By now, e-commerce merchants should know that social media marketing is a key tool in promoting their business. One of the more popular players in the social media field is Twitter. Twitter, unlike its other counterparts, poses the challenge of limited characters so each message should be clear, concise, and condensed. Twitter is a free and effective way for e-commerce merchants to regularly communicate with both potential and existing customers. However, due to the nature of social media marketing, certain guidelines should be observed to ensure that Twitter becomes a boon to your e-commerce enterprise.
PracticalEcommerce.com member and writer Paul Chaney shares some helpful e-commerce tips in his article entitled “Tips for an Effective Twitter Profile.”
1. Twitter Bio. When creating your Twitter bio, make sure it has your name (your personal name or your company’s name), location (even if you are an e-commerce merchant, state the physical location of your business), links (to your website and other social networking accounts) and descriptions (short, sweet but according to Chaney, never “cutesy”).
2. Photo. According to Chaney, choose only between your candid personal headshot, or, your company’s logo. Reserve the more formal photos for sites such as Linkedln.
3. Username. Like your photo, use your first and last name for personal accounts and your company’s name for official accounts. If your company’s name is too long, compromise and use the words that capture and represent the essence of your business. Chaney also warns against using numbers in the username because this is a habit typical of spammers, and as a legitimate e-commerce merchant, you do not want to be misconstrued as such.
4. Background Graphics. Use the custom background option to insert a larger version of your logo as well as other pertinent data such as your contact numbers and some details about your company.
In conclusion, Chaney also reminds e-commerce merchants to ensure that their profile is open for public viewing. Keeping your profile private would be defeating the whole purpose of utilizing the power of Twitter.