For those who do not know what Twitter is, Twitter is one of the Internet’s Social Media darlings. With over 200 million Twitter accounts, the odds are pretty good that your community has an active user base that your local business can tap into.
Before you can make Twitter work for your business, you have to get your business on Twitter. So jump over to twitter.com and sign-up for an account. The one key thing to remember is to make sure that you pick a username that reflects your business’ brand. If your business is Joe’s Burgers, try and find a username like @joesburgers or @eatatjoes. Avoid usernames like @joe125, as it is important that the people you interact with on Twitter can identify your business.
Once you have an account on Twitter, it is time to jump in with both feet and start to build followers. On Twitter, a follower is someone that has indicated to Twitter that they want to see your tweets (messages). So when you post a message on Twitter, your followers will see it.
The easiest way to start building your list is simply do a search on Twitter for a keyword that is related to your business in your area. If your business is “Joe’s Burgers in Chicago”, simply search on
Twitter for: “hamburger near Chicago”. Your search results will show you who has used that the keyword and identify themselves as being from Chicago.
Now go through the results and see if there are any posts where you can be helpful. If their message is asking something like “where can I get a good burger in Chicago?” Reply to their message and suggest your
place. Above all else, be helpful.
If your approach to Twitter is as an extension of your customer service, you can grow your brand locally. People like business that have great customer service, and Twitter is an effective tool that your local business can use to retain and grow your customer.
The goal is to be helpful, not pushy or spammy. You must interact and be social.
Post updates regularly in regards to your business and be as transparent as you can. Your deep-fryer down? Post a message to Twitter letting your customers know.
If a customer has an issue, follow-up with them and solve their problem.
If someone has something nice to say about your business, thank them publicly.
Apply these simple techniques consistently and as your follower count grows, your business will grow.
To find out how to use twitter for your local business, call us today at 1.888.520.5288