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Implementing Results-driven Strategies on Twitter

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Implementing results-driven strategies on Twitter - #TwitterSmarter chat with Dan Knowlton - May 21, 2020

If you’re using Twitter to promote your brand, you’ve probably had questions about how to achieve optimum success. For that, my friends, you need to execute a focused, results-driven marketing strategy. If that sounds like empty jargon that doesn’t really tell you anything, you’re not alone. That’s why we invited digital marketing strategist and co-founder of the Knowlton marketing agency, Dan Knowlton to help us understand Twitter strategies.

Here’s a summary of our chat.

Guest: Dan Knowlton
Topic: Implementing Results-driven Strategies on Twitter
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.

Q1: Why is Twitter an ideal marketing channel?

Twitter’s a great tool for communicating with your customers. It fosters real-time interaction, while also offering comprehensive search functionality to help you find your audience, customers, and popular topics of discussion.

We’ve discussed a lot about the importance of showcasing the real person behind a Twitter handle. That’s what makes Twitter stand out from other social channels. As Karen pointed out, Twitter is people-focused. You know who you’re chatting with, and you can develop a relationship with them, even though they’re speaking to you from behind a brand handle. That’s harder to achieve, if not impossible, on channels like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Q2: What kind of results does Twitter offer to marketers?

Not many people realize that Twitter can be a powerful resource in every stage of customer interaction. For example, as our guest said, aside from building brand awareness, you can also engage with prospecting customers by answering questions, and continue to support registered customers by using Twitter as a customer service medium.

One of the benefits of using Twitter for customer service, as Shannah suggested, is that once you’ve built a loyal community of followers, they’ll voluntarily help each other as well. Peer support system is the soul of community.

As if all that’s not enough, Twitter is also a learning space, as Joana pointed out. It’s an excellent resource for marketers to stay updated on what’s going on in their industries.

https://twitter.com/JoanaRSSousa/status/1263522192391909376

Q3: What are some ways to gain customer insights from Twitter?

Take a look at the Twitter advanced search cheat sheet that Dan shared. As he said before, you can use use Twitter at every stage of your marketing funnel. And in this image, he’s explained how you can go about it.

A good way to gain customer insights is to participate in Twitter chats. As Vraj mentioned, make sure you connect with your audience, respond to any direct messages, and initiate conversations.

Dana spoke about the importance of keeping up with notifications. It’s easy to follow-up on mentions, likes, and retweets, but it’s harder when someone mentions you in a tweet along with five others. As everyone starts responding, your notifications will flood, and you might miss conversations. Keep an eye out for those ones.

https://twitter.com/DanaHFreeman/status/1263523392604471304

And lastly, as Madalyn said, use Twitter polls to get the pulse of your audience. If you want to know something, just ask. And then read through the responses you get. Take a look at your analytics to understand your community better. Knowing all these details is essential to offer good experience to your customers.

Q4: How can Twitter help with customer retention?

Our guest gave us some impressive stats: Of all small business users on Twitter, 85% of them wanted businesses to offer customer support on Twitter.

And when you’re offering customer service, see that you’re following some of the basic rules for good service:

  • Let people know who’s responding.
  • Update response times on your bio.
  • Respond promptly to replies and mentions.
  • Be compassionate and considerate in your responses.

Once you’ve gained confidence in your customer service capabilities, you can move on to some advanced tactics, as Masooma suggested. Depending on your business policies, you can extend offers, physical giveaways, and other promotions to retain customers.

Q5: How do you build brand awareness on Twitter?

Your primary awareness building strategy should be answering your customers’ questions. Understand their needs, and provide content that fulfils those needs. If you’re not sure what they need, just ask. Polls are a great way to do that.

As Deb from Agorapulse rightly said, another good way to help people recognize your brand is to build recall value. This means you’re consistent in your images, design, brand colors, and hashtags. Pair that with a regular Twitter presence, and you’re well on your way to building a brand that people will remember and identify right away.

Lance summed up the things to keep in mind when building awareness. Aside from creating memorable and helpful content, add some variety with commentary as well. This means you’re sharing content from other relevant people in your industry, along with your opinions. In addition to that, be wary of your tone—create one that resonates with your brand and policies, set specific goals for your social media activities, and stick to your plan.

Q6: How do you grow a reputation for your products/services on Twitter?

Many brands talk about themselves a lot. Though that’s not always a bad thing, it’s also important to complement it with proof. This could include testimonials, case studies, customers’ referrals, and influencer endorsements. All of this social proof increases your credibility.

Gene shared a good tip about being honest and transparent with your audience. Everyone makes mistakes. If and when that happens to you, own up and tell your customers what went wrong. Assure them that you’re working on it, and offer regular updates. If your e-commerce website went down when someone was shopping online, see that you take the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again and pacify the customer.

https://twitter.com/LDRBRND/status/1263527125396717569

Q7: Can you drive purchases on Twitter?

If you thought you couldn’t, then think again. As our guest pointed out, it’s quite straightforward to find people who’re interested in purchasing your product or service. It all goes back to the basics of listening to your audience. Keep and eye on your industry hashtags, competitor mentions, and searches related to your business. You’ll soon find a lot of conversations you can get involved in.

However, your pitch would work better if you already have a reputation for your business. For example, if you’re selling organic cotton t-shirts, it’s worthwhile to build a reputation by educating your audience about conscious shopping choices, organic material, and the importance of supporting local businesses. As Chris said, it’s don’t always talk about yourself. Discuss a range of topics in your industry, and show people what you care about. It’s essential for people to see, know, and trust the human behind a brand.

Q8: Which brands are nailing their Twitter marketing strategy?

Dan’s favorites include Wendy’s, KFC, Carlsberg, Innocent drinks, Vita Coco, Netflix, and Burger King.

Check them out—most of them have taken the trending stage plenty of times for their witty responses, timely offers, and just great entertainment.

As Darcy said, some brands like Merriam Webster are focussing on education and awareness. Aside from sharing word of the day posts, definitions, and etymology articles, the account also promotes fun and engaging quizzes for all ages. Theirs is a well-rounded marketing strategy.

Other notable mentions include, Spotify, Steak-umm, MoonPie, Chipotle, and SEMRush.

Well, folks. That’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading, and for more great insights from our chat with Dan, check out this Twitter Moment that our team member Joana put together. And if you’ve got some spare time on Thursday, join us for the next #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET.

Stay home, everyone and stay sane.

About me, Narmadhaa:

I write all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.

Say hello: Personal blog | LinkedIn | Twitter

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