subject: Using Twitter for Local Marketing [print this page] Twitter is a social networking platform that enables you to communicate worldwide through messages called "tweets," which are limited to 140 characters. With its increasing popularity, many marketers have found it essential in their local businesses in terms of connection and engagement with the public. This micro-blogging service is totally free, and it provides many functions in local marketing. With a deeper understanding of what Twitter can do, marketers can fully enjoy and maximize its benefits.
The first step is to create a Twitter account with the business name as the username. For example, if your company is called "Acme Widgets", your profile could be: twitter.com/acmewidgets or twitter.com/acme_widgets. Next, add a photo to your profile to provide more authenticity with a short but attention-grabbing description that would encourage people to follow you. Then, start building your community. Search for potential consumers and ask your current customers to follow you.
Twitter offers a more effective way in reaching out to your community. One of its best assets is its speed. You can easily communicate to the people through your tweets, which are brief and easy to read unlike some lengthy newsletters and blogs. You can post links to your company's website or blog. Tweets are readily visible to your followers' timelines. Set your profile to public to make it visible to everybody. One nice thing about Twitter is that your followers can "retweet" your post, which can make your tweets go viral. Furthermore, you can attract non-followers by providing the right keywords in your tweets as many users utilize the search engine found Twitter's homepage to search for their interests.
With over 100 million Twitter users, the search function can be a very beneficial tool for brand name monitoring and reputation management. You can easily get fast and up-to-date information on the latest happenings related to your business. An easy way to give you real-time updates is by saving each search as an RSS feed. That way, you will be notified each time someone mentions your company.
In order to grow your business, you should learn to accept feedback and/or criticism about your company. Tweets do not always need to be promotional. Instead, you can ask questions or survey your followers, then use the information gathered to hone your marketing strategy.
With all the functions offered by Twitter, it's important to understand that you are creating this account for marketing purposes and not for selling. You have to keep in mind that connecting with your followers and developing a good relationship with them are the key elements to fully serve its purpose. Don't be too aggressive or intrusive with your tweets. Have a conservative approach and as you get used to it, you will be able to enjoy Twitter as if you were just having conversations and sharing insights with the community while developing your marketing strategy.
