Tips for a Successful Twitter Campaign

Everybody knows the rules of marketing are always evolving. New media opportunities are constantly shaping the advertising landscape. While some argue that Inbound Marketing will be the death of conventional Outbound Marketing (TV, Radio, Print), everyone agrees that Inbound Marketing now plays a vital role in reaching their customers. One of the biggest opportunities that have shaped the way companies market their products or services has been the development of social media and other Inbound Marketing opportunities such as SEO, Blogging and RSS.

Let’s talk specifically about Twitter. While simply logging on to Twitter and posting “Tweets” about your brand is a great start, there are a few steps you can take that are important to make your foray into Twitter a success.

1. Make sure your tweets are interesting to your audience. Every tweet should keep your followers interested in your brand and reflect your brands persona. You should post often – but, put quality in front of quantity.

2. Customize your Twitter template to reflect your companies branding. By using the default Twitter template, right off the bat you’ve already communicated your lack of dedication to your Twitter efforts. Check out CNN’s Twitter page at twitter.com/cnnbrk for a good example.

3. It’s called “social media” – MEET PEOPLE! Start following other Twitter users. Even better, follow Twitter users that relate to your industry. You can go to search.twitter.com and search for your industry’s keywords to find these users. Follow them and interact with them. Respond to their Tweets. The more you do this, the more followers you’re likely to get.

4. Whenever possible, follow the people that follow you. This will increase the size of your Twitter network and increase the success of your Twitter campaign. Don’t just be a “Tweeter” – be a listener too. The whole idea behind social media is engaging your customers on a personal level. You can make your Twitter account much more than a broadcast tool.

5. Use Twitter to solve your customers’ problems. Become a Twitter “hero”. Search for your brand’s keywords. Find people that are talking about your brand and get in touch with them. If you find somebody that is not happy with some aspect of your company, see if you can fix the problem. That person will more than likely brag on you to their Twitter network. If you find somebody that loves your brand, thank them for their support and make them one of your favorites.

6. Use Twitter to announce company events, website updates, new product releases. By doing this, you give your followers other ways to link up with your brand beyond Twitter.

7. Provide your followers with useful information beyond that of your companies offerings. For example, if you manufacture running shoes, provide a link to a health website that provides tips on proper running techniques. Don’t just cram your product down their throats. Broaden your scope to include an entire lifestyle.

Keeping these tips in mind as you begin (or continue) your brand’s Twitter campaign will broaden your Twitter network and increase your chances of success.