How to Write Tweets for Business

As professionals who have distinct business goals and desire a certain amount of engagement, how do we approach our Twitter audience in a way that lines up with these goals and doesn't associate us with those on Twitter whom everyone dreads?

Twitter has always been about building "meaningful connections with a relevant and engaged audience" (that's cute, Twitter). If you've spent any time on Twitter, you know that most things on the microblogging social medium aren't even close to meaningful. You've got Ranting Randy (Just stop already), Obnoxious Nancy (Cute animals, anyone?), Awful Amy (Must you slam everyone?), Overly-interested Ian (You know, you don't have to share everything you find interesting), etc. You know what I'm talking about.

3 Ways to Successfully Utilize Twitter

There are many ways to engage your audience in Twitter. Figuring that out takes time and typically includes a trial-and-error approach as each industry and buyer persona is different. Here are a few that we have found to be successful no matter your industry.

1. Tweet Compelling Content

We can't stress this enough. Ensure that your Twitter presence aligns with your brand and that your tweets are interesting to your audience. Don't ever post things that don't align with your goals and that are potentially uninteresting or controversial. An excellent Tweet we've seen was by Taco Bell, who has gone about incorporating humor. Their tweet went like this: "Time will heal a broken heart, but Taco Bell will heal it faster." 

2. Find And Work With Crowd Influencers

Find trusted voices and brand evangelists in your industry and utilize their influence. Mention them in your tweets or direct message them to see if you can help each other. Positive exposure from others is one of your greatest advantages. You might be wondering how to even identify these influencers on Twitter- so here are some defining characteristics:

• A large social media following
• A ton of engagement through retweets, comments, shares, etc.
• A blog that also has a lot of engagement

If you value someone's opinion in your industry, there's no doubt that others do too.

3. Add Eye-Catching Graphics

Twitter did a study a while back that gave these important statistics:

• Photos average a 35% boost in Retweets
• Videos get a 28% boost

Take your influence to a whole new level by creating your own graphics that incorporate a catchy phrase people will be drawn to. If done right, these can be some of the most effective hooks. Just don't go too cheesy or hipster (unless that's your target audience). Adding "breathe," "good vibes" or "keep it weird" probably won't win you points. Sometimes this works, but it really depends on your audience.

Twitter is prime for industry connections and creating brand awareness. The key is to position yourself in a favorable way and avoid the pitfalls of those dreaded personas that clutter social media.