How Twitter Can Rock Your Business
A recent article in the Dutch business magazine Sprout said Twitter is expected to be the first internet medium that will reach one billion users.
At PICNIC 2009 Maurice Beerthuyzen reported media futurist Gerd Leonhard as saying, “In two years you’re in social business or in no business.”
So, if you’re not yet on Twitter, sign up. If you’re already using Twitter, why not make the effort to learn additional ways you can use it to grow your business.
I know, I can hear you saying that you barely have time to do all of the marketing activities you’re already doing! But please consider the impact this new strategy can have on your business.
Here are some basic facts. Twitter is a free service where you can post messages (called tweets) of up to 140 characters. This is also known as micro-blogging. You can follow people’s tweets and share your tweets with people who follow you.
This isn’t going to be about ‘how to’ get set up on Twitter. There is a ton of marvelous information out there for free out on how to do that. Here are two resources to get you started: Twitter for Business report and http://twitterwatchdog.com/ (scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for a free Twitter success report).
I want to focus on WHY you should get on board and how using Twitter can help you grow your business and be more profitable.
I’m not an expert on Twitter and I continue to learn more all the time. I just started my account in March of this year. As with any new service, you can actually learn by doing and watching what others do.
BENEFITS FOR YOUR BUSINESS:
- Meet potential new clients you would otherwise probably never encounter
- Discover new business opportunities
- Connect with strategic alliance partners
- Position yourself as an expert and attract media attention
- Promote your events
- A place to share your knowledge if you don’t have an ezine or blog (If you do have an ezine and blog, Twitter will complement them fabulously).
And yes, I have met some amazing people on Twitter and have discovered new opportunities for marketing my business.
WHAT TO TWEET ABOUT:
It’s true, some people do tweet about what they are eating or that they are going to walk the dog. As a business owner you can make the majority of your tweets about your area of expertise, information that adds value. For example, you can share:
- Fresh ideas and insights
- Practical tips
- Helpful resources (blogs, articles, quotes, etc.)
If you want to see what I tweet about you can follow me at: http://twitter.com/fireflycoaching.
As a time saver you can connect your Twitter account to your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts so that when you post something on Twitter it automatically shows up on Facebook and LinkedIn (for tips on these two services read my ‘Why Facebook and LinkedIn are Good for Your Business’ here.
Are you starting to see how Twitter can help you expand your network and grow your business? Make the decision to get an account and start using it today. Invest the time to learning how it works so you can take advantage of this amazing marketing strategy and rock your business.
© Stephanie Ward, 2009
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