Twitter has quickly grown to become one of the world’s most popular social media networks. Featuring a unique 140-or-fewer-characters format, it focuses specifically on short messages known as “tweets.” But if you’re thinking about using Twitter to promote your business, you should avoid making the following mistakes.
Automating All of Your Tweets
There’s nothing wrong with automating some of your tweets. On the contrary, doing so is a great way to boost follower engagement and interaction, especially when you’re unable to manually tweet new content. However, you should avoid automating all of your tweets. Users can tell the difference between an automated and manual tweet, preferring the latter. So if the bulk of your tweets are automated, it may discourage users from following your account.
Not Using #Hashtags
Try to get into the habit of adding between 1 and 3 relevant #hashtags to each tweet. While there’s no rule stating that you must include hashtags in your tweets, doing so improves their visibility by making them easier for users to find. A hashtag is simple a word — or multiple word without spaces — that’s prefixed with the pound (#) sign. Hashtags are used to categorize and curate content, making them more “searchable.”
Not Monitoring Analytics
Another mistake that small businesses make on Twitter is not monitoring their account analytics. Twitter has a built-in analytics system that’s surprisingly effective. Using this tool, you can identify information like the number of tweets made from your account, the impression count of those tweets, how many users visited your profile, and the number of new followers. Furthermore, you can see the “Top Tweet” from your account, which is found below this analytical data.
Visit https://analytics.twitter.com/ while logged into your Twitter account to view this analytical data.
Buying Followers
Although tempting, never buy Twitter followers. Doing so is against Twitter’s terms and conditions, meaning this practice could result in your account being shut down without notice. Build your followers through legitimate means, such as posting relevant high-quality content and engaging in discussions.
Tweeting too Much
Maintaining the right frequency of tweets is critical to running a successful Twitter marketing campaign. If you tweet too much, some of your followers may stop following you. Consequently, not tweeting enough will reduce your account visibility and ultimately lead to a dormant account with few-to-no legitimate followers. So, what’s the right amount of tweeting to keep users interested in your account? According to the folks at BufferApp, 14 tweets per day is the ideal amount. Of course, results may vary depending on your business and its respective niche, which is why it’s a good idea to do your own internal testing to see what works and what doesn’t.
