In short, The lifeblood of X (Twitter) is ‘Tweets’. These short messages (up to 140 characters long) are quick to write, read and accessible anywhere. X (Twitter) is defined as a real-time information network. Anyone can post, view, and share messages (Tweets). You can follow people, groups or themes you are interested in and you can build a community of people that follow you. A follower will see all of your Tweets in their timeline.
Why are businesses using it?
X (Twitter) – when used well – is a brilliant tool for businesses. It can be utilised in many ways – including:
Sharing offers/product news quickly
Building relationships with your customers
Gathering market insight
And SEO (search engine optimisation) – Google loves X (Twitter) and when used well it can help your search engine visibility
The X (Twitter) jargon
What is:
A ‘Mention’? My user name is @SamElevate. If someone wants to mention me in a Tweet they include @SamElevate. An example would be ‘Great job on the new website @SamElevate’. I would then be notified of that mention.
A ‘Retweet’? If you see a Tweet you like you can push the Retweet button bellow it. That will then share that Tweet with your followers. Note – people like being Retweeted – so you can build bridges this way.
A ‘Direct Message’? To send a private Tweet to an individual you can start your Tweet with DM or D. An example is ‘DM @SamElevate – sorry about your late delivery’.
A ‘Hashtag’? If you place a hashtag (that is a #) before a word you have categorised it. I often Tweet about #socialmedia. Note – if you put a # before a subject that you wish to categorise then no spaces should appear, i.e., #social media is wrong – it should be #socialmedia.
What should you do with X (Twitter)?
Set the tone.
Make sure your business’s tone on X (Twitter) is in tandem with your core values and the marketing tone you wish to set elsewhere.
Listen
Be aware of what is being said about your business and engage with it before acting. Remember – Listen, Engage, Act.
Share
Drip feeds your followers valuable updates, insights, and information about your business.
Research
Learn from your followers and the wider audience. You can get real time valuable feedback on an idea, project, piece of marketing or product. It’s a focus group at your fingertips.
Respond and reward
You can respond to feedback about your business in real time. You can also reward individuals or followers with discounts, offers or time sensitive deals.
Retweet
Engage your customers and followers by Retweeting a good post by them. Remember – people like to be Retweeted.
Display leadership
Share industry news and topical information as it unfolds.
Successful Businesses do this
Customise it.
Change your background to represent your brand and provide contact information.
Build a following.
Have a memorable ID, follow people who interest you/share your interest, get to know the people following you (read their bios), use Tweetdeck.com to manage your following, add your X (Twitter) ID to your other signatures, and promote others – we love being Retweeted.
So is there etiquette?
In short – absolutely. This will help:
Don’t send anyone’s personal information on X (Twitter) (phone numbers etc).
Don’t criticise anyone on X (Twitter) – it is public and embarrassing for the victim
If you want someone’s attention then direct message them (D) – note you can only do this if they are following you
Don’t have multiple Tweet conversations with an individual in public. People will get bored of you and stop following you
Thank any new followers you receive