding businessman :
1. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE:The first tip is to know what exactly you wish to achieve by using Twitter to boost your company. You have to sell your business but you also need to start with a purpose in mind and strategically decide how you intend to increase engagement on Twitter. Are you going to use Twitter to sell, provide customer service, build relationships or to push your brand? Having a clear vision helps you to plan for the future and keeps your eye on the ball!
2.KEEP IT SIMPLE : According to Dick Costolo who has been at the helm of Twitter Inc. since 2010 in an article in the Wall Street Journal online, he states that “because of the 140 character constraint, users have created this remarkable language that allows them to communicate among groups of people in that 140 characters. But that remarkable language is super hard to understand for people just coming in.”
http://bit.ly/12BZRc7
3.KEENLY LISTEN TO YOUR AUDIENCE : : Actively and keenly listening to your audience puts you in a better position to speak to them in a way that makes them care more and want to engage with you. It is empirical to listen out for what they are saying about other brands and competitors and use that knowledge to gain a competitive advantage.
http://bit.ly/121hq4t
4.DELIVER VALUE TO YOUR AUDIENCE: An article on Social media examiner indicated that “the more value you offer, the more the community seeks you out”, which is a very true and useful piece of information going forward for your business. It shows you care about your audience, listen to their feedback and their needs and deliver that to them.
5.BE RELIABLE, PERSONAL AND CONVINCING:
Talk to your Twitter audience the 
way you would talk with people in real life, so that you portray that you are an approachable person just like them and not simply a faceless organisation out for itself. A good way to portray that you’re as approachable as possible is to share your perspectives and thoughts with your audience so that they can relate and empathise with you.
6.DEVELOP YOUR OWN ACCENT:This is all about the voice you have through the Twitter platform and the personality you reveal. If your voice is consistent and unique, this will inspire active dialogue from your audience. The image below from social media explorer amplifies what kind of social media brand voice could best boost your company’s audience.
7.HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH PEOPLE :Twitter’s unique structure is built around dialogue – so take advantage of it! Twitter isn’t about advertising, it’s about conversation, so talk about the things that are of interest and are relevant to your followers to keep them engaged.
8. “THINK BEFORE YOU INK (TWEET)”:
Its a big world out there and by posting something on the internet you are speaking to the whole wide world. All it takes is one person to spot something that could be misconstrued and interpreted in a negative and damaging way. Misleading screenshots and reposts can harm your business, just like tabloids twist things to defame certain individuals. In terms of negative, unfavourable comments about your company, taking a restaurant for example, if a customer severely criticises the food or a meal, the worst thing you can do is to reply straight away because you may be angry and say something rash that you soon regret.
Just ask this GAA player who has been banned for 48 weeks over a tweet in this link.
9. GIVE YOUR TWEETS A HELPING HAND: Use added media such as images or short videos to support your tweets and attract people’s attention because images have colour and people will want to know what’s in video’s. Secondly hash tags help your tweets show upmore easily in searches.
10.TRACK PROGRESS, EVALUATE AND EVOLVE:
http://bit.ly/1FUAqAo
Use additional media such as images or short videos to support your tweets and attract people’s attention. Images have vibrant colours and people will be intrigued to know the videos contents, assuming the caption is captivating in some way. Also use hash tags! These help boost your tweets, making them show up more often and more easily in searches.
So there are my ten tips, I hope they will help you run your business and capture those valuable customers! I end on a video.
I end on a video.
Over and out,
Fergal
Fergal Duffy Digital Blogger 