Don’t Tweet From The Hip Create a Twitter Business Plan!

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Don't tweet from the hip, instead create a twitter business plan.

Have you ever heard the expression, "Don't shoot from the hip" or, "I'm shooting from the hip"?  To shoot from the hip means, to act without first considering the outcome of your action.

There are often moments in our lives where we are forced to take immediate action without giving much, if any, forethought to the consequences.  For example, a friend needs a last minute favor, or you realize that you left your sunglasses on the kitchen counter when you're half way down the street.  However, social media and your business should not fall into this category.

How to create your Twitter Business Plan?

1.  Create an Editorial Calendar

It is imperative that you have an outline about what you will be tweeting about all year long.  When you create your business calendar for the year (with all of your product releases, holiday sales, and major events), schedule out when you will start tweeting about each upcoming event.

Likewise, look at the holidays and decide how you can link your business's mission to the message behind each one.  Then, set up the dates for when you will begin and end each holiday twitter campaign.

2.  Draft Your Tweets Now

Once you've set up the calendar, set-aside time each week or month to draft up your individual twitter posts.

My suggestion is to draft them in an excel spreadsheet, using a new page for each campaign.  Then, track each tweet.  First, note the date and time you used the tweet in your excel spreadsheet.  Second, with tweets that have external links visit Google analytics to see how many times your followers clicked through.

Tracking your tweets will give you a better idea of what worked and what didn't work.  You can use this info to improve your tweets going forward.

3.  Use an Automation Service

You are too busy to be on twitter all day tweeting. Utilize automated services such as Hootsuite to ease the tweeting process. This also offers you another way to track your embedded links.

Of course, when using any type of scheduling, be sure to set up your tweets so that they appear at various times throughout the day.

4.  Plan Real Time Engagement

It would be easy if you could "set it and forget it" when it comes to your twitter posts and campaigns. However, this philosophy is not going to win you buying prospects.

You need to schedule, at a bare minimum, 10 minutes of engagement time 3 times a week. Daily would be preferable! This means that you reply to other people's comments, that you re-tweet others tweet, share inspiring or funny quotes and simply enjoy being YOU!

Engaging with your followers on twitter is the key to turning prospects into customers. 

5.  Have a Special Twitter Landing Page

On your main twitter profile page, you are allowed to share a link to your website. Do NOT share the link to your homepage.  This is too vague and left to their own devices, your follower's will not take further action.

For example, think about going to the doctor's office.  Providing the link to your homepage is like telling the Doctor that you feel sick without giving him or her any information as to where or why.  The doctor can't help you unless you give him or her more details. 

Likewise, your prospects can't help themselves or receive assistance from you, if they don't know where to go on your website, or why they should do it.

Not to mention, we all LOVE to feel special, and clicking through to see a page that is there just for us (your twitter followers) makes us feel special. Now we associate you and your business with that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. (Yay!)

6.  Decide on 1 Clear Call to Action

When a twitter follower visits your landing page, you need to have 1 clear call to action.  This could be to sign up for a free gift, or your newsletter, or it could be a sales page designed specially for your twitter followers.

Whatever the call to action, keep it simple, clear and easy.

NOTE: This does not mean you have to keep the same call to action all year long.  Your single call to action can change alongside your calendar.  For example, if you have a product launch your call to action can be to purchase the new product.  Perhaps you even give twitter followers a special twitter-related bonus.

The point is that if you change your call to action then you change it, period.  You don't add a second call to action on top of the first.

7.  Follow-Up Post CTA

Be sure to say thank you! Once a twitter follower has become an official prospect or customer, thank them! Thank them in an email and thank them on Twitter.

Thanking them on Twitter serves both them and you.  It solidifies your connection with them and it shows them that you care.  You show them that you appreciate them enough to take the time to thank them on twitter.

Likewise, when you thank someone on twitter, all of your followers and all of their followers see the tweet. This may prompt others who were on the fence to take action.

So, the next time you start tweeting from the hip, remember these 7 steps and choose to take thoughtful action instead.

Have you ever considered creating a twitter business plan?

What does your plan include? How has it worked for you?

Please comment and share below…

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Carla J Gardiner
Carla J Gardiner
12 years ago

Wow, you must have been that fly on my wall. This week I am working on my Twitter plan. I have been guilty of tweeting from the hip all along. Thanks for this valuable guide, Kim.

Olga Hermans
Olga Hermans
12 years ago

I have an excel sheet with all my twitter updates, but never thought about to do this for every product and holiday. I have never made a yearly plan. You opened my eyes and I will be thinking on this for next year!! Thanks!

Heather
Heather
12 years ago

good tips I'll be putting to use, many thanks!  I've DEFINITELY been tweeting from the hip.

Suzanne Jones
Suzanne Jones
12 years ago

It never occurred to me to do this. I was thinking more day to day. Great information Kim, thank you!
 

admin
admin
Reply to  Suzanne Jones
12 years ago

Do you have your plan ready?

admin
admin
12 years ago

You can do it!!

admin
admin
11 years ago

Organizing will make your life and getting results so much simpler 😉

Rhonda Neely
Rhonda Neely
11 years ago

Great tips Kim. I need to check the Twitter thank you and see if its set up. Thanks!

taniis
taniis
11 years ago

This is so useful. I have thought about most of the things you have pointed out but just never actioned it. Time to start!

Susan Carey
Susan Carey
11 years ago

Still so much to learn..sigh..but thank you, for helping with that Christine.

Kim Garst
Kim Garst
11 years ago

Glad I could help!

Kim
Kim
11 years ago

I still need to do this myself 🙂

Aprille Janes
Aprille Janes
10 years ago

Thanks for these great tips, Kim. I’m working on a tighter plan now using your ideas. Always appreciate what you share.

Jenn Gill
Jenn Gill
8 years ago

Great tips, thanks!

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