How to Use Twitter for Business

With each new technology opportunists try to find an easy way to make money, and Twitter is no exception. Considered a form of microblogging Twitter serves many purposes, though these are frequently user-defined. The best way to use Twitter for business is to have a plan in place. Read on for tips on how to use Twitter for business and improve your bottom-line.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Twitter account
• Twitter apps or tools
• Knowledge of RSS feeds (optional)
• Business website

How to Twitter for Business

1. Ensure that your online presence or business website is in order to include your company branding. The goal is to use Twitter for business promotion rather than as a means to create or define your business—a largely unsuccessful endeavor.

2. Create a Twitter account and select a name and avatar or icon related to your business. Learn how to use Twitter apps, also known as plug-ins or tools, to make efficient use of Twitter for business purposes. Defining which Twitter apps to use is dependent on how you plan to use Twitter. Use the following steps as a guideline.

3. Update customers on new products, sales and promotions via Twitter. Remember that you are limited to 140 characters so make each word count. Use active language and minimize modifiers. Create a desire to subscribe to your Twitter feed. This may be accomplished by listing exclusive news, attractive promotions and providing regular yet limited postings one to three times a week.

4. Use Twitter to track business reputation and product reviews. Twitter tools such as Tweetscan, Tweetbeep will enable you to learn what is being said and enable you to gauge customer satisfaction, word-of-mouth promotion and disinformation.

5. Conduct market research with Twitter to give you an edge on the competition. Follow trends and product or service demands. Accomplish this by selecting keywords to follow that are related to your business interests, such as business competitor names or consumer problems that your business solves.

6. Refine your Twitter keyword tracking to meet business needs. For example, if you sell auto repair parts, a useful keyword phrase may be “car repair,” but is better refined by adding a car make and mode and/or location. Optionally, follow-up with a public, not direct or unsolicited, promotion to meet the consumer need. Experiment as you use Twitter for business. Adjustments to keyword phrases will maximize return on relevant information. Some small businesses will benefit less from this more time-intensive pursuit.

Tips & Warnings

• Use Twitter for business promotion in a way that is most efficient be it through e-mail, phone or a Twitter web browser plug-in.
• Automate Twitter messages if feasible, which can be accomplished via the steps in the related eHow article, “How to Twitter Using RSS feeds.”
• Never spam or provide misleading links when you use Twitter for business or otherwise.

[ewebwriter]

on 11/30/2009 Very informative.

[MegapixelPro]

on 9/14/2009 This is very useful to know and the new APIs you mentioned are new to me. Thank you :-)

[survivoryea]

on 9/6/2009 Thanks for all the good information - still trying to master all the aspects of Twitter and this helps!

[tinksmagic]

on 5/27/2009 I do this for my online business and it has been a great resource.

[Combsy]

on 1/7/2009 love the article, great work