It seems like every company is joining Twitter these days. I can’t blame them; it’s a great tool for engaging with people. If you’re thinking about jumping on the Twitter train, however, here are 5 tips to keep in mind before taking the leap.

1. How to succeed on Twitter
5 things your company should do
if you want to succeed on Twitter.
HOT PEPPER
COMMUNICATIONS

2. 2
Introduction
It seems like every company is joining Twitter these days.
I can’t blame them; it’s a great tool for engaging with people.
If you’re thinking about jumping on the Twitter train,
however, here are 5 tips to keep in mind before taking the
leap.
1. It’s give and take
2. Respond
3. Follow people
4. Join conversations
5. Don’t talk about just you
Following these 5 steps takes time, but if you follow
each of them regularly, you’ll find that people will follow you
and start engaging with the content you share.

3. 3
1. Give and take
People on Twitter expect that your company will tweet
about your products and services. It makes sense after all
that a company would talk about what it does and what it
sells. They assume Coke will talk about their drinks and that
Old Spice will talk about their body wash.
If all your company does is talk about your products or
services, however, your followers will quickly ignore you.
Twitter users want to know about new products, special
contests, and secret discounts, but they want more than
that. Social media users want to share with their friends, and
the things they will most likely share fall into 3 categories:
1. Things that educate
2. Things that evoke emotion
3. Things that are funny
This is why it’s imperative that companies put resources
into branding. Knowing what your company is and what

4. 4
others think your company is helps you craft a consistent
message.
Plus it makes it easier to find a way to create and publish
content that falls into one of the 3 categories above.
You need to participate in the conversations. You need
to answer questions (even if they aren’t directed to you). You
need to help people find what they’re looking for (even if it
doesn’t land you a sale). You need to respond to what people
ask you.

5. 5
2. Respond
If someone mentions you in a tweet, reply to them. If it’s
positive, say thank you. If you’re a business owner, you
probably don’t hear positive feedback much. When you do
hear it, validate it. Reinforcing gratitude, recommendations,
and championing will build loyalty in your customers.
If it’s negative, apologize and find out how you can
make things better. Don’t justify your actions. Acknowledge
the wrongdoing, take responsibility for it, and try to remedy
it.
Also, be sure to respond quickly. You don’t need to be
on Twitter constantly—social media users expect some delay
in responses—but not responding to a tweet for a week (or
even never) is pointless at best.
If your company prides itself on great customer service,
make sure that flows into social media. Consumers view
social media accounts as ways to engage with the companies
they love. If you’d treat your customers with respect in person
or over the phone, make sure you do on Twitter, too.

6. 6
If you don’t care about customer service, don’t join
Twitter. Bad customer service on social media has the
potential to spread quickly. There are countless examples of
companies who performed poorly online then had to deal
with publicity nightmares.
Twitter’s a fantastic medium for generating publicity and
spreading it widely, for good and bad.

7. 7
3. Follow people
If you want to know what people are talking about,
follow them.
Keep an eye on what they say, and when you see
something you can comment on, do so. Whether it’s
answering a question, giving advice, or providing a
recommendation, this is how you engage with others on
Twitter.
Look for suppliers, partners, employees, and
customers, but also look for competitors and industry
leaders. These people will be talking about what’s going on in
your industry, and being a part of the conversation will
increase engagement.
If your company services a small geographical area, look
for movers and shakers on Twitter in that area, too. Engaging
with them in a meaningful way could be a way to get yourself
notice and perhaps receive an unsolicited endorsement or
two.

8.
8
A while vs. Awhile
Be sure to follow back those who follow you, especially if
they’re in your service area or industry. This validates their
following you and lets them know you appreciate it. Back it
up by engaging with them though.

9. 9
4. Join conversations
Because Twitter’s full of conversations, there are many
potential marketing opportunities. With a little bit of know
how, a little bit of time, and a little bit of time, you can find
those opportunities.
Use the Twitter search feature to search for your
company name, website address, and product names. See
what people are saying about you, and be sure to respond
(even if it’s negative).
While you’re at it, see what others are saying about your
competitors, too.
Whether you’re a cake decorator, mechanic,
psychologist, or landscaper, find out where others in the field
hang out. Look for popular hashtags or Twitter chats. If
you’re a realtor, for example, use Twitter search to keep tabs
on discussions of people moving to your city.
It’s tough as a SME owner to get out of the habit of
trying to always sell, particularly when you have mouths to
feed and rent to pay. Remember, however, that it’s more

10. 10
important to create loyalty than it is to create a sale; loyalty
pays off in the long term, making you work less in the long
term.
One way to build loyalty is by helping out people even
if you don’t need to. Maybe you run a pizza joint, but you
notice someone on Twitter asking about the best place in
town to get sushi. It’s not what you serve, but recommending
a top notch sushi bar could solidify in the mind of that Twitter
user that you know food.
If you can answer a question, find a solution, or point in
the right direction, people will be grateful for it and will
attach positive feelings and thoughts to your brand.

11. 11
5. Don’t talk about just you
Because Twitter’s full of conversations, there are many
potential marketing opportunities. With a little bit of know
how, a little bit of time, and a little bit of time, you can find
those opportunities.
If you’re not receiving much engagement from your
followers, ask yourself,“Do I spend too much time talking
about our company, products, and services?”
As I mentioned before, people expect you’ll tweet about
your company, products, and services, but mix it up. People
don’t want to hear“Buy! Buy! Buy!”and“Sell! Sell! Sell!”all the
time. It’s boring, and they will quickly ignore it. Remember,
Twitter is not a commercial. You must engage with your
followers and provide them with value to keep them
following you. Saying check out our new products or this is
why you need our new products doesn’t provide value.
Find popular content from blogs, Pinterest, YouTube,
and other Twitter users and (re)tweet it. It doesn’t have to be
directly related to your business, but it might be of interest to

12. 12
your clients. If you’re a hairstylist, your followers might be
interested in fashion. If you’re a homebuilder, your followers
might be interested in reno or design tips.
This will increase the value other Twitter users will
receive by following you and make it more likely for them to
share your content and invite others to follow you.

13. 13
Conclusion
Following these 5 steps takes time, but if you follow
each of them regularly, you’ll find that people will follow you
and start engaging with the content you share.
If you can’t commit time and resources to engaging with
people, don’t bother with Twitter. Don’t even set up an
account. You need to interact with others.
If you don’t have the time to commit to these 5 steps,
consider hiring a social media manager who will work closely
with you to build brand engagement.
Remember, there’s a reason it’s called social media.

14. 14
HOT PEPPER
COMMUNICATIONS