5 Things to Consider When Leveraging Twitter for Your Business: Part 1

If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to creating a Twitter account – you’ve come to the wrong place (you can get those here and here and here…).  In lieu of adding another ‘beginner’s guide’ to the collective blogosphere, I felt it would be a better use of my time (and yours) if I focused on best practices instead.  When leveraging Twitter for your business and social media campaign, there are 5 things you need to be concerned with.  Today I will discuss The Account and Productivity.  In tomorrow’s Part 2, I’ll cover Building Followers, Knowing Who to Follow and last, but certainly not least, Rules of Engagement.

Before I get to the meat and potatoes, I’m going to give you the “why you should care” speech.  Here goes:  Twitter is a powerful social media tool.  Period.  It is simple to use and there is incredible potential for reaching customers in a meaningful way.  For perspective, an eMarketer report projected 12.1 million US Twitter users for 2009 and an increase to 18.1 million for 2010.  If you were holding out for fear that Twitter was just a fad, think again because the bandwagon is still on the move!

1.  The Account

A huge part of finding success with Twitter rests on what I call the “structural components” of your account.  Such things as your username (gasp!), profile information (wh-what?), user image/avatar (oh no he didn’t!) and that pesky background (it’s on like Donkey Kong!).  Let me explain…

• Username: Think common sense.  Think branding.  Your business name would be a good [obvious] 1st choice.  If your Twitter campaign is only for a specific product line or branch of your company – be specific.  You want your username to be easily remembered and recognized.  And if you have a lot of products and branches of your business – go ahead and snag those profiles, too, while you’re at it.  The caveat to this is that if your business name is less popular than your own (yeah, that’s me) – it may make sense to leverage the brand equity in your own name.  You can change your Twitter username as needed and all of your replies, DMs, etc. will be redirected to your new username automatically.
• Profile Information: You don’t get a great deal of space to describe your business, so be specific.  The ‘Name’ field gives you the chance to restate your business name separate from your Twitter username.  So if you are Acme Computer Widget Suppliers International – chances are your username is lacking something.  Use the ‘Name’ field to spell it all out.  Include your ‘Location’ – especially if you aspire to attract local customers.  Don’t forget (I repeat, don’t forget) your website!  And your ‘Bio’ should be descriptive of not only your business but of your overall intentions for participating on Twitter.
• User Image / Avatar: Once again, think branding.  Don’t stick with Twitter’s default brown face.  So the question becomes – do you use your business/product logo or do you use a picture of the individual behind the account?  In a recent survey conducted by Kristy Bolsinger, the majority feel that a logo is more appropriate and effective.  Whatever you choose, the image you stick with should be professional and reflective of your brand.
• Background: I’ll step right up and say that I’m guilty of misuse of a Twitter background.  Twitter provides a handful of stock background images that can help spice up your profile, but that’s just the tip of the iceburg.  You can upload custom backgrounds into your profile.  This gives you a huge opportunity to provide your followers with more information about your business, images reflecting your brand and/or products and even to include more detailed contact information.  Not to mention you can show your or your marketing team’s creative prowess.

2.  Productivity

When I first began using Twitter, I strictly used the web interface.  At the point I began updating multiple Twitter accounts, this became impossibly difficult.  Log in, log out, am I in the right account, I don’t know, crap I need a desktop app!  This wasn’t the only issue.  There was also the issue of time and how Twitter was prioritized into my routine.  If you’re not careful, Twitter (like much of the internet) can become a massive time-suck.

• Desktop Apps:  Take yourself out of your web browser and into the life of social media leisure.  OK, maybe it isn’t that swell.  Desktop applications are programs that have been designed to speed up and enhance the Twitter user experience as well as simplify basic functionality.  These desktop apps let you manage multiple profiles simultaneously, they integrate reply, retweet and direct message tasks simply and in general speed up the process of using Twitter.  I personally use Twhirl, but am planning a future switch to Seesmic Desktop.  Check out this Mashable article that compares the top 19 desktop apps.
• Time Management: As I mentioned above, it is easy to get lost in Twitter.  When you let this happen you lose time you could be spending on other tasks – thus devaluing the ROI of your social media campaign.  Use basic time management skills to make Tweeting a routine.  Give yourself time to review updates from those that you follow.  Give yourself time to send replies, direct messages and retweets as appropriate.  And most importantly, give yourself time for your own Tweets.  I would recommend 10 minute blocks spread throughout the day.  This way you get in, get out and get on with running the rest of your business!

Well, thus endeth part one.  For more Twitter-goodness, check back in tomorrow when I’ll wrap things up with Building Followers, Knowing Who to Follow and Rules of Engagement.

**UPDATE** Visit part 2!

I want to know what you think about Twitter accounts and productivity, so don’t be shy – leave me a comment!