How To Use Twitter For Business

By Cathy Quel

Using Twitter is an effective method to market your business. Businesses large and small can use Twitter, so there is not any advantage to the size of your company. If you want to use Twitter for business, just a few tips to help you get started.

Besides the tips below, some things that you will need to do when using Twitter is: • You have to follow other Twitter accounts that are in your target market so that you will know what people are looking for • It is important for you to keep your Twitter account updated with information regarding your company • Don’t spam any of your followers • Follow online marketing people to help you keep up with all of the changes that occur online

1. Set up your Twitter account

Set up your Twitter account and being populating it with interesting Tweets. Start following people and people will start following you back. If you don’t have any Tweets, people won’t follow you. Therefore you will need to keep your account updated to keep the momentum going. To find people to follow, do a search on Twitter by making use of keyword phrases that have to do with your particular industry. Start following interesting people and if you have the right Tweets on your site, those people will follow you. You may also use ‘Find People’ to locate other Twitter accounts to follow.

2. Keep your information up-to-date

If you add interesting news within your industry and if that news is relevant to things that you are selling, people will desire to discover more about you and can go to your website. You can also publish related news on your particular category. If you sell cooking utensils, you could also Tweet information regarding recipes and healthy food.

You will also need to Tweet often. As your followers Tweet you, you need to retweet relevant and related information from these followers. Retweeting is one of the fastest and best techniques to develop your network on Twitter.

Do searches on Twitter frequently to see what people are saying about you and your competition. When someone retweets you or says something nice about your company, make sure to thank them. You are also able to follow disgruntled customers on Twitter. Then, if something is posted that might be detrimental to your business, you can respond directly with these disgruntled customers. They are going to be very happy that you responded to them and once you rectify the problem, they will be so appreciative that they will spread the word. You can grow your reputation exponentially by responding to your clients and offering solutions to their problems.

3. Do not spam on Twitter

What exactly is spamming on Twitter? Spamming is when you keep tweeting the same thing over and over or your tweets are frivolous rather then interesting and informative. Also, spamming would be when you continually and just post details on your own products.

4. Using Twitter, you are able to keep tabs on your competition.

To prosper using Twitter, it is important for you to build a following of quality people. Follow experts on Twitter like Chris Brogan and Dave Peck. Also look for large companies and follow them. Don’t forget to follow your competitors. It’s most definitely a great way to find out what they are doing. If you happen to see that your competition is not responding to their customers or not giving good customer support, this is a great opportunity for you and your company. You know what they say, keep your friends close, but keep your competition closer (or something like that).

5. Have a lot of patience

When you use Twitter or any social media site as part of your marketing strategy, it takes a lot of patience. It takes time and energy to develop your following. One crucial thing to remember is that it is important for you to stay on top of your Twitter account. Letting your account go dormant and not responding to your visitors will definitely hurt you in the long run.

When you have a good following, then you definitely will want to market yourself carefully. Rather then just promoting the products or services that you sell, give your followers answers to their questions and if your products or services answer their questions, then this would be acceptable. Don’t try to put too much information on your Twitter page. Make references to your blog or tweet people that you have updates and then if people want to discover more, they can click through to your blog or website.

If you find that your following gets too big for you to handle, you should outsource the project or assign it to one of your employees.

Twitter for business, like other social media sites, is an effective marketing tool, but it is also an interactive marketing tool. It is very helpful for getting your information out to your targeted audience.

Would you like to learn more about using Social Media to increase your business? In that case, download my free Social Marketing Guide here. Visit my website at Work Online Success.