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5 Tips For Brands On Twitter

Today we have a special guest post from Ben Nesvig:

Mashable brought up a great topic last week about brands and Twitter. It is my belief that brands do belong on Twitter, as long as they are using Twitter responsibly. If I have praise or beef with a brand, I want a representative from the company to hear me out. How can brands tweet responsibly?

A five step process for brands who want to engage on Twitter:

5. Show transparency. Put your first name in the bio section. Let Twitter know who is running the brands account. An ideal Twitter photo for a brand would include the Twitterer and the brand logo.

4. Do not rush out to follow 1,000 people right away. Utilize Twitter Search and start off by following people who praise your brand and give a personal response to those who have complaints or comments. Twitter isn't an ad campaign with a deadline. It is a marathon. Learn to walk before you run.

3. Do not turn your Twitter account into an RSS feed for corporate news. Consumers don't care about everything that happens at your company. Give corporate news only when it is relevant or asked for.

2. Show personality. Each tweet shouldn't look like it was approved by a committee. Twitter gives you an opportunity to show the human side of your company. If you represent a large brand, this is especially important.

1. Make your Twitter account about the consumer, not your brand. Respond to their criticisms and comments. Care about their feedback, which means responding to complaints and suggestions personally. Also, give them coupons or discounts on your products. Gary Vaynerchuk often gives out free shipping to Twitter users. Think about what your brand could offer.

Twitter can be a great place for companies, but it can also be a medium for them to abuse. Twitter is an incredible tool to show that your company cares about its customers. Comcast got it right, why can't your company?