Twenty tips to help you get the most out of Twitter

Here at Sage Pay we are avid users of social media, and we know that many of you lot are too.  But once you’ve got your account up and running, what happens next?  We’ve been in contact with the team at MarketingDonut.co.uk for their top tips on how to make the most of Twitter.  Sonja Jefferson is owner of Valuable Content Ltd and an expert contributor to Marketing Donut, the marketing advice website for small businesses and she’s given us some invaluable advice below on how to get started:

Twitter is a remarkable social media platform for businesses. We love it as a way to connect with new people, keep in touch with those we know, find out what’s going on in our world and get our message out there. And all in 140 characters too!

But if you’re new to Twitter it can be more than a little confusing. You’ve set up your account but just exactly what do you say? What sort of information should you share? What rules do you have to play by?

Here’s a quick guide to the type of Twitter activity that works best:

1. Fill in your Twitter profile properly. You’d be amazed at the amount of people who don’t put any effort into their profile information. You have about three seconds when people check you out so make sure you write it well.

2. Have a good icon or image. Photos work best for a personal feed. Professional shots are best of all.

3. Include a link to your website or blog. This is VITAL if you want to be trusted on Twitter.

4. Find people to follow. Connect with others who you find interesting, people you know, clients, organisations you rate, authors, commentators in your field or journalists you admire. What type of Tweets do you respond to best?

5. Follow back. If people follow you and they look interesting, follow them back and see what they’ve got to say.

6. Be polite. Thank your new followers, acknowledge those who mention you or ‘retweet’ your posts.

7. RT, @, #, DM? Get up to speed with Twitter lingo. Learn from Twitter’s glossary here – http://business.twitter.com/basics/glossary.

8. Stay on message, most of the time. What do you want to be known for? Put thought into what you want to talk about. What’s the “red line” that runs through all that you do? Have an opinion. A strong theme to your Tweets really helps.

9. Write for your particular clients and customers. What do they want to know? What do they ask you? Educate, inform and entertain them. That’s the point.

10. Share valuable content. Post information you think they’d find useful or interesting – links to articles or video, share quotes, relevant news, books you’ve read, opinions, tips.

11. Make sure it’s not all about you. Me, me, me is seriously off-putting.

12. Use shortened links rather than full blown URLs. Bit.ly is good for this.

13. Don’t sell. This is not the place for a stream of high-pressure sales messages. Think of it as an online networking event, if you like that sort of thing. Promote your services occasionally but this should not be the main event. Far too many people get this wrong.

14. “Curate” good content. Share posts and articles by others that you think your readers will find valuable or back up your approach.

15. Engage. Talk to people directly by using @theirname. You’ll be surprised by the depth of relationships you can create here.

16. Ask questions. You can learn a lot from your followers (we’ve learned loads!). It’s incredible how supportive and useful this platform can be.

17. Tell them a bit about you. What are you up to? What’s news? Your choice about how much personal information you feel comfortable to share. You’ve got to find a voice that feels right for you.

18. Recommend others you rate and say why. Twitter is a trusted referral engine. Recommend suppliers, clients, commentators, friends, other Tweeters.

19. Organise your connections into lists. This will make it much easier for you as your Twitter connections build, and enables you to check into conversation on a particular subject.

20. Show up regularly. It doesn’t have to be every day (although that helps). Consistency is all. Check what people are saying about you often and reply promptly.

Whether you’re new to Twitter or you’re a Twitter pro, we’d love to hear from you about how and why you’re using this channel, so drop us a note below or send us a tweet!

You can find our accounts at:

Amy_Sagepay – Industry news and updates, events, press and PR, general chit-chat

Kay_Sagepay – Partner queries, new products and bolt-ons

Adam_Sagepay – Technical/Sales queries

System_Sagepay – Sage Pay’s live system feed

Twitter down to a ‘tea’

This month I feel as though I’ve spent most of it on social media of some sort.  From manning Sage Pay’s Twitter account along with my dedicated social media team, to spending my free time uploading pictures of the last night out with friends on Facebook and keeping up with the gossip.  It’s gotten to the point where I know pretty much everything that’s been going on without actually being told by anyone.

The transition of these types of media from a social ‘fad’ to a strategic business channel has gone from strength to strength.  Research by New Media Age has recently shown that 87 of the top 100 brands in the Superbrands list have a Facebook page.  72 of the brands have a Twitter page and 68 have a YouTube account.

We are just about to release our E-Business Benchmark Report, a survey completed by 2000 online businesses.  An interesting point that came up was that the perceived influence of social media amongst respondents was really low-less than 5%-however when you look at the impact on actual sales, the jump is a whopping 71%.  So although social media did not prove to be an effective way to draw shoppers to your website, it was a successful way of boosting conversion rates and improving customer loyalty, encouraging shoppers to return to your site.  Social media is giving brands a chance to interact with their customers, get their feedback on future products, enhance their reputation and upsell their products.

Since launching our own Twitter account and following many of our own customers, we’ve noticed a few that stand out in terms of their social media strategy.

Our customer teapigs use their Twitter account not only for customer service, but to advertise offers and promotions.  What sets them apart is that unlike many other businesses I have come across, they don’t strip away their personalities.  They use them as a way to connect with and relate to their customers and build rapport.  Working on customer loyalty means that these same customers are coming back again and again and conversion rates are high.  So team the friendly customer service with the gorgeous range of teas from Chocolate Flake tea to Liquorice and Mint and you have a winning combination.

As the official tweeter for teapigs, Hannah told us “Social media is very important to teapigs and helps us reach our fans and customers worldwide.  We use it to keep everyone up to date with news from within the company, events we’re going to be at, competitions, promotions and also general chit-chat.  The communication network of Twitter, Facebook and the teapigs blog has allowed us to spread the word and share the passion for what we do, all from the comfort of our little office in Brentford!”

We are proud to announce teapigs as our May Business of the Month!  And whilst they spend hours slaving away over a hot social platform, I’ll be relaxing with a cup of Organic Honey Bush and Rooibos!

To celebrate and to help you enjoy some real tea in the office, teapigs are offering a 15% discount off all teas (excluding cheeky deals) when you enter the promotional code ‘office‘ when buying online! Just click here to see their extensive range of teas.