Nine Ways to Get the Best From X (Twitter)

It's no wonder that organizations and professionals want to be on X (formerly known as Twitter). With 611 million active monthly users, the social media platform can take your message around the world in an instant.

X has many business uses: from personal networking and spreading awareness of new products, to scoping out fresh hires. And all you have to do is type up to 280 characters into the prompt and post them to your followers.

But social media has its downsides, too, and using X for business can be difficult or overwhelming at first.

In this article, we'll explore nine ways to capitalize on X, whether you're posting for your organization, or for yourself.

The Potential Drawbacks of X (formerly Twitter)

First, a word of warning. Getting it wrong on X can harm your professional reputation, and even your organization's bottom line. Off-color, off-brand messages, the wrong tone, failing to respond to complaints or queries, posting too much or not enough can all stir up social media stress.

And it also pays to be aware of the following dangers:

• Trolling. Some people use their anonymity to abuse or criticize others. There could even be a concerted smear campaign against you or your organization.
• Bots. Research suggests that between 25 and 68 percent of users are bots: software-generated fake accounts that can and do spread "fake news." [1] This figure fluctuates, depending on the issue being discussed. Which all means that many of the statements and opinions you see on X may not come from real people.
• Negative feedback. Angry customers or clients can broadcast their grievances instantly via X. So, it's important to deal with complaints quickly and carefully to protect your reputation and to avoid escalating the situation (we'll return to this later in the article).

However, these drawbacks don't mean that you should avoid posting on X. It can be good for business. Indeed, research shows that 66 percent of organizations have a presence on Twitter. [2]

Nine Ways to Use X (Twitter) More Effectively

Adopt the following nine approaches to get the best results from X.

1. Develop a social media strategy.

Your social media strategy should define how you use X to support the wider goals of your business or organization.

A good way to start is to ask yourself a simple question: why do you want to be on the X platform in the first place? Is it to boost brand recognition, as part of a marketing campaign, or to engage with your customers?

Use SMART principles to make your social media goals as clear and measurable as possible. For example, rather than setting a vague objective to "raise awareness of our products," set a specific target, such as "increase followers in our sector by 15 percent in two months."

You can also use X Analytics to find useful data on your follower numbers, or the number of mentions you receive (when a user namechecks you in their posts). This can help you to determine which of your posts were the most effective.

2. Create a social media policy.

To keep your posts (still commonly referred to as "tweets") on-message, on-brand, and aligned with your strategic goals, ensure that everyone in your organization knows who can post on its behalf, and what kind of material they should be sharing.

Your social media policy should include basic legal guidance on topics such as libel, defamation and confidentiality.

It should also provide information on what makes a successful post. Consider your tone of voice and target audience: how can you best appeal to them and address their needs? Give examples of how you want to sound to ensure your organization's voice is consistent.

3. Establish a sign-off process.

On X, spelling mistakes, ambiguous humor or offensive language (even if it's unintentional) can damage your reputation. Even if you later delete the offending post, there's a good chance someone has taken a screenshot of it that could be used against you in the future.

To avoid problems like these, create a sign-off process for your posts. Aim to involve as few people as possible, so these don't take days or weeks to be approved. But make sure that key decision-makers (and a good proofreader!) are in the loop.

4. Make an appropriate number of posts.

Organizations with X accounts that are hardly used may look like they've run out of ideas. By contrast, those that post too often may be wasting their time – and may start to bore or annoy the very people they're trying to engage.

"Posting frequency" is key, and experts suggest that you should post at least three to four times a day on X if you want to increase your engagement. [3]

But there's no hard-and-fast rule, and it may vary according to the nature of your business. For example, recruiters sharing jobs, or realtors selling houses, might post more often to show that they're on top of a fast-moving sector.

And only post if you've got something useful, valuable, interesting, or entertaining to say!

5. Plan ahead.

Your posts don't all have to be written in the moment. Every individual or organization has scheduled dates when they'll need to or want to post more often. For example, around a trade show, conference or a public holiday.

Creating a social media calendar enables you to plan ahead, and to write relevant, engaging messages in advance to publish around key dates.

Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to write and schedule posts up to a year ahead, and enable you to manage multiple social media channels in one place. Alternatively, X Pro (formerly TweetDeck) is limited to (and owned by) X.

6. React to what's happening now.

Posting in response to current events can be a highly effective means of increasing engagement with your audience.

Look at what's happening in your organization or industry right now. Can you comment on a big win for your company? Have you launched a new community outreach or charity project? How does a change in government policy affect your sector?

But remember your social media policy, and take care not to respond in haste to controversial or inflammatory posts – keep it civil and professional.

7. Respond to customer queries quickly.

People who want customer service on X want it fast: one UK survey found that consumers expected companies to respond to their query within 30 minutes. But only 50 percent of organizations were meeting that standard. [4]

If a customer's query is something you can answer quickly ("What time do you open?"), respond as soon as you can. For more complex issues or complaints, it's best to give an email address to write to, use Direct Messages, or offer to call them in person.

Taking the conversation to a more private forum avoids making the criticism public, and helps people to feel that they're getting personal attention.

Trolls who badmouth people or organizations with no legitimate reason don't want resolution, just attention. Always offer to respond to them in private. If they continue to criticize you in public, disengage. See our article, How to Handle Social Media Criticism, for more on this.

8. Increase your audience.

The more followers you have, the bigger the potential reach for your posts. The key to boosting your follower numbers is to produce and share high-quality, relevant content for your target audience.

You can also mention key influencers to bring them into the conversation. And if your content is good enough, it will attract their interest.

However, bigger isn't always better. If you work in a niche industry, an audience of 150 influencers, such as CEOs, important clients or thought leaders, will likely be more useful than 150,000 random people who aren't really interested in what you do.

You'll probably see offers to "buy" followers, but this is a risky strategy. Your "real" followers will almost certainly notice if your numbers suddenly increase due to an influx of bots, which could undermine your credibility. What's more, bots won't buy your products or offer useful feedback, and your account may even be suspended by X.

9. Consider using "promoted posts."

While you should avoid buying followers, you can pay to expand your audience. X allows you to run promoted posts, which are pushed into the feeds of people who don't yet follow you.

You can carefully target who sees these posts, according to their interests, or by using relevant keywords. The clearer you are about your target market, the more effective your approach will be.

When you're developing a campaign, try testing a few variations of your posts, using different words or images to see which has the most impact.

Promoted posts may cost money in the short term, but they can get you or your business noticed quickly by the right people.

Frequently Asked Questions About Using X (Twitter) for Business

How can I grow my follower base on X (Twitter)?

Whether you are posting for yourself or your organization, engage with your audience by responding to comments and mentions, use relevant hashtags to increase discoverability, and participate in trending conversations. Also consider collaborating with influencers, and running promotional campaigns or contests.

What are hashtags and how should I use them?

Hashtags are keywords or phrases preceded by the # symbol, used to categorize posts (tweets) and make them discoverable on X. Use relevant and popular hashtags in your industry to reach a broader audience, but don’t overdo it – 2 to 3 hashtags per post is a good rule of thumb.

How can X be used for customer service?

Create a dedicated customer service handle or use your main account to respond to customer inquiries promptly on X. Use direct messages for private issues and maintain a friendly, professional tone. Track common questions and provide solutions to improve customer satisfaction.

How do I handle negative feedback on X?

Address negative feedback swiftly and professionally. Acknowledge the issue, apologize if necessary, and offer a solution. Responding publicly shows that you value customer feedback and are willing to resolve complaints.