Are you thinking about entering the world of Twitter, but don't know where to start? Or, maybe you hear all the hype about how cool it is for online business, but it just doesn't quite make sense to you. Well, here is a short introduction of what it is, why you need it and how to get followers.
The main purpose of Twitter from a social media marketing perspective is brand awareness. Ultimately, this will help build business leads, clients and customers. But, first you must gain followers that will read your "tweets". Tweets are brief statement of wisdom under 140 characters that will help share the value of your service or products and help establish you as someone of authority on the subject.
Strategies to build your followers:
1. Start by following people you know such as your current clients, past clients, friends and other people that you think would benefit from your services. This is a great way to get started with followers.
2. Follow some of the people that your clients are following or who are following your clients. Choose these folks thoughtfully. Read their bios and some of their tweets. You will quickly get great information about them.
3. Actually read the tweets from those that you follow and reply back/comment as appropriate. When you reply back to one of their posts, the replies show up to the replier's followers! Thus, if engaging, you could gain more followers.
4. Prompt others to comment on what you are tweeting. To do this, tweet about topics that they would find helpful, interesting or generally make your followers feel good. People will naturally follow those they find interesting. Additionally, they are more apt to reply to your tweet or "retweet" your tweets. If a tweet is re-tweeted, it shows up on their own profile, thus their followers can see also your message.
And so, the viral power begins. If you are regularly tweeting helpful information and reading/commenting on others’ tweets, you are sure to gain new followers that will be a great base of potential business.
Additional ideas for tweetable topics or guidelines:
- Thank new followers by name if they begin following you.
- Try to be a resource. Check back a few pages of tweets and see if there are any questions you might be able to answer.
- Don't always try to sell something. Sharing knowledge or help is always welcomed by followers and will help ensure that they read your posts rather than skimming over them assuming they will just be an advertisement.
- Use humor.
- Tweet with some type of regularity. Determine what makes sense for you and stick to it.
Good luck with your adventure on Twitter. Follow the guidelines and get a tweetin'! If you would like additional information on Twitter or other social media sites, please
contact us, and we would be happy to assist!