Before we even talk about how Twitter can build a brand for you, let’s take a look at a story. Mr. A has been regularly active on his and his firm’s Twitter account. He shares regular updates, reposts important messages from official handles and is quick to even put up notifications and circulars as and when they are released. He is passionate about staying updated and also keeping others updated. Mr. B, who follows Mr. A on Twitter, gets a notification every time Mr. A posts or tweets. Mr. B has now become so comfortable with all this that he relies on Mr. A for updates and himself doesn’t keep checking Government portals. He even asks his acquaintances to do that. This has indeed helped Mr. A build a brand on social media.
The above-mentioned story is replicating real-life incidents which we would have come across on social media (emphasising Twitter here).
So what exactly is Twitter?
Theoretically, Twitter is a ‘microblogging’ system that allows you to send and receive short posts called tweets. Tweets can be up to 280 characters long and can include links to relevant websites and resources. Interestingly, many had underestimated the power of 140 characters (when it started). However, the way Twitter is changing the world currently is well documented. The US election or influencing movie reviews and its rating speak for it. So when we have such a powerful medium in our hands (Mobile App), is it not wise to utilise it to the fullest extent? As the saying goes, the biggest risk we take is not taking any (‘life me sabse bada jokhim hai, koi jokhim na lena’). We might even say that not being on Twitter during this time is the biggest risk we may face.
Over the past few issues, we have covered various topics on ‘Branding for Chartered Accountants’ in a series of articles. However, Twitter is one of the most important but complex social media, in our opinion. It is powerful, gives you direct access to almost anyone in the world but it is very personalised and needs attention on a real-time basis. For example, your other social media accounts may be managed by your team, and they can post lovely greetings messages on various festivals and give news updates. However, if the same is repeated on Twitter it may be considered as boring and irrelevant. We are not saying that you cannot share the same updates here, too, but sharing only those updates hardly works here and that’s what makes Twitter unique – it needs personalisation.
To keep it crisp and short, let’s look at how we can master this social medium (from scratch):
Step 1: Create an account on Twitter
Obviously, this is a very basic step but unlike some social media, you can visit tweets and view the comments on Twitter without even having a valid account. Many of the news channels today add links and references to tweets which you can visit on the Twitter page sans an account. So, the first part in Digital Branding is to have your own Twitter account. A good username is a must to start with. A Twitter @name is basically a handle where the ‘@’ sign is followed by words and numbers. Ideally, a professional Twitter handle will use the Twitter user’s name or company. For example, the user account of ICAI is @theicai and it conveys to whom it belongs.
Step 2: Choose profile photo and background
As an Individual, use a headshot or candid, doing something related to the message or brand. For example, a public speaker can select a photo with a microphone in hand addressing a gathering. Twitter recommends this photo be roughly 400×400 pixels in size to avoid distortion when the image is resized to fit in the assigned area. On the other hand, a Background Image consists of the entire upper portion of the Twitter profile page and the large rectangular section above the profile photo on the Twitter user’s home page. Twitter recommends the header background photo be around 1500×500 pixels. Pro Tip: Keeping your account without Image or Background Image reduces both impact and reach.
Step 3: Write a good Bio
Bio is a short introduction of the user. Ideally, Twitter allows 160 characters to tell something about users. Use it well to convey your message to readers. About who you are, your past achievements / designations, interests and so on. A good Bio can help in enhancing your SEO and Twitter’s AI. Even the Google Search engine picks up words from users’ Bios to divide them into relevant categories.
Step 4: Other settings
There are other small but significant settings that can improve your Twitter Profile, such as:
Share your location: There is an option to add your location information to each tweet. This is switched Off by default for privacy reasons. But users who want to communicate where they are to their followers (like a speaker who is travelling to different places to address gatherings) will probably want to keep it On to convey the message.
Pin tweet: Once you are regular on Twitter, there is generally a tweet which defines you or a particularly important aspect for you or your profile which you want everyone who visits your profile to see. Such tweets can be pinned to the top of your Twitter timeline so that anyone who visits your timeline will see that tweet first.
Step 5: Be a content creator instead of only a content consumer
There is a famous saying, ‘The biggest mistake you could ever make is being afraid to make one.’ We do that when it comes to using social media. We avoid tweets with many thoughts in our minds. However, it is essential to start using social media to add value and share opinions. While apps like Instagram, YouTube may not be easier to start as not everyone is tech-savvy to create a good image and upload it, Twitter is a bit easier compared to the apps of other social media. All you need is to have an opinion and express the same. Besides, remember that the limit of one tweet is 280 characters. So it is indeed easy to start and express yourself. However, you also need to remember while tweeting – why are you on Twitter. You may be diverted to many topics like politics, religion and so on. Some of these are hot topics and you can spend hours and hours but it becomes very important to be aware of what is your ultimate goal.
Step 6: Enhancing reach and creating a brand
This is the most important step in using any social media. The ultimate goal of being on social media for digital branding has to be that reach where you can convey your message to the masses. Twitter, unlike other social media, is very difficult for beginners. Twitter AI works differently from TikTok or Instagram, where the app automatically promotes smaller accounts or new accounts based on content marketing. Twitter is like going into the gym and losing weight. You need to have a definite strategy and be consistent with it. For the first few weeks / months you may not see the results but once it starts gaining momentum, the user gets returns for all the previous months.
We are happy to share some strategies which can help you build a brand on Twitter (without violating the Code of Ethics):
a. Talk on trending topics daily:
Twitter shows daily trending topics on its app as well as browser. You can check the same on Twitter Mobile App as well as browsers. Trending topics are the ones that everyone is talking about as of today. If you feel it is related to one of your interests, do add your tweets that give a perspective. For example, if you are trading in shares and the share market is up or down and it’s trending today, you can talk about your experience and perhaps offer some general tips without getting into the role of an investment adviser.
b. Create an interesting thread on trending topics and topics of your expertise:
A thread on Twitter is a series of tweets that talks about particular topics. While primarily Twitter’s USP is limited words, sometimes it’s not possible to convey everything in one tweet. In that case, users create multiple tweets in reply to create a thread. Looking at its importance even Twitter redesigned its app to permit thread options by adding a small + sign just before the ‘Tweet’ button. This allows users to create all tweets at once and send them all at the same time.
Today, many journalists and influencers are using Threads to convey their message in a crisp and systematic manner, such as explaining the timeline of the Tata vs. Mistry case with details or screenshots of orders. These threads are becoming a very important part of the Twitter journey now.
c. Reply on influencers’ post:
When you start your Twitter journey and you have limited followers, your tweets won’t have that reach or interaction that can look attractive. So one of the easiest ways to gain followers and build a brand is replying to already known influencers on Twitter. One of the most important aspects is to avoid trolling and public shaming, specifically when you are building a professional brand on Twitter. Industry leaders like Mr. Anand Mahindra, Mr. Harsh Goenka and others are usually very active on Twitter and they generally tweet engaging content where many users reply. Adding a reply to these kinds of accounts giving your perspective is the easiest way to grow. Try to find other influencers with a not very large following so that they have replies but not in thousands; your replies will then be visible and there is a chance of getting into conversations.
P.S.: Twitter is a public platform and your opinion can be read by anyone, so be careful about posting an opinion as it can go viral at a time when you are least expecting it – and in this digital world everything is permanent thanks to screenshots and virtually unlimited storage capacity.
d. Create a separate account for your business / firm:
Don’t mix your personal account with business as you may have a different agenda for the two. Your business account can be limited to updates regarding your business and industry. Your personal account can talk about your business, your interests, your hobbies and so on.
Ideally, your strategy should be specific to your brand and firm. But following the above tips will definitely get you started on the right foot. Keep in mind that building a brand will take time, but with a branding strategy in place, branding is well within your reach.
