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Twitter, the ever so popular "micro blogging" website, is here to stay (whether you like it or not). Last year proved to be a very good year for the service with 2008 looking even brighter. It's finally time to start using Twitter to promote your business.
I can personally excuse the uninitiated for thinking Twitter is a place where others post about their mundane activities. At first glance this may seem to be the case, but look a little deeper and you will see far more.
Truth be told, Twitter is a a world-wide conversation. A place where people gather to discuss the weather, politics and even business.
Yes, Twitter has become a place of business..
And why not? Many businesses are already realizing its potential, gaining access to the 730,000+ members who use the service (many on an hourly basis).
But why Twitter?
Twitter isn't the "end all" of online marketing. But it is a great additional to your overall online strategy (especially for newcomers to social media). Twitter can be a great starting point for any online business, with a plenty of reasons to give it a shot:
- Instant access to an active community - This makes makes me wonder "Why not?". It's not every day you get the chance to access so many people without paying a single cent.
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Start generating buzz - Start mingling with the community and get them talking about your products and services. If people find your business of use or value with will inherently start discussing it.
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Instant feedback - The community are a friendly bunch and always willing to help and share. Especially when it comes to offering constructive feedback on products and services. Give it a try, ask a few people on Twitter to review your website. You may learn a thing or two.
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Some of the most influential people use it - That's right. I've bumped into some of the biggest names in online circles, sometimes not even realizing it until months later. These are people who have a lot of contacts in the online business world.
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Online Branding - Twitter gives you the ability to brand yourself online. The more people "following" you, the more exposure you will get.
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Instant Communication - With the click of a button you can broadcast a message to hundreds (even thousands) of followers. And this isn't only limited to the web, people access Twitter through Instant Messaging programs and even on their mobile phone. What else can give you this sort of reach for free?
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Gain instant readership to your blog - If you have a business blog (or thinking about setting one up) don't underestimate the power of Twitter. Blog about topics that encourage discussion within your industry and then broadcast it on Twitter.
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Meet people within your industry - I have seen a lot of competitors become friends on Twitter and I have seen them learn a lot from each other. Is this something you would like to be part of?
What strategy is best for you?
There are many different ways that you can use Twitter to market yourself or your business. Before creating an account you will need to decide what sort of account you would like to maintain within the community:
- Personal Account - This account is my recommendation for small business owners. With a personal account you let people know how your day has been and discuss things related to your industry. When enough people are following you can drop the occasional blog entry and ask your followers for feedback. This is also a great way to get started on Twitter and "get a feel" for the community. But be warned, this method takes time.
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Content Focused - In most cases this is an entirely automated account, setup with scripts that automatically syndicate your blog or content. It is less personal and is much harder to attract new users. On the other hand it requires minimal effort to setup and maintains itself. As as small business I wouldn't suggest using this type of system until you have a bigger following with your personal account.
Industries that should be taking advantage of Twitter
Twitter still has a technology based following but is rapidly expanding into the mainstream audience. At the moment your business is most likely to succeed on Twitter if you have a well established website or offer something innovative and new. Consider making a Twitter account if:
- You are a technology or internet focused business
- Your business offers innovative products or services
- You have a business blog that would be of interest to community
- You want to established a powerful Twitter account, before the site truly goes "mainstream"
Businesses currently using twitter
Looking at the list of top twitter accounts it's not hard to see why the following businesses attract the most followers:
A few content focused twitter feeds ...
- CNN - One of the most popular Twitter feeds. They syndicate news updates and breaking news to the community.
- Technorati - They use the feed update crucial news about their online services. It hasn't been updated for 3 months but is still ranked amongst the top Twitter accounts.
- CNET - Syndicates their popular technology news articles with the Twitter community.
- New York Times - Gives hourly updates of the latest news and happenings (a great idea!)
- BBC News & BBC Technology - As always BBC is taking advantage of new media, offering many of their stories as Twitter feeds.
- H&R Block - With more followers every day, H&R Block proves you don't need to be technology focused to use Twitter for marketing. They offer very helpful advice and information leading up to the end of the American financial year.
People using Twitter for business ...
- TechCrunch - The popular technology focused website mingles with the community and recommends popular stories (or stories which may interest those reading).
- Mashable - Recommends stories from popular web 2.0 website Mashable and participates in discussions about the stories.
People increasing their online profile with Twitter ...
- TechCrunch - The popular technology focused website mingles with the community and recommends popular stories (or stories which may interest those reading).
- Mashable - Popular web 2.0 website industry website Mashable brings interesting stories to the attention of others and participates in online discussions.
High profile people using Twitter ...
- iJustine - She has made a name for herself through blogging and being an active member on twitter & other social media sites.
- Robert Scoble - The name on Twitter. A geek tech reviewer who runs a very popular blog and podcast.
Getting started
Make your way to the sign up page to create an account. Once registered you should start by finding other people using Twitter who have the same interests as you. Once you find a few you can start following the people they are following and then the people the followers are following (follow me?).
Then, become part of the community. Become one of the many who kearn, live and breath Twitter. Before long you will meet some interesting people in your industry who are interested in your business and can offer you instant feedback and advance.
Happy Twittering!
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