Recently, Twitter made news by announcing that Google will be given direct access to the Twitter firehose data stream. The new agreement will create a real-time connection between Google and Twitter with the potential to connect search results with tweets from Twitter’s 284 million users.

Why is this a big deal? The firehose helps Twitter, and YOU, get tweets in front of users you wouldn’t ordinarily reach. Twitter is attempting to increase its interaction with non-registered users – which has the benefit of helping your tweets get additional exposure!

But more importantly, the new connection with Google and Twitter’s firehose means that your tweets have the opportunity to find prime keyword real estate in Google’s search result pages. And while Facebook posts also show up in search results, the advantage Twitter has is that your organization can (and should!) post many more tweets each day than you ever could (or should!) on Facebook.

What does this mean for you right now?

Polish Up Your Presence

If you’ve been under the impression that it doesn’t matter what you post on Twitter, as long as you post something – now is the time to challenge that belief in your organization. Here are the top four considerations to help you revitalize your Twitter account.

1. Revisit your profile description. Does it give a clear, concise overview of your organization? If you’re only using a tagline, now is a good time to revisit this section.
2. Favorite tweets that others post! This is a great way to encourage accounts that don’t follow you to start. Marking a tweet as a favorite is similar to liking a post on Facebook. It allows you to form a connection with another account, and build that relationship. Who are your top brand ambassadors on Twitter? Are you engaging with them?
3. Create lists. You may be following several hundreds of accounts on Twitter. How do you cut through the clutter so you don’t miss beneficial tweets to retweet or comment on? Lists can be your best friend and they can be public or private. Maybe one list is of other Twitter accounts under your organization’s umbrella. Another list could be local influencers such as politicians, news anchors, and organizations. Use lists to make it easier to see through the clutter.
4. Unhook your Facebook and Twitter accounts. The fastest way to show someone on Twitter that you’re not invested in your Twitter presence is to automatically feed your Facebook posts to Twitter. Even if you’re saying the same thing, chances are there’s a more Twitter-friendly way to construct your tweet.

Make the Most of Your Tweets

No one is exactly sure yet just how tweets will be integrated into search results or how Google will choose tweets to display for a search query, but those details should come soon. You can get your Twitter strategy heading the right direction though, with the following steps:

1. Optimize tweets with keywords that mirror your website and online strategy goals.
2. Include links to your website in as many tweets as possible. This is a great way to increase the traffic to your website. Let Twitter and Google help you get more visitors!
3. Schedule tweets. You can tweet many times a day, and doing so helps ensure that you get in front of your followers, no matter when they happen to check their Twitter feed. Use scheduling services like TweetDeck or HootSuite to schedule tweets ahead of time, and supplement those with retweets and responses with your followers.

Have the feeling that your Twitter presence needs some attention, but not sure where to begin? Contact us. Our social media experts can help make sure you’re on solid footing for this coming change.