We have mentioned Twitter on this blog and no matter how many good things you may have heard about it, perhaps you are still not ready to make that move and plunge into those Twitter-y waters.
Using Twitter for business is not the same a using Twitter to keep up with friends and find out where everyone will be hanging out tonight. Here are some tips on using Twitter to increase page rank and grow your business:
Lure people into the conversation
Someone once told me that logging on to Twitter is kind of like listening in at a water cooler–you will hear different bits of conversation, some interesting, some not. You do not get to hear the entire conversation unless you approach someone and join in. And that is what you want to get your customers to do–join in. So you tweets need to be interesting enough to lure people into an extended conversation and hopefully they will look for you even after they leave the Twitter water cooler.
Don’t be a broken record
If you only talk about your business and your products, only your most ardent supporters will stick around. When you Twitter you need to balance things out because no one like a showoff. So twitter about your industry and things that connect to your products and services. Show that you run a business, but that it is staffed by approachable human beings–mention great thing that staff members do like volunteer work or hobbies.
Don’t rely on one person
Speaking of staff members–it is advisable to have more than one staff member using Twitter to promote your business. Your followers on Twitter will appreciate the different voices, for one thing. And, relying on one person means that if that person gets sick, goes on vacation, gets swamped with a big project or leaves the company, then you face silence on Twitter. Twitter is all about keeping the conversation going, so you want to have a continual presence there.
Ask and you will receive
Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions on Twitter. This is an interactive medium and you can get replies. It will not replace your research and marketing department, but you may be surprised what you will learn.
Follow the leader…to more customers
And don’t forget that in order to be followed, you have to follow. Follow people who have interesting things to say and who have a good number of followers themselves. When you connect to lively Twitter users, you get closer to even more potential customers.
