10 Twitter Tactics for Small Business

Twitter can help you grow your small business... use it wisely and help you build your brand and marketshare.

1. Network with business associates, competitors, and peers. You
   don't have to simply befriend every person you can that requests you or vice
   versa on Twitter. Instead, choose your networking buddies carefully. Look for fellow executives or business owners who work within your particular niche.
   Then, follow their progress, look for advice, and of course, throw in some of your own two cents as well. By befriending people who are in the same line of work as you, you'll get an insider's look at how their successes compare to yours.
2. Great content will win the game - talk to your audience regularly, but don't over load them. Twitter attracts many people that want to learn and stay abreast of information in a specific industry. A lot of people are most likely interested in what you have to say. This means you should be updating them on a fairly regular basis so they fee that need to learn about your industry and hear about what is going on at your company. Try to maintain the balance between good updating and overwhelming people with junk.
3. Use Twitter at conferences and trade shows. When you're out and about networking in the REAL world, don't forget to use Twitter then as an opportunity to update your customers and peers on what you're seeing and doing. This shows them that you're being proactive and it's a lot of fun as well.  You can tell them some funny things you might be seeing at the trade show, or maybe inform them of an interesting vendor you've hooked up with.
4. Reputation Management. Keep an eye on what people are saying - Don't forget that Twitter, like anyother virtual conversation, is a two-way street. Pay attention to what others are saying, and see if they're Twittering about you. If they are, you might want to use that as an opportunity to either thank them for a nice compliment, or to make good if they are posting a complaint. Remember that you're never 100% safe from someone who might try to talk negatively about you, your website, or anything else on Twitter. Be sure to use this to your advantage in a diplomatic way.
5. Promote Events. Do you have a big event coming up? Use twitter to build hype for big events. This can be anything from an appearance at a trade show to a huge seasonal sale or a launching of a new product. Always keep Twitter in mind when it comes to these updates, and remember that it can reach a lot more people than just your email subscribers.
6. Drive your traffic to your online properties. You can use Twitter to also steer people to other resources that you use for marketing such as a blog page or downloads section. The exchange of information through Twitter can go both ways, so keep that in mind. It's a good way to get others moving to different resources that you have available that they might not know about.
7. Keep it casual. Remember that Twitter is a social site, so it's got more of a casual feel than some websites might. Make sure the posts are generally light, with a touch of humor otherwise you might lose your core audience. The purpose of following others on Twitter is so that it's entertaining. If you post too serious or heavy posts, it might turn some readers off.
8. Use video into your Twitter page. Many people may not know that now Twitter allows for multimedia additions, so feel free to include video plug-ins on your page. www.twitvid.com is a what we use here at Gainesville Marketing.
9. Contests and Promotions are tons of fun on Twitter. Host an impromptu giveaway contest onTwitter. You can do this every day, every week, monthly, whatever you choose. It's a great way to get all of your followers to stay interested and engaged, and freebies are always a guarantee of new contacts.
10. Ask for feedback. Don't just tell everyone what you're doing via Twitter, try to ask everyone for their opinion or feedback. It’s a good way to start a dialogue and open up a forum for new suggestions and changes that can be made.

Like any other marketing tactic, Twitter can be productive as long as it is a medium that your customer base is using and it falls into it's proper priority within your overall marketing strategy.

How is YOUR small business using twitter?

We would love to hear your comments below!