6 Twitter Mistakes You Should Never Make

With more than 315 million users Twitter remains a powerful social media platform, and for businesses it’s still one of the best ways to reach your target audience. If you’re saying to yourself But I use Twitter, and I’m getting nothing in return. well, you’re not alone. That’s where we dive into social strategies and evaluate what businesses are doing wrong, what they could do better, and what they should never do at all when it comes to this platform. Here are some things to take into consideration when re-evaluating your Twitter marketing strategy:

1. Tweet about things other than your company.
When operating social media accounts for your business your first inclination may be that your messaging needs to solely promote your business, but that’s not the best approach. When using Twitter for business you need to engage with your followers, other influencers, and share relative content. If all you talk about is yourself people will get bored, they will not interact, and they will unfollow. By sharing relevant, valuable content and engaging with other sources you’re able to show that you’re active in the Twitter community, up-to-date with recent industry trends, and that you’re interested in engaging with your customer base.

2. Only RT important messages.
At times you may have noticed brands sharing retweets when customers have something kind to say or if they want to make note that they’ve stopping in a business recently. These are perfect opportunities to like the messages, or even tweet back and thank your customers for supporting you. The occasional retweet of a something truly out of the ordinary from a customer doesn’t hurt, but retweeting every single message you receive will get old fast. Retweeting messages from customers is self-promotion and this goes back to our first point – even your most loyal followers want more substance from your social accounts, not just to see a business constantly tooting their own horn.

3. Skip auto-direct messaging.
If you’re active on Twitter it’s likely that you’ve followed an account only moments later to receive a direct message with a quick introduction, a link directing you to a website or blog, and a thank you for following. Everything about it is impersonal and it sets the tone for what users can expect when it comes to that account, and the associations aren’t good ones. Instead of using automation, take the time to personally respond and engage so users know they’re interacting with a person and not a bot.

4. Don’t get personal or political.
Opinions regarding politics and other sensitive topics do not have a place on business social media accounts and unless you’re okay with alienating customers, it’s best to steer clear of such topics. Save complaints, rants, and any negative posts for your personal pages if you must air those grievances online, but never let your frustrations seep into your professional accounts.

5. Schedule tweets.
Many social media platforms now allow you free insights to gauge when your customers are online, which in turn helps you schedule your best content at the best times. Rather than popping in at random times throughout the day and hoping for the best, embrace scheduling platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer to get the most out of your content.

6. Remain civil, even if others do not.
No matter what messages come your way or how poorly a follower behaves, do not take the bait and respond harshly. If you receive a genuine, albeit rude, message the best thing you can do is respond kindly, offer assistance to correct the issue, and move to take the conversation offline for a resolution. Unprofessional behavior, such as returning name-calling or foul language, destroys any brand image you have worked to build. Beyond making you look bad, it also tells other customers that they may be treated cruelly if they were to ever have a genuine issue or concern. When consumers lose confidence in your brand, they will cease to purchase your products and services. If it comes down to it, ignoring bad behavior is always a better solution than engaging with it.

These are just a few ways you can improve your Twitter presence. If you’re still not sure where you’re going wrong or what you could be doing better, let us know. We specialize in social media marketing and would love to help you transform your brand’s social image and strengthen your customer relationships.