Using Twitter in Business… Who would be interested?

16/06/2011 in Social Media Leave a reply

Inform, Network, Share, Help, Support and Crowd-Source by using Twitter in Business

When I first started to hear about the uses of Twitter in Business, I have to admit I was extremely sceptical. So it would not be a surprise  to me if some of you reading this article are thinking something similar.

Twitter in Business

I couldn’t see what would make people continually send out messages that in reality were no more than a ‘Text Message’. I got why the kids were into it, but why should I find the time to send tweets? And more to the point… Who would be interested?

I was beginning to think I was reaching that age when technology seems to leave you behind and to be honest it scared me a little. So, I created a Twitter account and started following a few people. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed.

I was determined to find a use for Twitter in Business and eventually I did. I did it by focusing on the major players in my industry and following them and initially just watching what they were doing. Eventually I started engaging them and entering into conversations with them. And that’s when I realised the benefits of using Twitter in Business.

I followed the big players, the industry movers a shakers that are influential in my market place and in my niche. I started interacting with these people who’s opinion I respected and who’s thoughts I would like to use to guide me, my decision making and my business.

Twitter enabled me to engage with people that I would never have had the opportunity to talk to and with people that I would never have been able to approach… Twitter provides me with the opportunity to get my name in front of Industry experts and on occasions my tweets have led to personal chats and even friendships.

Don’t you think this would be useful in your business? If so… Read on:

So… What is Twitter?

Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that in its basic form is used to keep people informed about what you are doing ‘Right Now!’ in a quick sound bite of text, Twitter enables you to post an update (known as a Tweet) about anything you like and as often as you like. Its known as a micro-blogging site because your Tweet has to be limited to just 140 characters… So Tweets are short & Sweet!

By following other people on Twitter, you get to see their tweets… Similarly, when people follow you, they get to see your Tweets… It’s a constant stream of communication.

If you are intending to use Twitter in Business it can enable you to do the following:

• Keep people informed about what is happening in your business
• Create  a Network of people that are interested in you and your business
• Connect with people and your employees on a more personal level
• Share information with your followers
• Help your followers and customers handle their problems and issues
• Improve repeat customers
• Increase word of mouth
• Create product awareness
• Provides you with a cheap Customer Support solution so that you can help your customers get the most from your products and services.
• Stay connected
• Build your brand
• Use it for crowdsourcing
• Use Twitter Search to mine information which has previously been posted
• Ask Questions. This is a great way to engage with people
• Increase your Website Traffic
• Have your information Re-Tweeted to a greater audience
• Direct Sales
• Ignoring people
• Don’t go asking for followers… Provide something useful and they will follow
• If you have something specific to say to an individual don’t tweet publicly. Use a Direct Message instead
• Don’t use a long URL in your tweet… Shorten it with Bit.ly or some other URL shrinking service
• Don’t be afraid of being controversial
• Don’t be rude or ungracious

What Twitter in Business should not be used for

How Twitter in Business Works

Twitter provides you with an instantly accessible, geographically huge network which you can interact with in all of the ways above. These people share some common interest with you but could be located anywhere in the world. You  may never have known about this person were it not for Twitter let alone created some form of business relationship.

Who to Follow on Twitter

If you want to make contact with people that work in your industry you can search them out on Twitter and follow them so that you receive their tweets.

When you are choosing people to follow on Twitter, don’t be tempted just to follow anyone, as these people can create clutter. Make sure that they are worthwhile by looking for people that create unique and worthy information that you are interested in. Don’t waste your time following people that only regurgitate other peoples content. You may as well follow the creator rather than the copier.

By following only ‘creators’ you will only receive information about subjects that interest you and that you find truly useful and worthwhile.

Why should people Follow Me?

The simple answer to this is by being yourself and by posting original content which represents your point of view. As a poster of something new, interesting, fun etc you will find that by using Twitter you will improve social connections and gain followers that are interested in your content.

When you have some information that is important to you or your business you should be certain that the people that are following you want to hear about it especially if they are following your content frequently. By ‘Tweeting’ this content to all your followers you keep them engaged in you and your business and keeping them informed can ultimately lead to repeat sales, better customer relations etc. etc.

Whilst Twitter is a social network that you should use to let people get to know the individuals involved with your business, make sure that the majority of your posts are relevant and useful to the people that are following you.

I’d say as a rule of thumb, try about 80% on-subject tweeting and 20% social tweeting. Obviously this is just a rule of thumb and it may be different depending on the industry that you are involved in. For example, a bar may have a higher degree of social tweeting because of the nature of that particular business… Hopefully you get where I am coming from?

When you decide to Tweet ‘on-subject’ I would recommend that the content is placed on your website or on Facebook. If you can record some video footage to support it and include some photos that are relevant to the subject you are posting about.

Whatever you post on Twitter, always bear in mind that your post could have a huge reach. You have the opportunity to influence thoughts and opinions of thousands of people around the world that take an interest in the subject you are posting.

Recently, Twitter has been partially responsible for helping people garner support for uprisings of a political nature where previously the people had no voice. Its been used by individuals to let other people know that they believe in something and that they are willing to do whatever is necessary to bring about a change.

This type of message has acted as inspiration for people, who now know that they are not alone, and decide to take a stand and get involved.

Now, I’m not much into politics, but I’m sure that you have seen these events unfold on the News Channels and can see how Twitter (and other Social Media platforms) have been leveraged to gain support and influence peoples thinking. I’m sure that you can think how this power could be harnessed in a way that can benefit your business, your political aspirations, your sphere of influence?

There is no substitute for being creative and that holds true for the things you say on Twitter. Present your information in a way that suits you.

Why Should We Use Twitter in Business?

Using Twitter in Business provides more benefits than I have listed above, and I am sure you can think of others. If you know of any novel ways that Twitter is being used I would love to hear about them if you would like to share.

Using Twitter  in Business allows you to publish information that may be of interest to others that think like you. Once you Tweet a number of things could happen.

• It could become a discussion topic
• It could enable you to can garner opinion and shape your thoughts and decision making
• You can work on an issue or drum up support in order to bring about a change.
• And many more…

Twitter is a simple medium of communication that give everyone the opportunity to get involved in issues that interest them, whether it is ‘The Economy’, ‘Politics’, ‘Sports’… In fact whatever you can think of.

By using Twitter in Business, you have the tools that enables you to get the word out to others and make a statement about who you are, what you stand for and what makes you tick.

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