Twitter 101 & some fun twitter ideas!
One of the most important keys for having an effective Twitter account is to remember that you are building relationships. The goal of Twitter is not just to push out promotional information, but to develop a sense of trust among your followers. Here are some tips for creating an effective Twitter account for your business.
1. If you don't already have a Twitter handle create one that is either under your personal name or your business; some people do both. Whatever you do, keep it short. The reason for the brevity is to help with retweets; 140 characters does not leave a lot of space and you don't want the whole tweet to be taken up by your Twitter name.
2. Make sure to complete the bio and photo portion of Twitter. You can use your logo or even create a background for your Twitter page using your logo or creating one in another program.
3. Put links in your Tweets to encourage people to visit your website, Blog, Facebook page, etc. as well as links to other good sources, you can use owl.y or, bitly or others to shorten your links so they fit in the Tweet box.
4. Gather a group of retweeters. You want to befriend other popular tweeters in your area so that you can ask them to retweet for you. A recent tweet we did on behalf of a client was retweeted by three popular Twitterers and we reached over 15,000 people in 2 minutes. Be sure to retweet for others as well, remember this is about building relationships.
5. Find appropriate people to follow so they follow you back and you know what’s trending in your area; look for your industry's gurus, magazines, newspapers, and other influencers in your area. One way to do this is by using WeFollow. Get listed with WeFollow and then you will be able to identify, locate and follow the most influential tweeters in your area.
6. Be sure to share good news (employee awards, charitable involvements, etc.) and tip-type information as well as direct promotions for your business. If you only share sales, or information that encourages people to buy from you, your followers will begin to get bored and unfollow you.
7. If you are in a business that takes reservations of any kind (restaurant, hair salon, etc.) and you have an open reservation or a cancellation on a particular day, Tweet it and you might fill just fill it!
8. You can also try Tweeting a special offer just for your followers; for example offer a free item, consultation, etc. if someone mentions “the magic word” or comes in by a certain day, etc. Make it fun.
9. You should also link to personal accounts for more exposure like your own Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
10. Finally, consider attending or even hosting a Tweet Up; Tweet ups are usually free and you can host it in your place of business or a local restaurant/bar who will likely offer up some free appetizers in exchange for the exposure. Make sure you have access wi-fi so people can tweet from the event.
And, follow me for more tips! www.twitter.com/gmgpr