A workshop on Twitter showed social media users and novices how to utilize the networking platform to reach current and future customers. American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) Communications Coordinator Meryl Williams led two sessions of The Who, What and Why of Twitter, and How You Can Better Engage Existing and Potential Customers, at the AAMA 2018 Annual Conference, lending from more than a decade of experience in the field.
“You only get out of Twitter what you’re willing to put in,” says Williams. “Improved engagement doesn’t happen overnight, but once a good foundation is in place, the return on investment will begin to show.”
Williams reviewed basics including what makes a good Twitter profile, how to speak Twitter and how to search hashtags. She went on to demonstrate how to customize search settings to see what is being said about a company.
“You can find accounts to follow by searching industry-related hashtags to see who’s tweeting about the International Builders Show, for example, or GlassBuild, or even this conference,” Williams says. “Our event hashtag is #AAMAconf, and it is at every conference we hold. This is a great way to engage with both those who attend in person and those who monitor online.”
Williams also provided examples of good and bad customer service management on Twitter and advised companies on how to avoid pitfalls, including de-escalation tactics. In a related section, she gave an overview of Twitter etiquette, or the unspoken rules for what is and is not acceptable behavior on the platform.
“If you say something nice about someone or promote something of theirs, you want them to know about it,” she says. “To make sure they see it, be sure to tag them in your tweet.”