Tweeting For Business

Apr 9, 2023 Tweeting for Business 1

Tweeting for BusinessTweeting for BusinessTwitter Tactics for your Twitter Tactics for your

Company Company


What Is Twitter?What Is Twitter?• Public instant messagingPublic instant messaging

• A way to talk about what you’re doing A way to talk about what you’re doing ‘right now’ – publicly, by default‘right now’ – publicly, by default

• Short messages – only 140 charactersShort messages – only 140 characters

• Opt-in –Opt-in –youyou choose who to watch and you choose who to watch and you see their public messagessee their public messages

• Can also talk privately with othersCan also talk privately with others

• Many ways to send and receive tweetsMany ways to send and receive tweets


Twitter’s GrowthTwitter’s Growth

• Twitter has about 4 million users nowTwitter has about 4 million users now

• 363,000 users in the U.S.363,000 users in the U.S.

• There are more than 1 million There are more than 1 million tweets/daytweets/day


What Good Is It?What Good Is It?• Get feedback about your business – Get feedback about your business –

track what people are saying and track what people are saying and address problems quicklyaddress problems quickly

• Mingle with the ‘famous’ in your Mingle with the ‘famous’ in your industryindustry

• Stay on top of trendsStay on top of trends

• Monitor what’s being said about Monitor what’s being said about youryour customers to help them protect their customers to help them protect their own brandsown brands


Example 1 and 2: Dell, Example 1 and 2: Dell, ComcastComcast

• Dell earned $1 million through Dell earned $1 million through Twitter in the last yearTwitter in the last year

– Dell sends messages to its Twitter Dell sends messages to its Twitter subscribers about special private salessubscribers about special private sales

• Comcast is turning around their Comcast is turning around their negative reputation by displaying negative reputation by displaying genuine interest in customer issues genuine interest in customer issues posted on Twitterposted on Twitter


Example 3: Coudal PartnersExample 3: Coudal Partners

• Jewelbox inserts issueJewelbox inserts issue

– Tweeted about the problem I was havingTweeted about the problem I was having

– Within 30 minutes, @coudal contacted meWithin 30 minutes, @coudal contacted me

– Emailed the company representative Emailed the company representative

– New inserts are on the wayNew inserts are on the way

– Coudal still has a happy customer! I’ll Coudal still has a happy customer! I’ll probably tweet about this experience…probably tweet about this experience…


Most Importantly, Twitter…Most Importantly, Twitter…

• Puts a personal face on your businessPuts a personal face on your business

• Gets you a steady stream of ideas and Gets you a steady stream of ideas and links that you can use in your own links that you can use in your own businessbusiness

• Enables you to get (and offer) helpEnables you to get (and offer) help

• Connects you with others who share Connects you with others who share your interests, personally and your interests, personally and professionallyprofessionally


5 Stages of Acceptance5 Stages of Acceptance1.1. DenialDenial – Why should I care about this? – Why should I care about this?

2.2. PresencePresence – I don’t get it, but I guess I – I don’t get it, but I guess I should get a free account.should get a free account.

3.3. DumpingDumping – Posting links to blog, PR docs – Posting links to blog, PR docs

4.4. ConversingConversing – Talking to others one-on- – Talking to others one-on-oneone

5.5. MicrobloggingMicroblogging – Sharing useful info – Sharing useful info andand conversing one-on-oneconversing one-on-one


Getting StartedGetting Started• Visit twitter.com and sign up for freeVisit twitter.com and sign up for free

• Get a handle that relates to your businessGet a handle that relates to your business

• Multiple accounts – personal & business?Multiple accounts – personal & business?

• Fill in your profile using keywordsFill in your profile using keywords

• Upload your photo (gain credibility!)Upload your photo (gain credibility!)

• Add your location if appropriateAdd your location if appropriate


Getting Started, ContinuedGetting Started, Continued• Visit search.twitter.com and look for Visit search.twitter.com and look for

others who share your interestsothers who share your interests

• Look at your followees’ followers to Look at your followees’ followers to find new people to followfind new people to follow

• Watch, learn, and enter the Watch, learn, and enter the conversation when you’re ready (lurk conversation when you’re ready (lurk for a few weeks)for a few weeks)

• Tweet often – daily is recommendedTweet often – daily is recommended


Let People Know You Tweet Let People Know You Tweet

• Put your handle in your signature for Put your handle in your signature for email, forum posts, bloggingemail, forum posts, blogging

• Put a logo on your website, Put a logo on your website, linked to your Twitter page linked to your Twitter page


What Should I Talk About?What Should I Talk About?• Share great links and resources you Share great links and resources you

findfind

• Share information about your businessShare information about your business

• Reach out to people who use your Reach out to people who use your services or productsservices or products

• Talk about upcoming company eventsTalk about upcoming company events

• Share problems and ask questionsShare problems and ask questions

• Add links to your latest blog postsAdd links to your latest blog posts


Best PracticesBest Practices• Think before you type! It’s Think before you type! It’s permanentpermanent and and

searchablesearchable

• Be authentic – it’s about letting people get Be authentic – it’s about letting people get to know you personally and professionallyto know you personally and professionally

• Don’t push your services or products – it Don’t push your services or products – it can get you bannedcan get you banned

• Share information and become valued as Share information and become valued as an expert in your fieldan expert in your field


Dealing With Other PeopleDealing With Other People• Follow those who interest youFollow those who interest you

• Unfollow people to stop seeing their Unfollow people to stop seeing their messages (there’s no need to messages (there’s no need to reciprocate if you’re not interested)reciprocate if you’re not interested)

• Block problematic people – that means Block problematic people – that means they won’t be able to see your updatesthey won’t be able to see your updates

• Spam is rampant – just don’t follow it!Spam is rampant – just don’t follow it!


Useful TipsUseful Tips• Use Use @handle@handle to reply or refer to people to reply or refer to people

• Use direct messages Use direct messages (D handle)(D handle) to talk to talk privately with another personprivately with another person

• Retweet Retweet (RT)(RT) interesting tweets to interesting tweets to others in your network – it’s respectfulothers in your network – it’s respectful

• Hashtag Hashtag (#topic)(#topic) tweets to create a tweets to create a custom results pagecustom results page


33rdrd Party Tools – Hundreds! Party Tools – Hundreds!• TweetDeck and Twhirl– desktop applications TweetDeck and Twhirl– desktop applications

to manage your accountto manage your account

• TweetBerry and iTweet (and other mobile TweetBerry and iTweet (and other mobile apps)apps)

• TweetLater – set keywords for search and TweetLater – set keywords for search and have results delivered to your emailhave results delivered to your email

• TwellowHood – find other Twitter users by TwellowHood – find other Twitter users by geographical location (there were 148 users geographical location (there were 148 users in Fort Collins as of Thursday)in Fort Collins as of Thursday)


GroupsGroups

• Not yet a Twitter feature – in the worksNot yet a Twitter feature – in the works

• Will enable you to categorize your Will enable you to categorize your followers list and choose to send followers list and choose to send tweets to only certain peopletweets to only certain people

• You You cancan set up groups on 3 set up groups on 3rdrd party party software like TweetDeck, but only to software like TweetDeck, but only to view incoming tweets, not to view incoming tweets, not to ‘broadcast’‘broadcast’


ResourcesResources• The basicsThe basics

• Creative ways to use TwitterCreative ways to use Twitter

• Twitter for business (articles and Twitter for business (articles and video)video)

• Twitter services and toolsTwitter services and tools

• Legal issuesLegal issues

• Backgrounds and iconsBackgrounds and icons

Technology

Tweeting For Business