Statistics show that the UK ranks 3rd place for the number of Twitter users, with approximately 16.7 million people using the platform. You may already be a part of that figure, or looking to become one, but the only way to maximise your return on Twitter, whether that’s Ad Budget or simply time-spent, is to use the platform to its full advantage. Here are 10 ways to maximise Twitter for your business.

1. Build Your Brand

Username

Your Twitter Username is the ‘@’ handle that people will use to tag you in posts, and it will show in light grey to the right of your profile name. There is a character limit of 15 for your username and Twitter rules state the words ‘Twitter’ or ‘Admin’ cannot be used. It’s recommended to keep this as close to your business name as possible, but this can be a challenge due to the character limit and the fact you can only have a unique username.

Profile Name

Your profile name is the name in bold against your Twitter Account and this can be up to 50 characters long which should allow for your full business name.

Additional Information

Twitter has space for you to populate a Bio, Website URL and your Location. Utilise the bio, which allows for 160 characters, to tell your audience as much as you can about who you are and what you do in such a limited space. This could include keywords as hashtags. If you make your website URL trackable then you will be able to see how much traffic your Twitter profile drives to your website.

Profile Picture

Use the Profile Picture space to include your logo so that people can easily recognise you and therefore contribute to building your brand awareness. If you are the face of your business you can use a headshot. Twitter Profile Picture: 400 x 400 Pixels

Header Image

Your header image is an opportunity to showcase your products or services visually. This could be a product in use or an example of a scenario that your services may be required. Make sure your header image is the correct dimensions for Twitter otherwise it will become blurry. Twitter Header: 1500 x 500 Pixels

Hashtags

Another great way to build your brand awareness on Twitter is by using key Hashtags. It’s worth investing some time every couple of months to conduct some Hashtag research so you know you’re making the most of each Tweet. This can be done by looking at what your customers, competitors and target audience include in their tweets as well as using websites such as ‘Hashtagify’.

feedalpha hashtags

2. Spread the Word

Add your Twitter Button and URL to Email footers, campaigns, your website and other forms of digital marketing to help drive traffic to your Twitter account and increase your followers. The more followers you have, the higher your reach and engagement will be, thus growing your brand awareness and exposure.

3. Follow People

Now you’ve worked on building your followers by improving your Twitter Profile and increasing your reach by sharing the URL and including Hashtags, it’s time to take a look at who you should follow. Following others on Twitter will mean your timeline will be bursting with interesting, relevant content that you can engage with and this could also increase your followers if they follow you back. The type of accounts that you should be looking to follow include:

  • Existing Customers
  • Business Suppliers / Partners
  • Competitors
  • Relevant News Publications for Business / Your Industry / Local Area
  • Your Professional Network
  • Local Businesses
  • Big Brands (great for content inspiration)

4. Engage 

Now it’s time to engage! You can do this by ‘Mentioning’ others in your tweets or by commenting on, retweeting and favouriting theirs. There is also a direct message function on Twitter that you can use to have a private conversation if needed.

5. Twitter Lists

If your Twitter feed is overwhelming, then use ‘Lists’ to group the people you follow. This will allow you to view a stream of tweets from those within each list at one time which will make it easier to view and engage with the relevant activity.

6. Research Competitors

Just as you would keep an eye on your competitor’s websites, their products, services and prices where possible, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on what they’re up to on Social Media too. Who are they following that you aren’t? What are they tweeting about?

7. Content is King

You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again, but content really is king and Twitter allows for a range of formats to get the most out of the platform.

Content Ideas

  •  Articles

Make sure they are relevant to your audience. These could be about your industry, business or local areas.

Feedalpha is a great business tool that gives you a constant stream of articles for you to share with your followers. On your Twitter business account, you may have followers from many different sectors, having easy access to articles from all these sectors and countries will save you time and add value to your followers.

  • Traffic Drivers

This could be to your Blog or other website pages. Use UTM Tracking to be able to report on how much website traffic your posts are driving.

  • Relevant Industry Influencers 

This could be you engaging with them or even inviting them for a Twitter Takeover.

  • User-Generated Content

What better way to showcase your products or services than real-life examples from your customers!

  • Events

The Hashtag feature on Twitter makes it a fantastic place to network, especially at events. Use the Event Hashtag to connect with others attending, as well as those who couldn’t make it but are following the conversations and activity online!

feedalpha event hashtag

8. Social Listening

Use Social Listening Tools to monitor keywords and conversations that are happening in your industry. This could be your customers talking about your products and business or perhaps your competitors or similar products. Don’t be shy and get involved, one of the reasons consumers use Twitter is to engage with brands directly!

9. Analyse Results

Twitter analytics include Impressions, Engagements and Engagement Rate %. Look at your tweet results to see what your audience is responding to the most and use this insight to influence your activity going forward.

10. Twitter Top Tips

Key things to consider when posting…

 

Size Matters

Post Image: 

  • 1024 x 512 Pixels

Twitter Cards Image: 

  • 1200 x 628 Pixels

 

 

Video Size: 

  • 1280 x 720 Pixels – Landscape
  • 720 x 720 Pixels – Square
  • 1280 x 720 – Portrait
  • Maximum Video Length: 140 Seconds
  • Maximum File Size: 512MB

Frequency

The lifetime of a tweet is short, you may wish to post to Twitter more frequently than other platforms.

 

Schedule 

Scheduling in advance will ensure content is always being posted even on your busiest days. It also allows you time to proof-read.

 

Twitter Character Limits

You have 280 characters per tweet, use this wisely! Remember that any link, even shortened ones, will take up 23 of those characters.

Gary Evans

Gary Evans

Gary is the Founder of Feedalpha. He has a background in AI, Data Analytics, SEO, Digital Strategy and Web Design.