We know as content creators Twitter will always be one of our top five social platforms and has become an app we use daily. In fact, 82% of B2B marketers have used this social channel for organic marketing in the last 12 months.

And with almost 400 million Twitter users to date, if you find yourself either not using Twitter for business (we hope not) or feeling as though you aren’t utilizing it to the best of its ability (that’s more like it) we are here to help.

A little birdy once told us sharing is caring, so our team of social experts have compiled 7 dos and don’ts for marketing on Twitter.

Let’s take a look:

4 dos for marketing on Twitter

1. DO use video

First things first — you need to be posting videos to your Twitter feed. They’re visually appealing, offer lots of great creative branding opportunities, and promise at least six times more retweets than posts without video.

But not just any kind of video will do. You need to maximize this strategy by paying special attention to Twitter video length. The platform allows you to share up to 140 seconds worth of video content per post-use every one of them to make a true impact.

2. DO host polls

The Twitter polling feature is fun because it can help you show off your brand’s personality without being fake.

Encourage fans to express opinions, take sides, and give you direct insight into their thoughts or feelings. Also, play around with what types of questions you ask as well as how long you leave them up for to see what works best for your unique audience.

3. DO optimize hashtags

Tweets with hashtags receive double the retweets of those without them. But keep it to a minimum — any more than two and you’ll actually see a drop in engagement. Use an even mix of popular Twitter hashtags to discover high-performing/underutilized ideas that fit your brand.

4. DO join the conversation

Twitter marketing is at its best when conversation is being fostered and brands can take leadership in this arena by starting chats.

People who love Twitter also love Twitter chats, which means this type of content often sees high engagement levels. So regularly follow and start conversations about your target audience’s industry.

3 don’ts for marketing on Twitter

1. DON’T try too hard

A good rule of thumb is to tweet how you text — use emojis, abbreviations, and a lighthearted tone. But don’t try using slang that you wouldn’t otherwise in regular conversation. The goal is to connect with younger audiences, not try to mimic them.

It’s easier than you think to get labeled as just another awkward “Brand Twitter”.

2. DON’T neglect ads

If you have more than one target audience, you need to use Twitter ads to properly segment your marketing. Not only does this help increase brand awareness among new audiences, it’s also great for laser focusing on certain objectives (like upping your follower count or directing traffic back to your website).

3. DON’T limit content formats

Twitter lets you do so much more than just tweet out text posts. Which is why it’s important to get familiar with other viable content types, like video, GIFs, and images.

You might still post more text-based content than anything else, but make sure to spice it up a little every day with a few of these other types.