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Whether a multibillion-dollar corporation or a local plumbing business, your brand looks woefully behind the times if you don't have a presence on social media, including Twitter.

Companies have hired armies of smart, hip, Web-savvy people to usher their brands into a new era of perpetual connectedness that allows them to reach their customers in new and interesting ways.

So why do brand tweets look like this?

That is no way to meaningfully communicate with people: It's smarmy, pointless, and ultimately devoid of any actual messaging. Why? Because we are focused on the tool and not the content. If you're thinking only about how to market with a computer, you're going to sound like one.

Luckily, it is possible to be better. I've constructed a few simple mantras for social media managers, and keeping these in mind will allow you to talk to people in a way that might actually result in their caring about what you say.

Repeat these to yourself the next time you're ready to tweet.

1. Every tweet is an advertisement

Somewhere along the way, Twitter's 140-character limit and ease of use led us to believe that individual posts are less important than a persistent presence on the service. Companies have quotas: X number of tweets per day/week, this many mentions of a branded hashtag, etc.

But that approach ignores the most important thing about Twitter: Every tweet is an advertisement for your brand, and it should be treated as such.

Look at that insipid taffy tweet again. Does that say anything about the brand, besides the fact that it makes taffy and its people are apparently into day-drinking on Tuesdays? You'd never approve that for a print ad, so why is it OK to shove out onto Twitter, where it may be in front of even more people?

Tweets are not disposable; quality should not be wasted in the name of quantity.

2. You don't have to tweet about everything

It seems like every few months yet another brand gets caught with its pants down by trying to tie into an event or holiday with what many would call "the tact and self-awareness of a potato."

I understand the impulse: Brands want to get people's attention on days that draw a lot of eyes and dollars. The problem is that you and every other company on the face of the Twittersphere are trying to do the same thing, and your customers can only look at so many "we colored our product green for St. Patrick's Day" tweets before they tune out entirely.

If you're a popular fertilizer brand, Arbor Day is a great day for a cute post. However, you probably don't have a whole lot to contribute on Cinco de Mayo. Wait for the right reasons. Pick your moments.

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Five Twitter Mantras: How Not to Be Unenlightened on Social Media

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ed Morgan is a senior copywriter at Scout, a full-service advertising agency specializing in consumer/B2B and healthcare.

LinkedIn: Ed Morgan