Written by Carla Gates | 07 April 2011

Don't Start to Tweet, if You Can't Take the Heat | Techniques to Make the Most of Your Twitter Account

Don't bother starting out on Twitter, unless you do it right from the beginning; as with any marketing effort, "be in it to win it" or you'll waste your business’s time and money.

As a Social Media Strategist, I hear clients who are trying to break into social media, tell me, "I don't really have much time for Twitter, but my boss told me to set up a company account, so I tweet once a week or so...but I don't really see the value."

Well, of course you don't see the value - if you don't invest the upfront effort in learning Twitter best practices, it won't provide any return for your company.

So herewith, a list of basic Twitter techniques to make the most of your Twitter account, collected from my own best practices (@CarlaGates247) , as well as some of my favorite social media savants such as @Hubspot, Jeremiah Jowyang (@jowyang), David Meerman Scott (@dmscott), @Chrisbrogan, and @Charleneli:

Setting Up Your Twitter Account

• Pick an impactful Twitter handle -- Twitter profile names, or "handles", are your identity. Pick a handle that is memorable, short & sweet, and reasonably understandable. Best is your own name or company name. When setting up multiple company Twitter profiles, use a standard naming convention. For example, employees at Dell use first name followed by "atDell" to make it clear who represents Dell to customers on Twitter.
• Don't mix business and personal on your Twitter account -- Set up 2 accounts instead: one in your personal name and one in your company name. Focus your company account on helping people strictly as it relates to the company and what value the company brings to others.
• Fill the photo square -- Use your company logo or a photo of yourself. No photos of your dog, your kids, or you as a kid! Your photo is a reflection of you and your company brand. Invest in a decent photographer and pay attention to wardrobe. I also recommend using the same logo or photo across all social media. People will see your photo each time you send a tweet or post – adding up to LOTS of viewing time. And remember, Twitter only allows for a square photo less than 700kb in size. Make it bold and impactful in that small space.
• Write a meaningful bio -- Your Twitter bio says a lot about you and/or your company. It’s like a mission statement or a boilerplate, only short. But just like a tweet, you’d be surprised what you can say in a few words. Take the time to write a pithy, meaningful, target-audience-oriented statement. I recommend that my clients be able to state their company’s mission in 140 characters or less, anyway – now, there’s an elevator pitch!
• Don't leave the URL field blank -- This would seem to go without saying, but it’s surprising how many people forget to fill it in. Link to a URL that's an active, engaging place — either a blog or a website that has further contact information and content — content that is relevant to what you do, who you are and, most importantly, who you help. Even your LinkedIn profile will do if you have nothing else.
• Ideally, use a custom, branded background -- Like your photo, your Twitter page is a reflection of your company. Not a designer? Use Twitter backgrounds and colors to match your brand temporarily, while looking for a designer. There are also a number of really cool, free Twitter background services you can use.

Writing Your Twitter Posts

• Twitter is all about sharing great content -- So, share only GREAT content - either your own or re-tweet someone else's. Share helpful, relevant tools, tips and other high-value resources. Become a thought leader in your field. Don’t just tweet about how great your company is. There’s no faster way to lose followers.
• When you put a URL in your tweets, use a URL shortener like bit.ly or goo.gl -- Better yet, create your own URL shortener to help brand your company as people share your links. This can be done simply by selecting a domain name and connecting it to Bitly Pro.
• When sharing files like eBooks or whitepapers, put your company name in the file name of the document -- This is a simple, but often overlooked, branding tip. Example: yourcompanyname/documentname.pdf.
• Use multimedia as often as possible in your tweets -- Photos, interactive apps, infographics, and videos are a great way to engage followers.
• Talk to people on Twitter -- Ask questions, answer questions, be a listener as well as a thought leader. It makes people feel as if they know you, and people like to do business with people they know. In addition, consider surveying or polling your followers or customers to learn what content they're really interested in.
• Allow at least 5 minutes in between each tweet -- Blasting out a whole series of tweets all at the same time, which fills up the Twitter home page of your followers, will make you seem long-winded and self-centered.
• Don't bad mouth people via Twitter -- This may seem to go without saying, but it happens all the time. And when you do it, word gets around quickly. Be positive, say nice things about nice people, and nothing about the less-than-nice.
• Respond to customer or prospect tweets as quickly as possible –Realtime, or within a few hours. If you're trying to be helpful by investing company time in Twitter, customers expect you to be prompt.

That's a pretty lengthy list for the basics, huh? The good news is that as you start to engage with your prospects and influencers on Twitter more often, most of this becomes second nature. But like any good marketing program, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

Need help with your Twitter account? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for coaching, training, and Twitter copywriting.