Marketing and Corporate Image in the 21st century with Twitter
Only in the last six months the micro bogging platform Twitter has begun to take hold on the general public. We all know that as a social medium it is a great tool to catch up with the goings on of friends, family and celebrity but the limits for the professional can be optimized by following the tips listed below.
1. If possible use your full name as your Twitter Display Name – By doing this it make you easy to find. Start your Christian and surname with a capital letter. Also avoid underscores as it is more professional and mobile device users will find it easier to access.
2. Upload a clear and professional photo of yourself – This will help build a relationship with followers and also maximize the number of people that will follow you. For optimal results make sure the photo is 128 x 128 pixels. Make sure that photo is still legible when it is resized, the photo should be current and color is desirable.
3. Make your description accurate and convincing – Keep the information brief and include all your relevant information such as company name, your position, a brief of what your role is and remember to include a link the corporate website or blog. The inclusion of keywords that relate to your profession will make it easier for users to find you on the search engine.
4. Use a Twitter profile design that is professional and that aligns itself with your company image – There are plenty of free Twitter background design services and if you play with the color and design options you will find numerous possibilities for your profile. If you are unsatisfied with the end result pay for a service to provide you with the desired professional look that will represent your professional online image.
5. Make sure that you know the difference between the Direct Message and the Public Reply – If you mistake this it could be detrimental to your relationship online. A DM is a tool that you can use for confidential messages all your other posts will be made public and stand on the record for all to see permanently.
6. Avoid public confrontations – Never get into a heated debate in the public view as this is terrible unprofessional and can have a long term damaging affect on yourself and your company.
7. Make different accounts for matters that are not related – Keep your professional life that way and make different accounts for personal use. People from your professional environment will know where to look for you and friends and family will be able to interact with you in an environment that is casual and relaxed.
8. Don’t expect to be followed – Just because you have chosen to follow someone don’t be offended if they will not reciprocate by following you back. There are no obligations and you will save yourself angst by not holding grudges and be able to focus more clearly on making your personal goals and growth.
9. Contribute original content – By doing this you will keep your followers interested. You should be careful not to over tweet as this may annoy users. Maybe post once per day to keep it current but not overbearing. Re-tweeting should be used sparingly and not as a way of filling space, if people wanted to follow those users they can.
10. “Share” not spam on Twitter – If all your tweets are too “spammy” followers will quickly lose interest. Keep your tweets on a personal level and try and think what would be of benefit and interest to the public.
The future of Twitter is being debated hotly. Has this just been a fad or will it develop into a part of our social makeup? Whatever the answer there are long term lessons to be learnt by developing a professional image on this micro blog and even if this format will be replaced in the not to distant future the basic concepts learnt will still be applicable to the online marketer and professional.
