We often get asked, “What the heck is a #hashtag?” The first thing a small business owner should understand about Twitter is that it has a different energy than Facebook. It’s fast-paced and forthright. And there are a lot of conversations happening beyond what you see in your feed. It’s a busy place with lots of curious eyes, so if you take the time to start off on the right foot and participate regularly, your brand can reap positive social benefits.

So you’ve logged on to Twitter, you have your handle name picked out, but you’re not quite certain of the next step. You’re thinking, “Well, now what do I do? What should I say? How do I find people to read my first tweet? And what the hell is a hashtag?” Because Twitter doesn’t feel as intuitively interactive as Facebook, does it? Well, there’s an old Italian proverb that says “All things are difficult before they are easy”.

Let’s see if we can help you translate some of the Twitter basics.

What Do You Do First?

Create your profile.

If you represent your business as a consultant, realtor, author, etc., then keep in mind you want your profile photo to be professional. If your business is a shop or restaurant, then make sure you have an eye-catching visual of it, something that makes people want to visit.

Your Twitter bio rides below the photo. You want this to be a direct reflection of both your business and personality. When people visit your profile page they want four things: information about what you do, links to your business, a sense of your character, and a compelling reason to follow you.

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When using Twitter for business it’s customary to add your blog’s home page or website to your bio. This helps people link to your information to find out more about you.

But here’s another idea you might try: use the website field to link to your most recent blog post instead. If you create content on a regular basis, this offers another avenue to drive readers to your blog. If you do this, just remember to keep that link updated so that it matches your most recent content.

What Do You Say?

What you post on Twitter it’s called a Tweet. So what should your first Tweet say? Are you promoting a new product or service? Having a sale? Opening a new location? Do you want to promote a cause your business supports? Did you read something online that made you laugh or helped you solve a problem and you want to share it? Well, there you go. All of the answers to those questions make excellent Tweets. But if you’re still hesitant, check out what other people are Tweeting to get some additional ideas.

Now that you have an idea of what you would like to say, remember that each Tweet is restricted to 140 characters. So give it some juice. Twitter is not the best place to be shy and retiring. Your business has a personality, so give it your voice. As long as you’re not being offensive, we’re pretty certain your first Tweet will be great.

How Do You Find People To Read Your Tweets?

Before you Tweet anything you need followers who can see and potentially ReTweet your gems of wisdom. In social media the rule of reciprocity is that if you follow someone and interact with them, they will be more inclined to follow you back.

Follow people who matter to you because you know them or they’re involved in your industry. A simple way to do this is by typing industry-related words into the search function at the top right of your Twitter page.

I typed in the word “Realtors” and got back a list of industry-related Twitter profiles. You can also search for individuals by name. So play around with the search function and start following groups and individuals that interest you.

 

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In the Discovery Section of Twitter you can also use the “Who to Follow” tool to find some interesting Twitter users.

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Additional ways to find people to follow would be to import (or invite) your email contacts, check out who your followers are following, and use Twitter directories like: http://twellow.com and http://wefollow.com.

What The Heck Is A #Hashtag?

Hashtags are words or phrases that are preceded by the “#” sign. Like #socialjumpstart. They may look awkward but they’re incredibly handy little gateways to the inner workings of Twitter.

Did you know that hashtags are searchable on Twitter? And that clicking on a hashtagged word or phrase shows you all of the recent Tweets containing that hashtag? That’s why you want to use them to highlight key words in your Tweets. They help others find what you are posting on Twitter.

You can also use them to research topics for content creation. Or you can click on one to join a conversation or create one to start a conversation. Best practice on Twitter is to use no more than two or three relevant hashtags per Tweet as they can be overwhelming to readers.

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The more engagement your Tweets receive, the more eyes on your business. Hashtags can help increase the number of ReTweets you get. And a ReTweet is how others share your content forward on Twitter. So try using hashtags related to your blog posts or business activities. This practice gives other users a better chance of finding your Tweets through their searches.

Here are 3 easy ways to come up with hashtags related to your content:

1. Jot down some ideas for hashtags and use the search function on Hashtags.org to find ones that might be popular.

2. Check out the influencers in your industry. Which hashtags are they using in their content? Can they work for you?

3. Use WhatTheTrend  to search for hashtags that are trending in your field.

Another good idea is to consistently use the same hashtags so your followers begin to associate them with subjects you Tweet about on a regular basis. Just remember to use a healthy mix of the trending hashtags with those that relate to your blog. This will help you reach a wider audience searching for topics about your industry. For instance, if you blog about editing, you could use hashtags like #editor, #writing, #books, as well as hashtags that pair with your content like #grammarrulesforwriters and #manuscriptediting.

Twitter can seem confusing at first, so getting the basics down is the key to long term success on this social site. But if you create a complete profile, follow people who matter to you and your business, learn to write engaging Tweets, and start getting comfortable with hashtags, we know you’ll find your Tweet zone in no time.