The Internet was once coined as the “information highway”. Now it seems like Twitter can take that claim.
1. Be A Thought Leader
Positioning your brand as a thought leader should be a priority. There’s no other social network outside of LinkedIn that will help establish authority. For instance, Twitter is highly regarded as a network that provides real-time news during a widely publicized event (although Facebook is trying to take over the reigns with its “what’s trending column”).
The first step in being a thought leader on Twitter is to establish your handle as a destination for content that your target audience wants to consume on a regular basis. Tweet links to current news in your industry. Tweet thought provoking content and accompanied with a stimulating question.
2. Engage with Your Audience
The best way to utilize Twitter is to have a conversation with your audience. DO NOT use it to simply tweet articles, sales discounts, and deadlines. Now, your audience will mention your brand in a tweet and expect a response. It’s a standard practice on the platform. In fact, you will notice brands that have a dedicated staff to handle the Twitter customer service questions.
Now let’s take this a step further.
If you do not engage with your audience via Twitter it will negatively affect your brand. Brands that avoid audience engagement will ultimately lose customers.
Companies that engage and respond to customer service requests on social media can cause an increase in sales because customers will spend up to 40% more with that company when satisfied. – Bain & Company
3. Have Some Personality
It’s difficult to express your personality in less than 140 characters. I mean, how can you be humorous and informative in a tweet and include a link and relevant hashtag ?
Well, that’s a great question. The only answer I can give is to find the personality in your brand and give it a voice. Here’s a good example:
4. Drive Traffic to Your Content
Twitter is a very effective platform to drive traffic to your content. I find most people do not post the same tweet more than two or three times. Unfortunately, they may think all their followers will be on Twitter at the same time. Just because you post something on your timeline doesn’t mean your followers will see it. By the time the login to Twitter, your tweet could be long gone. There’s a good chance you came across this article on Twitter
Also, you naturally can drive more traffic to your content by including relevant hashtags with your tweets.
No need to be excessive, just two hashtags will work fine.
5. Keep Tabs On Your Competition
A great way to keep tabs on your competition is to monitor their Twitter feed . You’ll see links to their latest posts, white papers, acquisitions and product announcements.
You can also see what their customers are saying about your competition by searching their brand name and any hashtags they use.
6. Mention Your Followers
Courtesy offline is valued just as much online. Mentioning your followers will provide deeper engagement and show that you care. Give a shout-out to a follower that gives you some love. Here’s a great example 
Final Thought
Twitter has reached the point of maturity and users are now accustomed to certain behaviors. So, if you are not doing any of the above, you should rethink your Twitter strategy. If you are, think of ways you can improve.
Ultimately, Twitter is a great tool to communicate with and analyze the conversation of your consumers. If you aren’t maximizing the full potential of this platform, you’re missing out on an additional opportunity to grow your business.