As of the fourth quarter of last year, Twitter averaged around 330 million monthly users worldwide. In the UK alone, more than 17 million active users have been forecast for this year. That’s 17 million people logging into their accounts on at least one occasion per month, and 17 million potential customers. So, no matter how small your business is, this micro-blogging site isn’t something that should be ignored.
But understanding how Twitter works is a whole different ball game when compared with Facebook. The use of Twitter as a platform is not the same for a start: Twitter can be used as a news site, a place to post/read opinions, somewhere to share content, or a form of communication with brands (complaints or otherwise). It doesn’t have the personal elements and the same level of family/friend connections as Facebook.
For the moving industry in particular, this can be a good thing. In a way, Twitter is strictly business and strictly content sharing (as well as politics, of course). But getting it wrong can be harmful to your brand. So how can you ensure maximum engagement with potential customers? Here are five tips for Twitter marketing beginners in the moving industry.
1. Manage your expectations
According to Digitaltrends.com, some of the most engaging topics on Twitter of 2017 were the Super Bowl, Trump’s inauguration and TV shows like Game of Thrones or Stranger Things. Politics, celebs and culture rule the Twittersphere, so moving companies aren’t exactly going to be Twitter stars. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful within your niche. It’s important to manage expectations from the start and understand that Twitter, like other social media, is a long-term branding project. Lead generation can be achieved with momentum, but the main focus should be building your brand.
2. Have a strategy to get followers
Getting followers isn’t going to be easy when you start an account for the first time. Don’t expect to see the followers rolling in without a fair bit of hard work. The first thing you will need to do is personalise your page. Default avatars and banner images suggest inactivity, so brand your profile well and make your page look appealing. Then you will need to follow relevant people within your industry and try and connect with local businesses in your area. Networking is something that other businesses are interested in too and they are likely to follow you back. For B2C targeting, incentives can work very well.
3. Share relevant content
The most successful strategy for gaining followers is to do it organically. To do this, you need to make your tweets relevant, interesting and useful. Some of the top moving industry Twitter accounts are known for tweeting ‘how to’ guides to engage their audience. If you have a company blog, Twitter will work as the perfect platform for posting links. And if you don’t have a blog, you can share articles from other reputable sources. There are no rules about what content you can post (as long as it’s not offensive or detrimental to your own business).
4. Understand the hashtag
Hashtags aren’t just for kids; they’re used by very serious professionals and respected influencers. And by jumping on the right hashtag, you could widen your outreach every time you tweet. But using them badly can lead to a bit of a social nosedive. Local hashtags are the best way of easing yourself into the world of hashtagging and could help to make meaningful connections with customers who require your service. Trending hashtag topics (such as TV programmes, political elections and celeb news) are unlikely to be relevant to a moving company, but seasonal hashtags can be a great way of sharing any promotions you have.
One of the biggest mistakes that small companies make when starting up a Twitter account is being inactive. Social media users, particularly millennials, expect instant gratification online. So, for Twitter-based customer service queries, people usually want a fast response. Social media platforms open a whole new channel for customer relationship management, so having someone checking daily is important. Always respond to customers, and always resolve complaints/issues without delay. Being seen to turn around a problem successfully and honourably is great for your brand and will help you stand out as a trusted moving company over competitors.
Encouraging customers to follow you on Twitter or share pictures of their move for a special discount code can be a great way of boosting positive interaction too. This is a great way of getting new followers and expanding your reach.
Sam Butterworth
Sam is a writer and blog editor working with Abacus House Clearance. He has been working in the moving industry for five years and has a background as a journalist and editor.
Visit: https://www.ukhouseclearance.com/.
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