Twitter campaigns

Use it well

However complicated it may seem when you first log on to your new account, Twitter is a simple platform. Remember these tips to keep it simple:

• You can write 140-character updates that will be seen by your followers and watch a stream of comments left by people you follow.

• To direct a comment at a specific follower, simply prefix their name with “@” -- for example, “@ kevgibbo + your message.”

• Send a direct message by prefixing a name with a “d”. For example: “d kevgibbo + your message.” A direct message is only seen by you and the recipient.

• Twitter has also created the hashtag: #. This allows people to conduct simple searches and see what people are saying about a topic. For example, #Ireland, #summerfestivals and so on.

Build a strategy

Before you begin investing time and energy in Twitter, sit down and work out what you want it to do. Using Twitter only because everyone else is using it won’t win you success.

Ask yourself, do you want to build small scale relationships or market a major brand? Do you intend to actually drive business using your Twitter account or simply drive people to your website?

Unless you know your goals, you won’t be able to measure your success.

Look professional

Before you start using your Twitter account, make sure it looks professional. Update your biography and add the company logo as an avatar. An avatar is a visual representation of you or your business. It could be a logo or some other brand image.

The first interaction some consumers will have with your brand will be via Twitter, so make sure it looks as professional as your website and business.

Search for mentions

Monitor Twitter for mentions of your brand, products, staff members, or indeed any terms that people might conceivably use to reference you. Twitter will present you with any specific mentions of your account name, but you can also run searches.

Using software like TweetDeck or Hootsuite allows you to set up permanent searches and to obtain relevant tweets as they happen.

Always reply

You are using Twitter in order to have conversations with people. If there’s a positive mention of your brand, thank the person who made it. If it’s negative, then apply positive customer service tactics and address the problem - often a positive resolution can turn a critic into a fan.

If someone asks a question, answer it. Be as polite on Twitter as you would be when dealing with people in person.

Don't spam

Several brands have failed with Twitter because they don’t really understand how people use it. The platform is social. If you are intrusive, you will alienate the people you want to win over.
 
Tweet links to blog posts, comments, thoughts, questions, and even special offers now and again. But don’t simply pour out sales pitches. People won’t follow you, and anyone encountering your tweets will soon get irritated with you and your brand.
 
Following thousands of people to try and build your own follower numbers is also a questionable tactic, even if you aren’t sending them sales pitches. Avoid, in favour of forming fewer, more authentic connections with key individuals. 

Don't automate

Twitter needs to be personalised - it’s all about quality, not quantity. Personable, social tweeting takes time, there's no way to avoid it.

The quality of your tweets will be rewarded, whereas quantity alone will gain you a bad reputation. By auto-following new followers, lazily retweeting mentions, and automatically tweeting blog posts, you may have a working Twitter account, but it won’t be working well.

Provide value

Why should people follow you on Twitter? What will they get out of it? Whether it’s humorous tweets, inspired analysis and tips, links to fascinating blog posts, breaking industry news or discount vouchers, you must add value to their Twitter experience. Otherwise you’re spamming and you’ll struggle to gain any followers.

Write retweetable Tweets

You may only have a few followers at first. But if your followers retweet your posts to their followers, this will spread the word about your brand. If your tweets are valuable enough, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Make it easy for people to retweet. Keep your comment as short as possible because, when people retweet it, they will have to add “RT username” at the start. If you’ve used all 140 characters, then people will have to edit your words or chop off the link or, even worse, use the new retweet button.

Avoid mistakes

Get it wrong on Twitter and you risk a storm of mockery, especially if your brand is well known. Remember, if a disgruntled employee tweets something abusive from your corporate account, it could be retweeted hundreds of thousands of times before the company even knows it’s happened. Even a small brand that tweets too intrusively will find that recipients complain to their followers.
 
When you work out your strategy, work out some ground rules and make sure that everyone using your account understands them. (Source: Gibbons, K; 10 things you need to know to get started on Twitter.)