Twitter: 10 tips to get started on twitter for business
Own your name
If you only do one thing, then this is it – join twitter and grab your name and/or your business name before they’re snapped up.
Learn from others
Find a couple of people you admire, and follow them and see what and how they’re tweeting.
Be strategic
Decide on the purpose of your tweeting; is it to build followers, be an information conduit, search what customers are saying about your brand or attract people to your blog or something else? In saying this, twitter is still quite fluid as we all discover the possibilities and potential.
Manage your tweeting
Download tweetdeck or join hootsuite to manage your replies, direct messages, tweets from the people you’re following and also to tweet (they include applications to add pictures to your message, and the ability to shorten long URL addresses – as there’s only 140 characters to say your bit)
Follow interesting, relevant people
Build your ‘following’ list slowly with quality twitterers. Consider building a ‘profile’ of the people that would most likely share the information or contacts you’re looking for. The simplest way when you’re starting out is to find someone who is in the same industry or who you admire and check out their followers, and follow them too. It’s not about quantity – it’s about quality.
Offer value
As with any PR, networking or social networking don’t do the hard sell, it’s a real turn off; offer your followers something of value instead and they will follow you, get to know you and maybe visit your blog or website.
Get followers
Download a twitter widget (available on twitter, or on your wordpress blog and lots of other places) to include in the side bar of your blog or website, so your readers can view your updates and follow you on twitter.
Promote your tweets
And include your twitter address on your business cards, email signature, website (with an icon), blog, and Linkedin and Facebook profiles, so we can follow you!
Tweet at sunrise and sunset
Spread your ‘tweets’ throughout the day to allow for followers in different time zones, so they don’t miss them.
Have fun!
Just jump right in and give twitter a go – we’re all learning.
Fiona Powell is back blogging at www.chiefette.com. She is founder of flokka and entrepreneurette – online communities for women in business. She has twittered for awhile here.
Great article.
Twitter is a great way to increase your brands awareness, but it is also very important to have the correct type of followers – they have to be interested in what you have to offer.
So somebody who blogs about home improvement, and somebody who tweets about the NASA space station do not have anything in common via Twitter.
The moto is simple, make friends who have something in common, just like you would in real life
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Regards,
Lyndon