Seven Basic Twitter Tips for Companies

Some of these might sound obvious but a lot of them seem to be ignored by companies on Twitter. Most will probably state that they don’t have the resources to dedicate to Twitter but they need to make them. A social media manager is just as important as a customer service rep, if not more (can a CSR actively build a community to engage customers?)… and hopefully they have at least recognized the value, and hired, a full customer service rep.

1) Use the companies name, not your personal name – the main reason is so when people search for your company, you show up. Chances are, people aren’t searching for the name of your companies individuals.

2) If you have any unique characters in your name, get multiple Twitter accounts to let you get every spelling version – This will let you capture a wider range of mentions plus keep spammers at bay. Again, make sure you spell your name differently so people can find you. (Example: “LL Bean” vs. “L.L. Bean”)

3) Don’t just post specials, interact with customers – Most people who just wanted a feed of deals would just sign up for an RSS feed from your website. Twitter is an opportunity to interact directly with customers, spark a conversation, make them feel “part” of the company, and engage them as people.

4) Don’t just interact with customers, post specials – On the other hand, use Twitter to post breaking deals and company news, especially if they’re exclusive to your Twitter followers. This will help make them feel in the loop. Plus, reading your tweets if they’re all directed mentions to other people gets boring.

5) Follow your fans – This is will give them the opportunity to utilize direct messaging to you, which is especially helpful if they have a question or complaint that might be in your best interest to keep from posting publicly via a mention.

6) If someone gives you a positive mention, thank them – You can direct your complaints to Wachusett Brewery (@WachusettBrew) for setting the bar high on this one. They’ve done a good job of thanking customers even when there isn’t a direct issue.

7) If you need to pass off the issue to someone else in the company, don’t use a generic email address – it needs to be more personal. Nobody wants to simply be told to email customerservice@yourcompany.com, that’s going back to square one and chances are they’ve already done it. If necessary, create an email akin to TwitterHelp@CustomerService.com. Even if it redirects to your customer serice email this will make customers feel like they’re receiving a better response plus give you an opportunity to track another metric – emails answered via TwitterHelp. Just make sure they get appropriately flagged for urgency or you set a reasonable expectation for a response time.