Twitter Branding: How To Do It Well, And What To Avoid

Twitter branding is extremely powerful and relatively simple to get started with. It’s one of the best social networks to utilize for growing your brand and online presence no matter who you are.

So why do so many people fail at it?

It really comes down to knowing the right moves to make and what features are the most powerful. Unfortunately, it’s not common knowledge to everyone.

Because of that, we’ve put together a Twitter branding guide that will get you comfortable with the platform and show you everything you need to do in order to get the best possible results.

You’ll be surprised how easy it is!

The Potential Is Huge

With over 300 million active users monthly, Twitter is a hotbed of activity, especially for the younger generation. It is one of the 100 most popular websites, garnering 350,000 tweets per minute!

If you are looking to grow your personal brand, Twitter is a platform that you cannot ignore.

Personal branding is the art of creating a brand for yourself that shows who you are personally and professionally. Used well, it will be the voice of your brand and provide you with ample opportunities to connect to other users.

So, how can you grow your personal brand on Twitter?

Through smart Twitter branding, you will want to see a decent return on your marketing efforts. The more efficient you get with your Twitter branding, the more return you will see. You will expand your audience reach, grow your email list, build relationships with business owners and so much more.

All of this effort into your Twitter branding leads to collaboration opportunities and even friendships. Twitter is useful for every brand, no matter the industry. Even if you don’t book clients directly from Twitter, it can be a great way for you to increase your brand visibility.

It’s actually a lot easier to grow organically on Twitter than other social networks. This is because of the amount of information they make available to you.

What do we mean by this?

On Twitter you can go in and see what people are following, you can use hashtags and CSS tools, and most importantly you’re able to interact with people. You can follow, retweet and “favorite” tweets and more.

Below are actionable strategies you can use when crafting your Twitter branding strategy.

Familiarize Yourself With Twitter

Before diving into the finer points of Twitter branding, you first must understand the platform you are planning to use. There are plenty of resources out there including Moz’s Guide to Twitter, Michael Hyatt’s Beginner’s Guide to Twitter, and the CopyBlogger Ultimate Guide to Twitter Marketing just to name a few.

Choose the resources that are easiest for you to understand. Then, dive in and get to know Twitter. If you don’t have time to consume the books from beginning to end, choose the sections that you feel will be most valuable to you. Continue to go back to these resources as much as you need to once you begin your branding on Twitter.

Think Of Your Twitter Cover Photo As Prime Real Estate

When a visitor goes to your Twitter profile, the cover photo is the first thing they will see on their screen because it’s located at the very top of the page. As a Twitter branding guide, you should use this space to showcase your logo, website or tagline.

You want to use anything that will show the visitor at first glance who you are as a brand, what you’re about and what they can expect from you on Twitter. Whatever you decide to use, make sure it is of high quality.

Use The Bio To Your Advantage

Your Twitter bio is the next thing a visitor sees on your Twitter profile. It sits beneath the cover photo and your profile photo. You will want to use this space as a descriptor and call to action. You can use your bio section to drive traffic to your site, or any launch you’ve recently had.

When you place a link in your bio, Twitter creates a hyperlink so any visitor can click on that link and go exactly where you want to them to go. That being said, you cannot ignore the importance of a quality Twitter bio when it comes to your Twitter branding efforts.

What should you include in the bio? Make it inspirational, as no one wants to read a boring bio. Explain exactly who you are and what you do. Create interest in your lifestyle. Twitter is based around people following other people. If you appear to be boring on Twitter, people are less likely to follow you.

Lastly, don’t forget to use hashtags in your bio (if applicable). This is an easy way to connect with new potential followers through your bio.

Don’t Underestimate The Power Of A Pinned Tweet

Another important Twitter branding strategy is to make use of the pinned tweet option. You can click the downward arrow in the top right profile and select “pin to your profile page” and whenever a visitor lands on your profile, the first tweet they see from you will be that pinned tweet.

This is another great opportunity to drive traffic to your website, build up your email list or even send them to a specific blog post you are excited about. Choose a tweet that exemplifies who you are as a brand or shares something important to you.

Get To Know Other Business Owners Through Twitter Chats

Through your Twitter branding efforts, you will definitely want to make use of Twitter Chats. What’s a Twitter Chat? Twitter Chats are an hour long community event hosted by a Twitter user.

During a chat, the host will ask the community six to eight questions that relate to a specific topic. The community can find and respond to everyone’s tweets through a hashtag chosen for the specific chat.

What makes Twitter chats so effective? The people who participate in them are the same people who enjoy actively engaging on the social network. They are not using Twitter just to distribute and consume content. Instead, these people use Twitter for the purpose it was meant for, which is to interact.

This is one of the best ways to build relationships and create a Twitter brand. You never know what kind of friendship or collaboration can come from a Twitter chat.

Through Twitter chats, you will accomplish three things all at once: getting your name out there, building authority and gaining more followers.

Use Short Form Hashtags

When growing your Twitter account, you will want to use short form hashtags. For example, #funny” or #awesome are great uses of hashtags. Use these instead of longform hashtags like “IdontknowwhatImDoing.” Once you’ve begun to use hashtags that relate to your brand, you have the ability to see who else is using that hashtag.

For example, if you are a gaming company, you can see who else is using the hashtag #gamer or #gaming. Once you do this, you can enhance the effectiveness of your Twitter branding by following these users, interacting with them and even creating lasting connections.

Use The “@” Symbol Correctly

In your Twitter brand strategy, it is imperative that you understand how to use the “at” symbol correctly, as many users do it incorrectly. When using the at symbol, you first must put a period in front of it. Otherwise, your tweet is only going to one person instead of out to the world.

For example, if you want to tweet about Rihanna, you must put a period in front of the at symbol and then her Twitter handle and then compose your post. By doing this the correct way, you have a much higher chance of engagement from the user you are tweeting to.

Get Verified If Possible

If you can, try to get verified by Twitter. Unlike Instagram or Facebook, there are a multitude of benefits to being verified on Twitter. It increases your chances of being seen by famous people as well as users in your specific business area.

For example, maybe you want Mark Cuban to see your most recent tweet. If you are verified, he is much more likely to see your tweet and hopefully interact with it. This is a solid tool to increase the visibility of your tweets and is a must in your Twitter branding strategy.

Tag Accounts

When using Twitter to promote your brand, you will want to tag other accounts in your tweets. You can only tag accounts when you use a photo. Keep in mind that a picture is more beneficial than a GIF.

If you’re talking about Snoop Dogg, you want to add a photo of him. Twitter will then allow you to tag Snoop Dogg as well as any fan accounts Snoop Dogg has. Anytime you can tap into specific fan bases, your brand on Twitter will prosper.

Use Rich Media

A proven Twitter branding strategy is using rich media when you post. Accounts that use rich media tend to be very popular accounts. What is rich media? Rich media includes features like video, audio, or other elements that encourage viewers to interact and engage with the content.

For example, if you want to make an announcement about you or your brand, instead of simply tweeting it out, turn that announcement into a consumable video. Users will be much more likely to watch and interact with a video than a regular tweet.

Make Use Of Video

Twitter video often gets overlooked, but all smart Twitter branding should absolutely include it. You are able to record videos up to 140 seconds long and upload them directly to your Twitter stream.

You can use videos to showcase yourself and your brand, or something that you are passionate about. Whatever you choose to use, make sure it is a high quality video.

Not only do 82% of Twitter users watch videos, by making use of videos effectively, you’re much more likely to see engagement with your users. Videos on Twitter garner two and half times more replies, nearly three times more retweets and two times more favorites.

Respond To Mentions

Effective Twitter branding involves responding to any mentions you receive. Fortunately, it’s actually pretty easy to organize once you get the hang of it.

First, go through your Twitter feed and thank any users who have shared your content or retweeted your tweets. Respond to the most recent first, as those users have the most likelihood to still be online.

Next, use the “-http” Twitter searches. Type your Twitter username and “-http” into the search bar. This search method will show only tweets about you that don’t include links.

Hijack Trending Content

The trending section on Twitter consists of the most talked about topics that day on Twitter. Use this to your advantage! Find out what people are talking about and fold it into your Twitter branding game plan.

How do you do this? Imagine a certain phrase is trending. Use this phrase and associate it to your personal brand. If the phrase is “things I can’t live without,” craft a tweet centered around things you cannot live without and make sure your brand is being inserted into the conversation.

Obviously if a trend doesn’t fit well with your brand focus, pass on it and wait for something that does. Be surgical with your approach and you’ll save more time and grow organically at a much faster rate.

Plan Ahead

An effective Twitter branding strategy is to plan your tweets out ahead of time. If you know Christmas is coming up for example, create specific Christmas-related tweets and schedule them to be posted around Christmastime.

Planning ahead will give you time to craft high quality content to take advantage of trending hashtags and topics. There are plenty of hashtag calendars available online for your use. Not only does this strategy help keep your brand in line with current events, it secures tweets ahead of time and frees you up to do more on your Twitter.

Be Yourself

Sharing your thoughts, even if controversial, shows the human side of your brand. In 2018, consumers expect a glimpse into the personal side of things, so go with it. If you are strongly opposed to something, voice your mind.

Not all of your followers will agree with your stance, but they will respect you and your brand for having a stance. Consumers today understand that there are humans behind every brand and those humans have opinions too.

Rise Above The Negativity

In order to exercise smart Twitter branding you must rise above negative comments. Why? Negativity is bound to come on Twitter. As a reputable brand, you must rise above it. How do you go about doing this?

Either ignore negative comments, or positively defend your brand. Whichever method you choose, remember that your personal brand is at stake here and you do not want to risk that over one angry tweet.

Tweet For A Cause

In 2018, consumers have come to expect brands to take a stand on important social, environmental and sometimes political issues. As mentioned earlier, not all of your followers will agree with your stance, but they will admire the fact that you have one and stand by it.

Be Approachable

The great thing about Twitter is the amount of real time, organic interaction and engagement that occurs. Use this to your advantage for your Twitter brand. Be approachable to those who interact with you. Respond to their questions, like their comments and even retweet one of their tweets.

Responding to your followers will take time and effort, but they will appreciate it, leading to more engagement in the future. It is a worthwhile investment for your Twitter branding strategy.

How Do You Grow Your Brand Audience?

There is always room to grow your Twitter following. Why is this important? You want to gain exposure to your brand and the best way to ensure that occurs is through a solid follower base.

Put Out Quality Content

While this may seem like a given, you’d be surprised how many people neglect to put quality content out into the Twittersphere. This does not always need to be unique content; you can share quality content as well.

You can always sprinkle in parts of your personality when you share other people’s content. Search the web for good blogs, other thought leaders and post similar things, perhaps with a different angle.

Tweet Often

Effective Twitter branding involves tweeting and posting multiple times per day. The more you post, the better your chances of engagement are. If you’re wondering how many times you should be posting on Twitter, it’s about how much content you have to post. Besides your content, you can add updates, photos, videos and more. Ideally, you should try to post on Twitter at least five times a day.

If you do this for a whole month, you will begin seeing results. You can reshare old content if need be. You can even que them up via Buffer or Hootsuite to make things easier on you.

Follow At Least Two People A Day

Your Twitter branding strategy should include following at least two people a day. This is a great rule of thumb for Twitter success, just be careful that the number of people you follow doesn’t highly outnumber the amount of users following you.

On the flip side, you don’t want to have too many followers. Having copious amounts of followers is great in theory, but having followers which actively pay attention to a brand, and interact with it, is what really matters. Keep your Twitter account clean and well maintained when it comes to who follows you.

Why is this an effective strategy? As you’re following other people, you’re gaining systematic exposure. You are also maintaining consistent activity on your Twitter.

Make Use Of The “Who To Follow” Tab

The “Who to Follow” tab is a curated list provided to you from Twitter. It includes users relevant to your brand or industry. If you don’t see anyone you like, simply click the refresh button and Twitter will offer new suggestions.

If you are seriously considering branding yourself, you must use the Twitter platform to your advantage. With so many daily user and the interaction capabilities available, it is a prime location to showcase your personal brand.

By following the above strategies, you can leverage your Twitter following for your personal brand. Keep in mind that building a brand will take time but with a proper Twitter branding strategy in place, proper branding is well within your reach!