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10 Innovative Ways To Use Twitter For Business

by Andra Picincu on Jan. 9th, 2010

Increasingly more companies use Twitter for business – to do market research, do brand advocacy and reputation management and provide selected highlights from a conference or event. Twitter allows them to expand their brand and thus generate new opportunities.

In this article, Mahendra shows you how you can integrate Twitter into your Powerpoint presentation and receive instant feedback. Steven has written about using hashtags effectively. And also, you can learn more about Twitter Lists to follow people more closely.

But to be more innovative in the use of Twitter for a business setting, here are 10 useful tips.

1. Expand Your Network

Using Twitter, you can join topic groups related to your business and career and gain valuable information from scanning others’ tweets. Your company will gain new customers and potential partners. Do a search for keywords related to your product on Twitter Search and then follow the users.

Anyone can use Twitter to build a personal brand. Your customers and prospective clients will perceive you as an approachable social personality. Twitter is designed to establish consistent and deeper relationships for future benefits.

2. Share Expertise To Build Credibility

If you hold free workshops, seminars or web meetings; let people know that it’s starting soon, how to participate and join in by tweeting about it. You can also link to your presentations and videos. Twitter can help direct people’s attention to your events.

twitter for business

Offer solutions to those who are struggling with something in your field of expertise. Share your ideas internally in a very efficient manner and broadcast links and headlines that can drive traffic to your website.

3. Highlight What’s Special

twitter for business

Twitter allows you to share the latest news and events related to your business in 140 characters. Set up a Twitter feed for the specific purpose of notifying customers when new products come in. You can use this free platform to inform event participants and highlight what’s special. Sharing valuable information and useful tips helps you build a strong web presence and gain visibility on the Internet.

4. Look For Leads On Twitter

Twitter can be used to direct traffic to your websites. You can share information that is useful for prospective clients or employers to enhance your reputation. Avoid hard-sell tactics: focus on building relationships. Don’t be afraid to take full advantage of Twitter and gather information about what customers, competitors and others are saying about your business.

Don’t think of what you can get, but rather what you can learn and what you can offer. Use free applications like Mr. Tweet to check your profile and finds relevant connections for you.

5. Communicate With Employees

Twitter is a great collaboration tool, which can be successfully used to save time and money. Forget about sending endless emails and calls – you can rather release short tweets to your team members describing what you have to say. Share what you’re doing so people learn about the type of work you do.

6. Run Special Deals & Promotions

Offer incentives to those who follow you on Twitter. You can give them free coupons, discounts, package deals and samples. Twitter is a great way to create interest and secure attendees.

Social networking is excellent for those who want to promote products, services and ideas directly to a target audience. Twitter marketing is a task that involves two-way audience engagement.

7. Receive Customer Complaints

By accepting customer complaints in the open, other consumers can see what kind of company you really are. Twitter allows you to respond quickly to shut down any impending service or complaint received. Communicate effectively with each of your clients and ask for their honest opinion. Make your goals public to compel you to reach them.

8. Interact With Your Competition

You can read the tweets of your competitors daily and stay in touch with them. Although this rarely happens in the real world, Twitter has changed it all. This free platform allows you to follow companies, experts, leaders and competitors in your industry. It’s not enough to monitor the latest projects released by your competitors. Tracking their mistakes is even more useful, because you can analyze their moves and see what exactly went wrong.

9. Organize A Local Tweetup

how to twitter for business

Twitter can help you organize meetups. All you have to do is to send a message announcing the time and place of the meeting. It’s an informal and effective way of planning a meeting. You can get in touch with vendors, suppliers and other people with whom you can form partnerships.

10. Create Brand Loyalty

With Twitter, you can always stay in touch with your followers. All these people are potential customers, so you must help them get used to your products and services. Participate actively to conversations and tweet constantly. This way, increasingly more people will find out about your business, while you will gain loyal clients.

Using Twitter for business, you can convert conversations into actions. A fresh and interesting personality attracts followers. Share information that is helpful for potential customers or employers to gain recognition.

Do you use Twitter for your business? Have you any Twitter tips to effectively reach out to your customers and business partners? Share them in the comments.

 

(By) Andra Picincu is also a writer for Associated Content.

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More about: business . finance . marketing . reputation monitoring . social networks . Twitter . twitter tips

The comments were closed because the article is more than 90 days old.

If you have any questions related to stuff mentioned in the article or need help with any computer issue, just ask it on MakeUseOf Answers.

View Comments

2010-01-10 06:39:32
Rahul - Web Guru

I did not get the bold text in the twitter text field, how do i get the bold effect in my tweets?

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-10 08:21:46
Roberto

Interesting list.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-10 15:26:41
Dravalley Support Community

I am quite new to using twitter for business and these tips will come in handy as i’m still learning.
Thank you very much.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-10 18:17:54
Nicole

Many of these tips also work for nonprofits, especially #1. We’ve found many new volunteers for our organization by searching for those that mention themselves or others they know being diagnosed with cancer (we provide one on one support to newly diagnosed cancer patients). This is a very cost effective way to reach out to those that may benefit from our services.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-11 04:12:48
Michael

…and the one that the lists always forget: learn from your followers and the Twittersphere. I keep abreast, meet people I’d like to partner, with discover new stuff and spot trends. It really is a 2-way thing.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-11 10:12:20
Paula Flanagan

Excellent post! I’m just starting to use Twitter to promote my business, so these tips are very useful. Many thanks!

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-12 01:37:40
Robert Craig

I use twitter to alert new content on my arcade portal. However I feel it looks spammy and would appreciate feedback on how to best present the information to tweeters.

I would really appreciate the feedback

cheers,

Robert Craig

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-12 02:13:38
comvision

Great post! Twitter is like my own tv show

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-12 03:11:16
Home Theater News

What companies should know is that Twitter can really help their business but only if used properly, otherwise it could end up helping their competitors..

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-12 06:02:05
Jason Kolb

I’m sorry, but this is innovative? With a title like that I expect to see some things I haven’t seen before. So what, exactly, is not innovative then? Posting about lunch in the cafeteria?

Maybe I just need some more coffee but…

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-12 07:17:21
David Jackson

For local businesses, it’s a great way to easily become an active part of the community 140 characters at a time. Finding locals and starting conversations gives your business an opportunity to have an approachability that will help them walk through the door when the time comes for them to use your product or service.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-13 00:12:23
webby

Many thanks!

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-13 04:04:44
home entertainment

the funniest thing is the twitter founder has yet make profit from his company ’till today.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-01-15 09:51:57
spiritnewsdaily

I thought I saw a tweedy cat.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-02-25 06:39:27
JS

Thanks. This is definitely an in-depth look at twitter.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
2010-03-09 22:21:41
JohnFerriss

Excellent article, very well …

Another idea could be:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtLEIhXMX8c

Regards,
John

(Comments wont nest below this level)

The comments were closed because the article is more than 90 days old.

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