Since studies within the inbound marketing industry have found that as many as 42% of businesses have acquired at least one new customer from Twitter, it’s safe to say that it’s worth investing some time and resources into developing a Twitter presence. The only problem is after you sign up for an account, trying to figure out the next best steps to take can be quite a challenge.

If you’re ready to start utilizing Twitter but aren’t sure what you should be doing, the good news is since this network is no longer in its infancy, plenty of companies across a wide range of industries have gone through the process of building an effective presence. Based on all those experiences, we’ve put together this guide to help you get rolling with Twitter in the least amount of time possible.

Although it will take some time to get everything set up and then begin gaining traction, you can be confident that as long as you follow our guide, every step you take will have value. And once you begin building momentum, you’ll see firsthand just how much ongoing value Twitter can provide to your business.

Start with Your Profile’s Branding

Twitter offers profiles for both individuals and brands. While you can technically get by with a standard user profile, because utilizing a brand page will give you access to additional features, it’s the best option to choose. Since several of those features have to do with branding, start by adding an attractive cover photo to your profile page. Not only is this an effective way to make your page stand out, but you can also incorporate add a call to action with a link. By choosing an offer that’s compelling and relevant to the users you want to attract on Twitter, you’ll already have a more optimized profile than a significant number of other businesses.

In addition to utilizing a cover photo, you can also brand your page by adding a background picture. Because this picture should be 2048×1900, you’ll have plenty of space to convey what your business is all about. Once this step is complete, you’ll be ready to move on to optimizing your page to make it as easy as possible to find in search engine results.

Simple Guidelines for Communicating Through Twitter

As a business, you don’t need to reply to every single tweet that’s relevant to you. That being said, you should always reply to negative comments and questions. For negative comments, just be sure to reply with a level head. And for questions, the reason it’s always worth answering is because users are 64% more likely to buy from a business that consistently answers the questions they’re asked on Twitter.

With both types of responses, you don’t always have to send them publicly. Instead, there are times when it makes sense to do so by direct messaging. This form of communication is similar to sending an email or a message through Facebook. The one thing to keep in mind is Twitter doesn’t automatically allow you to send DMs to every user. Instead, they either need to be following you, or they need to have opted in to receive direct messages from any follower. Since you do want any user to be able to reach you, be sure to go to your settings page and opt into receiving DMs from any of your followers.

Finally, don’t be afraid to use a tool like Send Social Media to schedule tweets throughout the day. While you don’t want to fully automate your stream, using a scheduling tool can allow you to stay active without constantly needing to keep a Twitter client open on your computer or phone. Just be sure that if someone responds with a negative comment or question, you do get back to them in a timely manner.

Michelle Hummel is CEO of Web Strategy Plus a full-service digital marketing agency. She was recently nominated for the Woman-Owned Business of the Year! She’s a passionate Social Media Trainer with 15+ years of successful online business development, sales, and marketing experience. She also holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree however with the ever-changing world of web marketing she strives to learn something new every day. 

She travels Nationwide visiting her 22 Social Media Enthusiasts Chapters delivering in-depth social media training. She also provides Social Media Certifications through founding Web Media University. A current contributing editor to The Franchise Dictionary Magazine and she has written 3 books in her series called, “The Social Media Magnet: Everything You Need to Know to Attract Customers with Social Media”, where she shares her best-kept secrets to success. She also specializes in helping Franchisors and Franchisees develop an integrated web marketing program to drive leads. She’s available for interviews via email, telephone, Skype video, news segments on location and more. Just let her know how she can help!