Real You: Are you engaging your Tweeps?

Posted on | December 12, 2008 |

By Kaira Sturdivant Rouda    

     I have officially jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. As a newbie to Twitter, I have spent hours reading articles and reviewing how companies are using Twitter to build their brands and interact with their consumers. Through this process, I have picked up a few tips: 

• Learn how to communicate. Yes, this is a new world of communication and etiquette. Generally there are two types of Twitter users: responders and broadcasters. And occasionally these two groups don’t get along. However, for your company to effectively reach your target audience and build brand awareness and loyalty, you must base your tweets around a combination of the two forms of messaging. Start a conversation. Does your company have a new quiz or blog or article that your audience would be interested in? Tweet it! Just don’t become too self-serving. And always respond to people who direct message you. Be conversational. 
   
• Establish your expertise. While your company may be the leader in its field, it is still important to establish your expertise with tweeters. This does not mean you should go around bragging, but start helping your consumers on Twitter. Answer their questions and give them feedback. It’s the best way to create a relationship. Relating your tweets to your expertise will also help funnel your followers. 
   
• Search. In establishing your brand’s expert advice, h option is the best tool. If you are a marketing firm or company, search for “branding”, “marketing” and “business tools”. These will bring up users who have posted tweets regarding those topics. From there, join the conversation-start answering their questions and leaving comments. This will increase your brand exposure. Also incorporating keywords into your posts will help tweeters find you.   
   
• Use badges. Twitter has provided users the option to create badges and automatic updates that can be placed on other social media sites including MySpace, Blogger, Facebook, TypePad and more. Incorporating this badge feature into your company website, blog and other social media pages will help people find you and be able to connect with you in a more interactive, conversational way. Implementing this feature will increase the likelihood that your target audience will start following your company on Twitter, making it easier to target and interact with them. Below are examples of the Twitter badge and automatic Facebook status update. 

• Remember your voice. When creating a brand profile on Twitter or any other social media account, be sure the Twitter voice is consistent with your brand voice. Customize the background of your Twitter profile, and make sure to include a photo. Your profile should be honest, open and personal. Don’t act as a large corporate promotion; be personable. And above all, be real! We all know consumers can spot a fake.  

     For more on Twitter, check out: How to be a Twitter all-star. And please join me on Twitter and Facebook. If you have any advice for using Twitter for your brand, I’d love to hear it! 

Kaira Sturdivant Rouda is the author of Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs and is looking forward to reading your Tweets.

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