Twitter is a mysterious beast. Of all the social networks, it’s the one that is most difficult to evaluate. Unsurprisingly, many business owners just don’t see the point. How could Twitter possibly improve your business? Facebook Pages, sure. Google Places, sure. But Twitter? Who cares?! And even if you did want to get on Twitter, how do you use it profitably?
Well, believe it or not, establishing a presence on Twitter offers very real benefits for just about any business. Throughout the rest of this article, we’re going to walk you through how to use Twitter to grow your business.
Step 1. Have a Plan
Before you make your first Tweet, you need to know what you’re in it for. Why are you on Twitter in the first place? What are your goals? Hint: it’s not necessarily to make more sales. At least, not directly. Instead, Twitter is most effectively used for customer engagement. It’s a way to stay connected with your current customers and keep them interested in your business.
You know that statistic that says it’s cheaper to keep a returning customer than it is to get a new one? Well, that’s exactly what Twitter allows you to do – encourage returning customers. So, right from the start your goal is not to build a massive following. Instead, you’re trying to maintain a connection with the people that matter most to your business – your customers. Are we on the same page? Good. Let’s move on.
Step 2. Twitter is Most Effective When Alongside a Blog
While it’s certainly fun to type out little bitty Tweets, sometimes you’re going to want to communicate more extensively. Having a blog to direct your followers to will do just that. Plus, using Twitter alongside a blog will ensure that every one of your blog posts gets read by people that matter. If you send out a few tweets about each of your newest blog posts, you’ll open up discussions and encourage a responsive readership.
Step 3. Tweet Regularly
Don’t let your Twitter account look like a ghost town. You won’t build a following by only Tweeting once or twice a week. It needs to be something that you do every single day, maybe even on a schedule. But, what are you supposed to tweet about? After all, you’re not going to have a new blog post every day, right?
Step 4. Ask Questions. Start Discussions. Share Cool Stuff.
When you’re not promoting your newest blog post, fill in the gaps by asking your followers questions. Look for trending topics related to your business and use them to open up a dialogue. Don’t be afraid to challenge your followers. Alternatively, if you see one of your followers engaged in a relevant conversation with someone else, feel free to jump in. Offer your opinion. Be engaged. Or, if you find something really interesting, share a link to it. Spread the love! Your followers will be grateful.
Step 5. Promote Yourself (Sometimes)
If you’re ever running a promotion for your business – maybe a discount or free sample – then Twitter is a great way to spread the news. This is the most direct way to gain customers from Twitter. Although, you should keep in mind that it only works if you’ve done the other four steps first. You need to show that you’re genuine and friendly before the Twitt-o-sphere will respond to your offers.
What are You Waiting for? Get Started!
If you don’t already have a Twitter account for your business, go ahead and create one now. One of the nice things about Twitter is that you’re encouraged to create a different account for each of your “personas”. It’s perfectly fine to have a personal account and a business account. I’m sure that this is not the most in-depth Twitter guide on the web, but we do hope that we’ve given you enough to get started. Twitter is a very powerful platform, and we firmly believe it can be beneficial for every business.
And, if you’d like someone else to worry about growing your web presence, feel free to contact us anytime. We’d be happy to talk with you about how an Omaha SEO Company such as Big Red SEO, can help you on Twitter and anywhere else.