Twitter has a huge audience of more than~ 550 million people worldwide. While it's a great platform to generate sales leads, it can also be a curse for a business brand if used incorrectly. It all comes down to WHAT you’re posting on Twitter.
Many business owners have made the mistake of getting involved in controversial issues without thinking about how people might react. Even if the intentions are good, a brand can alienate many of its loyal followers with a single tweet. There are many examples of Twitter fails by big companies, including Chrysler, Kenneth Cole, Qantas, Urban Outfitters, and others that required various levels of damage control. There are things that you simply cannot recover from after it has been posted. In this case, some press is actually bad press.
One of the main things to remember is that just because a topic is trending on Twitter, it doesn't mean that you should wade into the conversation. A single misguided tweet can be very expensive through lost sales or even possible fines.
When Posting on Twitter can Go Wrong
In some of the cases there were tweets that caused backlash—like this one from the McDonald's account—the brands claimed their accounts had been hacked. Either way, they had a PR crisis on their hands. Sometimes it's not a tweet directly from a company, but rather a retweet of a controversial figure that lands a business in hot water, as we've seen even with several people in the entertainment industry, like singers or athletes. Even comedians can't get away with being rude, controversial, or downright evil.
Retweets can be seen as an endorsement, especially if you're representing a brand with a big following. Don't forget, you're an ambassador for your brand, and in some cases, as a salesperson, you might even be the face of it. Keeping your reputation clean and untainted (or at least neutral) is crucial and can reflect directly on your company.
Make it human, but not controversial
When posting on Twitter from a business account, it should not reflect any of your personal views. Instead, you should engage people with your offerings and products. Instead of weighing in on current events, a Twitter brand can effectively use the space to build product awareness.
Your business should be thinking of things to post on Twitter that can add value, helping it stand out from the competition.
For example, you can link to your own informative blog posts, helping you stay within the Twitter character limit.
Engaging with the right audience on social media is not just about knowing the best time to post on Twitter. It pays to build a consistent brand voice that speaks directly to your customers in a way that engages and even entertains them using images and videos. The biggest benefit of social media for your brand is that you can use it as an extension of your sales strategy or to establish relationships with your prospects and customers.
Some brands even host scheduled Twitter chats to answer questions directly from followers to strengthen trust and brand loyalty.
Do your homework
Spending some time doing market research will also help you find potential clients and give you an edge over your competitors. This process doesn't have to be a manual undertaking—our Market Research Wrkflow can help collect important data to drive your business decisions.
Wrk can help your business stand out from competition while simultaneously avoiding potential pitfalls from posting on Twitter.
It can also automate some of the processes related to the social media platform, such as sending direct messages to flagged comments.
Final verdict: There are benefits to posting on Twitter—if done properly
Having a large following on Twitter is not enough. It's important to post on Twitter to drive purchases while avoiding the negative connotations that can damage your brand reputation. Focus on adding value, and not trying to be controversial. When in doubt, stay neutral. People tend to, very quickly, opt for performative posts and discuss or demonstrate knowledge on topics that they don't actually know a lot about.
It is an unexpected perk that automation can actually help you to post well, and to stay neutral. When you schedule in advance, many of the internal biases you may have, won't appear in your posts. It's like a safety net.
Wrk has an understanding of how to boost your brand, and can help you save time and money in the process! Wrkflows make life easier for every department, from Sales to Customer Success.
Book a demo with us to chat about how we can help your brand succeed through our Hybrid Automation platform.
