Twitter marketing may be more important than ever since Facebook seems it may have taken a not-so-great turn for marketers.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking service and online news outlet in which users can post and interact with messages, known as tweets. It is considered a micro-blogging platform, which means the statements made on this platform are going to be fairly brief. Unlike Facebook, which has plenty of options for keeping your information private, Twitter is mainly public. Although you can make your account private, you only have the option of keeping it completely private or completely public. You do not pick and choose who can see what. As a small business, this is not something you will have to worry about with your account. In this piece, we’ll talk about the facts and basics of using Twitter.

Twitter Facts

Twitter has been around since March 21st, 2006. That makes this platform only two years younger than Facebook. Here are a few statistics about Twitter:

• There are approximately 330 million monthly active users currently.
• Over 500 million tweets are sent per day.
• Consumption continues to increase year by year, although it has slowed down in the recent years.
• Twitter has nearly four times as many users internationally as in the United States.
• About 23% of adult internet users use Twitter.
  • 30% of online adults under age 50 use Twitter.
  • 11% of online adults ages 50 and up use Twitter.
• Twitter accounts for 16% of referrals to longer articles from social sites and 14% for shorter news articles
• About 33% of American teens use Twitter
• Twitter’s technology can handle 18 quintillion followers! Oh, my!
• 80% of users are on a mobile device.
• There are about 100 million daily active users.

Twitter Basics

To begin, we will review some of the basic functions of the social media network and how to use this platform.

Twitter Terminology To Know

1. Username: Each and every user has a unique username. These usernames are usually seen with an ‘@’ symbol preceding the username.
2. Tweet: A tweet is a public message posted on Twitter.
3. Retweet: Retweeting is essentially reposting someone else’s tweet. It is usually shown by the letters RT appearing before the reposted tweet.
4. Reply: If you want to reply to someone’s tweet on Twitter, you would start your message with @username to direct your message at them.
5. Direct Message: Also known as a DM, direct messages are like replies, but they are private.
6. Words after a # symbol are considered a hashtag. Hashtags are used to track topics and the popularity of these topics. You can search for hashtags to see information on a topic.
7. Follow: Following someone on Twitter is similar to friending someone on Facebook. This is done so that you will see their updates.
8. Block: Blocking is similar to banning someone from your business page on Facebook. they will not be allowed to contact you or see your Twitter account.

Setting Up An Account On Twitter

If you have not created an account for your business, do so now. Make sure your username is your business name. This is crucial so that users will be able to find your business on Twitter.

Next, you will be prompted to create a bio for your account. It is limited to 160 characters so keep it short, sweet, and to the point. This is likely what users will read first about your business, so make sure to state what you do, and the benefit of your product or service.

Now, we need to set up your profile picture. It is best to use a high quality/close up personal photo of you at work but with a business, it may be better to use your logo. This will help others find your business without much fuss.

One of the last steps to set up your Twitter account is setting your cover photo. Keep your cover photo simple and similar to your brand and website, A photo of your store, staff or products is great. Should be similar to something you would use for your cover photo on Facebook.

Now you’re official, so get to tweeting!

In The Next Segment…

In the next post, we’ll talk about some tips and tricks to help you get around the Twitterverse and how to get the most out of your business’s Twitter account. Remember, if you don’t have time to take care of your social media needs as necessary, contact us. We’d be happy to help you have a good and constant presence on social media along with great content. We’re here to help with all your marketing needs!