Twitter For Business - A Primer

As I write, Twitter is a three year old, business-friendly social media site dominated by users in their peak earning years. Although still relatively small in comparison with older giants like MySpace and Facebook, Twitter's recent growth considerably outstrips that of the other social media sites, even though many of these are growing at very robust rates. Various software and print products have arisen to teach users how to and how not to use Twitter to increase their business bottom line. Despite its detractors and mimic sites, Twitter and its users are evidently a force to be reckoned with.

Reasons for its growing popularity may be close to hand. One, it rides the crest of the virtual relationship wave on the internet. One can even use Twitter on one's iPhone, if one doesn't mind paying for text message "tweets" (as the micro-blogging messages are called). Obviously, the technology has not changed human nature, so that the bulk of the relationships are superficial and transitory at best, especially when Twitter only allows a maximum of 140 characters per tweet. But Twitter is a platform that has enabled the average person to touch a large circle of casual friends in brief, but significant ways, a natural for business. If done right.

If a person tweets me relentlessly with sales pitches (fleshed out via the links on the tweets)--OK, even if I am slightly pestered--I may drop them from my "following" list. In fact, that is what I have done sometimes, and I am not alone. Dropping with a click shuts them out of my site, like changing channels, as someone said. But if I fear I might miss an opportunity by dropping the person with sales pitches, or if the person I am following has provided tweets that lead me to know, like and trust the person, I may listen and I may buy. Tweeters using Twitter for business would thus do well to provide quality tweets consistently.

Quality tweets may be friendly or funny to attract. They may ask questions to get conversations going (as long as the conversation is not long and relevant only to you and the other person). They may answer questions to be helpful--and enhance one's reputation as a go-to person. They may warn others of a problem that concerns them. They may provide helpful and desired information, whether the information is self-serving or not. And there is always the self-serving link in one's profile. Focus tweets on things relevant to your keywords and niche, and you will develop a niche go-to reputation. Focus more broadly, and you may develop a broader, but less targeted audience.

Consistency of tweeting need not be all day long, although Twitter can be mildly addicting. One want to provide tweets enough to be noticed, but not so many that one becomes annoying. Someone suggested ten minutes three times a day: morning, afternoon, and evening. Or once a day, preferably at peak viewing times for your target audience. Others are successful with less. Of course, seasonal specials, promotions, and product launches will be times when you will want to provide more tweets than normally.

By: PRubel

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For more information regarding Twitter and the use of social media for business, see the author's blog or join him on Twitter at katahdinme.