Note: I wrote this post with small business owners in mind who are just starting out on Twitter. The advice below follows the same focus throughout.

POST LAST UPDATED: August 10, 2021
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: February 28, 2017

So here you are, finally on Twitter and ready to start sharing all about your great business. You are probably asking yourself a lot of questions right now.

How do I tweet? What do I say? Most importantly, what to tweet first?

Just like any other social network, Twitter requires a bit of getting used to. Its format is unique since tweets are limited to 240 characters, there are hashtags to worry about, and everything you post will be public*.

*Unless you mark your profile as private, which we do not recommend for business accounts.

First impressions matter on Twitter. Your first tweets will not only teach you how to use the platform but also set the stage for your account and pave the way for your first followers and likes.

So today, we are going to be talking about the first tweets! No matter what kind of business you run, there are things for you to tweet about, and some of these things should definitely be included in your first few tweets.

How Twitter Tries to Help New Users

Twitter offers a little tour for new users. The tour directs you where to click to access the most important parts of the platform like your profile, the settings, and your home feed.

It also invites you to send your first tweet at the end of the tour. Twitter is very understanding about you being new, so it kindly provides ideas for you to try with your first tweet.

As you can see, both tweet suggestions include a hashtag (#MyFirstTweet). If you decide to include it in a tweet, you can then click on the hashtag and see who else just got started on the platform.

Unfortunately, this template is what every new user sees. There is nothing wrong with tweeting this message, but in all honesty, it is pretty boring and tells the world nothing about you or, most importantly, about your business.

Sherpatax is an amazing free tax tool for Canadians, but you wouldn't know it from their first tweet! (Thankfully, they have tweeted plenty great things since.)

Don't let your first tweet go to waste!

What to Tweet First as a Small Business Owner

So what should your first tweet say? Here are the five things that you could talk about. Some of them are perfect for the first tweet, and some can be used to craft your second, third and even fourth tweet.

1. Introduce yourself

This should be your very first tweet. Introduce your business and express excitement about it. Feel free to say that you are excited to be on Twitter too!

2. Be informative

Offer vital information about your business as soon as possible. This could include where you are located or where you operate, your value proposition, what you will be tweeting about, why your clients love you, and more.

 3. Immediately show how to get in touch with you

You need to outline concrete steps towards getting to know you beyond your Twitter feed. List business hours to encourage customers to come in. Share the link to your website for people to learn more. Provide a portfolio link so that visitors may see your design work right away.

4. Find peers and say hi

Twitter has made connecting with business owners in the same industry so much easier. There is no reason why you shouldn't do this from the get-go! Your peers are more likely to engage with you and follow you back at the very start of your Twitter journey.

 5. Post a photo

Tweets with images get the most engagement, and for a good reason. A photo catches immediate attention and helps provide an immediate link between a Twitter account and a business behind it. So let it!

Post a photo of your store, restaurant, studio or office. Snap a photo of your product. Share a smile on camera. The key here is not to be sales-y, but informative and entertaining.

First Tweet Ideas

The pointers above should give you plenty of ideas about what to tweet! But if you are still stuck, not to worry, the team at SMM Headquarters is here for you 🤓

We came up with 5 first tweet examples for some (fictitious) small businesses. Simply click the link to tweet! If what you do doesn't quite fit any of the categories below, let us know and we can brainstorm together.

First tweet for restaurant/café owners (112 characters):

Tweet: We are open for business Mon-Sun 9 am-6 pm. Come in for the best espresso this side of Don Valley! #coffeelovers

First tweet for freelance writers (98 characters):

Tweet: Seems like it's finally time to spend my lunch break setting up Twitter. Now back to writing I go.

First tweet for designers (124 characters):

Tweet: Hiya Twitter! Violet has finally joined. Graphic design is my life, so I will be sharing lots about that here. #myfirstTweet

First tweet for a consulting/service business (114 characters):

Tweet: We are Consulting Inc and we help other businesses be their most productive day in, day out. Feel free to connect!

First tweet for an e-commerce business (112 characters):

Tweet: Welcome to Awesome - our store is now open! Browse www.AwesomeShop.ca 24/7 and let us know how we can help!

Happy Tweeting!

P.S. Want to know exactly what your customers want to hear on Twitter? With our new "Start Talking to Your Customers" worksheets, you can! Check it out 👇

The post You Must Be New Here: What to Tweet as Your First Tweet appeared first on SMM Headquarters.

Quality Score is a very telling metric. It directly influences your cost per click, the probability of your ad being shown and the likelihood of a click happening. A high Quality Score on your most important keywords is a good indicator that your campaign is going smoothly!

Quality Score: What you need to know

1. Each keyword in your campaign has its own Quality Score.
2. Google doesn’t disclose the exact formula of how it calculates the Quality Score.
3. We know that including the keyword in the ad content and optimizing your landing page to match the ad helps raise the Quality Score of the keyword.
4. Quality Score of 8/10 to 10/10 is excellent. It usually means that your ad and landing page match the keyword perfectly.
5. Quality Score of 4/10 to 7/10 is average. It means that your ad and landing page deliver an average experience for users.
6. Quality Score of 3/10 and lower indicates a poor fit between the keyword and what your ad and landing page are promoting. These keywords are usually performing poorly.
7. Quality Score may increase or decrease with time.

How to check the Quality Score of your keywords

(Note: you should be running your campaigns in Expert mode to follow the steps below.)

1. Log into your Google Ads and click Campaigns from the left-most column.
2. Click on the campaign whose keywords you want to check for quality.
3. Click Keywords –> Search Keywords in the light-grey column on the left.
4. Check the data for columns named Quality Score or Quality Score (hist.).
5. If none are present in the table, find the Columns icon just below the performance graph and click Modify columns.
6. Click on the 🔍 icon and type “quality score” to quickly locate the metric.
7. Find Quality Score and check the boxes next to Quality Score and, optionally, Quality Score (hist.).
8. Click Apply.
9. Now you should be able to see the Quality Score rating for each of your keywords!

Don’t despair if the Quality Scores are low. This simply means there is room for improvement and optimization! If you need a Google Ads expert in your corner, give me a call.

The post Keyword Quality Score in Google Ads appeared first on SMM Headquarters.

All new accounts start off in Smart mode by default. Google doesn’t tell you that; instead, it starts asking you questions about your goals and your business needs. This is understandable, as they want you to get going ASAP. The option to switch to Expert is present, but not very noticeable:

Unfortunately, running Google Ads in Smart mode simplifies your experience and removes the granular level of data access you need. You can switch from Smart mode to Expert mode at any time, but doing it as early as possible will save you a lot of headaches.

Any campaigns you create in Smart mode will stay in Smart mode. You will assume the full control over your settings that you (and potentially I, or another Google Ads consultant you bring in to help) need only after the switch.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Log into your Google Ads account and click on Tools & Settings at the top right.
2. Find and click the option to Switch to Expert Mode.
3. You’re done!

Now you have the ability to take full advantage of Google Ads’ functionality. Any tips and advice I give on running Google Ads in this blog and everywhere else rely on Expert mode.

Smart mode is simply not smart enough for us, trust me 😉

The post Expert Mode vs Smart Mode appeared first on SMM Headquarters.