How to better use Twitter

It’s pretty easy to simply use twitter. Within a minute, you can register an account, customize your information, and ‘tweet’ out a message.

However, in order to get anything out of your tweets, especially if you’re a business, you need to be able to get ‘followers’ and keep them interested.

Maintaining consistent tweets that are actually helpful and interesting for your customers (such as tutorials or top 10 lists) is a fantastic way of gaining new visitors. However, sometimes that may not be enough. Aside from having a twitter logo and link on your website, keep these things in mind when building your twitter list:

Use other forms of marketing to encourage tweeting

Just because you’re using a new social media platform like twitter, doesn’t mean you should neglect older channels such as email marketing. If you have an active list of subscribers who routinely receive your newsletter, this is a perfect opportunity to build your twitter list. A great way to encourage your email subscribers to join you on twitter is through exclusive offers through twitter. For example, http://www.paywithatweet.com/ is a social platform that allows you to accept ‘retweets’ as payment for something, like an eBook. You could also offer a specific discount to anyone who retweets a specific message you send out. This not only encourages those people to follow you on twitter, but they’re spreading your message to their contacts as well.

In addition to sending out an email, consider adding that same offer on your website, using SMS marketing, or even traditional forms like post cards (though that may be less effective).

Add your twitter to your email Signature.

It’s also a good idea to add a link to your twitter account via your email signature. Most people have their name, position, company and phone numbers within their signatures, so it makes sense to add your social media contacts as well.

If your twitter account is constantly being updated, there’s a good chance that those people who receive emails from you will be happy to follow you. Make sure to make your twitter link visible using a recognizable twitter logo, and you should be able to gain more valuable followers.

Take advantage of free Twitter tools

Tools such as TweetDeck and HootSuite, allow users to manage the hectic and fast paced environment of an active twitter campaign. These tools are vital for anyone wanting to keep an eye on what people are tweeting about (for your industry), how many people follow, unfollow, and retweet you. The base service provides by these tools are free, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t be using them.

Twitter is an easy thing to do. However, it’s a very difficult thing to be great at. With enough time dedication, marketing, and consistent use, it could be a great addition to your marketing mix.