If you are interested in tapping the market share of Twitter, you are not alone. These days, it seems like Twitter is the place to be for branding and creating customer loyalty. If you have already bought in to the value of Twitter, you have been posting unique content, retweeting strategically, using good etiquette (known as “twtittiquette”) and monitoring your Twitter activity through TweetDeck.
Now that you have built the foundation for your brand voice and profile, it is time to ramp up engagement through Twitter.
User Engagement
Hashtags are what bring your brand in contact with users. Using the hashtag or # symbol before a keyword or phrase, without any spaces, helps to categories tweets and causes them to show up more readily in Twitter searches. When users click on a hashtag, they see all the other tweets marked with that word.
Although most people put hashtags at the end of their tweets, they can actually be used in the beginning or even in the middle. Hashtags also help users and Twitter identify trending topics.
Hashtags are a great way to involve users who are not your followers. Add them to the end of your tweets so that others with similar interests can find you. The tweet “All dresses 10 percent off on May 31” will reach your followers, but “All dresses 10 percent off May 31 #summerdresses” will reach anyone who is looking for summer dresses as a category.
The more targeted your hashtags, the better you will be able to isolate those who want your products. A specific hashtag is better than a general one because the general ones will have thousands of tweets associated with them. It is easy for yours to get lost in the shuffle. Think of your customers’ personal when you are formulating hashtags, and do not be afraid to use more than one in your tweet.
Say “I Do” to Twitter Chatting
Hashtags are also the cornerstones of Twitter chats. Twitter chats are real-time conversations with customers as well as others in your interest group.
Twitter posts a chat master schedule on Google Docs. There you can find categories under hashtags that may interest you. In the above example, you might want to attend a chat labeled #SummerFashion2013 to connect with others who sell clothing and customers looking for great bargains. Again, the more specific the hashtag the fewer users will be involved, but those who are will be very focused on that particular brand or category.
Twitter chats are a great way to garner followers. You can share blog posts and articles that will help you connect with those around you who share interests.
By understanding just a few of the basic functions of Twitter, you can pair up with this powerful branding tool to get your message out to thousands of potential customers. Use Twitter wisely and it will help you gain a following of loyal brand users that appreciate your product and your message!
