Owning a small business doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention to big social media.
From one-man/woman operations to international corporations, businesses need to be aware of the formidable influence of social networks.
In stark contrast to the past days of big, expensive Madison Avenue advertising campaigns, businesses of every size are taking their brand messaging to the public streets of everyday people.
They already understand what you need to start realizing; buying decisions are strongly impacted by people’s social circles. And in today’s Internet connected world, everyone’s social circle is expanding.
Twitter’s Popularity
Twitter is one of the most popular mediums for broadcasting quick and relevant messages to your customers.
It seems almost everyone has a Twitter account, and whether they use it to tweet or to get tweets, the Twitter platform is one your small business needs to stand on.
Numbers from 2015 show approximately 236 million Twitter users, and that number is expected to grow rapidly.
One reason for Twitter’s popularity is its quick and easy messaging system. Users are limited by character count, which makes it easy for busy readers to get the message and move on to the next attention-grabber.
Following in the Twitter Footsteps
You don’t have to hunt long to find Twitter prints to follow.
Some of the most successful companies use Twitter egregiously for their own marketing purposes and their customers love them for it.
Popular Twitter tweets include messages with coupon links, advance sales notices or information about brands and products.
From Starbucks to Jet Blue, to Whole Foods and even Comcast, companies use Twitter to connect with their customers and enhance their brand.
To set up your own Twitter business account, just sign up with your company name and a password.
Your profile picture should be your company logo to help brand your identity. Each time you post, that profile logo will show up next to your Tweet.
Next, fill out your company “about” section.
This should explain to followers what your company is about, and what you sell. It should only be two or three sentences, and should sum up your company’s mission and culture.
Using Twitter
Putting Twitter to use for your small business is easy.
Just choose a few people or companies to follow. The more you follow, the more your business will get followers.
If you want to Tweet something new, just click on the feather on the right hand corner. You can say something unique, or include a link to your company website. You can even include an image with your Tweet by clicking on the camera icon.
Twitter now has a new feature called “retweeting a comment.”
As the following article notes, you can read about how to retweet with a comment in 3 simple steps and put the wheels in motion.
Remember that with Twitter, fewer tweets are better.
Make your Tweets simple and to the point. Twitter users usually don’t want to read long-winded Tweets that circumvent the point.
Twitter is just one social media outlet that your small business should be using to promote your company.
After you’ve mastered the nuances of successful Twitter use, consider moving on to other social media networks.
Soon, your followers will turn into customers, who will bring in more followers.
About the Author: Kate Supino writes extensively about best business practices.