Social Media continues to see substantial growth among companies cementing Twitter and the other social media tools as serious business resources and not just a passing trend. Companies are realizing the need for a Twitter page to provide useful information linking back to their business. Here at Power Ten, Inc., it never surprises me, that while performing an evaluation of a company’s social media usage, many businesses overlook taking simple yet important steps to help make Twitter as beneficial as it can be. Keeping Twitter up-to-date is simple and can be a great tool for keeping your brand in front of its audience. The following are 5 easy tips that can help you use Twitter successfully.

1. Keep your handle simple. Whether you are a company or an individual make it easy for people to find and interact with you, choose a straightforward handle. For Power Ten, Inc., we use @powerteninc as our handle. Due to the length of your name, it may not completely fit so @CorsairEng was chosen for one of our clients at Corsair Engineering Inc.
2. Use your company logo, or an image that is well connected with your company as your photo. It is important that the logo or picture is clear and crisp (high resolution). In some examples I’ve noticed that the profile picture is pixilated or blurry. This is because a file that was too large or small for the profile image was used. There are several programs that can be used to size your logo correctly such as Photoshop, Inkscape, or even a web application such as Pixlr.
3. Make sure to include your company URL. If a user is viewing your Twitter page, there is no better way to drive them to your website than by featuring your company’s URL on your Twitter profile. Twitter profiles provide the opportunity for you to include a clickable link to your website. This link will also provide another link back to your website for increasing your Google search placement.
4. Fill out tour Twitter bio. Tell people who you are and what your company does. The company description should briefly answer these questions and can use @mentions of key people at the company.
5. Finally, connect with people and connect regularly. Companies often send out Twitter updates and don’t build connections. Twitter is a platform where you can speak to anyone (using the @mention) about any topic using the #hashtag for subject. This is one place where it isn’t bad to be a follower. Follow people and companies you want to know about and connect with, reach out to them and connect.

The best way to get maximum results from Twitter is to use it. Don’t worry about making mistakes, if they do happen, learn from them and move on. Begin by following, retweeting, mentioning and sharing, this will get you going and help raise your comfort level. After you have established your desired level of comfort, move on to creating your own content. Remember, as with any marketing or advertising, be patient, your company on Twitter may not be an overnight sensation, but it can help position you for the masses to see.