2 min read
You’ve decided to leverage Twitter to connect with potential clients and have ticked off nearly everything on your Twitter to-do list. You’re already attracting the attention of buyer personas, bloggers and journalists through shared content. You’re also using the tools that exist to increase your exposure on the social network.
What next? You now need to maintain those connections and consolidate your presence on Twitter to generate new business opportunities through the social platform.
Here’s how.
Tweets with images generate five times more interactions – replies and retweets – than those without a photo. A study by Buffer reveals that publishing with a picture achieves up to 89% more favourites than other tweets. If you want to increase engagement, be visual.
For every 10 tweets of value that respond to your followers’ concerns, share one promoting your brand or service. If you use the network purely for advertising purposes, well, you probably won’t get very far. Your followers will only increase if you inform them about interesting issues, related to the sector you have in common. Keep going, be patient, and the leads will come.
You want to sell. Your customers and prospects want exclusivity on the news you’re sharing. The great thing about Twitter is that you can use tweets to inform them instantly, reply to questions and offer incentives such as promotions and gift codes. Act quickly, use #hashtags to make your message more viral and use the surprise factor to spark curiosity.
What’s being talked about on the network that relates to your business? Show you’re a reference in the sector and are ready to share an instant solution. Your generosity and assurance will convert you into an influencer worth following.
Generate additional content tailored to your target audience to increase both the number of followers, and the conversion rate of visits to leads. Surprise followers – and stand out from the competition – by sharing company-created ebooks and educational videos.
A webinar is also high-value content. To ensure high numbers, promote the date several times and explain why it’s a masterclass your community can’t afford to miss. Ask influencers on Twitter to help you spread the word. The further the word gets round, the more listeners are likely to be interested in your service.
Use your corporate Twitter account as another way of sharing news of interest for your target. Whether it’s finding out about events, awards or appointments, everyone likes being in the know, and Twitter is the ideal space to keep up with interesting news simply by checking the headlines.
An editorial calendar for tweeting will help you work in a more organised way. If over several weeks you send an average of 7 tweets a day, plus share tweets that mention you and those that most interest your target market, you’ll start to see your audience increase and follow more closely what you publish.
You don’t have to say thank you for every mention, but treat your community with the respect it deserves. It’s hard at first to build your followers, but if you put this advice into practice you’ll consolidate your reputation on Twitter – and can acknowledge your followers for their loyalty.
Excellent analytical tools exist to evaluate the progress of your Twitter activity, such as Topsy, Tweriod or Twittercounter. Use them to find out the best time to publish content, check the increase in user numbers and compare it with previous figures. Calculate the percentage of users who have converted into leads and set new objectives.
By doing this you’ll transform the social network into a carefully calibrated machine for generating and maturing business opportunities.
