A few weeks ago I put together a post about necessities for small business and their online presence. This is a follow-up post about my emphasis on using Twitter for your small business.
Twitter is great for networking as a small business owner. I recommend you use twitter as the owner of your business. I prefer the personal touch; your customers will also. If you have a larger organization, maybe you can consider having a corporate Twitter account.
You’ve decided to make the step and setup a Twitter account here are a few tips for getting started.
1Get purposeful
It might sound counter intuitive to plan what you are going to tweet. Trust me, it is better than having your short messages come across as a rant. Rants are welcome on Twitter, but I wouldn’t make them a regular occurrence. Look into using a service like HootSuite or Buffer, and set aside some time each week for scheduling content for Twitter. Four Twitter messages a day is a good number to set as a goal.
2When they tweet 4 to 5 times per day, brands see over 300 percent more retweets per tweet. buff.ly/SrKoTh
— Robert G. Lane (@robertglynnlane) February 27, 2013
Get practical
Share links and useful information. Keep your eyes open when you are perusing the web. Many sites, especially the smart ones, have Twitter share buttons. Don’t only talk about yourself. If you’re awesome it’s hard to contain. But try giving back to the Twitter community. Find useful information for your followers. Follow people who will have tidbits you can use. Retweet things you find helpful. Keep the conversation positive!
3Strong minds discuss #ideas average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people. — Robert G. Lane (@robertglynnlane) February 26, 2013
Get personal
I like other people. I want others to like me in return. So I try to always treat my fellow Twitter citizens with respect. Remind yourself of this thought – there will always be a person on the other end of this tweet. My mother, like so many mothers before her, used to say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything!” Lastly, respond when others reach out to connect. The next big thing might be something you’ve dismissed. To send a public tweet directly to someone on Twitter, type the @ (at symbol) and their user name, without using spaces, along with your message.
@bernadettejiwa Thank you for that simple formula!
— Robert G. Lane (@robertglynnlane) February 25, 2013
For me Twitter is fun! I thoroughly enjoy connecting with people; especially those who are geographically more near to me. Feel free to catch up with me on Twitter.