Twitter is well known for its savvy consumer brand strategies and accounts, but what role does it play in tech B2B marketing? For starters, conversations on Twitter around the future of technology were up 166% between 2016 and 2019 – so if you’re not already there, you’re missing out.
Twitter helps marketers spread brand awareness effectively, solidify thought leadership within a certain field, engage with existing clients and customers, and amplify content that can attract prospects for the sales funnel. It’s also a great way to keep a pulse on new ideas in an ever-changing marketing industry. Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to grow an established brand or personal account, here are some tips to help grow your following and keep your Twitter game at its best:
Your bio and pinned post are your most valuable real estate – use it!
With 330 million active monthly users, and 40% of those users accessing the platform daily, it’s never a bad time to update your bio or pinned Tweet since that’s what other users see first. Depending on your content strategy, your bio and pinned Tweet can also be great options to promote lead generation-oriented content.
Use your Twitter bio to explain in a few words what someone can expect to see when they follow your profile. Twitter bios are indexed by search engines. Adding one to three searchable, industry-related keywords or hashtags can help profiles get recognized by more users.
A pinned tweet is a post of your choosing that stays static, or ‘pinned’, at the top of your profile. This is typically the first thing users see when they look at your timeline, regardless of when the Tweet was originally sent. Your pinned Tweet is prime real estate on one of the fastest-moving social networks, and can serve as an extension of your bio, or a place to promote timely or priority content.
To find the right profiles to follow, start with who you already know.
Growing your follower list can be a daunting task for some, but it doesn’t have to be. One way to go about finding interesting, quality accounts is by starting with the users, brands and thought leaders you already admire and trust. See who those accounts are following, follow those accounts, and repeat the process. Your timeline will be a steady stream of content in no time and can result in follow-backs immediately or down the line.
When it comes to content, it’s quality over quantity.
While it’s important to keep content on your profile flowing regularly, don’t lose sight of the quality. Consistent, high-quality, informative and engaging content will keep users coming back to your profile and ensure they’re more likely to interact with yours versus those of your competitors. To avoid making your profile look like a newsfeed, it’s important to incorporate a hybrid of posts that consist of industry-related content, company-related content, personal content and engagements with followers and users. It’s always a good idea to infuse the tone and voice you speak with on a daily basis so that your channel is a reflection of your true personality. Engagement, i.e. replying and interacting with users, should not be shrugged off – 77% of Twitter users have a better impression of a brand when they see them respond to a Tweet, so it’s recommended to incorporate this into your regular strategy.
Speaking of engagement, here’s a quick look at the key metrics you ought to be keeping an eye on as you grow your profile:
- Impressions – the number of views your post has received
- Retweets – how many times your post has been retweeted, i.e. reposted or shared
- Likes – the number of likes your post has received
- Engagement Rate – the overall engagements (likes, retweets, reptiles, follows, likes, clicks, and more) divided by the overall impressions
- Follower Growth – increase, or decrease, in follower count
Tech B2B companies should absolutely be leveraging Twitter within marketing strategies to share timely, thought-provoking content, as well as promote lead-generation focused activities. When used effectively, Twitter can help marketers, brands and thought leaders explore the cultures and conversations happening among potential customers, competitors and the industry at any given moment.
