Hello,

Twitter is one of the largest and most popular social media platforms; and holds exciting potential for marketing your brand.   With the high volume of existing and prospective customers, a business needs to understand the best practices for Twitter.  Below, Astir has outlined five of the best marketing practices for optimizing your corporate Twitter profile.

1 - Follow... and be followed.

Every business is concerned about how far their message will resonate within social media platforms.  On Twitter, the reach of your brand can be measured by the number of followers your company attracts.  Followers are an excellent indicator of how attention grabbing your Twitter profile is.  While there are many theories behind gaining followers, one of the simplest tactics to employ is to be the first to follow.  This is an often overlook strategy, but following those with similar messages, interests, and solution sets can open the floodgates for your Twitter profile to be noticed... and followed.

This is a very straight forward, and eloquent concept that is akin to complementing someone.  Complimenting someone else's brand will often lead to them complimenting yours.  Following like minded Twitter profiles can open a window to prospective and current customers, potential partners, etc.

2 - It's all in the Headline.

The Headline is an incredibly useful tool on twitter; and the first segment of your text the target population will read.  The use of attention grabbing and entertaining headlines are a great way to attract readers to your content.  Having headlines that are not only relevant to your brand, but relevant to your target populations can help you interact and connect with readers.  Some great examples of headlines that are sure to grab attention include lists, information and advice from influential figures, and "how to" articles.

3 - Look the Part.

There are occasions where having the best content may not always have the desired effect.  The visual elements of your corporate Twitter profile are as important as your content; and are critical to success.  Make sure you have filled out your profile bio, and make sure that your profile picture and cover photo is representative of your brand.  The visual elements of a Twitter profile are often the first thing noticed by readers; so they must be clean and precise.  These visual elements also encompass the content of your Tweets, which should also be concise.  Utilize tools such as www.tinyurl.com to shorten links... saving space for the ever important hash tag.

 4 - Define your Goals.

Like any other aspect of your business, social media usage must have a proper strategy.  The first step is to define what it is you wish to accomplish.  This may include the marketing of a specific product, the increase of website traffic, or strengthening the awareness of your brand.  You should establish your tone as professional, casual (funny when appropriate,) and continuously adjust based upon the response of your target audience.

5 - Just keep Tweeting.

The Twitter social media platform is unique in how it delivers content.  Twitter users can offer followers small amounts of content at a high frequency.  The ideal frequency has been listed as around 3-4 tweets per day, in addition to responding to external interactions.  Tweeting 3 to 4 times a day can help you spread your content in the most efficient manner possible; and help capture the attention of a large number of twitter users.

SEM, SEO Twitter, Tweet, SEO, SEM