-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
1/25
ABeginnersGuide
http://www.HubSpot.comor@HubSpot
http://Twitter.Grader.comor@Grader
WanttolearnmoreaboutusingTwitterforMarketingandPR?
Downloadthefreewebinarforlotsoftipsandtrickstodriveyourinboundmarketingtoincreasetraffic
andleadsusingTwitter.(http://hubspot.me/?Twitter)
http://twitter.com/HubSpothttp://twitter.com/Graderhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://twitter.com/Graderhttp://twitter.com/HubSpothttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitter -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
2/25
Page2of25 www.HubSpot.com
TableofContents
Introto
Twitter
InboundMarketingandtheNewRules
Twitter101
BasicTwitterVocabulary
TwitterFromaBusinessPerspective
SettingUpandOptimizingYourProfile
Step1:SignUpforTwitter
Step2:PersonalizeYourProfile
Step3:StartTweeting
Step
4:
Find
People
to
Follow
Step5:GetPeopletoFollowYou
Step6:EngageWithyourNetwork
UsingTwitterforBusiness
UseTwitterforMarketing
UseTwitterforPublicRelations
UseTwitterforCustomerService
TrackandAnalyzeYourCampaigns
ConclusionandAdditionalResources
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
3/25
Page3of25 www.HubSpot.com
PartOne:IntroductiontoTwitter
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
4/25
Page4of25 www.HubSpot.com
InboundMarketingandtheNewRulesThemajorityoftodaystraditionalmarketersuseoutboundmarketingtoreachtheiraudiences.For
messagedistribution,theyuseprintmedia,radioandTV.Forleadgeneration,theyusedirectmail,cold
calls
and
email
blasts.
These
methods
may
have
worked
in
the
past;
however,
by
using
tools
like
TIVO/DVR,emailspamblockersandcallerID,consumersblockmessagestheydontwant.Peoplenow
controlhowtheyconsumemediaandwhatmessagestheycaretohear.
Butallisnotlost!Consumersstillwanttolearnaboutthebestproductsandservicesfortheirneeds.
Thekeyistheywanttofindthisinformationontheirown,mostoftenbyusingtheInternet.For
example,someonemightperusetheblogospheretoreadfirsthandexperienceswithaparticular
product.Maybethatpersonwillalsosearchforreviewsonlineorengagewithothersinsocialmediato
learnotherviewsandopinions.
Insteadofcontinuingtopushmarketingmessagesout,effectivemarketersadapttothisconsumer
behaviorby
creating
marketing
campaigns
that
pull
people
into
their
business.
This
strategy
is
called
inboundmarketing.Inboundmarketersofferthepublicusefulinformation,toolsandresourcesto
attractpeopletotheirsite,whilealsointeractinganddevelopingrelationshipswithconsumersonthe
web.Inboundmarketingtoolsincludeblogging,contentpublishing,searchengineoptimization,social
mediaandsocialnetworks.
Twitterisoneofthemostpowerfulsocialnetworksforyourbusiness.
Twitter101So,whatisTwitter?
Quiteoften,peoplesgutreactiontoTwitteris,Nooneneedstoknow
whatImdoingorIdontcarewhatotherpeoplearedoing.
Whilethismaybethesurfaceview,Twitterisalsoagreatwaytoexpand
yournetwork.InthewordsofChrisBrogan,Twitterisausefulcommunicationtoolthatallowsyouto
interactwithpeoplearoundtheworldinthreedifferentways:
1) Sendashortmessagetoabunchofpeoplepublicly2) Sendashortmessagetoaspecificpersonpublicly3) Sendashortmessagetoaspecificpersonprivately
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4416/Inbound-Marketing-the-Next-Phase-of-Marketing-on-the-Web.aspxhttp://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4416/Inbound-Marketing-the-Next-Phase-of-Marketing-on-the-Web.aspxhttp://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4416/Inbound-Marketing-the-Next-Phase-of-Marketing-on-the-Web.aspxhttp://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4416/Inbound-Marketing-the-Next-Phase-of-Marketing-on-the-Web.aspxhttp://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4416/Inbound-Marketing-the-Next-Phase-of-Marketing-on-the-Web.aspx -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
5/25
Page5of25 www.HubSpot.com
Twitterisalsoreferredtoasa"microblogging"service,meaningyoucanpostshortupdateslimitedto
140charactersorless.Why?Originally,thelimitationwascreatedtomakeTwittercompatiblewith
mobilephonesandtextmessaging.Now,itsausefulcharacteristicthatallowsuserstoreceiverapid
fire,conciseinformationfrommany,manypeople!
BasicTwitterVocabularyTwitterHandle:Alsoknownasausername.Thisisthenameyouselecttorepresentyourself.
ToFollow:TosubscribetosomeonesupdatesonTwitter.YoudothisbyclickingtheFollowbuttonon
thatspecificpersonsTwitterpage,whichcanbefoundathttp://twitter.com/USERNAME.(Insertthe
specificpersonsusernameintotheURL,likehttp://twitter.com/HubSpot).Whenyoufollowsomeone,
theirupdateswillbedisplayedonyourTwitterpagesoyouknowwhattheyaredoing.
ToFollowBack:Tosubscribetotheupdatesofsomeonewhohasrecentlystartedfollowingyou.
Wheneveranewpersonfollowsyou,youreceiveanemailalertfromTwitter.Intheemail,therewillbe
alinktothatpersonsprofile.Byclickingthelink,youcancheckoutwhotheyareanddecidetofollow
thembackornot.Itisnotrequiredtofolloweveryoneback,butmanypeopleliketo.
Follower:Apersonwhohassubscribedtoreceiveyourupdates.Youcanseeyourtotalnumberof
followersonyourTwitterprofilepage.
Update:Alsoknownasatweet.Theycanbenolongerthan140characters.(Laterwewilltalkaboutdifferenttypesofupdates.)YoupostyourupdateinthewhitetextboxunderWhatareyoudoing?@Reply:
A
public
message
sent
from
one
Twitter
user
to
another
by
putting
@USERNAME
at
the
beginningofthetweet.
DirectMessage(orDM):AprivatemessagesentfromoneTwitterusertoanotherbyeitherclickingthe
messagelinkontheirprofileortypingDUSERNAME.
TwitterStream:Alistofapersonsrealtimeupdates.Everytimeyoupostanupdate,itgoesintoyour
Twitterstream,whichisfoundonyouraccountpagealsoathttp://twitter.com/USERNAME.
Tweetup:AneventspecificallyorganizedforTwitteruserstomeetupandnetwork,usuallyinformal.
Hashtag(#):Atooltoaggregatetheconversationsurroundinganeventortheme.Createdbycombining
a#with
aword,
acronym
or
phrase
(#WORD).
Retweet(orRT):Torepeatwhatsomeoneelsehasalreadytweeted.Peopledothisifsomeonehassaid
somethingespeciallyvaluableandtheywanttheirownnetworktoseetheinformationtoo.
(Example:Retweet@USERNAME:Checkoutthiscoolresource).
http://twitter.com/HubSpothttp://twitter.com/HubSpot -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
6/25
Page6of25 www.HubSpot.com
TwitterfromaBusinessPerspectiveInshort,Twitterisarelationshipbuildingandrelationshipmaintenancetool;themostobviousbusiness
useofTwitteristomeetpotentialcustomersandleadsthesamewayyouwouldatnetworkingeventor
tradeshow.
However,youcanalsouseitto:
1) Developandpromoteyourbrand2) Interactwithyourcustomerbase3) Trackwhatpeoplearesayingaboutyourcompanyandbrand4) Createbuzzaroundupcomingevents5) Helpindividualemployeesactasliaisonstothepublic6) Promoteothercontentyouvecreated,includingwebinars,blogpostsorpodcasts7) DevelopdirectrelationshipswithbloggersandjournalistsforpotentialPRplacement
ThiseBookwillfirstexplainthestepstogetinvolvedinTwitterandthenexplorehowtofullyutilizeit
fromabusinessperspective.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
7/25
Page7of25 www.HubSpot.com
PartTwo:SettingUpandOptimizingYourProfile
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
8/25
Page8of25 www.HubSpot.com
Step1:SignUpForTwitterSonowyouneedtogetsignedupforTwitter!
Beforesigningup,considerifyouwantapersonalorabusinessTwitteraccount.Botharegoodfora
companyto
have,
but
serve
different
purposes.
Companyaccount:Representsthecompanyasawhole.Usethistypeofaccountto:
Keepyourcustomerbaseuptodateonyourevents Promoterecentblogarticlesornews Updateyourconsumersaboutproducts/services Giverealtimeupdatesatconferencesandevents
Personalaccount:Usedbyanindividualemployeeatthecompany.Thisaccounttypeismore
personalized,canbeusedtotalkaboutnoncompanyrelatedthingsandisbetterfordirectrelationship
building.Usethistypeofaccountto:
Actasaliaisontothepublicforyourcompany Updatepeopleonwhatyoureworkingon Sharetidbitsaboutyourpersonality Expandyourcompanysnetworkandmakeconnections
ForthiseBook,wewillwalkthroughthestepsforcreatingapersonalaccount.Thesetupforacompanyaccountworksalmostexactlythesame;however,thenameoftheaccountshouldbethenameofthe
companyandthecontentofitsupdatesshouldnotincludeindividualorpersonalinformation.
Togetyourownaccount,goto
http://twitter.comandclickthe
Jointheconversation!
button.
Clickingthisbuttonwillbring
youtoapagewhereyouwill
selectyourusernameand
password.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
9/25
Page9of25 www.HubSpot.com
Yourusernameisveryimportant.ThisnamewillbehowpeoplewillrefertoyouonTwitter,and
potentiallyhowpeoplewillacknowledgeyouifyouevermeetanyofyourTwitterfollowersoffline.
ThinkofyourTwitterhandleasyourpersonalbrandname.Thatshowimportantitis.
IdeasforTwitterHandles:
1) Yourfullname(JamesDean)2) Avariationofyourname(JDean)3) Acombinationofyournameandyourcompany(CompanyJane)4) Acombinationofyournameandyourindustry(MarketingJane)
MakingyourTwitterhandleasclosetoyournameaspossiblewillmakeiteasierforpeopletorecognize
youataconferenceorevent.However,sometimespeoplewillputtheirTwitterhandlesontheir
nametagtoavoidconfusion.
UsingyourrealnameonTwitterhelpsyoulooklikeareal,authenticpersonifsomeonestumblesupon
yourprofile.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
10/25
Page10of25 www.HubSpot.com
IfyouwillbetheonlypersonrepresentingyourcompanyonTwitterandyoudonotplantomakea
companyTwitteraccountwhynotusethethirdoptionandmakeitacombinationofyournameand
company?Dontfeelobligatedtodothis;youwillhavetheopportunitytoputyourcompanyinyour
profile(explainedinthenextsection).Twitter
Handle
DONTS:
1) DontmakeyourTwitterhandlesomethingcompletelyrandom(TigerMan).Thisisalostbrandingopportunityforyouandyourcompany.
2) Dontusenumbers(Joanne123).Unlessthereisareasonforthespecificnumbers,itlooksjuvenile.ItalsoconjurestheoldAOLchatroomdays.Itgivesyoutheappearancethatyouarent
puttingthoughtintoyourusername.
3) Dontuseanunderscore(PR_Max).Usinganunderscorewonthurtyou,butbeawarethatitgenerallyisneverdone.Useatriskofseemingunawareofthesocialnorms.
AfteryouchooseyourhandleandclickCreatemyaccount,itwillbringyoutoascreenaskingtocheck
ifyouremailcontactsarealreadyonTwitter.IfyouhaveaGmail,HotmailorYahooaccount,feelfreeto
seeifanyoneyouknowisalreadysignedup.(However,thisisnotarequiredstep.Feelfreetoskip.)If
youdodecidetocheck,bewareofthepromptaskingifyoudliketoinvitethemalltoTwitter.Thiswill
sendamessageallyourcontacts.Onlydothisifyouwantto.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
11/25
Page11of25 www.HubSpot.com
Step2:PersonalizeYourProfileNowthatyouhaveyouraccount,youneedtopersonalizeit.Itisimportantthatyoupersonalizeyour
accountbeforeyoubegininteractingandfollowingpeople.Beforeyouaddinformation,youraccount
looksboring.Ifyoustartfollowingpeoplewithoutapersonalizedprofile,itislesslikelythatpersonwill
followyouback.Youmayevenbemistakenforaspammer.
Yourprofileiswhereyoucan
referenceyourcompany,
yourblog,talkaboutyour
interestsandlistyour
location.
ClicktheSettingsButtonat
thetoprightcornerofyour
screen.
Thefirstiteminyourprofileisyourname.AlwayslistyourrealnamewhenusingTwitterforbusiness.
Youwouldntintroduceyourselfwithafakenameatatradeshow.Whyshouldyoudoithere?
ForyourURL,orwebaddress,itsbestpracticealwaystoincludealink.Putalinktoyour:
Companywebsite Blog Personalwebsite LinkedInProfile
IntheOneLineBiosection,beasdescriptiveaspossible.Thisisyourelevatorpitchyouropportunity
toconvincepeopletofollowyouback.Consideritasnapshotofyourbackground.Youcaninclude:
Yourcompany Yourposition Yourhobbies/interests Yourspecializations Yourrecentprojects
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
12/25
Page12of25 www.HubSpot.com
Alsomakesuretolistyourlocation.Manypeoplefollowbackthoselocatedintheirgeographicareato
expandtheirlocalnetwork.PutitinstandardCity,Stateformatsoitcanbepickedupbylistsforyourarea.Dontloseoutonthisopportunity.
ThelastoptioninprofilesettingsistheProtectmyupdatesbox.Byclickingthis,yourTwitterstream
willbeprivate,andnoonewillbeabletoseeyourupdateswithoutfollowingyou.Wedonot
recommendclickingthistoprotectyourupdates.Manypeoplejudgewhethertofollowsomeoneback
throughthetypeofinformationtheytweet.Youareasvaluableasyourupdates;dontkeeppeople
fromgettingapeek!
Ifyoureworriedaboutrandompeopleorstrangersseeingyourupdates,rememberthatyouarein
completecontroloverwhatyousay.Butfeelcomfortablebeingyourself.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
13/25
Page13of25 www.HubSpot.com
Afteryoufilloutyourprofile
information,itstimetoaddapicture
ofyou,alsocalledyouravatar.Its
importantto
put
aface
to
your
name.Forthisstep,visitthePicture
Tab.Thenpickanice,smileyphototo
representyou.(Ifyourecreatinga
companyaccount,useyourlogo.)
Tofurtherpersonalizethelookof
yourTwitterprofile,gotothe
DesignTabtocreateacustomized
themeorbackground.Playwiththe
differentcolorsthatrepresentyour
companyslogo,oradda
backgroundimagethatyoulike!
Step3:StartTweetingEvenbeforefindingpeopletofollow,werecommendtweetingafewthingsthatwillgivepeopleanidea
ofthetypeofcontentyouwillbetweeting.Yourmostvaluableassetistheinformationyouprovide.
Sowhatcanyoutweetabout?
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
14/25
Page14of25 www.HubSpot.com
Typesoftweets:
1) Anobservation:Tweetaboutwhatyouredoing,thinkingorfeeling2) Whatyourereading:Postalinktoaninterestingblogpostornewsarticle3) Whatyourewatching:PostalinktoacoolvideofromHuluorYouTube4) Whateventsyouregoingto:Sharealinktothenextconferenceyouplantoattend5) Promoteyourcontent:Postalinktoyourmostrecentcompanyorpersonalblogarticle6) Promotesomeoneelsescontent:Postalinktosomeoneelsesblogarticleasahelpfulresource7) Chatwithsomeone:Sendmessagesusingan@sign(tobeexplainedlater)8) Retweetwhatsomeoneelsehassaid:Retweet(usingRTorRetweetinthebeginningofthe
message)torepeatwhatsomeoneelsehassaid
Ifyourprofileisallsetup,clickhereforagreatfirsttweetaboutwhatyouarereadingrightnow!
(http://hub.tm/?WPXOU)
Rememberthat
everything
you
say
is
public!
Dont
say
anything
you
wouldnt
say
at
anetworking
event.Evenifyoudeleteatweet,itmightstillbearchivedontheInternetandcouldbefound.
http://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOUhttp://hub.tm/?WPXOU -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
15/25
Page15of25 www.HubSpot.com
Step4:FindPeopletoFollowBuildingyournetworkisthemostchallengingandtimeconsumingpartofusingTwitter.Expandingyour
networkdoesnthappenimmediately;youneedtocommitandtakethetimetouseTwittereffectively.
Byfollowing
people,
you
will
receive
their
updates
on
aregular
basis
in
your
Twitter
stream.
This
is
your
chancetolearnabouttheirlives,checkouttheblogpoststheyarereadingandmeetthepeoplethey
interactwith.Followingagoodsizedcommunitycanbevaluableandfun!
Butwherecanyoufindpeopleyouwouldwanttofollow?1) TwitterGrader(http://Twitter.Grader.com):ThisisafreeresourceofferedbyHubSpot.You
canuseittodiscovertheTwitterEliteofyourcityandsearchforpeoplewithinteresting
informationintheirprofile.Forexample,findpeoplewholistsoftwaredevelopment,a
specificcompanyoralocationintheirTwitterprofile.
2) TwitterSearch(http://search.twitter.com):ThisfreeresourcepreviouslycalledSummizeisasearchfunctionthathelpsyoufindpeoplewhoaretweetingaboutspecific
words.
For
example,
you
can
find
people
who
have
tweeted
about
public
relations.
Follow
peopletalkingaboutthetopicsyouenjoy.Also,useTwitterSearchtoseewhohastweeted
aboutyourcompany.
http://twitter.grader.com/http://search.twitter.com/http://search.twitter.com/http://twitter.grader.com/ -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
16/25
Page16of25 www.HubSpot.com
3) FollowPeopleYourFollowersareFollowing:Onceyoubeginreceivingupdatesfromahandfulofpeople,[email protected]
personwouldbefuntofollowaswell!
4) FollowThoughtLeadersandBloggers:SeeifanyofyourfavoritebloggersareonTwitter.ManybloggersincludealinktotheirTwitteraccountintheirsidebarorpersonalinfosection
ontheirwebsite.
5) CollectPeoplesTwitterNamesatEvents:Likewesaidbefore,manysocialmediasavvypeoplewillincludetheirTwitterhandleontheirnametagatanevent.Writedowntheir
namesandfollowthemlater.YoucanfindtheirTwitteraccountbyaddingtheirhandleto
theend
of
http://twitter.com/USERNAME.
For
example
ifsomeone
tells
you
to
follow
HubSpot,youcantypehttp://twitter.com/HubSpotinyourbrowsersnavigationbartofind
us.IfyouarenotsureifsomeoneyoujustmetisonTwitter,ask!
6) FollowHashtags(#)atEvents:Atmanyevents,theorganizerwillestablishahashtag(Ex:#IMS08wasthe2008InboundMarketingSummit),soanyonetweetingattheeventcan
includethehashtag(#)intheirTweet.Followthosepeoplewhoareatthesameeventas
youwhoyoumaynothavemetinpersonyet.(Thisisabitmoreadvanced,andhashtagswillbeexplainedinmoredetaillaterinthiseBook.)
Following
Donts:
Dontfollowtoomanypeopleatonce:Bestpracticeistofollownomorethan2550peopleaday,becausetherewillbeatimegap
betweenfollowingpeopleandhavingthemfollowyouback.Ifyour
profilesaysyouarefollowing2,000peopleandonly30followers
havefollowedyoubacksofar,itappearsthat1970ofthosewhoyou
followedchosenottofollowyouback.Thisunfavorableratiomakesyoulooklikeabadperson
toaddtoonesnetwork.Waitalittlebittogivepeoplethechancetofollowyoubackbefore
findinganewbatchofpeopletoaddtoyournetwork.
Dontfollowhundredsofpeopleatonceandremoveallwhodontfollowyouback:Althoughmanypeopledothisinordertohaveavaluableratio(ormorefollowersthanpeopleyoure
following),itisartificialnetworkbuildingandnotabestpractice.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
17/25
Page17of25 www.HubSpot.com
Step5:GetPeopletoFollowYouFollowingpeopleandreceivingtheirupdatesisgreat,butinordertohavevaluabletwoway
conversations,youneedpeopletofollowyoubackandreceiveyourupdatestoo.Thisiswhyitisso
important
to
get
your
profile
fully
set
up
before
reaching
out
for
new
connections.
If
you
follow
someonewhodoesntalreadyknowyou,youneedtohavesufficientinformationaboutyouinyour
profilesothatpersoncanmakethedecisionwhethertofollowyoubackornot.
Havingfollowersisimportant,becausetheyareyournetworkwhowillseeyourtweets.Thinkofyour
totalnumberoffollowersasyourTwitterreach.
1) MakeyourcompanysTwitterusernameseasytofind.CreateapagethatlistsalltheTwitterhandlesofthepeopleinyourcompany.Bygivingyourcustomersaneasywaytointeractwith
individualpeople,ithelpsthemgettoknowthetypeofpeoplewhoworkatyourcompany.It
alsogivesinsighttoyourbrand!
HubSpothasapageshowingourpresenceonTwitteratwww.HubSpot.com/TwitterandZappos
isanotherexampleofacompanywithanexcellentTwitterpage.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
18/25
Page18of25 www.HubSpot.com
2) Makeyourtweetsusefulresourcessopeopleneedyou.Youarewhatyoutweet.Peoplewillwanttofollowyouiftheythinktheywillgetvaluefromyourcontent.Youwanttoavoidmaking
yourTwitteraccountpurelyapromotionaltool.Wouldyousubscribetoanewsletterifitdidnt
haveanything
useful
to
say?
What
specialty
knowledge
do
you
have
that
you
can
share?
3) Interactwiththosepeopleyoufollowwhodontfollowyoubackyet.MakesuretomonitoryourTwitterstream,andcommentonwhatpeoplearesaying.Givefeedback;compliment
people.Thekeyistoengage.
Step6:EngageWithYourNetworkHowdoyoutweetataspecificperson?In
order
to
send
amessage
to
another
person
on
Twitter,
you
need
to
use
an
@
before
the
persons
name.Thinkofitastheaddressoftweet.Rememberthatthistypeofmessageisstillpublic,viewable
byanyoneintheworld.
HereisanexampleofhowyouwouldsendatweettoHubSpot.
Example:@HubSpotWhatsup?
Byputting@USERNAMEatthebeginningofyourtweet,Twitterknowswhotosenditto.Thistypeof
tweetisalsocalledareplyor@reply(Pronouncedatreply).Allofthe@repliesyoureceivewillgo
intoyour@RepliesTab.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
19/25
Page19of25 www.HubSpot.com
Ifyoudontput@USERNAMEattheverybeginningofyourtweet,itwillnotgotothatpersonsreplies.
Example:TheotherdayIcheckedoutTwitterGraderby@HubSpot
TheabovetweetwouldnotgointoHubSpotsReplyTab.Alsonote,anytimeyouputan@infrontof
someonesusername,itautomaticallybecomesalinktothatpersonsprofile.Thisfeaturemakesiteasy
foryoutocheckoutthosepeoplesprofilesandengagewiththemaswell.
ItisalsopossibletosendsomeoneaprivatemessageonTwitter.Thesearecalleddirectmessagesor
DMs.Sendadirectmessagebyeithergoingtothatpersonsprofileorclickingthemessagelinkonthe
righthandsideofthepersonsprofileorbytweetingDUSERNAMEandthenyourmessage
Example:DHubSpotDoyouwanttomeet
tomorrow?
Thiswillbeaprivatemessagethatwontgointo
thepublicTwitterstream.Youwillreceivean
emailwiththedirectmessage,anditwillalsogo
intoyourDirectMessagesTab.However,youcan
onlyDM
people
ifyou
follow
them
and
they
followyouback.
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
20/25
Page20of25 www.HubSpot.com
PartThree:UsingTwitterforBusiness
-
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
21/25
Page21of25 www.HubSpot.com
UseTwitterforMarketing1) UseTwittertodrivepeopletoyourcompanyswebsite.Tweetaboutinterestingresources
youremployeeshavepostedonyourblogorwebsite.Haveyourecentlypublishedawhite
paperthatpeoplecandownloadforfree?Tweetaboutit,linkingbacktothedownloadpageon
yourwebsite.
If
the
content
on
your
site
is
truly
remarkable,
people
may
start
tweeting
about
it
ontheirown!TheycanshareyourresourcetotheirfriendsonTwitter.
2) MonitoryourbrandonTwitter.UsingtheaforementionedTwitterSearchtool(http://search.twitter.com),youcansearchandtrackwhatpeoplearesayingaboutyour
company,products,competitorsoranyotherhotwordsinyourindustry.SetupanRSSfeedto
receiveallsearchresultsinGoogleReader.Ifyoufindsomeonetweetingaboutyourproducts
orapersonwhoislookingforasolutionthatyourproductprovides,letthemknow!
3) UsetheTwitterFavoritesfeatureasalistofcompanytestimonials.TotheleftofeachtweetinyourTwitterstream,thereisalittlestar.Whenyouclickthelittlestar,thattweetgets
addedto
your
Favorites
Tab.
As
you
track
what
people
are
saying
about
your
company
in
TwitterSearch,favoriteallofthepositivetweets.Thirdpartytestimonialsarevaluableby
showingthepublicwhatotherpeoplethinkofyourcompany.Thenexttimesomeoneasks
aboutyourcompany,sendthemthelinktoyourFavoritespage.TheURLforthispagewillbe
http://twitter.com/USERNAME/favorites.
Example:www.Twitter.com/HubSpot/favorites
4) UseTwittertopromoteevents.TweetupsareagreatwaytogettoknowyourTwittercommunity
offline.
The
next
time
your
company
holds
an
event,
fundraiser
or
open
house,
tweetaboutit!Bestpracticeistosendpeopledirectlytoaneventsignuppage.
http://search.twitter.com/http://search.twitter.com/ -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
22/25
Page22of25 www.HubSpot.com
Thinkofahashtagforyoureventbeforeyoustarttweetingaboutit.EarlierintheeBook,we
mentionedhowHubSpotused#IMS08fortheInboundMarketingSummit.
Selectingahashtagforyourowneventwillbebeneficialinafewways:
a) Duringtheevent,peopleoftenusethehashtagwhilelivetweeting,ortweetingwhattheysee/hearinrealtime.Thehashtagwillaggregatethe
eventtweets,buildinganonlineconversationaroundtheevent.
b) Peoplewhoarenotattheeventwillseeyourhashtagandperhapsuseittoo.Apopular#hashtagoftensparkscuriosity,andpeoplewillgoto
http://search.twitter.comtofollowtheconversationaroundtheevent.
5) UseTwittertopromotenewtools.Twitteruserslovenewtoys,especiallyiftheycreatesomesortofoutcome,gradeoranalysisofthepersonusingthetool.Maketheresultsofyour
tool/graderaseasytoTweetaspossible.PerhapsyoucouldaddaTweetthisgradefunction.
Makesureyourtoolisaseasytoshareaspossible!
6) Establishyourselfasathoughtleaderinyourindustry.Bytweetingaboutusefulresourcesand
thoughtful
tips,
you
and
your
company
will
eventually
develop
thought
leadership,
and
peoplewillconsideryouanexpertinthatparticularsubject.Besuretolinktoyourown
resourcesaswellasothers.
http://search.twitter.com/http://search.twitter.com/ -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
23/25
Page23of25 www.HubSpot.com
UseTwitterforPublicRelations1) Developrelationshipswithreporters,bloggersandothermediapeoplethroughTwitter.
Reportersandbigtimebloggersareincrediblyactiveinsocialnetworks,especiallywhen
gatheringinformationforstories.Tworesourcesthathaveagreatlistofthemediapeopleon
Twitterare:
MediaOutlets:
https://twitteringjournalists.pbwiki.com/Media+Outlets+Using+TwitterMediaPeople:
https://twitteringjournalists.pbwiki.com/Media+People+Using+Twitter http://mediaontwitter.pbwiki.com
2) Watchfortweetsabouteditorialopportunities.BecausethenatureofTwitteris
veryquickresponse,itsagreatplacefor
mediapeople
to
look
for
last
minute,
additionalresourcesfortheirstories.When
followingbloggersandreportersonTwitter,
keepclosetrackoftheirtweetsandscanfor
anyopportunities.
Itsalsoagreatideatosendreporterstipstootherlinksandresourcessimplytobehelpfuland
improveyourrelationshipwiththemediaperson,evenifitsinregardtoanothercompany.The
mediapersonwillbethankfulforyourhelpandmorelikelyuseyouasareferencewhenthe
subjectisapplicabletoyou!
3)Direct
Message
reporters
instead
of
sending
them
an
email.
By
sending
a
direct
message,
you
areforcedtocreateashortconcisepitchthatareporterismorelikelytoread.Also,direct
messagesareverycasual,andsomemediafolkspreferDMstoemailpitches.Also,itsavesyou
thetimeitwouldnormallytaketowritealengthypitch.Remember,youcanonlyDMpeopleif
theyfollowyouback.However,dontpitchtoomuch;theycouldeasilyunfollowyoumakingit
muchmoredifficulttoconnect.
4) UseTwittertocheckinonyourmediapersonbeforePRpitching.Checktoseewhatthepersonyoureabouttopitchisuptobeforecontactingthem.Intheeventthatthepersonissick,having
abaddayorawayontravelitmaybebesttocontacthimorheratanothertime.
https://twitteringjournalists.pbwiki.com/Media+Outlets+Using+Twitterhttps://twitteringjournalists.pbwiki.com/Media+People+Using+Twitterhttp://mediaontwitter.pbwiki.com/http://mediaontwitter.pbwiki.com/https://twitteringjournalists.pbwiki.com/Media+People+Using+Twitterhttps://twitteringjournalists.pbwiki.com/Media+Outlets+Using+Twitter -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
24/25
Page24of25 www.HubSpot.com
UseTwitterforCustomerService1) Respondtoconcernspeopletweetaboutyourcompanyorproducts.Designateaspecific
personinyourcompanytotrackyourcompanynameandproductsinTwitterSearch.That
personcanaddressanynegativecomments,givefeedbackandhelpcustomerssolvetheir
productsin
real
time.
The
speedy
response
will
impress
the
customer!
Comcast
at
http://twitter.com/ComcastCaresdoesagreatjobtrackingandaddressingcustomerconcern.
2) Useyourcompanyaccounttoupdatecustomerswithanytemporarydowntime.Ifyouworkforacompanythatoffersanonlineservice,letyourfollowersknowifyouanticipatedowntime
orifthereisaglitchyouare
workingtofix.Yourcustomerswill
belessupsetandmore
appreciativethatyourcompanyis
tryingitsbesttorelievethe
problem.
3) BesuretofollowbackeveryonewhofollowsyourCompanyAccount.Althoughitsacceptabletopickandchoosewhomyouwanttofollowbackinyourpersonalaccount,theresnoreason
tolimitwhoyourcompanyfollows.Ifyouwant,setupanautofollowaccountwithathirdparty
toollikeTweetlater(http://www.tweetlater.comnote,thisisnotaffiliatedwithHubSpot).Also,theaddedbenefitoffollowingbackeveryonewhofollowsyourcompanyaccountisthe
abilitytoDMyou.
4) Donotsendanautodirectmessagewheneversomeonenewfollowsyouoryourcompany.ItseasytogetintothetrapofautomatingyourTwitteractivity.Manypeoplewillsetupanauto
directmessage(orautoDM)tobesenttoeverynewfollower.Thislooksartificial,andcould
makeyouappearapatheticaboutbuildingtruerelationshipswithyourcustomers.
http://www.tweetlater.com/http://www.tweetlater.com/ -
8/4/2019 How to Use Twitter for Business a Beginners Guide 2011-05-06
25/25
TrackandAnalyzeYourCampaignsNowthatyouveintegratedTwitterintodifferentelementsofyourcampaign,itsimportanttofind
componentsthatyoucantracktojudgeitseffectiveness.Werecommendtrackingthefollowingmetrics
in
your
campaign.
1) Reach:Totalnumberoffollowers.Thisnumberisyourrawdistributionpower.2) ResponseRate:[email protected],
howmanypeoplerespond?
3) BrandingandAwareness:Howoftenpeoplereferenceyourcompanyorproducts.UseTwitterSearchtotrack.
4) TwitterGrade:YouroveralleffectivenessofyourTwitteraccount.Calculatesthenumberoffollowersandtheinfluenceoftheirfollowers.(http://Twitter.Grader.com)
5) SalesFunnel:NumberofvisitorsfromTwitterwhovisityourcompanywebsitethatconverttoleads.
Usingthedatafromtheseelementsandtrackingitovertime,youshouldbeabletomakesmart
decisionsabouthowtofurtherutilizeTwitterinyourcampaigns.
ConclusionandAdditionalResourcesAfterreadingthiseBook,youshouldhavethebaselineknowledgetogetyourTwitteraccountstarted
andbegin
growing
your
network.
Remember
that
the
Twitter
community
is
dynamic
and
rapidly
developingspace.BecreativeandthinkofothermethodstoapplyTwittertoyourcampaigns!
WanttolearnmoreaboutusingTwitterforMarketingandPR?
Downloadthefreewebinarforlotsoftipsandtrickstodriveyour
inboundmarketingtoincreasetrafficandleadsusingTwitter.
(http://hubspot.me/?Twitter)
http://twitter.grader.com/http://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://hubspot.me/?Twitterhttp://twitter.grader.com/