Twitter can be a surprisingly powerful tool to market yourself as an energy broker, especially if you use the platform correctly. The only problem with marketing on Twitter is that online marketing isn’t your strong suit—being an energy broker is. To help you navigate this often confusing, but potentially lucrative marketing platform, here are a few tips:

 

1. Choose Wisely

Select your profile image very carefully, as it needs to accurately represent your business. Equal consideration should be given to your banner image, since it will help grab people’s attention, and build your energy-broker brand. Your username should also be recognizable to your current and potential clients.

2. Don’t Sell

People aren’t on Twitter to buy. They’re there to get valuable information. Keep this in mind, and make sure your tweets are informing rather than selling. Tweets that are geared toward selling products or services are generally written off as spam, and are consequently ignored. Being a treasure trove of information is how you will retain and convert your followers.

3. 80/20

The 80/20 rule is a must when it comes to social media marketing. The rule explains that for every 5 posts you make on a social media platform, one can be about your services and business. This is the healthiest, most beneficial balance you can achieve when it comes to promoting your services, while also earning your followers’ trust.

4. Position your Services

So, 1 in 5 posts can be about your energy broker services. Now what? Focus that post on the benefits you offer to your followers, and phrase it accordingly. For example, instead of writing, “Click here to see how I save clients an average of 20% on their overall energy bills,” post, “Read my report on how to save yourself 20% on your energy consumption needs.”

5. Know the Timeline

While writing your self-promotional tweets, keep in mind that followers aren’t going to read your post, and immediately pay for your services. Selling through social media is a process. First, you get people to follow you. Then, you get them to visit your website, where they will hopefully give you contact information for your email marketing platform.

6. Engage

Twitter is an engagement platform. If all you do is post information, then no one is going to see it. You need to interact with people, if you want to get their attention, and turn them into followers. You can interact with people through replies and retweets, or by tagging people and companies in your posts. Retweets are a handy tool to get people’s attention, though retweets should never outnumber your own posts.

7. Analytics

Using Twitter analytics can help you determine your reach, your level of engagement, and your success on the Twitter platform. The more you know what works, the more you can repeat those tactics.

For more tips on how to grow your energy broker business, make sure to check out our blog, as well as our social media profiles on Facebook and Twitter. And don’t forget to give us a call to find out more about how our proprietary software, EnergyEngine, can help you make 2016 your most successful year yet.