Twitter is the social media network where users post, reply and retweet 140-character messages, called “tweets.” With an active Economic Development community, this social media network is a no-brainer for Economic Development Organizations! With over 317 million monthly active users, what are some key Twitter strategies for Economic Development Organizations?
In this 6-part blog series, you’ll get social media strategies for Economic Development Organizations on the top platforms. Today, we’re breaking down key strategies for expanding your audience and getting more leads via Twitter.
Wait! Skip ahead and get instant access to EDO social media tips for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. Download the guide, 30 Social Media Strategies for Economic Development Organizations here!
#1: Optimize Your Profile
Include a brief description of your organization, key hashtags, and your website link or a call to action in your profile. To come up with your description, share how you can help your target audience and what you offer of value. You should also make sure you have an appropriate picture or logo as your profile pic, plus a header image.
#2: Create Categories and Groupings
You can create categories and groupings — following businesses and CEOs, colleges and universities, and EDO partners at the municipal level. You can very quickly and easily see what others are doing and share their information when appropriate. Making it easy to manage that process.
#3: Use Hashtags
Hashtags are keywords used in twitter, starting with the # symbol. These are a key way to find other people tweeting about the same content as you, and to attract others to your tweets!
#4: Share, and Post Regular Content
You can build a following on Twitter by putting out good content that people want to share and retweet. The content should be timely and relevant to your followers. If you’re an EDO covering a region, make your posts about resources the businesses in that region can get access to. You can schedule your Twitter content in advance just like with Facebook, using an app like HootSuite, TweetDeck, Zoho, or Buffer.
#5: Use the 80/20 Rule and Retweet
80% of the time, share your original content and posts, and 20% of the time, share, retweet, and promote other people’s content that your target market would find valuable. Or to simplify it, one out of every 4-5 tweets should be about someone else. (Tip: Retweet and reply to the thought leaders and companies you’d like to build relationships with. You can connect directly with thought leaders and companies by tagging them.)
You can also utilize Periscope, the live streaming app, on Twitter. With all of the live streaming options (on Facebook, Instagram), Periscope can be beneficial to use if your target market is on Twitter.
As with all social media networks, put your energy and focus into the platforms where your target market is spending time!
