A Retail & eCommerce Business Owner’s Guide to Twitter Marketing

June 2, 2022 - 13 minutes read

All you need to know to earn more sales with Twitter.

 

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Instagram and TikTok may be the talk of the social media town right now, but Twitter remains a powerful promotional tool with stacks of business-boosting potential.

Most Twitter users (there are around 395 million in total) spend at least six minutes engaging with the platform every day. When presented with a product, studies suggest that four in ten Twitter users go on to make a purchase.

By using Twitter as an effective engagement and marketing tool, you will grow your audience while driving more sales to your online store.

Here, we’re going to look at how you can do just that with a modern mix of Twitter marketing tips.

Are you ready to level up your retail or eCommerce business?

 

The brand-boosting power of Twitter

 

As one of the world’s snappiest, most short-form social media platforms, Twitter is a playground for witty quips, quickfire conversation, and compelling content that prompts powerful actions (or reactions).

This gives you the potential to significantly boost your brand reach while driving droves of highly engaged customers to your online store.

When you consider that monetizable daily Twitter users (those willing to pay for products and services) soared to around 217 million by the end of last year, there is an enormous amount of scope to win new customers and boost your profits through the platform.

The brand-boosting potential of Twitter is hard to ignore. By getting active on this popular social media platform, you will accelerate the growth of your store.

 

How to level up your Twitter marketing strategy

 

Now that you’re up to speed with Twitter’s growth potential, let’s look at the essential marketing strategies that will push you ahead of the pack in an increasingly competitive industry. 

Lay solid foundations for your profile

If you want to use Twitter as an effective marketing strategy for your store, getting your profile right is essential.

Your Twitter profile will form a key part of your store’s branding, which means it must look professional while representing your business’s values and personality.

When you’re setting up your Twitter profile, you should ask yourself the question, “Would I follow or interact with this business?” If the answer is no, you should go back to the drawing board.

To win on the Twitter battlefield and stand out in your niche, you must focus on three key areas of your profile:

  • Your cover image
  • Your profile pictur
  • Your bio

At least one of the visual elements should be consistent with your store’s brand image, and your bio should summarize your business USPs or brand mission in a mere 160 characters (there’s no room for waffling here).

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Sustainable clothing marketplace Vinted is an excellent example of a Twitter profile with all the key ingredients of success:

  • The cover image represents the value of using Vinted by capturing an uplifting moment
  • The profile image is a clean, clear, compelling shot of Vinted’s brand logo
  • The bio is snappy and states the brand’s mission with conviction while inspiring people to engage with Vinted on the platform

Setting up your business’s Twitter profile the right way will boost the success of every campaign, initiative, or strategy you run on the platform. If you need a little help writing a compelling bio, our practical guide to copywriting will help.

Post your content at the right times

Before you start creating content for Twitter, you should note the best times to post on the platform. By delivering content at the times when users are most likely to engage, you will expand your brand reach while increasing your chances of driving sales to your retail or eCommerce store.

Based on studies from QuickSprout, here are some of the best times to post on Twitter:

Best days to post content: 

  • B2C: Wednesday to Sunday, particularly Saturday and Sunday
  • B2B: Monday to Fridays, as general engagement is 14% higher during the week

Best times to post content:

  • Best chance of retweets: 5 pm
  • Highest clickthrough rates: midday and 6 pm

Armed with this information, you can create and schedule your Twitter content for the times where it’s likely to perform the best, offering the best possible return on investment (ROI) in the process.

Try Twitter Flight School

To unlock the platform’s full marketing potential, enrolling in Twitter Flight School is advisable. This free online learning platform will help you discover a wealth of Twitter’s business-style features while giving you the confidence to successfully navigate brand-boosting campaigns.

Not only will enrolling in Twitter Flight School help you with content discovery and hashtagging, but it will also give you the skills to produce targeted content that offers direct value to your audience.

Gaining the formal skills needed for Twitter marketing success will give you an all-important edge on the competition, driving more engagement to your store.

Tip: To get a deeper understanding of your audience and create the Twitter content that will inspire interest on the platform, take the time to create at least one or two dedicated buyer personas.

Hashtag wisely

Much like Instagram and Facebook, hashtags are a vital part of the Twitter ecosystem. Well-placed trending hashtags are an excellent way of tapping into relevant conversations and hot topics, as well as expanding the reach of your content.

But while the hashtag is an effective Twitter marketing tool, if you don’t use it wisely, you’re unlikely to see results. To help you hashtag for brand-boosting growth, here are a few dos and don’ts for your consideration.

Do

  • Use hashtags on your posts consistently rather than sporadically. Consist use is likely to result in better brand recognition, messaging association, and purchase intent
  • Make your hashtags easy to remember (no long-winded combinations of words)
  • Check for any potential typos that could affect the meaning of your hashtags
  • Encourage people to use your hashtag by giving them an incentive to do so (a shoutout, a competition prize, or the knowledge that they’re tapping into a positive trend or movement)
  • Do your research and find the most trending hashtags in your niche with a free content discovery tool or Twitter’s in-built Explore tab

Don’t

  • Don’t overdo it with your content’s hashtags. One or two well-crafted hashtags are more than enough
  • Don’t keep using your brand name as your hashtag, as this will reduce the reach of your content
  • Don’t use ALL CAPS for your hashtags in a bid to make them more noticeable. Not only will this make you appear like you’re shouting, but it will also take users more effort to use them

Get ‘Twitter influential’

Once you’ve started using the platform’s Explore tab and content discovery tools for your hashtags, you can start to dig a little deeper by looking for trending topics or conversations related to your brand or niche.

By tapping into existing Twitter conversations in a natural, non-intrusive manner, you can connect with potential customers on a human level, showcasing your value and sharing educational content. Doing so will increase brand awareness while significantly boosting people’s trust in your business.

In addition to tapping into existing conversations, you can get super creative with your Twitter marketing strategies by creating thread content.

Twitter thread content allows you to produce a series of interlinked posts based on a particular theme or subject, which will encourage members of your target audience to bring the conversation to you.

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This savvy piece of Twitter thread content from influencer Ciara Johnson hooks travel-conscious users by offering a direct solution to finding cheap flights, followed by a series of practical advice and information that provides real value. In fact, it’s such an effective thread, it went viral very swiftly.

Tip: To boost your brand authority and become a thought leader in your niche, you should partner up with relevant influencers. Our essential guide to influencer marketing will tell you all you need to know to get started.

Run paid Twitter ads

Last but not least, to amp up your Twitter marketing strategy, you should run targeted paid Twitter ads. If you handle your sponsored Twitter content right, you stand to earn an excellent ROI while significantly boosting the reach of your posts.

To get the best return for your paid Twitter ads, here are some practical tips for your reading pleasure:

  • Know your ad objective from the outset (is it to boost brand awareness, gain followers, promote a new product, or drive direct sales?)
  • Set your ad budget and ad parameters (audience reach and campaign length)
  • Load the start of your content with your ad’s intent and USPs. You should also use an eye-grabbing visual that complements your messaging
  • Don’t be afraid to inject a healthy dose of your brand personality into your ad content

 

Final thoughts

 

Content is fire. Social Media is gasoline”—Jay Baer 

 

Social media marketing will allow you to establish your space in your niche or industry while helping you catalyze the growth of your audience.

By getting active on Twitter, remaining consistent, and following these essential steps, you will get ahead of the competition, one powerful Tweet at a time.

We wish you the best of luck with your Twitter marketing efforts. For tips on how to create authoritative content to share on the platform, check out our guide to thought-leadership.