By not properly setting up your Twitter profile you’re leaving growth opportunities on the table.
Every marketer knows the importance of having a diverse social media presence by now, but what remains a challenge for many businesses is the proper implementation of each individual social network to yield the desired results.
Merely having an account that posts with regularity isn’t enough if you actually want to see the positive movement required to justify your efforts.
While opinions vary, it’s fair to say that of all the social networks, Twitter might be the hardest one to crack.
If you’ve ever started a Twitter account for personal use, you probably know this firsthand. There is a lot going on on Twitter at any given moment and it’s easy to get swept away in users’ timelines like you just dipped your leg in a raging river.
A little dramatic, maybe, but one would be hard pressed arguing against the claim that the hardest part of mastering Twitter is actually getting people to notice you.
It’s very easy to get the feeling you’re just talking to yourself. But, if you’ve found that your Twitter efforts aren’t going as well as you hoped, there are steps you can take to attract more eyeballs to your profile.
Like with all things in the social and search space, content can be optimized to improve your reach. Especially your Google+ page.
Yes, your Twitter profile definitely qualifies as being included under the content umbrella. You’re using carefully selected words and images to draw attention to your brand. The choices you make will affect how people interact with your account and how many.
If that sounds like a lot of work, truth be told Twitter does take a fair amount of dedication. That’s why many business owners prefer to get help with their Twitter marketing strategy rather than get bogged down in the details of it. Sometimes partnering with an agency on these kinds of initiatives makes more organizational sense.
This may lead you to wonder if investing time and money into Twitter is even worth the effort.
Let’s take a look back to Twitter’s infancy and what some professional early adopters were saying about the service when Twitter still seemed new and strange. You’ll find that what they found still holds true, if not more so now that the platform has matured and more people are actively using it.
Why are we even on Twitter?
Back in 2008, which makes one feel old here in 2017, business owners wondered if this new social platform still in its infancy was worth the time to get involved with. Copyblogger rounded up some opinions from marketing professionals and business executives who all answered with a resounding “yes” when asked about if they were finding value in Twitter.
One particularly interesting quote came from CEO of Zappos.com, Tony Hsieh who succinctly described the real value of using Twitter:
“We’ve found that Twitter has been a great way for us to connect on a more personal level with our employees and customers. We use it to help build our brand, not drive direct sales. It’d be like asking how does providing a telephone number for customer service translate into new business when they are mostly non-sales-related calls. In the long term, Twitter helps drive repeat customers and word of mouth, but we’re not looking to it as a way of driving immediate sales.”
You can’t describe the value of the platform better than that. Now, here’s how you can get more out of it.
Use your photo space wisely
We are increasingly becoming a visual culture. We’re going to explore that a bit more in the next point. But let’s focus on two important profile elements that tie into emphasizing the visual: your profile picture and cover photo (or banner, if you prefer).
Having a good profile picture is a fairly obvious tip. It’s the “face” of your business. A high-resolution rendering of your logo would be most appropriate here. But it’s your cover photo that you should pay special attention to because there are many things you can do with it.
An attractive image helps, but it’s a great attention grabbing space to advertise upcoming events, promote a new product, emphasize a hashtag you’re trying to get momentum behind or make a statement that adds personality to your brand. However you choose to use it is up to your discretion, but make sure you’re making the most out of the space.
Also, be sure to update it on time. Nothing looks worse than an advertisement for a promotion that ended last month.
Also be sure that use an image with the proper resolution and color scheme. A pixelated, washed out looking image in an attention-grabbing spot like a banner can make your profile look unprofessional. You may even want to use modified stock photos if you can’t come up with your own assets.
Be strategic with your profile information
Every blank field for you to fill out on your profile is an opportunity. As you know, Twitter is all about limitations. Brevity is rewarded, if not enforced.
You have 15 characters to play with when creating your Twitter handle. Keep it simple. Ideally, your entire company name should fit here. If not, the most identifiable part should make the cut. Remember, think of your handle like a keyword.
Speaking of keywords, you should always perform marketing with SEO in mind. To that end, be aware that your Twitter bio is recognized by Google as a meta description and will be displayed in the SERPs accordingly. You have 160 characters to use.
If appropriate, try throwing in a couple hashtags you want to be associated with. It’ll help in search. You may want to make a quick mention of the latest thing you’re advertising.
As for other information, of course, you must include the URL for your website in the website field. And make sure your location is accurate.
Post more images
While text is fine, if you really want to extend your reach, you should get into the habit of tweeting more images. Images get retweeted 35% more often than simple text tweets. Be creative. Even if your message is best shared with words, try to incorporate a graphic as well.
The more retweets, the more diverse of an audience you’ll reach.
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The pinned tweet
The pinned tweet, the perma-tweet that sits at the top of your profile timeline, is another piece of prime screen real estate that you shouldn’t put just any old content into. We know images get more engagement, so go ahead and include an image in your pinned tweet.
This is going to be a space where you want to push conversions, so include a call to action and a link (via a link shortener) to the product or service you are currently focusing on. If you can fit a popular hashtag in there too, even better. But don’t force one in there if it’s unnatural.
Getting results
Getting the most out of your Twitter presence means having at least one person on your team focused solely on it. Due to the nature of the platform, it’s easy to get lost in the noise if you’re not constantly on top of trending topics and responding to direct messages or tweets.
That’s the nature of social. That’s why if you don’t have the resources or time to manage your Twitter strategy yourself, we encourage you to contact us.
Steady Demand has delivered measurable results for a variety of businesses in disparate industries. Our team of experts is here to help your business reach its social media goals.
