How To Use Twitter Mentions To Help Your Business
On Twitter, the ‘@’ symbol precedes a person’s username in tweets directed at or mentioning them. Users can enter or begin a conversation with other people by including their Twitter handle in a tweet, or they can mention the person in a tweet concerning them.
Mentions generally have a positive impact on the person being mentioned. Twitter is all about networking and building a following. When a user is mentioned in a tweet, it can be seen by all the followers of the tweeter. These followers can click on the ‘@username’ and follow the person mentioned themselves.
If you maintain your business’ Twitter account, you should use mentions to actively engage with other users, making your company seem personable and approachable. Used correctly, mentions can help build your business’ following and reputation. You should also make sure that you respond to as many tweets mentioning your company as possible.
1. Engaging:
Use mentions to start conversations with your followers, other businesses or leaders in your industry.
Ask experts for their opinions on hot topics and new releases in your industry. If one of your followers tweets about purchasing one of your products, ask them what they think of it.
If one of the accounts you follow – or any user, for that matter – tweets something interesting, you can hover over the tweet and select the reply option. This reply tweet will automatically begin with a mention and will appear in the Connect tab on their account page.
2. Replying:
If someone mentions your own company in a tweet, reply to it. Say, for example, one of your followers asks you a question about your company, respond using the reply button or include their ‘@username’ in an answering tweet.
Other users may not always mention you positively, so you can monitor mentions for sentiment analysis. If you want to respond to negative mentions, make sure that you present your company in the right light.
A Twitter reply from telecommunication agency O2 went viral after an employee mimicked the slang of a user having trouble with his wireless connection. The customer wasn’t offended and, in fact, clearly enjoyed being addressed in a familiar tongue. I would not advise mimicking customers, but be sure to talk to them in as direct and personable way as possible.
3. Notifying:
If you tweet a link on Twitter, mention the Twitter handle of the person responsible for the content on the page you are linking to. For example, if someone writes an interesting blog post about a recent innovation in your industry, tweet a link to it with a mention.
When I post my Social Media Promotions of the Week articles, I mention some of the companies I have written about in my announcement tweet. Clothing company ASOS replied to my tweet about a social media promotion they ran, meaning that every single one of their 460,000+ followers saw my Twitter handle.
How do you use mentions to help your business on Twitter?
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Will Sigsworth
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How To Use Twitter Mentions To Help Your Business
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Monday, March 18, 2013
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Monday, March 18, 2013
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