How to maximise your brand's efforts on twitter

Think before you Tweet

 ·        Before you begin to put your brand out there on twitter it is wise to consider who you are targeting. This will allow you to make use of twitter in a way that will be attractive to the people you want your brand to be associated with. Your communication on twitter must then be geared towards your selected audience.

·         Prepare a social media policy which outlines how the company will use and conduct itself on twitter. It should also have certain rules and regulations specific to the organisation's needs on how the organisation will deal with certain issues that could arise on twitter. For example the organisation receiving negative comments from dissatisfied consumers.

·         A consistent look and feel should be maintained on twitter, this can be done by having a distinctive brand personality. This should be visible in the way the organisation conducts itself on twitter and also in the content it shares.

·         Determine audience goals, this is the primary message you want to communicate to your key audiences. This will also allow you to select the most relevant messages and content to put up on twitter.

·         Use twitter as an additional means to drive traffic to your primary website as well as other platforms such as your blog for example. If used strategically the organisation's twitter account could be the vehicle that drives key audiences to other platforms you are interested in interacting with your stakeholders on. 

·         Engage with the media by involving them in your social media activities. Mention a journalist or perhaps a publication when you post interesting content for example. This can be seen as a subtle yet very strategic and effective way to pitch news and get the organisation some publicity.

·         Attract followers by making your twitter account an experience rather than just another organisation that tweets. This can be achieved by making posts engaging and innovative, tell a story that captivates your audience. Involve your audience and create a sense of community and movement.

·         Always measure your social media efforts, this will allow you to calibrate your social media efforts according to your corporate goals. This will promote twitter from a useful tool to something that actually makes a tangible contribution to your organisation's bottom line.