Using Twitter for Business

While Twitter can be great fun on a personal level and a way to reconnect with friends and meet new people, it can also be used for a lot more than just broadcasting the mundane things you’ve done for the day.  Twitter is actually a very valuable asset in growing brand awareness for your business – you can land clients, customers, market, network and gain free publicity, all in 140 characters or less!  Savvy entrepreneurs recognize Twitter for the powerful social media tool that it really is and use it to their benefit.  So how to use Twitter for business growth?

Think about sharing expertise from your own pool of knowledge to be seen as a thought leader in your industry.  Help others with problems.  Share tips related to your business.  Provide networking leads.  Report industry and other world news.  Think of Twitter as a commentary on information awareness.  Post links to articles that you think are of interest to your industry.  Tweet original thoughts and topics.

Grow your network and add value.  When someone asks a question, provide the answer quickly.  Share links.  Participate in Twitter chats related to your industry or business on a regular basis. 

Research prospects before meeting them – you can gain a lot of valuable information just from scanning others tweets, reading their profiles and exploring who they follow and who follows them.

Stay in touch with friends and colleagues.  Give referrals.  Get referrals.  Recommend other Twitter users to you network including reasons to follow them – by helping others gain recognition via Twitter, you’ll gain it in return.

Use the search feature to find topics and keywords that might help you connect with others in your industry.  Use hashtags to create a conversation.

Spread your tweets out throughout the day.  While you don’t want to over-post, think about tweeting every hour or two.  Don’t just tweet in the morning or evening as people go on Twitter all throughout the day.  You never know who you’ll reach.  The more regularly you tweet, the more likely you are to reach a broader audience.

Use Twitter to market your brand.  Don’t just rely on your website alone.  Use Twitter to drive traffic to your website.  Give regular updates on Twitter about the product your selling or the promotions your business is running.  Try holding contests via Twitter to gain more followers and customers. 

Avoid hard-sell tactics; focus on relationship building.  Tweet honest and valuable content.  You might want to think about mentioning when you’re attending or speaking at an upcoming event.  Announce the publication of any articles, blogs or newsletters you’ve written or been quoted in.  Announce job openings to find qualified talent.

Try to make your Twitter posts a fun and interactive experience for your followers.  Share information that is useful for prospective clients or customers to enhance your reputation.  Respect the fact that others might not agree with you.  Don’t respond to negative comments.  Thank people for their follow or retweets.

Remember, Twitter is viral!  Popularity on Twitter can lead to growing your business.  It’s a great way to share and gain knowledge on your industry and the clients and customers you are looking to service.

Twitter can help you increase sales and gain brand loyalty.  If you’re tweeting out useful information to your followers, they’ll be more likely to retweet you and help spread awareness of your brand and the message you’re promoting.

Twitter is also a great way to keep track of the competition.  You can see what they’re tweeting, the information they’re offering and the products they’re selling.  Don’t think about it as spying; think about it as a way to get a leg up in your industry.

Be aware of what your followers want.  Give your customers information that adds value to their lives and will make them want to purchase what you’re selling.

Twitter is also a great way to get customer feedback.  Start a conversation with your customers and clients.  Ask them what they want and if the information you’re providing them is helpful.  Think of Twitter as an easy way to better service your customer.

I’ll leave you with this last thought:  “People go on Twitter to share what they know and learn in return.”  Twitter users are starved for new ideas, information, services, products and opportunities.  If you’re business isn’t part of this exchange, you’re missing a huge opportunity to grow and improve your business.  Recognize the power of Twitter as a branding and marketing tool.  After all, it is an $8 billion dollar company!  Twitter is one of the most valuable social media platforms out there and can open up a world of opportunity for your business.  Don’t miss out!

Here are some articles you might want to check out about using Twitter for business:

“16 Creative Ways to Use Twitter for Business” http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/twitter-for-business/

“Why Use Twitter for Business?”: http://blog.supermedia.com/why-use-twitter-for-business/

“How to Use Twitter for Business”: http://blog.supermedia.com/how-to-use-twitter-for-business/

“Using Twitter for Business – Tweeting Your Way to the Top”: http://assistsocialmedia.com/using-twitter-for-business/

Until next time…