Who are you talking to?
Don't start tweeting without figuring out who your target market is. Are you talking to men, women, or both? How old are they? What are their likes and dislikes? What benefit are you providing to them? Answering these questions will help set the stage.
What do you want them to do?
The number one thing you want them to do is engage! This can mean retweeting, favoriting tweets, tweeting @ your account, visiting your website, learning more, introducing them to your brand. Each of these things may eventually lead to your followers becoming clients.
What do you want to share with them?
The most important thing to know about sharing information on twitter is that you want to share timely and relevant content with your followers. This doesn't mean you can't be silly now and then (see the below tweet by ModCloth, a clothing retailer), but you generally want to cater to your audience. Relevant articles from trusted authorities, informative how-to videos, product photos, and funny jokes are all great to include in your daily tweeting regimen.
Tweets with rich media content (photos, videos, and article snippets) often get two or three times the engagement as regular tweets. Since Twitter doesn't automatically allow rich media in tweets, you will have to use a few workarounds here. Sign up for TwitPic and share YouTube videos under "Share This Video" by clicking the Twitter icon and following prompts.
What are Hashtags?
A hashtag is a word or set of words preceded by a pound sign, such as #socialmedia. Add them to your tweets to join a conversation on that topic!
How Often Do I Tweet?
Start out by tweeting 5 times per day. As you get more familiar with the platform, try different numbers and consult your analytics to determine the optimum number of tweets per day.
How Do I Deal with Negative Tweets?
Not everyone will be a happy customer. Try to deal with these tweets by tweeting back at them immediately and directing them to an email address, live chat, phone number, or other forum for someone to address their complaint. Always stay polite and professional!
Good luck in the Twitterverse - we're rooting for you. Happy tweeting!
