In 2018, competition is fierce. You can be sure that small businesses are jumping on board to develop their Twitter business accounts. Your competitors are probably killing it as you’re reading this, but nothing equips you better for a new year than a clean start and a more creative strategy for Twitter for business.

In truth, using Twitter for business isn’t all that different from a personal account. In fact, for creativity’s sake, adapt some of the same strategies to your business account. You’re probably way more relaxed when you post on your personal social media accounts, and having a Twitter for business is about being relatable, likeable and including that human element many Twitter business accounts lack.

To get you started, we gathered some of the best tips that will help you with your future plans in setting up a Twitter account for your brand or company. Lets get started with the obvious, and work our way down to more creative ideas.

Optimize your page so you’re easy to find

This might not be the most ‘creative’ idea out there, but you can trust us when we say it’s important. Some businesses are so focused on their content, they don’t fine-tune their page, making it more difficult to be found on the crowded platform.

  1. Twitter bio – Be concise and eloquent, and use only the most relevant keywords that will make you easily discoverable
  2. Username – Do make sure it is related to your company or brand name so people don’t have to wonder where you are on Twitter when they hit search
  3. Hashtags – Include target hashtags in your bio, something that helps define the nature of your business or what you stand for
  4. Contact information – In order for people to be able to reach you, you have to include an email you regularly use
  5. Profile picture – This is the image users will see next to everything you post. Make the connection clear between your profile picture and your brand or business. Keep in mind that they can be updated anytime, so seasonal profile and cover photos are a good idea.
  6. Cover image – We’ll get to the details in a bit, but your cover picture should be inviting and again, relevant to your business
  7. Website URL – Be sure the link you include leads to your main website or blog
  8. Location – Many people skip this bit and miss out on another opportunity to be discovered. Add the location of your business to complete your account info

Network with influencers

Influencers on Twitter are people that have accounts that carry a lot of weight in a specific industry. They have a large following and can help you spread the word. As much as 40% of Twitter users have said they’ve made purchases based on Tweets from influencers.

Finding influencers is quite easy. You can use tools like Klear which shows you different categories or do a basic Google search including your niche.

You can then filter based on location, a specific category or industry to find your influencers. It’s a good idea to network with people that can help you move your business along and weigh in on opinions.

You can think of creativity and Twitter in terms of visuals. How you send out your Tweets will determine how successful you are at acquiring new followers. Use the tools in this article to build up an impressive account. Don’t be afraid to experiment and use new formats and send those tweets out with a lot of thought!