5 Tips For Branding Your Company On Twitter

culled from:americanexpress.com

1. Have a defined brand voice. When considering the voice of your brand, keep in mind the personality of the company and the audience you want to attract. Does your company make custom skateboards geared towards the younger crowd? Your voice might be laid-back and conversational. Do you sell high-end products geared towards mature consumers? Your voice might be more refined and professional. Consistency is key. If you have more than one person controlling the Twitter account, have a defined set of style rules to follow.
2. Think hard about your Twitter bio: Essentially, your Twitter bio is your "About" page in 140 characters. This means that most of your "About" page needs to be cut down. Consider the most important points of your business. Imagine that you are pitching your company to potentially millions of people, and you have just a couple sentences to do it. This is essentially what you are doing. Always include a link to your website in this section.
3. Choose a background that mirrors the brand: Like your brand's voice, your Twitter background should represent the brand. The best backgrounds feature custom designs or photographs, rather than pre-created templates. Company Twitter accounts, like Etsy, Coca-Cola, Spotify, and ZipCar, all created custom backgrounds that are appealing and resonate with their brands. You should change your background periodically, but keep the same style. For example, when Coca-Cola changes their background, they maintain a consistent "red" theme, in tandem with their company's trademark color.
4. Choose a purpose and stick with it: DisneyPixar primarily uses Twitter to promote upcoming films, whereas Starbucks thrives off of heavy interaction with their customers. Is your primary reason for being on Twitter to inform, to sell, to converse, or a combination of engagement methods? Decide where you fit in, but refrain executing your purpose with a salesman style. What works at the front door won't work on Twitter.
5. Consider keeping a separate account for support: Potential and regular customers are increasingly turning to Twitter to ask for support and guidance about a service. This is why it is helpful to create a separate account for responding to these issues, especially if you are receiving a handful of inquiries. Companies like Etsy and Instagram have separate support accounts to address issues. On the other hand, Travelocity does not, and its feed is filled with responses to customer issues. While this speaks volumes for a company's customer service integrity, it interrupts the flow of conversation and the brand voice that you've created for your business.