Hello everyone. In this post I wanted to change focus temporarily. I know from our work with existing clients and through meeting many of you at networking events that many of us share a corporate background. With this post I want to glance back at the world we’ve left behind in pursuit of our entrepreneurial ventures. One of the first questions that came in to my mind was, what can big businesses do better on Twitter? I have my lawyer standing by and as a consequence I have removed any specific references to companies even though every point I make below can be substantiated. So what can big businesses do better on Twitter?
How to use Twitter for Business?
1. Follow Back
Generally speaking in accordance with good Twitter etiquette it is a good strategy to follow back people who follow you unless of course they are undesirables. I will save undesirables for another time as that’s a whole blog post in itself. The benefit for businesses is that in a click they are more connected with their followers – many of whom will be customers. To take the ‘aloof path’ of often followed but rarely following back is to miss an easy opportunity. The ‘aloof path’ maybe fine for the likes of Katy Perry, Kanye West, or Stephen Fry but not for professional services firms or high street banks.
2. Better Content
Unfortunately quite a few corporate Twitter accounts that we researched for this post were simply broadcasts of corporate information i.e. press releases. As my regular entrepreneurial and small business audience knows – you must deliver Content that is of great value to your audience and in doing so build a relationship with them. Reciprocity works – you give to them by helping them solve their problems and they will come back to you for business. Special mention to @Intuit who appreciate this and are executing the strategy well.
3. Staff Training
A TV station would not let relatively junior and untrained staff produce a live broadcast but in many cases relatively junior staff are running Twitter accounts. To stay with the TV analogy – your Twitter timeline is in effect a continuous live broadcast. Big businesses should take the time to ensure that their staff are properly trained not just on the basics of how to tweet etc but also on what I have describe as Twitter Culture. Once trained your staff will be a great asset to your company because they will use Twitter effectively driving brand consideration and business.
4. International Variations
On more than one occasion it is noticeable from reviewing corporate accounts that there was a difference in approach from the same company in different markets. To be specific – twice the US based Head office Twitter account was following a robust Content marketing strategy – delivering value and unfortunately the UK office Twitter account was being far more transactional and sale-sy. For example, ‘50% off our new product X’. Big businesses need to ensure that local markets are on board with the global strategy and have the tools and staff to implement it.
5. Tweet Count
I know that often big businesses worry about sending too many tweets or repeating tweets, and of course, this has to be managed. These same businesses often have no concern about repeating tv & radio commercials or press ads. We run many Twitter accounts for clients and the key take out is this – if your Content is of value your audience do not mind seeing it again. Not only do they find it helpful and inspirational but it also encourages them to share more often and therefore deepen the interaction and engagement you have with your followers.
We hope you have found this information useful.
Do you work for a big business that could improve their Twitter strategy? Want to learn practical steps to improve your Content Marketing & Social Media strategies? We have a variety of training and workshop options available. Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email me via mike@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.
Best regards,
Mike Pitt
Founder & CEO – Marketing Fundamentals Ltd
