5 Effective Tips To Maximize Twitter Advertising

Lost in the all- consuming shadow of social media’s undisputed giant, Facebook, Twitter is a more valuable network to use for building your business. Despite having “only” 645,750,000 registered subscribers compared to Facebook’s 1.4 Billion, Twitter offers more advantages for businesses. These are just some of them:

• Twitter is supported by more online business tools.
• More analytics and apps available to analyze brand performance.
• Easier to adapt and use particularly for customer service purposes.
• Facebook Edgerank reduces your reach by 10% while Twitter Timeline remains open and allows you to connect with experts and people who share your interests.
• Better research tool because it is in real time.

Twitter’s short messaging system makes it crucial for users to deliver the heart of the message in 140 characters or less. This makes content more precise and concise whereas in other networks the message could get lost with a post that is too long.

With its efficient set up and ease of use, Twitter is great in building an audience or for market acquisition purposes. These factors account for why businesses are looking more at Twitter as the preferred avenue for advertising.

But how can you maximize your efforts in Twitter advertising?

1. Identify your Twitter advertising objectives and set your goals

Every endeavor should begin with a purpose. If you are planning to use Twitter as a platform for marketing and promotion, what do you hope to achieve and how do you propose to attain them? Do you plan to:

• Build your number of followers?
• Increase the volume of inbound traffic to your website?
• Expand your scope and reach to a wider audience?
• Encourage more mobile app engagements?
• Generate leads?

Once you’ve identified your objectives and set your goals, break these down as courses of action. Be as detailed as possible and list down the specific processes involved.

When you have itemized your courses of action, create a separate list. This time for alternative courses of action in case the results of your strategy runs contrary to the objectives of your campaign.

Recommended Reading: Twitter's new pitch to brands: Turn everyday fan tweets into ads from Digiday

2. Organize your audience by using Twitter List

The genius of inbound marketing is that it allows you to qualify the people you are targeting for your product and service.

Twitter Lists are a feature in Twitter that allows the subscriber to categorize his community into groups. You can categorize groups simply by reviewing conversation or engagement streams. It is entirely up to you how you plan to group the members of the community.

Twitter allows you to make two types of lists:

• Private; as the term implies only the subscriber knows who is on the list. Subscribers usually make private lists based on the frequency they spend conversing or engaging with the community member.
• Public; anyone can see who is on your list. People enjoy being seen on lists and this is a big boost for your advertising campaign.

As mentioned there are many online business tools that support Twitter, including easy to use tools like Buffer, HootSuite and my personal favorite PostPlanner. These programs allow you to create separate columns for each list which will make it easier to join or track the conversation thread.

3. Take the time to plan your content strategy

Imagine being told 140 minutes in advance that you were selected to host the family reunion. Can you get everything done in 140 minutes to make the reunion a success?

140 characters is not a lot of characters to build content with. But that is the genius of Twitter. Its constraints make direct, concise and accurate messaging a top priority.

Of course, some people will send multiple tweets to get the message across. But by doing so, you reduce the power of the original message. In the Twitter universe, multiple tweets on the same subject matter will be perceived as a “rant”.

Always keep in mind that with Twitter, your tweet will be in real time. Don’t rush through your message and take the time to think it over; compose it properly.

4. Take advantage of analytics

Another big benefit of inbound marketing strategies is the availability of online analytics. Analytics allows you to evaluate the performance of the marketing campaign in real time.

Twitter has its own analytics feature that allows you to learn more about your followers’ tweeting behavior. You will know which of your tweets your followers are clicking or re- tweeting. This will give you valuable insights on how many people are engaged with your tweet.

In the social networking community, Twitter has the distinct advantage of having more online analytical tools and applications available to measure performance.

Analytics gives you valuable data on your current audience. You will know where they come from, which content interests them and most importantly, through engagement, you will know the issues that concern them.

By having this information, you will have solid bases for revising your campaign strategy. This makes your Twitter advertising campaign more flexible and adaptable to changes in market conditions.

Here is a video from Ms. Ileane that shows how to Find Your Most Popular Tweets in Twitter Analytics and Buffer.

5. Join in the conversation

With only 140 characters allowed per tweet, activity in Twitter can be frenetic. Conversations are bound to happen and engagements become a reality.

Join in the conversation and engage with others who are part of the thread. All it takes is a common interest to start a thread and keep it going. This is how relationships are built because people will see you for who you are; not just as a purveyor of a product or service.

Conversations present the ideal platform to present your thoughts and ideas. It gives people a good perspective on how you think, what you believe in and why you do what you do. These frequent engagements will enable the community to understand your purpose which will resonate whenever they come across your advertising campaign.

Just remember to be respectful and mindful of the opinions of others. Passions may often get the best of us but in the world of social media you have to pull in the reins a bit.

So don’t let its size fool you. Perhaps Twitter doesn’t match up to the size of Facebook’s community and you’re only allowed 140 characters per tweet. But make no mistake about it, a well- planned and well- structured Twitter campaign will pay out huge returns on your advertising program.

Additional Resources:

• Twitter Advertising 101: A Beginner's Guide to the New Twitter Ads Program (Marketing Matters)
• The Tao of Twitter, Revised and Expanded New Edition: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time
• Larry Kim Spills His Favorite Facebook and Twitter Ad Hacks