Twitter is the big internet phenomenon of the last two years. But what benefit does it hold for small businesses and how should marketers best use the service for their company?
With a 40% drop out rate in the first month amongst first-time Twitter users a great deal of your following could be deadwood. Despite this, Time magazine believes that “Twitter will permanently change American business within the next two to three years.â€
So, what does Twitter mean for you as a small business? What are the best practice guidelines?
Twitter in a Nutshell
Twitter, if you’re not familiar with it, is a service embraced by companies, individuals and celebrities which allows users to enter 140 characters of text with which to communicate, share information and chat publicly and privately.
The idea is to build up a following among users that interest you, and for companies of all sizes Twitter presents the opportunity to interact with existing and potential customers.
It’s also effectively a real-time search engine, with live updates on an infinite range of subjects, so typing a keyword in the search box will enable you to see what Twitter users – or ‘Tweeple’ around the world are saying about your brand, industry or geography.
Twitter presents challenges to small businesses as well as opportunities, so if you’re planning to use Twitter for your business, it’s best to do it properly or not at all.
From the outset it’s vital to remember that if you’re tweeting as a company it’s harder to gather a following. Also, be sure to make sure you have objectives clearly marked out. What do you want to achieve via Twitter? How and when are you going to measure it?
The Pros & Things To Do
Twitter enables you to see who in the world is talking about your product, industry or company and interact with them. You can build up a network of potential customers and partners, and promote your news, products, services and offers. Here are some practical tips on how your business could use Twitter
The Cons & Things To Avoid
Twitter Impact Measurement
Once you’ve got Twitter up and running you want to know what people are saying about you. Not everyone will use the @ prefix when referring to your name or brand, so if you want to know what people are saying about your company – or industry – log onto sites like Addictomatic or Ubervu, enter your keyword, and you’ll see exactly who is saying what on a number of platforms, such as news and blog sites.
If you’ve embedded Google Analytics and are tracking your traffic, then you should be able to see what percentage comes from Twitter.
Even if it’s not substantial, it’s something which could lead to sales and partnership building, so Twitter is often worth the time investment. Try it on a personal level first before committing your brand to the service.
For more on using Twitter and social media for small business in general you might be interested in a podcast I recently recorded with Jenni Lloyd of social media agency NixonMcInnes.
If you’re using Twitter for your small business, do feel free to leave a comment to share any advice or tips you’ve learned that others might find useful when starting out.
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