Seven rules small brands must follow to stand out on Twitter

Creating a unique and significant brand that stands out from the competition is a monumental task. Here are seven rules to help you make an impact on Twitter.

Today, social media has become one of the primary ways for brands to reach their target audience, build their reputation and grow sales.

But it’s not always easy to get a foothold on social media platforms like Twitter, especially if you’re a small or start up business. That’s why many companies use solutions like Socialboss to buy real Twitter followers who should to have an interest in the brand. 

But what if you want to build a following organically? What can you do to compete with the noise on Twitter to get standout? Here are seven rules you need to follow if you want to get noticed and grow your brand, and appeal to your ideal customers.

1) Post consistent content

A social media presence is nothing without content – after all, what will you post about without having something to say? Why will people follow you? But success on social media depends on more than just occasionally finding something interesting to say or share – you need to share content with consistency.

That doesn’t mean that you need to be posting every hour of the day, but you find a rhythm of sharing (and engaging, for that matter) and stick to it. No bursts of activity followed by a month of silence. To make tweeting more organized and consistent you can set up TweetDeck, which is Twitter’s official attempt at giving brands a much easier time of using their platform.

And it’s not just the frequency of your posts that matters, but what you post. Your followers like to have a good idea of what they’ll get from your posts, so stick to similar topics and tone of voice. And always make sure your topics are relevant to your business and your audience.

Having a consistent tone of voice and content stream that is unique to you will also help you stand out from your competition.

For example, it’s easy for people to tell the difference between The Guardian and The Sun. Yes they may both new newspapers, but they have an entirely different approach to the type and tone of content they share.

2) Use Twitter polls

Twitter polls have become an integral and exciting part of the platform. hey enable you to ask a specific question or fun topic and get results from the people and business who follow you.

It’s a great way not just to learn valuable information, but also to interact with your followers, and let them know you care about their opinion.

A Twitter poll is very straightforward to create, and doesn’t require any special knowledge or skills. However, it’s not a tool to be over-used. People will quickly get sick of engaging if you’re polling them every day.

3) Use a great profile and cover photo

Too many businesses spend a significant amount of time (and money) getting their website perfect, only to neglect their Twitter profile. But every time your customers, and potential customers, see your brand is building an important picture of how they see you.

So make sure that your Twitter profile looks and sounds as professional as your website. Use your logo and/or brand images to keep a consistent look and feel.

If you don’t have a logo, then use a photo of yourself, if appropriate, or other brand image for your profile image. And choose your cover photo image carefully. People will make snap judgements based on what they see, so make sure you make an excellent first (and lasting) impression.

4) Use visuals in tweets

Twitter is better known for words, so no surprise that many brands forget about the importance of visuals. However, even on Twitter, images are powerful and important.

A picture says a thousand words, and has an ability to import more emotion and meaning sometimes than even the best-worded tweet. And the combination of the right words and the right image can be unbeatable.

That said, you don’t need to get too clever or complicated with your image. S simple gif, meme or brand photo will suffice. As long as it’s consistent with your brand and general Twitter output it will be fine.

5) Use popular and unique hashtags

Many people don’t really understand how to use hashtags properly. Some even go as far as believing that hashtags should never be used. And while it’s never wise to over-use them (it’s hard to read a tweet where #every #word #is #a #hashtag), they can be an important tool to promote your brand and get noticed.

So pick your hashtags wisely. Go for a balance of popular or current hashtags, to ensure you appear in searches for them, and unique hashtags you create for your business, or to reflect an aspect of what you do.

Its easier to get noticed in searches for less-known hashtags, and creating your own unique one will give your posts standout and memorability.

6) Come up with a brand look

Your brand needs to have a clear look and feel – both on and off Twitter. This doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on an expensive designer, but you do need to have a recognisable, content, professional and appropriate brand image.

And this brand theme needs to be clear on Twitter – in your choice of images, and your tone of voice. Even down to your Twitter name.

So if you don’t already have a logo, colour palette and image style, develop one. If you have the budget, get a designer to help you. If not there are lots of free online tools that can help you create a DIY brand.

7) Develop campaigns 

Many large and small brands use the Twitter to develop key promotion campaigns. These campaigns can range from being a simple giveaway to an entire theme change.

A giveaway is a great way to get a campaign going. Who doesn’t love the chance to win something of value? Just make sure that your giveaway is relevant to your brand, and desirable to your followers.

It’s important to note, however, that campaigns should only be developed if your brand already has a following.