Using Twitter for business can be difficult because it is the social media platform most confusing to people over the age of forty. The limit of 140 characters seems to be insurmountable to people used to communicating in longer passages. It takes a little getting used to, but it’s not so difficult after observing what others do.
In my fiction writer persona, I interact with other writers like we’re chatting at a convention. It’s a never-ending green room. But we generally already know each other. What about a new business trying to capture followers they hope turn into business relationships?
The ultimate goal of inbound marketing is bringing people to your website, where your content can close a sale. How does Twitter help you in that effort? There are several ways it can be used to that end, not the least of which is interacting with your customers and followers. Answering questions is one aspect, but solving customer problems is another.
If somebody comes to you with a problem via Twitter, your response needs to be timely and compassionate. It has to be positive, with a problem-solving approach. Remember, both the complaint and the response are public. Public complaints might seem like something to avoid, but in fact, they can be opportunities to demonstrate your customer service and commitment to quality. If followers observe you handling an issue quickly and effectively, it puts you into a good light.
Twitter also makes a great megaphone for your blog posts. If you’re blogging, the blog should automatically send out a tweet to all your followers with a link back to the post. It’s an easy way to drive a pre-selected audience to your content.
You can also use Twitter to share interesting articles you think your followers might like. It doesn’t matter that the content you share is sometimes hosted somewhere else. Share enough interesting content and people remember you.
The one thing to avoid on Twitter is constantly pitching your product. Nothing drives people away faster than a blatant sales pitch. Nobody cares about that. They know you want to sell, you don’t have to ram that information down peoples’ throats. Instead of buying, constant bleating about your product will simply cause people to stop following your feed. That’s not only counter-productive for your social media stats, it also leaves a bad taste in the potential customer’s mouth to the point they might consciously avoid you when the time does come when they want to buy.