In this multi-part series on Twitter marketing for small businesses, we will be walking you through tips, advice, and best practices for getting the most out of Twitter for your business. If you will follow these simple steps, your followers and leads will increase dramatically. In part 1 we explained why Twitter is an important platform that every small business should add to their marketing arsenal. In this post we will discuss the purpose for business.
Twitter IS PRIMARILY A BROADCAST SITE, SO YOUR FOCUS WILL BE IN BUILDING AND NURTURING A COMMUNITY AND PROMOTING CONTENT TO YOUR COMMUNITY SO THEY WILL EVENTUALLY MAKE IT TO YOUR WEBSITE OR BLOG.
The purpose of Twitter for Small Business Marketing:
Platform for Listening: Twitter is a terrific place to listen to the social media conversation. You can view other people’s content as well as watch conversations among different users and their reactions to current events. This helps you see what’s on the mind of your target market and react quickly to their needs and interests.
Share Your Brand’s Personality: Of all the different social media environments, Twitter is where you can really let your personality and company culture shine through. You may have heard Twitter described as the cocktail party of social media. In a very real way it is a platform that’s lively and interactive with short dialogue occurring among acquaintances. Remember, people do business with people, which makes the personal interaction happening on Twitter in real time a valuable asset to any business.
Demonstrate knowledge and expertise: Just like with your other social media platforms, Twitter is a forum for adding value by offering advice or instructions, as well as answering questions and getting your target market to view you as a thought leader within your industry.
Share Real-Time Updates: Twitter enables you to quickly update your followers, customers, and prospects about what’s happening with you and your company. On a personal level, Twitter can be instrumental in quickly broadcasting updates to your entire network.
Drive Traffic to Your Website/Blog: Twitter is a great way to broadcast when you have new content to share. It allows you to create a compelling headline and attach a direct link to your blog or any individual page on your website. Not everyone who follows you would likely have signed up for your blog’s RSS feed, but when they see content that interests them on Twitter they can easily click through to your blog. Think of Twitter as a busy highway, and your posts as exit ramps to your website/blog.
Capitalize on Lowest Barrier to Entry: Twitter is really one of the lowest barriers of entry to connect with others. You can casually follow or un-follow someone without any formal invitation.
