How to use Twitter to promote your business
Twitter is a popular microblogging application that can help you promote your business to people all over the world. Twitter is a deceptively simple yet powerful platform to communicate and share information with thousands of people. This article will help explain to you how to use Twitter to promote your business.
Twitter allows you to send text messages and links to websites of 140 characters or less. It also allows you to develop networks of followers (people who subscribe to your Twitter account so they can see what you post, or Tweet, on a regular basis) which can be a powerful source of new ideas, collaboration, and sales when treated with respect.
Here some key tips from some of the biggest and savviest bloggers:
CHRIS BROGAN
You should use Twitter as a listening device. There are several powerful ways to search through the massive numbers of Tweets that are published each day, using Twitter Search or other similar functions. If you periodically search for these terms you can get a feel for what people are talking about on Twitter. You can gain valuable intelligence about your favorite topics. You can answer (or ask) questions, provide information, or discuss common interests. Over time, you can use Twitter as a relationship-building tool that eventually can lead to business for you.
DOSH DOSH
Twitter can be a powerful branding tool for both the individual and the business. You can use your Twitter profile to display your company logo, talk about your products and services (if done carefully and appropriately) and establish your reputation. This can work to promote your company and brand or for your personal brand as well.
TWITIP (Darren Rowse and contributors)
Sometimes an indirect approach is best on Twitter. People are very tired of spam (unwanted messages that aren’t relevant to you). It is important to remember that Twitter users are people just like you. If you develop good relationships with other Twitter users based on being helpful and respectful, your followers can become powerful allies. At the very least, they will provide encouragement and ReTweet (transmit your Tweet to their own follower network). In some cases, they will actively buy your products and services or even help you sell, but only if you earn their respect.
COPYBLOGGER (Brian Clark and contributors)
One of the great strengths of Twitter and other social media services is the ability to eliminate barriers. In the past, you might have had to go through E-Mail filters, voice mail, and admin assistants in order to get in contact with people, assuming that you ran the gauntlet successfully. Today there are many famous, successful, and powerful people who use Twitter. It’s not always easy to get the attention of someone who has over one million followers on Twitter, but it’s not entirely impossible.
Over time, if you can prove yourself useful, worthwhile, and trustworthy, it is much more likely (but still not always possible) to make contact with these individuals and show them that you share some common ground. The other possibility is to make contacts out of “friends of friends” who can help you get in contact with the people that you’d like to communicate with. In short, Twitter can be a powerful contact building and networking tool. These relationships can transfer into business relationships as long as you are respectful, helpful, and valuable.
These are just a few examples of how Twitter can help you grow your business. Check out the resources listed below for further information.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER RESOURCES
50 Ideas on Using Twitter For Business (chrisbrogan.com)
17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners (doshdosh.com)
Use Twitter for your Business the Right Way (twitip.com)
How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business (copyblogger.com)