Michael ThomasLead Developer

Nov 18 2010

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Business Media & Exposure Tips and Tricks

Twitter for Business: 5 Things to Do Well

Twitter, next to Facebook is one of the biggest communication revolutions for businesses seeking an audience with their customers.  Like any powerful tool, it must be wielded properly to be effective.  Below are 5 helpful things to do well for using twitter with your business.  Stay tuned next week and we'll handle the 5 things to avoid!

Using Twitter for your Business

1. Above all else, be valuable.
   You've entered your latest 140-character nugget and you're about to click "Tweet" - but wait!  Ask yourself, who is my community?  What interests them, and then most importantly: does your entry contain real value?  Are you providing something of tangible, positive worth?  Are you pushing thought, creating ideas, offering savings or helpful information? If you only hear one thing about using twitter for your business, hear this: be valuable.

2. Have a strategy.
   Coupons, deals, specials, information, ideas, resources - every business has something to offer, yours is no exception.  Once you identify what is of value, create a strategy to distribute that information and a schedule of when to tweet them.

3. Content, content, content.
   Twitter handles over 1 billion searches a day, if you want to be found in those results chose your words carefully (think about what someone will search for) and use appropriate hashtags.  While it's best to use established hashtags, anything from #handbags to #usedcars to #carpetcleaning are acceptable. Find your tags and use them wisely!

4. Search for customers.
   Here's the simple equation: People tweet their problems, you provide solutions.  Now all you need to do is find them and help them.  Do you repair windows? Landscape? Are you a counselor or babysitter?  Use twitter's powerful "Tweets near you" feature to find people in your area who are talking about things you can help with.  Don't be annoying, just helpful!

5. Brand it, baby!
   The calm and scenic clouds of the default twitter theme are nice and all, but all you're really saying is you either don't know how or don't care to personalize your account.  Be sure to:

   • Set your logo as your profile picture.

   • Enter your appropriate location and URL.

   • Enter a valuable company description.

   • Set your background to match your established quality brand.  If you don't have a good brand hire a talented designer, it's the best investment you can make.

Remember to check back next week for how not to use twitter for your business!