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Twitter may have started out as a micro-blogging platform in 2006, but it’s quickly become a social media phenomenon. With updates limited to 280 characters (originally 140 at launch), it’s taught us all the power of being brief in our messages. While Twitter never gained the popularity of Facebook, it’s still a powerful amplification platform for some markets and audiences.

• 335 million active users as of June 30, 2018 (Source)
• 79% of Twitter users are outside of the US. (Source)
• 21% of American adults use Twitter. (Source)
• 37% of Twitter users are between 18-29, and 25% of users are 30-49 years old. (Source)
• Ninety-three percent of people who follow small- and medium-sized business on Twitter plan to purchase from the SMBs they follow. (Source)
• 85% of SMB Twitter users say it’s important for businesses to provide customer service using the network. (Source)
• 1/3 of users who follow an SMB have retweeted a business Tweet. This means that there’s a good chance that your followers will amplify your messages even more. (Source)

So how do you know if Twitter is right for you? Here are a few keys to success on Twitter:

1. Curate content. Go beyond sharing your own content by selecting the best content from thought leaders in your industry. Not only does curated content make it easier to fill up your feed, it provides a valuable service to your followers by sharing only the best of the best.
2. Use hashtags. Hashtags are almost everywhere now – from weddings to t-shirts. But they got their start on Twitter in 2007. Hashtags let you organize your content so that it gets seen by as many people as possible. Just make sure you do your homework on all of the meanings of a hashtag to avoid connecting your brand to a message that doesn’t align with your values.
3. Connect with influencers.Influencers are even more powerful on Twitter than on many other platforms. Sharing original content from influencers by retweeting, responding to their questions, and leveraging appropriate hashtags all help you get the attention with influencers. Once you have their attention, continue to engage with them and their content to encourage them to become brand ambassadors.
4. Engage with your network. Twitter, along with all of the other platforms in this section is called a social network for a reason. It’s not just a place where you should be broadcasting your messages. Follow your followers to learn more about their needs and interests, respond quickly to direct messages and questions, use @mentions to tag users in your messages, and ask questions or leverage polls to get more feedback. Be sure to retweet and like messages in your feed as well.
5. Post frequently. Twitter may be one of the fastest-moving social media platforms, even though it has fewer active users than Facebook. The short-style messages are easy to create and post, even on the run. While the frequency that you need to post will vary based on your industry, some social media leaders recommend posting up to 40 times a day!

Twitter Advertising

Twitter also has advanced tools for lead generation and connecting with your followers including Twitter Cards for lead generation, traditional ad campaigns, and a “Promote” mode that automatically promotes tweets and your account at a flat rate.

Promoted Account: As of September 2018, you can put your Twitter account “Promote” mode for $99/month. When your account is promoted, Twitter automatically promotes selected tweets and your account to increase engagement and followers. It’s an easy way to increase your reach on auto-pilot without getting mired in the details. You can also pair your “Promote” mode with Promoted tweets for increased reach and engagement.

Promoted Tweets: When you use Promote mode, Twitter picks the tweets they promote based on their own value scores. Promoted Tweets, in contrast, promote specific Tweets that you’ve created for promotion, to an audience that you identify using demographics, interests, or keywords. You can also install a tracking pixel on your website to retarget site visitors or upload a contact list for alternative targeting options. Promoted tweets are priced based on a pay-per-engagement basis. (Engagements include retweets, replies, and click-thrus.)