Misconceptions like this may be holding you back from one of the easiest to use public relations devices on the internet. Remember, Twitter is free, it’s usable and it is global. It’s a way of reaching out to your customers and letting them talk back. If you are a small business or non-profit it’s a great way to both increase your visibility and promote your business. You can use it to improve your reputation and drive traffic to your website.
If you’re not convinced, go on to the Twitter website and take a look at the major companies, politicians and stars who are using it to keep in touch with their audiences. If you are convinced, keep reading for some tips about how to use Twitter as a marketing device.
Getting the right followers
Once you get your Twitter account opened and see your 0 Twitter followers you might panic: should you start following hundreds of random people just to get them to follow you back? It is the case that if you did do that you would start to build up quite a following and start to look like a pretty popular person. The problem is that 99% of these people have only followed you because you followed them. They won’t be interested in you or your business. In fact, they may only have followed you back so they could have a large group of follower themselves. Have you ever signed up for a mailing list just so that you could get something free? Don’t you always end up ignoring the emails from those mailing lists? Mass following on Twitter gets pretty much the same results.
If you are going to put the effort in to tweeting, it’s best to ensure that the people receiving those tweets are actually reading them. People who read your tweets are more interested in your business and more likely to share them with their followers. This passes your business on from one interested person to another, making it more likely to convert into actual business.
To increase followers, start by following people who are related to what you do. If you run a bakery connect with restaurants, suppliers, customers and other bakeries. Include your Twitter address as a signature on your email, put it on your business card, and add a Twitter widget to your Flash website. Allow your Twitter list to grow organically, as this help you end up with high-value followers who are interested in what you do and who want to be kept updated.
What to Tweet
Let’s get this out of the way: you’re not expected to write about what you have had for breakfast. Most people don’t do that (unless, perhaps, if they have had something particularly spectacular). You should also not simply use it to make a hard sell. If all you are going to use Twitter for is to post things like “Get your half price cakes all day” then you are missing the point. This may inform your followers about your half price cakes but it also makes them feel like you are trying to sell them something. The most important thing to remember about Twitter is that it is a conversation. You should chat with your followers, inform them about what new stock you’ve got in, what offers you’ve got on, but also tell them how your day is going, anything exciting that has happened. Always, always, respond to @ messages. This tells people that you are interested in what they say and willing to engage with them. You don’t want people to think that you’re only interested in selling to them. Twitter has its own etiquette that you will pick up in no time.
If you are about to make your own website and are looking at ways to increase your visibility for no cost then Twitter could provide you with all of the tools that you need.
