Twitter highlighted some of the best practices used by news agencies that marketers can learn from to improve their positions in their industries.

Drawing on the practices of some of the most well-known publishers and news providers, Twitter recently offered some advice for marketers using industry news content to drive social visibility. On the company’s official blog, Mark Luckie, Twitter’s creative content manager for journalism and news, said using hashtags and sharing content from other publishers, among other things, are good practices to position a brand as a credible source of industry news.

Cover a niche

For journalists and brand writers, sharing brief, but important, details from ongoing news stories can help tell target audiences a relevant article is on its way. Additionally, it this informs prospects and other site visitors quickly before the more to whet their appetites before an in-depth article is published. Pairing news content marketing campaigns with social helps increase visibility for companies. However, using Twitter as a reporting tool, as well as link-sharing platform, makes a social presence more valuable for prospects and other followers.

Use hasthags

Additionally, using hashtags on relevant Tweets helps provide context for new followers, Luckie reported. Finding the tags others in an industry use and including them on shared links can improve discoverability of a social media marketing campaign.

Don’t just talk about yourself

Directing users to other relevant industry news and publishers can also provide prospects with a positive view of a brand. Obviously, social media marketing is about driving site traffic and eventually improving sales. However, thinking like a publisher, with an eye on providing the best information to educate target audiences, improves reputation on the web. More than anything, it shows a company wants inform and participate in ongoing web conversations.

The two-way communication element offered by social is often missed by companies using Facebook and Twitter for marketing. Brafton recently highlighted comments from Bing’s Duane Forrester that urged marketers to develop web content and social strategies that include active communication with prospects.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.