A recent study found that three-quarters of customers rely on social media for help in their purchasing decisions. For this reason alone, it is increasingly important for businesses to understand and implement social media marketing campaigns.

Twitter is a particularly useful platform as it enables businesses both big and small to generate awareness, connect with customers, and drive sales all in 140 characters or less. Without further ado, here are our tips on Twitter marketing best practices.

Tweets serve as a channel to directly communicate with both existing and potential customers. They can be used to generate awareness and excitement about new products, upcoming events and promotions. One easy strategy to increase sales and consumer awareness is by providing Twitter exclusive deals or promotions. This selective access to information is an incentive for customers to both follow your account and also to check back frequently for deals. Including a visual, such as a digital coupon or an image of a new product, will catch consumer’s eyes and increase engagement.

Tweets can also be an effective way to learn more about the wants and needs of your customers. According to Mediabistro.com, more than three-quarters of marketers feel that they know what their consumers want, yet only one-third have actually asked. Interacting and asking questions about users’ experiences via Twitter allows you to build and maintain valuable social connections with your consumer base as well as gain insight into the strengths and improvements that can be made to your product or service. Finally, constructing charismatic Tweets is a wonderful way to build a unique personality for your brand, setting you apart from other products and companies.

Other important features of Twitter are the retweet and favorite capabilities. Retweeting information relevant to your company’s sector will keep customers informed about their interest and engaged with your channel. In addition, retweeting information from related Twitter accounts increases the chance that these accounts will in turn share your content as well. Retweeting and “favoriting” followers’ positive feedback about your businesses is essential to maintaining the support of loyal customers. These features allow you to acknowledge the fact that you value the input and support of your customers, providing them with an incentive to interact with your account in the future.

Lastly, the hashtag feature of Twitter should be used to increase brand visibility and organize conversations about your product through user-generated content. Including hashtags in your Tweets links your content to similar content. If a potential customer is seeking a service or product that your company specializes in, a hashtag search will direct them to your account and generate awareness of your brand. Another way to use hashtags is to promote follower engagement through user generated content. For example, you could come up with a catchy hashtag related to a particular experience your business provides to your customers, and ask followers to tweet content of their personal experience with the product using this hashtag. Such content can even include pictures or videos of how and why your customers choose your brand.

As social media use becomes an ever increasing aspect of people’s daily lives, using platforms like Twitter to support your business will only grow in importance. Twitter allows marketers to promote their product, but more importantly, it facilitates the social interactions between businesses and consumers ensuring customer satisfaction and continued success.