Twitter has created a world of short status updates for people to share with their friends and others. Through the successful rise of Facebook Advertising for companies, Twitter now has applications to make the social networking site more friendly on a commercial level.
Twitter for business seems to have been a little slower to tailor their site towards money making endeavors. However, they have found their footing in offering companies the opportunity to get creative while encouraging sales.
1. Offer Twitter-Only Exclusive Deals
There are many aspects of Twitter for business that have money-making potential. One of these points is being able to measure a return on investment much easier than in traditional marketing tactics.
Twitter-exclusive deals allow you to take advantage of this measured data while rewarding all of your current customers. Flash sales, or even a simple coupon code, make a great impact. For instance, create the code TWITTER20 for 20% off of any product in your shop! Have your followers re-tweet the code so their friends can get in on the deal as well. By tracking this valuable data over time, your team will instinctively learn which of your products are most popular and which types of deals are used most often.
2. Promote and Live Tweet Events
When you attend promotional or industry events, let your audience know! Have Twitter conversations with event hosts, use the official event hashtag, and live tweet about the event from the moment you arrive. This will instantly improve your visibility to event attendees.
Not only that, you can tag keynote speakers and influencers in your tweets. Chances are, they will want to connect with you as well. Share their knowledge and don’t forget to take plenty of photos. Events are a prime opportunity to show the personality of your brand, so don’t miss out on spontaneous photo ops and candid shots. After the event ends, publically thank the hosts and venue as well as the sponsors. You are sure to get invited back next year.
3. Follow Trends and Hashtags
Just a year after it went public, Twitter obtained about 50,000 active weekly users. In 2011, that number climbed to a startling 200 million, about a third of the number of Facebook users. One of the reasons for this widespread popularity is the frequent use of trends and hashtags.
When using Twitter for business purposes, take a look at the Trending topics (on the left-hand side of your homepage feed) to see what everyone is talking about in real time. This is a great tool for adding to the conversation. Do they need #MondayMotivation, or would they rather see a #PhotoOfTheDay? It doesn’t take long to research which topics are most popular in your industry – even setting aside 20 minutes a week can keep your company relevant and engaged.
4. Run Twitter Polls
Unsure how your audience feels about a certain topic? All you have to do is ask! Simply run a poll on Twitter.
Let’s say you are a travel company in the San Fransisco, CA area. Create a poll asking “What’s on your must-see list in #SF?” Once users have a chance to vote for their favorites, give away a select amount of gift cards, discounts, or freebies to the most popular attraction! When using Twitter for business, this is an especially great marketing tactic if you have made partnerships with these vendors in advance. Now you can move away from traditional promotion and get to know your audience a little better through honest feedback. This creates real brand advocates!
5. Share Original Content
Don’t just share other people’s original content (re-tweeting links and news articles). Take the time to create your own.
Original content does not have to be blog posts. This includes graphics, photos, videos, ebooks, webinars, podcasts, or anything you believe your audience will enjoy or learn from. Talk to the graphic design or video team and turn this into an exciting, internal project that everyone can take part in. It’s important to be original, informative, and entertaining when it comes to content. Make sure it’s something your target market will love and want to share.
Using Twitter For Business: Build Real Customer Relationships
Many business owners make the mistake of updating their Twitter status every time they want to make a sale. Real social media success, however, is contingent on building relationships. Using Twitter for business creatively, and with engagement in mind, is an excellent method to produce more sales without becoming “sales-y”.
Social networks are always evolving and changing. To stay up to date, you need to be ahead of the curve. It’s time to take advantage of the opportunities Twitter for business gives entrepreneurs on a daily basis. For more tips and advice on how SEO Brand can take your Twitter account, or other social media accounts, to the next level, contact us. We’d be happy to give you a free analysis of your company.
