Through the years, Twitter has become a popular platform where people can communicate. It has also turned into a source of online news. Some people use it to discover new products, services, and companies.
The Popularity of Twitter
Perhaps what makes this social networking site appealing to many is that it is scan-friendly. You can engage with many users and read various types of content easily. That is ideal for this fast-paced world.
Contrary to what many people think, you can also use Twitter for business growth. It is a good platform to gain new leads and create important relationships. You can also conduct market research there and see how your customers move or behave.
How to Use Twitter for Business
- Monitor your company’s name and brand. You can use Twitter’s search feature to see who is talking about you and your products or services. Here are some things you may want to remember:
- If you receive compliments, thank the person who tweeted it.
- If the tweet can have a good impact on your brand, then ask the person who tweeted if you can use their tweet as a testimonial that you can put on your company website.
- If you receive a bad comment, take the opportunity to apologize. You can do it publicly so that they know you are willing to fix the problem.
- Grow your company’s network. Twitter can help you expand your reach. You can grow your follower base. You can do this by following the people who are talking about a keyword that is related to your target market. They might end up following you too. Social media is also a good place to find influencers or authorities in the industry. However, you have to make sure that you balance the ratio of people that you follow and the total of followers you have. If the difference between the two is too large, you may be seen as a spammer.
- Attract leads. You can use Twitter for business by including links on your website and contact information. People who visit your Twitter profile might end up checking out your site.
- Understand how retweeting works. Take advantage of the retweeting feature to share some interesting things and information with your followers. You can also urge them to retweet your tweets so that your posts reach more people.
- Respond to messages. If someone sends you a message regarding your company and product or service, do not disregard it. Answering them shows that you are open to communicating with customers.
- Avoid sending too many direct messages. Sending direct messages or DMs once in a while is okay. However, spamming people can be bad for your company’s reputation.
- Tweet responsibly. Tweeting can help you gain visibility, but if you tweet too often, people might end up getting annoyed. They may even block your account. To see if you are tweeting too much, monitor the number of your followers. If a lot of people are unfollowing you, you may be sharing things that do not interest them or tweeting too much.
- Conduct contests and host events. You can share special content to your followers. You can also use social media to host contests and events that will attract people.
- Be cautious in using hashtags. You may have heard of hashtags. Following the right ones can help you find tweets relevant to your business.
- Check out the competition and industry trends. Twitter allows you to monitor the competition and find out new trends in the industry. You can simply type the name of your competitor in Twitter’s search box to see who is talking about them and what they are doing. Monitoring conversations about the industry you are in can help you get a much better sense of what people think. Consider it as an opportunity to conduct market research for free.
- Use Twitter ads. You can advertise on Twitter to get more followers and website clicks. You can target available features so you can choose the specific audience that you want to reach. However, you have to remember that auctions determine the cost of Twitter ads.
- Use Twitter analytics. Twitter also has a free Analytics feature. You can use it to understand your audience and check how your tweets are doing.
The key to gain success when using Twitter for business is to know which strategies are effective and can give you an edge against your competitors.