4 Tips for Driving Sales on Twitter

When Twitter first entered the scene in 2006, few people imagined that the social network with the constant stream of flippant status updates would ever turn into a powerful force for brands looking to engage customers, showcase creativity and build affinity. Today, it's clear that Twitter isn't just a hotbed of brand engagement, but also a bona fide driver of sales. And finally, brands are catching on.

Take Black Friday for example. In 2014, Twitter users posted more than 3.65 million tweets about Black Friday, nearly 2 million more than in 2011. More significantly, however, is the rise in the number of major retail brands dominating the Black Friday conversation. Four years ago, brands were pretty much MIA from the Black Friday chatter. Today, they're leading the charge, as you can see in this infographic.

There's a reason for that. According to a recent report from Twitter, which uses data from my company, Crimson Hexagon, there was a significant correlation between conversation volume on Twitter and actual retail sales in 2013. For example, as the number of tweets about buying televisions increased on Twitter, so did the weekly sales volume of TVs. Same goes for laptops. Twitter is taking note of this trend. Back in September, the company announced that it was testing a "Buy" button to allow users to make purchases directly from a tweet.

As Twitter embraces its new role as an e-commerce and mobile shopping player, brands would be wise to follow in the company's footsteps and start thinking more seriously about how to use the platform to drive sales. Here are four quick tips to help you get started:

1. Try limited-time offers and giveaways. Crimson Hexagon analyzed tweets about Halloween this year and found that Welch's was one of the top-mentioned Twitter handles. The reason? Welch's Fruit Snacks Halloween Giveaway spread like wildfire in the Twitterverse. Research from Twitter indicates that the majority of users would take advantage of a limited-time offer they learned about from a tweet. This makes sense, given the real-time nature of the platform.