On any given day, log onto Twitter and you’re likely to find updates and clever remarks from athletes, entertainers, reporters, entrepreneurs and more. From Rihanna to Rian Lochte and Donald Trump to Diane Sawyer, most everyone is on Twitter. In recent years, Twitter has grown as a giant in the social media world. In one on-line minute there are over 100,000 tweets sent on Twitter. And, with 140 million users, it’s a great way for entrepreneurs to create a following, get known and connect with potential customers.

 

But many entrepreneurs and small business owners get confused about what Twitter should and should not be used for. Twitter should not be used as just a soapbox. Twitter should be used as a tool to conduct on-line conversations and build relationships. With that said, if you’re not engaging your audience on Twitter, you’re not doing something right. Below, I’ve listed 7 simple strategies to use Twitter to engage with your target audience, get more followers and possibly new customers.

 

  • Share valuable and useful information.   In addition to sharing information about your products, services and promotions, share a blog post or an article on any information relevant or useful to your niche or industry. People love getting helpful but most of all, free information that they do not have to pay for.     Most importantly,  when you share useful information about a topic of interest with your target audience it helps to position you as the expert in your field. So don’t be afraid to share what you know. Although it’s great to share original content, you don’t have to. Whatever information you share, doesn’t always have to be an article that you wrote, it can simply be one that you like and offer your opinion or insight on.

 

  • Ask a Question.  I like to use this simple technique. It’s amazing the kind of dialogue you can spark just by asking a simple question. People love to share their opinions, expertise, stories, recommendations, experiences and so much more. You’d be surprised about what you could learn just by posting a question or a simple poll. If you really want to get specific feedback, you can ask your followers what topics they would like you to write about, or what services most interest them. You can even ask your followers to help you with promotions or product launches, by coming up with names and themes, etc. It’s easy to ask a question, and trust me;  it’s just as easy to get answers.

 

  •  Show Your Personality.  So you’re on Twitter to promote your business, get clients and get known, right? So who exactly are you? Unless, you’re a major corporation or big company, you definitely want to give a sneak peak of who is actually behind the Twitter profile. The key is to show that there is a real person behind the business name. Allow your personality to shine through but keep it professional.  Share stories about your wins, losses or lessons.  People love to hear stories, good, bad or indifferent. If you are getting ready for a speaking gig, snap a picture of what you’re wearing, what the venue looks like or what your vendor space will look like. Invite your followers to visit you or make them feel like they were there, even if they weren’t.

 

  •  Respond to @ comments or mentions.   Response is critical in social media, hence the term “social”. I can always tell the people or companies who don’t have great customer service, just by checking out their social media pages. Those companies or persons who do not converse with their followers or respond to dialogue are probably the same ones with poor to fair customer service.  A lack of response to your prospects shows that you don’t have a pulse of your target market. If you’re going to be on Twitter, take the time to respond to anyone who mentions you or communicates with you. For positive or neutral tweets, feel free to respond as appropriate. For negative tweets, feel free to direct it off-line by asking them to call you directly to discuss further. But most importantly, respond and do so in a timely fashion.


  • Retweet & Say Thanks. If you post content and someone retweets it, acknowledge the gesture. It’s no different than if someone gives you a mention in written article, they are recognizing your message, so in turn you should recognize them. I’ve found retweeting to be particularly useful with leaders in my industry. It’s very easy to get the attention of someone who could possibly be a mentor, by simply retweeting information that they share. Another helpful strategy is to say thank you to people who follow you. Once again, this is pretty basic stuff. But you would be surprised to learn how many people don’t use simple courtesy in social media.  Sending a simple thank you message to people who follow you, allows you to introduce yourself and your business. It’s also pretty easy to set up an automatic thank-you message to anyone who follows you. A great resource for this strategy is,  www.Tweetlater.com.

 

  • Follow someone in your industry or niche. It’s probably a good idea to begin or continue following others in your industry or niche for various reasons. The first reason is so that you can see what they are tweeting about. The second reason is to possibly build a relationship with them. Finally it’s always good to keep your ear to the ground and stay on top of what’s hot and what’s not in your field.

 

  • Participate or start a Twitter chat. Twitter chats are a very helpful way to connect with like-minded people from all over the world. Most twitter chats happen at a pre-determined time on a weekly or monthly basis. Twitter chats are an easy way to make new friends and find people who are experts in the same area that you are. In addition, you might just find your next big joint venture partner.  You can start a chat on a site like www.TweetChat.com. Make sure you choose a descriptive hashtag so participants can follow along easily. Remember to promote your chat a few weeks in advance for the best chance of participation.  If you would rather not host a monthly or weekly Twitter chat of your own, simply find a chat in an area related to your industry and join in.

What about you? Are you using Twitter to get known and grow your business? What strategies have you used that produced results? Are you using the strategies that I’ve suggested? I’d love to hear what you think about your favorite strategy. Leave a comment and share with me.

© 2012 Quality Media Consultant Group, LLC – All Rights Reserved

This article is written by Lori A. Manns. Want to use this article for your website, blog or newsletter? No problem. Here’s what you must include: Lori A. Manns, CEO of Quality Media Consultant Group your marketing and sales success mentor, and founder of Marketing For Trailblazers System;TM  that shows you how to get more clients, more visibility and increase your income, guaranteed. To purchase consulting  services on marketing, advertising or sales and, learn how to increase your revenue and grow your business; please visit www.qualitymediaconsultants.com/programs