Twitter isn’t for everyone. Some people love it, some people loathe it, and some people just don’t get it. Despite some negative press, Twitter is still going strong, with over 126 million daily users. And let’s face it: what social media channel isn’t victim safe from negative commentary, anyway?

One of the main cons when it comes to Twitter is its reputation as an ‘echo chamber’. Critics believe that users only follow and retweet those who stick to the narrative that they want to believe. Whilst this might not be the best way to use social media as an individual, echo chambers are exactly what a brand needs. After all, what better way to reach and gain followers in your target market than a platform where people like to share the things that represent them best.

Twitter is also famous for its friendly beef between rivals. Like the time Burger King got Kanye in on its feud with MacDonalds. Or the multiple times that Netflix has sassed-back. It’s not for everyone. But if you use Twitter smartly without annoying your fans, it’s a great way to make headlines. 

Get your name out there

Sharing your story on Twitter isn’t always easy. There is a lot of noise to cut through and you need to be concise. The benefit of this is that social media has given people a short attention span when browsing online. So you don’t need to write lengthy posts. A quick update on what you’re doing, what’s going on behind the scenes of your brand, and how your followers can learn more about you, will usually do the trick. Twitter can generate great click through rates, and tweets shared with imagery always perform better than those without.

Check your audience

With this in mind, it’s necessary to consider whether your brand lends itself to Twitter. Young people use the platform to share images, memes, and a lot of political opinions. So if your brand is modern, fitting with the zeitgeist, and visually appealing, it could be for you. Just make sure you know your hashtags and influencers, and get tweeting.

If your audience is older, look for news hooks and other stories that you can share to get your name out there. The next step is to start selling your own brand and product. But only when you have a following: if your page is full of tweets about what you want to sell, people won’t follow you. You have to give something of value back to the Twitter community.

Make the most of its features

Twitter has some great features, like Lists, where you can separate certain groups. For example, you can track you competitors, or followers who fit certain categories, and see what they are tweeting about. It’s also a good way of keeping on top of current trends that your audience is interested in. But remember, it’s all publicly viewable.

Try Twitter ads

Like Facebook, you can advertise on Twitter by promoting existing tweets. This isn’t always an effective way of converting sales. But it raises awareness of your brand by placing your tweets in the timelines of people with similar interests.

It’s a lot to get your head around, so if you want a helping hand, or a one on one where we can explain the ins and outs in more detail, get in touch with our team of social media experts today, and let us take the weight of 3 billion social media users off your shoulders.