1. Twitter Best Practice in the West Midlands by Adrian Hull, West Midlands Secretary
@CIHTWestMids

2. How your Region can use Twitter Ways your Region can leverage Twitter
@CIHTWestMids
How your Region can use Twitter Ways your Region can leverage Twitter
Discover what’s happening right now
Increase awareness of the CIHT and your Region
Provide timely member services
Connect with potential members, advocates and influencers
Twitter is where people connect with their passions, share their opinions, and find out what’s happening in the world right now. Because people are in a discovery mind-set when they’re on Twitter, they’re open to interacting with new organisations. Regions can tap into Twitter to expand their reach and connect with new and existing members. Here are some ways your Region can leverage Twitter.
Discover what’s happening right now Twitter gives you access to what’s going on in the highways and transportation industry, community, and around the world. Use Twitter search to listen to the relevant conversations that are happening and jump in where you can add value.
Increase awareness of the CIHT and your Region Raise the profile of your Region and increase the impact of your marketing by using Twitter to regularly communicate with your followers.
Provide timely member services People often talk about the products they use on Twitter, so it’s a natural place to provide member services. Use it to quickly and easily respond to support queries. That will help you develop a good reputation for your Region, and strong relationships with members.
Connect with potential members, advocates and influencers Twitter allows you to follow and interact with people outside of your personal network. It’s a great way of joining or even starting discussions with influencers and industry experts to raise the profile of your Region and build valuable connections.

3. Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 1
@CIHTWestMids
Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 1
Your
Your username, also known as your handle, is your unique identifier on Twitter. It can contain up to 15 characters and should help people easily find your Region, such as @cihtwestmids. Your Region name, CIHT West Midlands, appears on top of your username.
Your profile shows the world who you are, and first impressions count. Every element should showcase your best content and accurately reflect CIHT identity.

4. Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 2
@CIHTWestMids
Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 2
Your profile photo
For your photo, choose the approved Region logo that visually represents your Region, the CIHT and fits well in a small space. This image isn’t just on your profile page; it will be shown as the icon in every Tweet you post.
The recommended image size for your profile pic is 400x400 pixels; the image will be resized to fit. Use a GIF or PNG file for vector-based and line art images.

5. Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 3
@CIHTWestMids
Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 3
Your bio
Use this to let people know that this is an independently managed account using text such as ‘CIHT is not responsible for the views from this account that operates on a voluntary basis on behalf of CIHT West Midlands’. Include useful information, such as your location, West Midlands, and a link to your Region’s web page,

6. Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 4
@CIHTWestMids
Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 4
Your header image
Consider this a backdrop for your Region. You can feature events, use a graphic with text, or highlight your committee members. Swap out this image periodically to spotlight promotions, events, or product news. In the West Midlands, we simply use an enlarged CIHT logo.
The recommended size for a Twitter header image is 1500x500 pixels. On mobile, it’ll be cropped to a 2:1 aspect ratio. For photos, upload a JPG or PNG file.

7. Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 5
@CIHTWestMids
Create a Twitter Region profile Establish your Twitter presence - 5
Your pinned Tweet
You can keep an important Tweet at the top of your timeline by pinning it there. Click on the “more” option on the Tweet you want to pin and select “Pin to your profile page.” Use this feature to make sure visitors to your profile can’t miss your latest news or events.

8. Twitter followers The value of a follower
@CIHTWestMids
Twitter followers The value of a follower
When someone follows you on Twitter, they not only opt in to see your Tweets — they also take actions that provide value to your Region.
Promote your username everywhere!
Search keywords and hashtags that relate to highways and transportation
Bring your offline advocates online
Ask for Retweets
Promote your username everywhere! Include a link to your Twitter profile in your signature, and promote it on offline collateral such as events promotional material.
Search keywords and hashtags that relate to highways and transportation. Use them to enter into conversations and get noticed, and follow influencers who can help spread the word about your Region.
Bring your offline advocates online. Ask your committee to follow you and Retweet your content. If you partner with other organisations on events, arrange to promote each other’s handles.
Ask for Retweets. When someone Retweets your content, they’re sharing your Region’s activities with their networks and your reach grows exponentially. Be direct, and ask your followers for their support.

9. What to tweet Create your Twitter content strategy
@CIHTWestMids
What to tweet Create your Twitter content strategy
Compelling content will help you attract new followers and keep them engaged over time.
There’s no right or wrong number of times you should Tweet each day, or when. Instead, focus on creating a regular cadence of content that’s relevant to your target audience and authentic to the CIHT.
Need some inspiration? Here are five best practices to help you create Tweets that spark conversations and keep your audience engaged.

10. What to tweet 1 – Keep it short
@CIHTWestMids
What to tweet 1 – Keep it short
A concise Tweet makes an impact. Keep each Tweet focused on one specific message rather than trying to communicate multiple things. You can include a link to a blog post or website if you have a longer message to convey..

11. What to tweet 2 – Use visuals in your Tweets
@CIHTWestMids
What to tweet 2 – Use visuals in your Tweets
Adding a bold image, video, or GIF to your Tweets adds a touch of personality, and leads to higher Tweet engagement rates. In fact, people are three times more likely to engage with Tweets that contain videos and photos. Can’t decide which photo to use? You can attach up to four photos to a single Tweet.

12. What to tweet 3 – Incorporate relevant hashtags
@CIHTWestMids
What to tweet 3 – Incorporate relevant hashtags
Hashtags are a powerful tool that allow you to expand your reach and tap into relevant conversations. Focus on keywords that are relevant to highways and transportation. Best practices recommend using no more than two hashtags per Tweet.
One simple way to incorporate hashtags is by identifying popular events to which you can link your Region in an authentic way. Remember, these can be everyday, regional events like committee meetings, as well as wider cultural events, like Christmas or New Year.

13. What to tweet 4 – Ask questions and run polls
@CIHTWestMids
What to tweet 4 – Ask questions and run polls
Asking questions is an effective way to interact with your audience, bring readers into the conversation, and understand people’s opinions. Tweet open-ended questions or use Twitter polls to survey on specific responses.

14. What to tweet 5 – Curate and connect with Retweets and replies
@CIHTWestMids
What to tweet 5 – Curate and connect with Retweets and replies
Retweeting relevant content and replying to Tweets are great ways to maintain a robust Twitter presence. Positive member feedback, helpful articles, and messages that align with the CIHT are all impactful content to Retweet. When in doubt, remember this rule of thumb: your Retweets reflect back on the CIHT and should align with our purpose and values.
People love to talk to organisations directly on Twitter. Be responsive to any questions, comments, and criticisms that come your way. To avoid long exchanges, switch to Direct Messages to resolve any complex issues.

15. How Twitter can help your Region
People come to Twitter to discover what’s happening in
the world right now, to share information instantly, and
to connect with people and organisations around the
globe.
With hundreds of millions of users and over 500
million Tweets being sent each day, Twitter
offers a great opportunity for Regions to
reach a large audience of new and existing
members.
You can use Twitter to build meaningful
connections with a relevant and
engaged audience. These
connections can lead to actions across a
network of loyal members for your
Region.

16. Further Information
For any questions, comments or help with your own Twitter accounts, please let me know.
You can contact me: By On
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