Social media outreach for business can be fun and fast – learn how to promote & keep your tweets interesting

You’ve got a business to run and don’t have all day to spend on Twitter. But you know that’s where your audience hangs out and that’s why you’re here: to learn how to promote content on Twitter for your business without wasting your time.

People expect businesses to have a Twitter presence and they accept businesses will promote their content on Twitter – everyone is doing it, freelancers, crafters, writers, marketers, bakers.

Your social presence on Twitter gives people a quick way to learn about your business and contact you in the moment.

What can you tweet for business?

• Tweet your company announcements
• Show a glimpse of the production process
• Link to your blog posts, products, and services.
• Tweet vouchers and incentives
• Tweet about your Youtube & Patreon

Promote content on Twitter and the communities you join are ready and willing to help you out. But there are rules of engagement and you’ll be ignored if they think you’re being spammy!

In this article, we’re going to look at a few fundamentals to get in place first. And then I’ll show you five examples of tweets that let you promote the same thing in different ways.

Make Your Feed Enjoyable

One of the objections people have to Twitter is that there’s a lot of pointless noise. But it all depends on who you follow and how you interact.

Follow people who give your feed momentum in the right direction. If your Twitter feels like an onslaught or makes you angry or insecure, you’re probably following the wrong people.

Fill your feed with people who matter to you for business purposes. This acts like nourishment and keeps you focused on your end game. Get industry news, peer over the fence at your competitors, enjoy your customers.

Keep a separate account if you like political rants.

The Basics of Using Twitter for Business

If you’re running your Twitter account for business, here are a few ground rules:

• Have a strong bio that clearly tells people what you do.
• Train yourself to post in a way that a random stranger can get a good sense of your business from your last six posts. (See point seven of: 7 Ways to Build a Strong Customer Relationship With Words)
• Use language and put out content that supports the values and integrity of your business. Your words are how people see your business online.
• If you use tweet scheduling platforms, log into Twitter at least once a day to respond to tweets and interact with others. It’s a social network and you need to connect with people – have a strategy otherwise it will suck up your time.
• If Twitter annoys you but you still need to use it, hire a social media manager to run it for you. Until you’re familiar with them, insist on seeing their tweets before they’re posted to make certain they’re aligned to your goals and values.

The lifespan of a tweet is short because they scroll by so fast. So posting frequently helps people see you. Then when they’re familiar with your name and avatar, they begin to get a sense of you and relationships can form.

How often should you post content? Social media expert, Louise Myers, suggests sending around 15 tweets a day.

These tweets should be a mix of:

• Your promotional content
• Your non-promotional content
• Interactions with others
• Retweets of other people’s content

So, you’re spending your day posting a good variety of tweets. But as a business, you’re acutely aware that you’re also there to promote content on Twitter. Self-promotion feels difficult at the best of times and it feels spammy to keep putting your work out on Twitter. Someone will look through your feed and see all you do is send out a link to the same article several times a day.

Here’s how you can vary things up and re-package your content in ways that look fresh and lively each time. All you need is a free tool – Canva

1) Promote Content on Twitter with a Testimonial

Testimonials are great social proof and add credibility. Use Canva to turn a testimonial into an eye-catching image. Harvey John hasn’t done this here, but you could also use the text area of Twitter to link back to your product or site.

2) Promote Content on Twitter with your Sales Page

This is an alternative way to present your testimonials. Take a screenshot of your product, or a photo of someone enjoying your service, and add it to your tweet with a few testimonials you’ve received.

3) Promote Content on Twitter with an Extract

Most suitable for books and articles, take a screenshot of a strong part of the text, or use Canva to present it in strong colors. If you’re selling a product, take an Instagram-worthy product photo sized toTwitter dimensions using the templates in Canva.

Add your logo or company name in a prominent place and tweet. You can add some reader feedback to the text area of the tweet, a summary, or a short personal story of the inspiration behind the article.

4) Promote Content on Twitter by Retweeting Compliments

Keep your eyes peeled for good things people are tweeting about you. When you get tagged, it shows up in your notifications. It only takes a couple of seconds to retweet the praise and your followers get to see how great you are.

The common objection to this is, but it makes me look big-headed! Answer: No it doesn’t. You’re just sharing a testimonial. But what you can do is choose the “Retweet with Comment” and add some text thanking the original tweeter.

5) Promote Content on Twitter with a Direct Link

The best direct links to your content give people a reason to click. When you paste a link into your Twitter, a preview image automatically appears. It’s tempting to publish and run, but take a minute or two to add some context.

When you explain to people what they’ll be getting when they click, you show them you’re respecting their time.

Cheatsheet: Promote Content on Twitter

You’ve learned five quick ways to promote your content on Twitter. They take from seconds to a few minutes. Now when people look through your feed, they won’t see the same tweet repeated multiple times – you’ve given them several different reasons to click through and enjoy your content.

Here’s a summary of the five quick ways to promote your content on Twitter:

1. Post a testimonial
2. Showcase your product page/sales page
3. Present an extract of your work
4. Retweet compliments and praise
5. Post a direct link with a reason to click

What challenges do you face when you’re promoting your products and services on twitter? Comment below or email me.