Get the 411: What To Post On Twitter

My friend is a small business owner who just recently got started on Twitter. She got up to 77 followers and was really excited about it… until she tweeted this: “Anyone voting for Romney is a huge idiot.” Welp. There went quite a few of her followers in a matter of minutes. Whether they agreed or disagreed with that statement didn’t really matter. They may have unfollowed her simply because they didn’t think a business owner should be making such a brazen political statement on Twitter.

If there’s anything to be learned from this it’s that tweets really do matter. What you send out to your followers can have a direct impact on whether or not they decide to engage with you or even continue to follow you. If your followers have been dropping like flies, we’ve got the 411 on what to post on Twitter in today’s To-Do Tuesday.

The Twitter 411

We get it. You’re a small business owner who doesn’t have a lot of extra time (or any for that matter) to worry about what to post on Twitter. However, ignoring this free marketing medium isn’t the best idea either. That’s why you should follow the quick and easy 411 rule when figuring out what to tweet.

Here’s how the Twitter 411 breaks down:

4 Informative Tweets

Do you read blogs during the day? If an article strikes you as particularly helpful, educational, or informative, it would probably do the same for your followers. Tweet it out! “Anything that defines you as a thought leader in your industry is a great addition to your business’ Twitter page,” says Jerilyn Soncrant, Scott’s Marketplace’s senior manager of social media. “You also can reply to someone else’s post or retweet something that is informative or entertaining. Lastly, if your company has a blog or any other educational material don’t forget to share it!”

1 Promotional

Yes, we know you’re on Twitter because you want more exposure and profit for your company, but whoa, slow down there, used car salesman. Would you stay on someone’s Twitter page if the only thing they ever tweeted out was promotional? Sales-oriented tweets get old, so send out one per day and make it count. Tweet about an upcoming sale, special discount, contest, or exciting new product so your followers welcome your tweets instead of get annoyed by them.

1 Personal

This is where things can get a little dicey. Yes, one personal tweet is recommended because it gives your business page a personality but controversial topics? You probably shouldn’t go there. Politics, as you saw in the example above, is usually a topic you should stay away from. Unless, of course, you’re trying on purpose to cause controversy. Otherwise, keep your political views to your personal Twitter page. If you’re going to have a public Twitter page that is associated with your business, stick to articles that you find personally interesting, non-offensive humor, news, and anything else that makes you, well, you!

Tell us: Will the 411 rule help you to know what to post on Twitter?

If you’d like a little more help getting your Twitter page up and going, check out our quick guide with even more tips — Twitter Basics: The Essential Get-Started Guide.