Twitter is the second most popular social network for B2B marketers, with nearly 80 percent of business professionals using it to distribute regular content. And with more than 330 million monthly active users and 500 million tweets sent per day, it’s one of the largest, rapid-fire news sources for just about everything. In fact, many executives use the platform to get news before it breaks anywhere else and to instantly share their thoughts with others.
Building a Twitter Audience
Twitter also offers food ingredient marketers a chance to attract prospects, interact and engage with customers, and increase brand awareness. Consider the following tips to get the most out of your Twitter channel.
Keep posts short
Unlike other social media posts, tweets are limited to 280 characters. While this is double the platform’s original limit of 140 characters, it still forces you to be efficient. Consider focusing on one specific message rather than trying to communicate multiple things in one tweet. Less is more when it comes to Twitter. To avoid long exchanges, switch to direct messages to resolve complex issues in private.
Be prompt
The interactions that take place on Twitter are quick and immediate, often occurring in real-time. For this reason, your Twitter content should be direct and timely. Be responsive to any questions, comments or criticisms that come your way. This shows your followers that you are listening and sincerely invested in helping address their needs.
Humor Goes a Long Way
Twitter is a place for humor, so your business-to-business posts can be lighthearted and funny. Don’t be afraid to incorporate a pun or two — anything to grab attention and help your brand stand out online.
Use Visuals
Adding a bold image, video or GIF to your tweets adds a touch of personality and leads to higher engagement rates. In fact, people are three times more likely to engage with tweets that contain videos and photos. Moreover, with 90 percent of Twitter video views occurring on mobile, videos can be a great tool for reaching on-the-go customers and prospects.
Add Links and Hashtags
Consider linking to a blog post or your company website if you have a longer message you want to share with your audience. Social media management platforms like Hootsuite and Ow.ly can also make it easier to shorten URLs and track link visits, allowing you to monitor how many people engage with your content.
If you’re tweeting about a topic that’s happening more broadly, consider adding related hashtags to connect your tweet to the larger conversation. Adding a hashtag helps increase the chance that someone interested will engage with your tweet and discover your business. It is best to avoid using more than two hashtags per tweet, as they can be distracting. After all, when you’re limited to a specific character count, every letter counts.
Engagement Builds Connections
Consider using questions via tweets or polls to attract readers and encourage engagement. Asking questions is an effective way to interact with your audience, draw readers into a conversation and understand other people’s opinions.
Retweet and connect with others. Retweeting relevant content and replying to tweets are great ways to maintain a robust Twitter presence. Positive customer feedback, helpful articles and messages that align with your food ingredient company’s authentic voice can be impactful content to retweet. If you’re sharing an article from an industry publication, consider tagging the outlet in your post to lend credibility to the message.
Twitter is a must-have tool for B2B food ingredient marketers. With a plethora of professionals and B2B companies using the social network, Twitter provides you with an excellent social, mobile platform for sharing content and providing support for food ingredient prospects and customers. Publishing compelling content will help you attract new followers and keep them engaged over time. Remember this rule of thumb: your social media content reflects back on your business and should align with your brand’s purpose and values.
Need help optimizing your social media content to increase brand awareness or generate more leads? Contact us to learn how we can help you develop and implement an effective B2B social media marketing strategy.