Twitter: A Little Bird That Started a Revolution
Few people ask the "What is Twitter?" question any longer. Oprah helped take care of that one. However, one that I am asked with great frequency is, "How do I use Twitter for business?"
At the outset let me say Twitter is an amazing application with manifold uses. Companies as large as Dell and Zappos have created business models around it. Small businesses, including ecommerce merchants, are also proving its case as a channel for sales.
In fact, a recent survey said that most users (89%) of Twitter agree that companies should engage their customers there. Over 80 percent indicated they also have a better impression of companies that use Twitter for customer service (81%).
Businesses are using Twitter to:
- Network with others in their industry or community
- Stay connected to customers and prospects
- Monitor what is being said about their company, products, services, industry and competition
- Gather valuable feedback about products or services
- Raise awareness about the company, product or service
- Find answers and get advice
- Offer proactive customer service
- Promote events, products and services
- Drive traffic to the company Web site or blog
- Incite word of mouth among customers and others
- Share helpful content such as articles or blog posts
- Generate leads
As you can see the list is extensive and limited only by your imagination. In fact, due to its amazing simplicity, Twitter can be used in just about any manner you see fit. It is malleable. You don’t have to adapt yourself to Twitter’s use. Instead, it adapts to you.
How to Start Using Twitter for Business
I'm going to begin by outlining a simple, workable marketing strategy that applies to any form of social media engagement, including Twitter. So simple, in fact, it consists of only three words: Listen, Follow and Engage.
Listen
You cannot become an effective social media marketer if you don't first listen to what's being said about you, your company, brand, service, industry and competition. Listening is the new marketing, but it's not something we're prone to do. Still, that's where it begins.
Monitoring your online reputation is one of the most significant ways Twitter can be used for marketing purposes and one way do so is to use Twitter search. There are a number of applications suited to this purpose. Here are the two I use most often:
- Twitter’s own search engine
- Tweetbeep
Follow
The way you build your network in Twitter is by following others, then engaging them in conversation. But, whom should you follow?
Keeping in mind that Twitter is another marketing channel, go back to the basics and ask yourself the same questions you'd ask when considering any other form of marketing: “Who is my market?” “Who am I attempting to reach?” “What niche am I seeking to penetrate?”
- Think in terms of demographics and geography
- Follow those you already know
- Follow influentials
- Follow keyword users
- Follow hashtag users
- Follow those who follow you
For a more extensive list of tips on who to follow, see my blog post, Fifteen Twitter Follow Dos and Don’ts.
Engage
Once you 1) see what people are saying relative to the keyword searches, 2) give yourself some time to gain perspective by reading other’s Tweets and 3) have started following a few folks, the next step is to jump into the Twitterstream and engage them in conversation. But, how do you go about doing so?
Years ago, my father took a rather direct approach at teaching me to swim. One summer's day we boarded in our small boat and paddled out to the middle of the pond on our property. Dad grabbed me up, threw me in the water and stated matter-of-factly, “swim or drown.”
Looking back, I'm sure he would not have allowed the latter. At the time, however, I determined the best course of action was to make for the shore, which I did with all haste. And, guess what? In the process I learned to swim.
I'm a bit like dad when it comes to Twitter in that I think the best approach is to joining or starting conversations is “swim or drown.” Just jump in and start conversing.
OK, for the faint of heart, here are some “rules of engagement”:
- Respond to what others are saying by adding your two cents
- Provide information those in your target market would consider valuable
- Engage in casual conversation with your followers
One thing you don't want to do is solicit business or "pitch" people. You know the type: “Thanks for the follow. Check out my blog at _.” It's okay to let people know what you do, but Twitter is a medium for conversation, not solicitation. Include a link to your Web site in your Twitter bio. Those who have an interest will check you out.
Conclusion
Hopefully, that's got you started down the path to using Twitter. If you'd like more information, I offer a free ebook (no registration required) which you can download here. You may also wish to check out my new book The Digital Handshake, which includes an entire chapter on the subject.
There are many other great books on the subject too. Check them out at Amazon or other bookseller.
Next time, we'll talk more about how to use Twitter for business and discuss some of the rules of the road. In the meantime, feel free to comment on this post.
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