Social Media can be a dangerous playground to play in if not utilized properly. A quick reaction in the form of a tweet can put a cap over your brand and create a bad reputation. The recent f-bomb slip on Chrysler’s Twitter account serves as the perfect example of how quickly things can go south of the border. Some 7,500 followers got a good taste of the negative tweet that was sent out by then company then in charge of Chrysler’s social media activity on Twitter. Immediately after this incident the company which caused the accidental slip was fired and an apology followed which read “…our account was compromised earlier today…”
Social Media & The Twittersphere
There are a few tips and reminders that you should be conscious of when monitoring and engaging on Twitter. It’s important that you communicate in the right tone with your followers, general audience, and maintain an overall positive message. One single mistake can cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in lost revenue. How? It’s your reputation that’s at stake here and the perception others have of it. Communicate diligently with your followers while keeping in mind positive responses and proper engagement.
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Behaving in the Twittersphere
Once in a while one of us will slip and tweet something off-topic or completely unrelated. Here are a few tips that you should keep in your head when tweeting away.
- Behavior – maintain a positive tone of voice and take your time in responding to others. The Twitter highway may be moving at 100 miles per hour but that doesn’t mean that you should respond in such fashion. Be cool, calm, and stay focused!
- Targeted – keep your eye on the prize and focus on your target audience. Communicate with users and brands that may be interested in your products or services. Engaging in off-topic conversations once in a while may be acceptable although for the most part you want to stay on track.
- Frequency – while the average lifespan of a tweet may be an hour or less it doesn’t mean that you should be flooding the Twittersphere. If you’re using social media management tools such as HootSuite or TweetDeck pipe it down a bit and spread out your tweets throughout the day. A typical posting frequency consists of 3-5 original content postings per eight-hour span with a few RT’s and responses in between. If you’re the social media guru of a large brand this will obviously vary and you’ll be spending even more communicating.
- Direct Messaging – if the plot thickens between you and another follower take it to the DM Inbox. It can become slightly disturbing and inappropriate not only for the virtual image of your brand but for other tweeps which are following your stream. It has happened before and will happen again. Don’t make the same mistake twice!
- URL Shortening – measure your success on Twitter and use shortened urls wherever possible. Each time you post a new tweet that provides a link to a web page make sure that you’re using a url shortening service of your choice to shrink the link. Later on you will have the ability to create custom reports which will show you the activity behind each of those links as your followers will click on them.
Twitter is not for everyone by any means. I still come across many business owners that either don’t get it or see no value in it whatsoever. For the new beginners and newcomers to the Twittersphere seek professional social media services to get started with your social media campaign on the right foot.