Do:

Keep it short and sweet.  With only 140 characters, you must get across your key message with limited words. Keep to the point and direct followers to your website or blog for more information.

Do:

Use hashtags. Hashtags identify key words or topics within a tweet. By grouping together these words or phrases Twitter generates lists of ‘What is Trending’ in real-time thereby enabling global conversations. Use relevant hashtags in your tweets to join conversations and help more people discover you on Twitter.

See an example here:

Mexican wave at @CorksLongTable at @CorkMidsummer #Midsummer17 #CorksLTD17 pic.twitter.com/v1apjutsPR

— Springboard Communications (@SpringboardCom) June 18, 2017

Don’t:

Plague people with promotions. As much as you want to push your company to the forefront of your followers’ minds, Twitter is all about portraying your brand’s personality. Don’t take a hard-sell approach. Aim to be engaging, helpful, newsworthy, inspiring, a thought-leader and not always promotional.

Do:

Use a permalink!. This is a link you can include in your tweet to redirect followers to another webpage, website or social media account. ‘Bitly’ is an essential tool used to shorten links and character usage.

See an example here:

#TuesdayPRTip 5 things you should tweet at any business/work event: https://t.co/KkfN0FHx3Y It will help build your personal profile too! pic.twitter.com/UBgApr9yRY

— Springboard Communications (@SpringboardCom) June 20, 2017

Do:

Watch your words. Be careful not to accidentally tweet from the company account instead of your personal account. this is particularly of note if you are a business owner and your team is managing the account. Remind them to keep your language clean, easy to understand and keep personal opinions out of business tweets.

Don’t:

Over-do it. If companies flood people’s Twitter feed or constantly send Direct Messages (DMs), their followers will be quick to click the ‘unfollow’ button. Tweet regularly during the week to keep people interested but not so much that you turn them off.

Do:

Engage with as many people and businesses as you can. This will help generate awareness and interest in your company and spread your message online. Try joining in a ‘Twitter Hour’ for your industry.

Check out

#CorkHour – for businesses in Co. Cork. Tweet between 9pm and 10pm every Monday

or

#DublinHour   – for businesses in Co. Dublin. Tweet between 9pm to 10pm every Thursday.

Tweets by CorkHour

Tweets by DublinHour

Do:

Write a clear description of your company in your biography. Let people know exactly who you are and what you do. Twitter allows you to include a link to your website or blog here so make use of it and drive traffic to your own media.

Don’t:

Forget to re-read tweets. It is embarrassing when a business makes spelling and grammar mistakes in a tweet. Always reread your tweets before you hit send!

Do:

Use the company’s logo as the profile picture. Having your logo clearly visible on your page builds brand awareness and recognition amongst key stakeholders.

Post by Susie Horgan

Susie founded Springboard in 2011, and has developed the business into a leading, director-led communications agency. She has worked for over 20 years in senior marketing and public relations roles.