Of the top five social media sites for small business (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest), Twitter is one that every company needs to utilize. Simply by creating your own Twitter profile, updating often and joining the online conversation, you can reap some huge benefits for your business. Take a look at the top 10 ways to use Twitter as an internet marketing tool.
1. Use trends to your advantage.
Breaking news often gets tweeted before it even makes it to the major news sites. Capitalize on that trend by using hashtags for trending topics in your updates. Try your best to link current news and events to your business posts. People searching for those hashtags will then find your posts. Not sure what's trending? Twitter shows you right in the left column of your home page; you can choose to see what's trending globally, or locally.
Breaking news often gets tweeted before it even makes it to the major news sites. Capitalize on that trend by using hashtags for trending topics in your updates. Try your best to link current news and events to your business posts. People searching for those hashtags will then find your posts. Not sure what's trending? Twitter shows you right in the left column of your home page; you can choose to see what's trending globally, or locally.
2. Post often.
Businesses should tweet, at minimum, once a day. Two or three times is better and five times daily is optimal - although some marketers recommend 10 tweets per day! Link your Twitter page to your Facebook and Pinterest pages, too, to get maximum leverage out of each post.
Businesses should tweet, at minimum, once a day. Two or three times is better and five times daily is optimal - although some marketers recommend 10 tweets per day! Link your Twitter page to your Facebook and Pinterest pages, too, to get maximum leverage out of each post.
3. Post at the right time.
Pay attention to the day and time you post. The majority of Twitter users are active from early to mid afternoon. At night (especially Friday after 6 PM), your posts could get lost in a big influx of updates. The optimal time to post also depends on your content; people who follow entertainers and celebrity news are most active on weekends while newshounds follow Twitter Monday through Friday.
Pay attention to the day and time you post. The majority of Twitter users are active from early to mid afternoon. At night (especially Friday after 6 PM), your posts could get lost in a big influx of updates. The optimal time to post also depends on your content; people who follow entertainers and celebrity news are most active on weekends while newshounds follow Twitter Monday through Friday.
4. Acknowledge your followers.
Always respond to others; if someone mentions you via an @ shout out or by retweeting one of your posts, send them a tweet thanking them for their effort. Try reciprocating their effort, as well, so the relationship becomes a two-way street, opening the lines of communication and establishing a relationship.
Always respond to others; if someone mentions you via an @ shout out or by retweeting one of your posts, send them a tweet thanking them for their effort. Try reciprocating their effort, as well, so the relationship becomes a two-way street, opening the lines of communication and establishing a relationship.
5. Mention others.
Posting a few tweets with @ shout outs mentioning your customers, vendors, and business partners is a great way to show others you care about them (it gives their profile a boost). And it shows that it's not all about you.
Posting a few tweets with @ shout outs mentioning your customers, vendors, and business partners is a great way to show others you care about them (it gives their profile a boost). And it shows that it's not all about you.
6. Mix up the content.
Don't post the exact same content twice; Twitter won't allow it. You can post similar content and link to the same URL several times but don't overdo it for fear of annoying your followers and getting a slap on the wrist from Twitter, which limits the number of times you can tweet the same URL. How many times can you link to the same URL? There is not an obvious answer but Twitter will let you know by disallowing any tweets over the limit.
Don't post the exact same content twice; Twitter won't allow it. You can post similar content and link to the same URL several times but don't overdo it for fear of annoying your followers and getting a slap on the wrist from Twitter, which limits the number of times you can tweet the same URL. How many times can you link to the same URL? There is not an obvious answer but Twitter will let you know by disallowing any tweets over the limit.
7. Repeat your marketing message.
Do post your most important content more than once. If you have a blog post you really want people to read, post a link to it at various times of the day and various days of the week since all Twitter users don't follow established patterns of use.
Do post your most important content more than once. If you have a blog post you really want people to read, post a link to it at various times of the day and various days of the week since all Twitter users don't follow established patterns of use.
8. No direct advertisements.
Twitter is not a direct sales tool. Never post only about your company and its products - who wants to read that all the time? It's not a forum for advertising; it's a way to find and connect with people who may need your products or services.
Twitter is not a direct sales tool. Never post only about your company and its products - who wants to read that all the time? It's not a forum for advertising; it's a way to find and connect with people who may need your products or services.
9. Share good content.
Scout the web to find articles, pictures and audio clips your followers are interested in (not just your own website content or blog posts). There's nothing wrong with sharing industry news stories from other internet sources with your followers. If you think they'll be interested in a story, they probably will be.
Scout the web to find articles, pictures and audio clips your followers are interested in (not just your own website content or blog posts). There's nothing wrong with sharing industry news stories from other internet sources with your followers. If you think they'll be interested in a story, they probably will be.
10. Offer discounts.
Some of the most popular posts are those that offer discounts (such as specially priced airline tickets or cheap hotel offers) to Twitter users. Get rid of your dead stock by sharing a special Twitter offer code for a deeply discounted deal. Those are the kind of posts most likely to get retweeted; after all, everyone wants to share their savvy shopping skills!
Some of the most popular posts are those that offer discounts (such as specially priced airline tickets or cheap hotel offers) to Twitter users. Get rid of your dead stock by sharing a special Twitter offer code for a deeply discounted deal. Those are the kind of posts most likely to get retweeted; after all, everyone wants to share their savvy shopping skills!
Are you ready to jump into the social media craze and create your own business account on Twitter? If you don't have the time to post and keep up with contacts several times a day, a professional internet marketer might be the best solution. It's more affordable than you may think - and it allows your company to get noticed on one of the most popular social media sites today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7527425
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