Did you know that 70% of small businesses have a profile on Twitter, according to a study by Search Engine People? Knowing how to sell effectively on Twitter is paramount for ecommerces. But tweeting is not an easy art to learn. In the following lines you will discover some of the best practices to conquer your consumers in the social network of the little blue bird.
Twitter is an excellent marketing tool for companies and brands from all sectors. Believe it or not, almost 7 out of 10 users (67%) tend to buy branded products that they follow on Twitter, according to a MediaBistro study. But what do the most successful companies do on this social network (which you should start doing)?
More and more ecommerces and brands decide to use Twitter as a marketing tool, for two main reasons: a community of 336 million active users (2018) and the possibilities of generating sales opportunities. Without a good strategy, however, this social network will not produce the desired results. Would you like to discover the best sales practices on Twitter?
Bet on video content
Many studies claim that the type of content that will dominate Internet search traffic will not be images, but videos. To tell the truth, you don’t need to review the statistics to understand that videos perform better on Twitter compared to infographics, image collections, and other formats.
Videos are also an excellent way to tell stories and deliver advertising messages. It is best to adapt them to the needs and specifications of Twitter. For example, this platform usually mutes videos, and although sound can be activated with a touch, many users consume them that way. Producing videos that require sound to be understood would be a mistake on Twitter.
Establish positive relationships with influencers
Despite initial mistrust, today brands recognize the importance of influencer marketing. It can be defined as the use of people with influence in certain sectors (bloggers, youtubers, gurus, etc.) to promote products and services. It is like promoting the word of mouth with steroids, since influencers have hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of followers.
Among the best examples of influencers and brands, we have Walmart and youtuber Logan Paul, Target and the magician Zach King or ExxonMobil and the duo Daniel and Lincoln Markham (What’s Inside). Of course, another great answer to the question of how to sell effectively on Twitter.
Use hashtags related to your sector
Instagram is not the only social network where hashtags are very effective. Due to the fast flow of messages, on Twitter it can be difficult to find the desired theme just by checking the timeline (which is mostly chaotic). That’s why Jack Dorsey and his team created the hashtags (#), ideal for filtering tuits by theme.
For brands and ecommerces, it is vital to make moderate and precise use of the hashtags related to their sector. For example, tweeting the #NationalFriedChickenDay wouldn’t make sense for Nike, LEGO or Walt Disney, but it would make sense for the KFC chicken wing chain, wouldn’t it?
But also, the best ecommerces in the market don’t just use existing hashtags: they create their own! Among the most notable examples, they stand out:
● #StartWithSnowe, from the online home products store Snowe.
● #AmazonCart, used by Amazon in some of its Twitter queries.
● #PutACanOnIt, from the energy drink brand RedBull.
● #Walmart4Life, from Walmart supermarket chain.
Can you automate certain tasks? Do it!
There is a false belief among community managers that automation is bad practice, dangerous for brands and companies (due to sanctions). However, automating certain tasks and tasks intelligently saves a lot of time and money. For example, the constant sending of tweets is vital to remain always visible on the timeline of followers. Is it necessary to publish manually every 15 minutes? Obviously it is better to leave these messages programmed and devote our attention and efforts to other more important tasks.
First help, then sell
It follows from the above advice that on Twitter there are more important things to publish every 15 minutes, and so it is. More and more brands and ecommerces use this social network as an extension of their customer service. In fact, more than 6 out of 10 consumers (67%) use social networks to contact brands, and 33% prefer this medium to email or telephone contact.
First help the users, then sell them the products/services that make it possible on a regular basis. This maxim does not apply only to Twitter or social networks. It must be the general philosophy of successful sales reps.
Dare to use new formats
This is another interesting answer to how to sell on Twitter in 2019. Indeed, there is life beyond tweets accompanied by an image or a video. A good example is Twitter Live, which like Facebook Live allows live broadcasts. On the other hand, surveys are excellent for encouraging engagement, despite the fact that very few ecommerces use them.
The use of this and other innovative formats allows to surprise and better connect with a specific audience. In this way, moreover, brands can stand out from their competitors by offering greater creativity and value with their marketing actions.
This last tip should be put into context: every 24 hours some 500 million tweets are sent on Twitter. A brand cannot expect to stand out in this ‘tower of Babel’, where every company has its products and messages, without doing what no one dares to do. Even on Twitter, if you want to be successful, break the rules from time to time!
Image credit : Sarah Becker
