We’re all familiar with that Hamlet quote: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” When it comes
to social media, Polonius’s words surely refer to Twitter.
Twitter gives its users a scant 140 characters for each
message. Polonius would have been fine, by the way: His statement above is 27
characters. What does this limitation mean for small businesses?
Beyond the character count, there is much more to do with
Twitter and much more Twitter can do for you.
Getting started
Key in Twitter’s “Twitter for Small Business” PDF and
the piece of advice offered most in Small Business Trends’ “137 Twitter Tips: How Small Businesses Get the Most from Twitter”
was to “lurk and listen.” Find the leaders in your field and watch their
tweets. What are they doing well? What mistakes are they making?
Jen Harris (@JenHarris09) of Caffeinated Marketing,
in “137 Twitter Tips,” recommended a short Twitter handle. Not only is a long
user name hard on the eyes and the fingers; it also takes up characters of your
followers’ cherished 140 when they send you a tweet.
Twitter for Small Business breaks a Twitter profile down
into its basic anatomy. Lest you lose business — or worse: look like a spammer
— make sure you have these Twitter profile body parts: an image that best
represents your business, a clear and informative bio segment, a link to your
website, and maybe a custom background for your Web-based Twitter home. Freelance Folder’s “21 Freelancing Social Media Faux Pas” adds
that a way to contact you is helpful.
If you think you’ll use Twitter for more than
business, go ahead and create two separate accounts, personal and professional,
and keep them that way. Ideen blogged about this previously,
and Small Business Trends agrees.
Etiquette
To channel Polonius: Everything you do on Twitter represents
your brand. (Fifty-one characters.) But we have more to get into here.
Freelance Folder reminds us that although social media
requires little or no cost and a minimal time commitment, it shouldn’t be taken
lightly. A few no-nos from Freelance Folder: an unprofessional image or no
image at all, typos in your bio, excessive automation, obscenity, lack of
activity, and not responding to tweets addressing you directly.
Editing is key, even for only 140 characters. Be
professional and knowledgeable, instead of perceived as a 13-year-old girl
texting her friends. Small Business Trends stresses the professionalism of
thinking before you post. Would-be followers are turned off by ignorance,
irrelevance, and rudimentary errors.
Sending direct messages automatically to new followers is
spammy and impersonal, and users can’t reply if the sender does not follow
them.
Another oft-mentioned suggestion from professionals on
Twitter via “137 Twitter Tips” was to use Twitter to build relationships rather
than using it for selling. Focus on customer service, chat participants, said.
Along those lines, Twitter for Small Business reminds small
businesses to reply to tweets directed at them — and to know when the take the
conversation off the social network. Is there too much back-and-forth on your
timeline? Are topics too specific? Send a direct message to a follower who
needs your help, asking him for contact information so you can better resolve
his issue.
Engagement
Twitter makes it easy to filter tweets via hashtags and to
use its search box. Mashable’s “5 Advanced Twitter Tips for Your Small Business” suggests Topsy.com, for real-time searches of the social Web. Topsy is
especially useful for mutations of your business’s name (e.g., omitting an
apostrophe, a misspelling, etc.). Don’t be afraid to reply to relevant messages.
Twitter for Small Business recommends asking a question and
answering it with a link. This is a way around longer messages and directs
traffic to your business’s site of choice: a blog entry, a menu, etc.
Sample tweet: “What are the top 10 autumn cupcakes at Baked
Alaksa? Yourlinkhere.com/10-autumn-cupcakes”
If you’re keeping score at home, that tweet was 87
characters.
Twitter for Small Business suggests the traditional media
for following and retweeting: Follow reporters and news outlets covering your
areas. Their content could be of interest to your readers, and mentioning their
accounts provides attribution and gets you on their radar. Some reporters might
even follow you back.
Likewise, Twitter for Small Business reminds you of the
social media resources right under your nose. Are your employees tweeting? If
their content meshes with your goals and messages, retweet or mention them.
This shows the human aspect of your business and can provide glimpses of
behind-the-scenes action your followers won’t get elsewhere.
One of the most mentioned tips in “137 Twitter Tips” is to
set specific times for interacting on Twitter — and to limit your time, too.
Otherwise, you’ll spend hours responding, searching, filtering, retweeting.
It’s easy to get in too deep. Remember one of your basic tenets for success in
business: time management. Apply it to social media too. In fact, you can
schedule your tweets ahead of time with programs like TweetDeck and
TweetLater.com.
Media Bistro has this infographic for you with daily and weekly Twitter checklists. One bit of warning here:
Following 10 new people per week without a similar growth in your own followers
can make you look like a spammer.
What if users can’t find your account or don’t even know you
use Twitter? Both “137 Twitter Tips” and “Twitter for Small Business” stress
promoting your handle everywhere: website, e-mail signature, business cards,
and even your company vehicle.
Twitter for Small Business put the company name, its Web
address, and its handle (@TwitterSmallBiz) on the bottom of each page of its report. Twitter practices what it
preaches.
Before we move on to the final segment, let’s quickly
discuss syncing accounts across social media platforms.
Although a convenient “post to all” option may seem great,
what it really does is show your users your preference for one platform over
another. A tweet sending your followers to Facebook to see photos makes them
wonder why they are bothering with you on Twitter.
Remember the character limit on Twitter? What’s short enough
for Twitter might not be catchy enough for Facebook, and what is catchy enough
for Facebook is likely too long for a tweet. Here is your new mantra: Think
before you sync.
Measuring
It almost couldn’t be easier.
First up, Mashable’s list lobs a giant softball your way
with Bitly. A free Bitly account allows you to create custom URLs
(bit.ly/fallcupcakes is better than bit.ly/asdfP3) and to track how many people
have clicked your link with a simple addition of a + at the end of your link.
You can knock that one out of the park.
Without fail, Twitter for Small Business has an original
idea: Create Twitter-only promotions.
Twitter for Small Business also offers up a common-sense
measurement: Are people tweeting at you? Are they retweeting you? How many
followers do you have?
You could, of course, also just flat-out ask your customers
if they follow you on Twitter. Old-fashioned word-of-mouth can play a part in
your digital presence, too.
Finally, remember that every little tweet contributes to
your big picture: Work through your Twitter strategy before you dive in and
tackle getting started, etiquette, engagement, and measuring for your business.
