Twitter is among the most powerful online business tools at our disposal. Yet most marketers are still unsure how to harness the tremendous potential this micro blogging site has to offer.
As a business owner, it can be easy to get caught up in the promotion of your business and forget the enormous benefits that Twitter presents when used as more than a bullhorn to disseminate information.
If you find that you have tweeted, retweeted, commented and shared with lackluster results, it’s time to take your tweets from tepid to Twitterific!
Understanding the needs of your audience is a vital component to Twitter success. Explore the challenges that face your industry and then provide daily tweets that deliver solutions. Diving into Twitter marketing with the assumption that you know what your potential followers want is a recipe for disaster.
Once you understand the needs of your followers, it’s time to build or refine your Twitter marketing strategy. Key questions to ask yourself: what information will you provide, where will you find people interested in your product or service, how will you create a consistent posting strategy and what tools will you use to assist in the daily management of your Twitter account?
Determine what you wish to gain from Twitter and then break down those goals into quantifiable objectives. Consistently analyze your Twitter performance by looking for ways to improve upon your efforts. Adjust your strategy and add tactical measures that move you closer to the goal line.
The goal of any marketing endeavor is to turn looky-loos into actual buyers. In order to know your conversion rate, you must track the effectiveness of your message. Evaluate the basics such as follower growth, retweets and mentions through a free Bit.ly account. Begin shortening all tweet URL’s as an easy way to track how many people actually click on your link.
It should not be a surprise to you that there are a lot of unhappy consumers voicing their concerns on Twitter. Listen for those conversations by identifying keywords and monitoring them throughout the day. Respond to the tweet, but always treat their frustrations seriously. Granted, you may not see it turn into a sale, but reaching out will go a long way in building good will and a loyal following.
While this one should go without saying, many businesses still miss the mark when it comes to providing relevant and engaging content. Relevant means interesting to your followers, not you by the way. Read number one again if you’re still confused.
Are you tweeting as a brand or company? Do not engage your clients behind a corporate logo. Instead try to participate as the person behind the brand allowing them to connect on a more personal level.
Formulate search queries in your social channels to keep up with your competition. Monitor how they use Twitter to engage and communicate with prior and potential customers. Use this information to determine where gaps exist between you and your competitors and how you can better capitalize on the market.
Building a substantial Twitter following will only matter if the right people are following you. Use Twitter search to identify keywords or phrases that can be found in the profiles of those people essential to your business.
Healthy relationships between clients and vendors rely on clear paths of communication. Use Twitter to share the latest news and events happening in and around your company. Open discussions about where you are headed and the positive changes happening internally lead to fruitful conversations.
Customer events provide great avenues in getting face-to-face with your partners and clients. While building a foundational relationship on Twitter is a good place to start, taking your communication from online to offline expands the possibilities.
Want to know what your clients think? Just ASK! Allow your clients to give their opinion about an upcoming product or a new offering within your business. This gives your followers a voice and will create engagement within your growing community.
We have all seen the spammy tweets that claim to offer a solution to whatever ails your business. All you have to do is download their free report or opt in on their latest giveaway. Don’t be that person. Share what sets your business apart and how your product or service will better their lives. Be human, interact and offer your unique perspective. It really is that simple.
How are you using Twitter to market your business? I’d love to hear your success story in the comments below!
Featured image courtesy of florriebassingbourn licensed via Creative Commons.
Rebekah is the Manager of Industry Engagement for Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate and serves as “the voice” behind the brand. As someone that manages social media on a daily basis, her goal is to help you stop those time sucking activities and maximize, prioritize and monetize your online efforts!
Ah, that much abused word: authentic. Yet that is what it still comes down to with communications and relationships. People like to give it lip service as a keyword, but good citizens of online communities - as well as IRL communities - understand it is the foundation to build and sustain any relationship.
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Wonderful list of very effective ideas on Twitter. They're all important things that all marketers should be doing. All the more important to reinforce. People (especially businesses), tend to over complicate social media.
@tribewp I completely agree! We do tend to over-think it, making social media far more complicated than it really needs to be.
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@rebekahradice Great advice here, especially #12 - authenticity, placing that extra effort into your tweets to humanizes your business!
