There is a TON of value when it comes to Twitter for a small business. That being said, simply setting up a Twitter account will not generate much business. "Being on Twitter" and being active on Twitter are two different things. There is a proven strategy to attract followers and new clients/prospects. This strategy is dependent on consistency for it to actually work for a small business, and if done right, can produce monumental results. Ready? Let's go!
1. Tweet: To be heard, we must speak, so tweeting daily is a must. I recommend that a small business tweet a couple of times per day (although each account is different, typically the optimum time to tweet is between 1:00pm and 4:00pm). The key is to tweet things of value such as tips, upcoming events or even something funny. A business should avoid "salesy" tweets and "look at me tweets". Being helpful will attract more people than being desperate. Also on tweets, be sure to use hashtags (#) as it will lead to more exposure. Click here to learn more about hashtags:
How to use hashtags
2. Engage followers: Ever have a one-sided "conversation" with someone, and they only talk about themselves and do all of the talking? No fun! The same goes for Twitter. If all you do is talk
at people, you won't get very far. Be sure to also go through your feed and have conversations with your followers by retweeting relevant articles, or replying to funny or valuable tweets. Be social :)
3. Share articles in your field: Coming up with our own content is great, but sharing excellent content is just as valuable. Search out articles in your industry and share them with your audience. You'll become a one-stop shop for helpful information. For example, a painting company could share a helpful article on how to pick out paint colors or articles on home improvement.
4. Search for leads: This is, by far, the most productive action we take for our clients. There is a search tool, within Twitter, in which you can look for specific keywords. For example, the painter we mentioned could search for phrases like, "painter", "paint house", or "paint room" within a certain mile radius of their territory. When they spot a possible customer, they can engage them immediately even if they don't follow them. This is a great lead generator and should be done daily.
5. Reply to mentions: Some businesses have the time to tweet, but they don't have the time to monitor their accounts to reply back to mentions (when someone writes directly to the business). This is a huge mistake. Mentions must be replied back to within about an hour or two or the customer may think their comment was ignored. I also recommend showing gratitude to followers for Retweets (RTs) by saying thank you or by retweeting something from that follower.
6. Follow other accounts: One of the best ways to attract more followers (other than tweeting) is to follow people that you would want to have following you. Generally people will "follow back", so that painting company in McKinney could follow users in McKinney in hopes they will follow them back and have a chance to build an online relationship with them. I recommend following a few accounts per day so it's consistent.
Twitter is a valuable resource for a small business because several people can be reached at one time. I recommend daily attention to Twitter to build relationships and have consistent brand exposure. If you agree, but just cannot find the time to take these actions daily, check out our management package and we'll handle it for you:
Social Media Management
Thanks for reading and please share with a business owner that this could help.