See my previous post about the importance of using social networks for your business and how you can use them to build trust and relationships that convert into a larger, loyal list of subscribers. We touched on Facebook and will now touch on Twitter. These two platforms are the most successful tools to promote your business. Twitter can be linked to your Facebook page to show your Tweets in your feed, further helping you to optimize your efforts.
Your Twitter profile is something that will help brand and differentiate you. It’s important to spend time making it represent you and your business well. Twitter offers templates you can customize or you can utilize secondary software to create your Twitter background. You also may choose to outsource the task to a virtual assistant.
Custom Twitter backgrounds set you apart from your competition, gives people a good first impression and what you’re about. Include your URL to your opt-in page. It won’t be clickable, but it’s good for branding. You can include a link to your opt-in page in your bio area that will be hyperlinked, so make sure you set that up as well.
Once you’re all set up, start following people in your niche. Usually, when you follow someone, they’ll follow you back. Make it a combination of your prospective subscribers and your competitors. You’ll want to interact with both. This is a great way to form future joint venture possibilities through the direct messaging system. You will also want to connect with key influencers.
Twitter only gives you 140 characters to answer the question “what are you doing?” But that’s plenty of room to post a concise sentence and include a link. You’ll be linking to many things, including:
• Your opt-in page
• Blog posts
• Posts that you make on Facebook
Don’t discount Twitter just because it’s short on content, because it is big on impact. Many people have Twitter accounts including celebrities, niche groups, and individuals. They love it because it’s like a real conversation – you say a line then someone else replies, and the dialogue goes back and forth.
Within your niche, as you post things, try to find hashtags (#) you can use in your niche, but don’t overdo it. No one likes to see a Tweet filled with only three words and tons of hashtags. (The # is a tool to create groups, which people search by.) Only use hashtags that are relevant to the link within a specific tweet so you don’t lose credibility on the value of your tweets and to attract relevant followers.
Engage in conversations with your audience but don’t always be trying to sell. If someone posts, “Struggling to stay on my low carb diet today,” don’t respond with, “Buy my XYZ guide to help you stay on track.” Instead, offer up a tip or some motivation such as “Increasing your fiber might help you feel fuller while staying low carb!” Or something like, “Don’t give up! You’re kicking cravings and the feeling will soon pass.”
You don’t have to promote yourself. That person will enjoy your Tweet or retweet and then they’ll click on your name to see your profile and learn more about you. They’ll follow you and then go to the link in your profile where they will opt-in and sign up for your email list.
Your posts on Twitter should be considered “business casual” where your career and your personal lives can mesh. Just remember to be respectfully engaging, be positive, and don’t abuse it by tweeting or messaging too much.
Twitter is a great viral hot spot for marketers. It’s so easy for your fans to retweet what you’ve just said. They do it with a simple click of their mouse and they don’t even have to type anything in to share it. Twitter has 500+ million users that are good with technology. Keep these facts in mind with your marketing strategy.
Keep in mind that Twitter isn’t just for 140 characters of text. You can post images that people can view right in their feed. Developers have also created picture and video-sharing applications.
Another tool within Twitter that you can use to promote your business is Twitter Groups. This gives you the ability to join and create groups to motivate a following. And don’t forget to use the large number of widgets and plug-ins available to make Twitter accessible from just about anywhere.
To cultivate traffic to your tweets, be sure to link to your Twitter page from your website, outgoing emails, and other social media channels. This is a great way to attract relevant followers.