Making You Richer Online

Even if you’re not conversant with the Internet, you must have heard about the most recent craze in web-marketing, Twitter.

Put simply, Twitter is an online messaging system that enables you to post short sentences (up to 140 characters) on your profile that are then instantly shown in the Twitter accounts of your followers.

It is now so popular that some small businesses are now using it as a central marketing and market research tool by keeping in touch with clients, retailers and partners.  It’s well-suited for releasing company news, getting feedback on new product concepts and building trust with your most enthusiastic clients by giving them sneak previews of new products and sending them special offers exclusive to your Twitter followers.

What’s more, it costs nothing, and is a lot quicker to do than blogging or writing traditional newsletters.

If you’re thinking of experimenting with Twitter in your organisation, follow these simple steps to get you on your way:

1.    Sign up for a Free Twitter Account

Go to www.twitter.com and sign up for a free account.  Name yourself something that will gain the attention of your target customers and that indicates the subject about which you will be twittering.  For example, if you are a running equipment organisation, it might be a good idea to include the word ‘running’ in your Twitter name so that people who search for running will easily spot your twitter account.  If you are a well-known person or a very well known brand then you should probably use your own name, but for everyone else it’s best to go with something a bit more descriptive.

2.    Customise

Now that you have created an account you can add a custom icon to reflect your organisation logo design and change the look of your Twitter profile page to reflect your small business’s brand design by editing the colours and adding your own background design if you want to.  You can also insert a short description about your company and a link back to your own website.

3.    Begin Tweeting

As you might expect, successful use of twitter relies on you writing something that interests your target market.
Don’t bombard people with blatant advertisements.  Instead, make them feel engaged in your brand by updating them with what’s going on at your small business, whether it’s a brilliant new service or a staff member’s wedding anniversary.  Keep it personal and meaningful, and you’ll build trust with your readership.

What’s more, you can add value to your services by providing useful tips and advice on how to choose the right product or how to get the most out of your product.  For example, if you are the running business mentioned above, you could give tips on running technique or how to train for a marathon, or even better still, provide an ongoing account of a team member who is training for a marathon.

4. Attract Followers

Obviously there is no point tweeting if you have no readers, but you won’t get any readers unless there is something to read.  The steps below should help you to break the chicken and egg scenario and build a following:

a)    Start tweeting immediately and use your first post as practice, even if you have no readers

b)    Start following other people in your industry, possibly even your competitors in order to raise awareness that you are on Twitter, and of course to listen to what your potential customers and competitors are saying.

c)    Feature your twitter account on your company website by displaying your Twitter updates on your homepage and displaying an obvious ‘Follow Us on Twitter’ button.

Twitter is a new tool and so there is no right or wrong way to use it.  Following the above tips should get you off to a good start, but never be afraid to experiment and find out what works of your organisation.

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