As social media grows and changes, it can be confusing to know the best tactics for business social networking. What worked yesterday doesn’t always work today, and using social networking like Twitter for business is much different from personal use. Here are 10 do’s and don’ts from Mashable.com on how to use Twitter for business.
- Don’t Be a Showoff. Post only info you think your clients/customers will be interested in, as opposed to lots of self-promotion.
- Don’t Use Poor Grammar or Spelling. Using “u”, “r”, and “lol” might be fine for teens or casual users, but it looks unprofessional for business. Yes, sometimes it’s tough to fit what you want to say in 140 characters, but this is where creative writing skills come in handy!
- Don’t Get Too Personal. Keep your tweets about things relating to your business, industry, brand, etc.
- Don’t Auto-Tweet. Setting up a stream of auto-tweets can make your Twitter feed come off as more robotic than personally engaging. You should also refrain from automatically DM-ing new followers, which can be considered spam.
- Don’t Leave Air in the Conversation. Don’t wait a day or two to respond to replies – generally users want a reply in a few hours.
- Don’t Overtweet. Tweeting too often will flood follower’s timelines, which can be annoying to them and also make your business come across as “shouting” at followers. Think about it – have you ever stopped following someone because they were bombarding you with tweets?
- Do Shout Out to Users Who Mention You. If someone mentions your brand with praise, give them a thank you. And if someone mentions your brand with a negative remark, handle it with tact if you choose to respond.
- Do Monitor Keywords and Competitors. Keeping an eye on competitors can help you win over new business. Did someone tweet about a problem they experienced with a competitor? You can respond to them and explain how your business can offer them a better solution. Also, answering questions people have about your industry can show you are responsive and knowledgeable.
- Do Make an Informative Profile. Be clear and informative about your business in your profile, and link them to the most informative page on your company’s website.
- Do Fish Where the Fish Are. Twitter is not for everyone. If your targeted demographic is one that is not likely to be on Twitter, it may not be productive to have an active account.
In addition to these rules, using common sense is always a good idea. You should generally avoid anything that makes you come across as unprofessional, or too cold and robotic. A good rule to go by is tweet others as you would want to be tweeted. Business social networking can be an important aspect of brand marketing and how your business will be seen by others.
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