I just had to repost a bit from this great primer from MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog. Tremendous information if you’re looking to use Twitter specifically to engage your users with your business or brand. Read the full article here – but here’s a taste:
1. Define What You Will Contribute – This isn’t Forrest Gump speaking, and social media is not about what “Yer gonna git” it’s about the value you plan to add, how you will contribute and what you’re giving to others.
- Commitment – This isn’t like taking out a billboard. Once you decide to establish yourself on Twitter, you’re there for the long-haul – unless you want to break relationships with the network you’ve built.
- Engagement – Twitter is about conversation, and it’s ongoing. Once you’re in it, you need to figure out how to stay engaged at the appropriate level. That means tweeting enough to engage your network, and figuring out how you’ll follow up once a campaign is over.
- Accessibility – The more highly engaged we are with our networks, the stronger those networks and relationships become. People need to know others are listening and responding proactively. Therefore Twitter demands daily (at least on business days) oversight, monitoring and response. Active engagement on Twitter may alternate days — depending on the size of the business and its network. Whatever the case, consistency is critical, and being agile and flexible to respond to inquiries and issues that may arise in a timely manner reflects positively on the brand.
Value – Build social equity by focusing tweets to provide value to your network. Sometimes, service and responsiveness to individuals is enough. But you can also use Twitter to provide value in other ways. Consider the following:
- Brand-relevant service updates (e.g. bug fixes, service/outage notifications, sales)
- Tips, tricks, links to cool stuff (e.g. downloads, fixes, expert knowledge)
- Insider knowledge (releases, launches, alpha tests)
- Good will (charity, fundraising, donations)
- Schwag (goodies, etc.)
There are another 9 tips at the site, so stop for a minute….take 10 minutes out of your life before you send that tweet about your 20% off sale on used tires and damaged fruit. Think about what YOU bring to the table and how you can engage. But read the article first.
