There’s nothing worse than starting off strong and not finishing a race.  Twitter is kind of like that in the social media.  It’s like a qualifying race that you kind of have to keep running in order to get people through to the good stuff – your website!

We often see companies that start off great on Twitter.  The account is hot and they’re having so much fun following, re-tweeting and keeping their stream updated with the latest events at the company.  Then month-end hits, a new staff member needs training, a customer complaint keeps you busy all week and before you know, it’s been 32 days since your last tweet.  Good-bye followers: hello bad rep.

In a recent article that we read, they listed 30 (yes thirty!) ideas to keep your profile hot and happening.  Take a look at this list for some great ideas!

1. New announcements from your brand.
2. Teaser previews of offerings you are working on.
3. Related interesting news from the industry.
4. Trivia related to your product: history, technology, anything!
5. Ask for suggestions: people love to help someone out.
6. Events you are holding: this informs as well as gets you attendees.
7. Events you are participating in: this shows you are active.
8. Witty one-liners: this can be jokes, daily wisdom, or just about anything else.
9. Helping people find opportunities: Helping people solve problems is the best thing you can do to promote your brand.
10. Popular events: tweet about the upcoming sports events, festivals, etc.
11. Unexpected developments: Was Gmail down today? Tweet about it!
12. Regular industry news: yup, this doesn’t hurt if mixed in.
13. Sales announcements: Tweet about any sales announcements you might have.
14. Job openings: Tell people about open positions, both with your brand and at other places you know.
15. Ask for customer feedback: Invite people to share their experiences with your brand.
16. Participate in the relevant hashtags, and get more visibility.
17. Set up and announce tweet chats based on brand-related hashtags.
18. Follow people and make acknowledgement via tweets.
19. Thank people who have recently followed you.
20. Post the latest updates from your blog along with the link.
21. Direct people to other social media channels you own by tweeting about them.
22. Search on your brand name and respond to tweets that are about you.
23. Create Twitter lists of industry-relevant analysts, well-wishers or customers, and announce the lists publically.  This sends a positive message to the mentioned people.
24. Participate in trending topics and viral hashtags to rope in some attention. Ensure your opinion are related to your brand somehow.
25. Tweet-greet your followers daily. Saying small things like “good morning,” or asking about their health goes a long way in forging ties.
26. Tweet and tag your best employee of the week. This keeps the staff motivated and gives them a platform.
27. Announce weekly deal, tweetpon (coupon), etc., and evaluate its viral reach to understand how influential your brand is.
28. For B2B brands, find out analysts on Twitter and build up conversations with them. Twitter is the best place for making your opinion heard.
29. Give daily twitter tips on usage of your brand’s products/service or on the basis of the industry expertise. Tips sell well on Twitter.
30. Make regular #FF Friday Follow recommendations or announce fan of the week with some incentives or freebies to the winners.

Remember, as we tell all of our clients, consistency is so important when it comes to managing your online content.  If your blog is old, your Facebook page is old and your Twitter stream is dead – that’s how people will perceive your online reputation: old and dead.

We know how much time it takes to keep up with this – so if you feel like you need help or would like us to consult on setting up some easy procedures to keep your online reputation active – drop us a mail!