Tag: twitter

Small Business Tips For Using Twitter

Social media sites are a vital part of marketing for all businesses today no matter the size of the company.  This trend is not changing, in fact, it will become more necessary for businesses to use social media in the future so if your small business is not utilizing social media, now is the time to start.  One of the top social media sites today is Twitter and if your company does not have an account then you are missing out on a great marketing opportunity.  Your company’s website’s SEO ranking is dependent upon Twitter and other sites and if you are not sure how to get started, then you need to read the tips below.

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

It’s Not Just About Business

You always want to maintain your professionalism but you also want people to see who you are and what your company is about without being too salesy.  One huge mistake that company’s make on Twitter is to only focus on the business aspect of the account without being personable in any way.  The main point of being on Twitter is to get more followers and unless you only want those that you can buy online then you have to engage people and make them want to follow you and your company.  So don’t be afraid to make your followers laugh with an anecdote from the workday or by posting photos of your employees doing their job well.  Just make sure that you are offering your followers something that is interesting and that they want to retweet.

Follow Friends and Family Members

You can start getting more followers by simply following friends and family members to help get your numbers boosted.  This can be a great strategy particularly if they are already settled into the site as they will have people they know that they can recommend for
and to you.  Once you start following these other people, they will follow you back.  The first rule of Twitter is if someone isn’t a spammer, they deserve a follow back if you are following them.  This can build up your list of followers very quickly and can make your company’s SEO efforts take off.  Just make sure that you don’t beg for followers, you can let your other followers ask for you but you should never make the request on your own or you come off as desperate.

Use Other Methods to Get Followers

Once you have become comfortable with the format of Twitter and have started following and being followed by others, it’s time use other methods to gain even more followers.  Make sure you have a Twitter widget on your website so your customers can click it to easily follow you and promote your Twitter account on Facebook and other social networking sites.  It may seem like the work is never ending and to be completely honest, it is never ending.  You have to always be working to make sure that your Twitter account stays active and positive for your followers.

It is vital for every business to have a great social media presence and this includes having a great Twitter account with many followers.

About the Author: Shannon Fouts has been helping small businesses to build up their social media presence for three years and is now writing about all social media sites.

How to Use Twitter Hashtags – 4 Simple Tips

You might think that businesses are so ‘au fait’ with Twitter as part of their marketing strategy that they’ve got nothing new to learn – right?

Wrong.

The fact of the matter is, they still aren’t maximising the potential of their tweets. You know why? Because they don’t get #hashtags.

twitter hashtag
Image by joe0153

A Twitter hashtag is essentially a keyword phrase or topic with a hash sign in front of it to identify it, and it works by connecting users who are talking about the same topic so their tweets appear in the same stream. Hashtags are searchable in Twitter search so users can easily find the topic they’re interested in – if it’s popular enough it will be deemed ‘trending’.

But what you really need to know is how you can use them to boost your Twitter profile.

So here are some simple, actionable ways you can use hashtags to your advantage and move your Twitter marketing forward:

Be Original

When creating your hashtag you’ve got to be original both to stand out and to ensure your chosen hashtag hasn’t already got a lot of activity around it. The easy way to do this is by using the Twitter search engine to check out the number of hits your hashtag gets. If it gets too many you’re better off selecting something different – it will mean less competition and you will run a lower risk of people outside your target market detracting from the conversation.

Don’t Saturate

Pace yourself! It’s important to tweet your hashtag regularly, but don’t swamp your followers with it -people will start to ignore it and it could be perceived as spam which is totally the opposite of the desired effect.

Put it into Context

This might sound obvious, but let your audience know exactly what your hashtag means. You could choose to create a hashtag with a self-explanatory name, explain what it means in a tweet, or provide a link to a page with a more detailed article or description – particularly good for events and products.

Add value

Ideally you want to give your followers something valuable with your hashtags. This most often applies to when you are using hashtags to advertise an event like a webinar, competition or product release. Make sure you decide on a single hashtag to represent your event early on so you can use it throughout the event promotion. Choose a hashtag that’s got a bit of pizzazz to grab attention – keep it short and snappy.

Remind your followers of the event regularly – and by that I mean several times daily. However mix it up with tweets on other topics and keep it light-hearted not pushy. Make sure people are aware that using your chosen hashtag will mean everyone can track anything related to that event easily – demonstrate its value.

So if you’re one of the many entrepreneurs who aren’t sure how hashtags can help their marketing campaigns – these tips are a sound starting point for you. Get to grips with these simple basics and you’ll be well on your way to being a hit hashtag success!

About James T Noble: James makes small businesses bigger. He’s worked with some of the world’s largest brands and companies to market their products and services online – including Disney, Microsoft, 20th Century Fox, Virgin, Coca Cola, MTV and many others. Find out more and read business growth tips at http://www.JamesTNoble.com