June 8th, 2009
Making Twitter a useful business tool

There has been much ado about Twitter as of late so I thought I would try to stop “micro-blogging” my posts through my http://www.Twitter/acoupleofchicks home for Chicks on Twitter and actually write a post of suggestions for Tweeting for business.

Here is my list of Twitter Tips:

1. Your Website: Before you start tweeting, make sure your company’s website is up to date, optimized for search engines and has a call to action to close the sale. You will also need to install a web monitoring program like Google Analytics; a free program that monitors traffic on your website. This way you will be able to benchmark your success once you have started tweeting. (You can look for Twitter as one of your traffic referrals once it is up and running and you want to determine if Tweeting is worth your time).

2. Put a name on it: When creating a twitter page for your company or brand, make sure you are using a real name in the bio for transparency. Your twitter page should feel like a conversation and followers need to feel as if they are talking to a real person. Using first person in your tweets or the collective ‘we’ also makes your company seem more credible and engaging to potential customers. Ex: “We’re dropping prices tomorrow!”

3. Follow, follow: Following is one of the most important aspects of twitter. A fast and easy way to find potential customers is to visit a competitor’s twitter page and follow their followers. You should also search your company’s name in a “twitter search” to see who’s talking about you and then add them. Other people you should follow include: other employees, people in related companies and industries, related brands, journalists and competitors. Following people related to your company helps get the best followers for your twitter page - and gives you some relevant content to read!

4. Tweet Content: Make sure your tweets are not entirely sales or company related. If you are constantly talking about a sale or a new product that just arrived, people will not see the value in following your company. Talk about things happening in the media, post links to interesting stories related to your industry and upload twitpics. This way, when you talk about the odd sale or new product and post links to your site, your followers will actually be interested.

The points above are the very basic elements to consider when looking at Twitter as a marketing vehicle. I would suggest that more than a marketing vehicle, Twitter is an excellent PR/Communications tool and many successful brand Tweeters are using it as a means to have a “conversation” with their customers.

With this post a renewed commitment to continue Blogging more than 140 characters at a time - this was therapeutic!

Technorati Tags: twitter for business, marketing, tweeting, social media, Twitter tips

• Posted by awhalen on June 8th, 2009 filed in Internet Marketing, chick stuff, Website Marketing, Blogging, Social Media
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