Twitter Tips for Small Business

By Tina Yazdi

It’s clear that social media has become interwoven with life, from the personal to the professional. In sheer numbers, the amount of people accessible through social media sites like Twitter makes it foolish for small business owners to opt out of utilizing these free tools.

In this post I’ll outline some quick tips for small business owners who are new to Twitter or want to improve the account they already have.

The first and most important thing to remember about Twitter (and social media in general) is that you are interacting with real, live human beings. Sometimes this essential truth gets lost and the result is a mass of useless, annoying information littering your homepages and newsfeeds that get largely ignored. This doesn’t help anyone move forward.

When it comes to tweeting, sending out tweets that don’t add any value, aren’t engaging, and are missing a human voice will get ignored and you unfollowed.

Be engaging, an expert in your field, and participate! Check out ongoing discussions and engage people in a meaningful way by giving thoughtful responses and asking questions. Always reply to tweets and messages directed at you – remember the Golden Rule: treat others as you want to be treated. This applies to the social media realm too! A good place to start connecting is with local users.

Make sure your profile is set up – have a picture, a link to your website and a quick blurb on what you are about! People check out your profile to measure you up, so present yourself accordingly.

Use Twitter tools. From tweetdeck to hootsuite – there is an arsenal of Twitter tools for everyone, so give the interwebs a cursory glance to find which ones will work best for you!

These tools can help you in another important factor – HAVING A STRATEGY! As with any marketing method, you need to think about where you want to go, what your goals are, and how best to attain them!

Finally, social media in general is about socializing and building relationships. Be genuine in your interactions and put the time in. You aren’t going to get a million followers overnight, so be aware that like any successful endeavor, optimally utilizing social media will require time, energy, and thought.

Good luck folks.