Twitter 101

Created that company twitter account but not sure where to go with it from here? Here's our handy guide to Twitter.

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!

Business Tweets Become Personal

Exciting news was released by Twitter this week for our business tweets. Currently in beta testing for some users, business tweets will now contain the “contributors” of the tweets from the organization. For example, tweets from Ten Golden Rules would now contain who in the organization sent the tweet via the byline. This is a neat feature because it gives tweets a more personal touch from the business perspective. It is also helpful to understand who and how different members of the organization communicate. You may enjoy or dislike tweets from specific individuals of companies and you can now decipher the author more precisely.


This feature is being rolled out in phases. I feel every opportunity to make a Company feel more authentic is a positive thing. A great aspect of social media is that it has the potential to give the corporate face a more genuine and tangible relationship. By human nature we have a desire for a personal connection. Have you ever visited a restaurant and asked the server his or her opinion on an entrée? That real and truthful response [be it positive OR not] makes the situation feel that much more authentic. I really appreciate the honesty when the server recommends against something I have chosen. In the same with social media and business tweets, consumers appreciate that human connection.

Do you see this feature as beneficial or do you feel it isn’t very necessary?