Two weeks ago, around Memorial Day, the US Army was tweeting about social media and how they are trying to beef up their accounts:
@USArmy tweet “HOOAH! Army is ‘working hard’ to increase their #socialmedia efforts.”
That had us thinking: how do you tweet as a brand? And how could your brand increase its social media efforts?
After an 18 page research paper was filed away on this topic it boils down to these points:
1. You’re not you when tweeting – you’re @yourbrand
This means no complaining about personal matters. And, not everyone will think your joke is funny so your best bet is not to try to be a comedian. @yourbrand’s tweets should be relevant to @yourbrand and your followers.
2. Leave the drama for the diva’s!
The old adage is true today- when it doubt, leave it out. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you’re not sure if a tweet is appropriate ask a mentor for a second opinion. And, typically @yourbrand should be positive so leave the negative, ranting tweets at home.
3. Follow your followers
If @yourband wants to know what clients and customers are saying, it is essential to follow your followers. This promotes discussion. If a follower tweets at @yourbrand you are aware and can tweet back if appropriate. Also, who doesn’t like to be followed? If @yourbrand follows their followers it let’s them know that @yourbrand is interested in what’s happening in their lives.
4. It’s a teeter-totter balancing act
It’s important to balance personality with educational tweets. This can be tricky. After following a variety of companies and industry accounts, I found that most lacked this balance. There were tweets about the traffic on the way to work with overwhelming hashtag usage like #annoyed #wokeuponthewrongsideofthebed. Or there were companies that only tweeted scholarly articles, and let’s face it; your followers probably want more diverse, fun content.
5. Don’t be afraid.
Don’t be intimidated by twitter. It may be intimating for first time users, but after a while it will become natural. @yourbrand has the potential to grow and build positive brand association and affinity if this social media tool is used correctly.
How is @yourbrand tweeting?