New to Twitter? Don’t Worry, Just Follow
Posted on March 22nd, 2010 by Rohan Hall in Uncategorized
By now, most people have heard of Twitter, which is a microblogging tool that allows people to broadcast short updates of 140 characters. It’s used by celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, who challenged CNN to see who would be the first to get 1 million followers. (Kutcher won.)
It’s been banned by the NFL for use by players during the game.
It’s being used by every Tom, Dick and Harry with a (little) something to say.
But is it useful for small businesses?
Think about this: according to the New York Times, more Twitter accounts belong to small businesses than to large companies. And it makes sense, really. So much of a small business’ success rests on word of mouth marketing. And that’s what Twitter helps provide.
But here’s another reason to enter the world of tweeting: Twitter also lets you as a small business owner or entrepreneur tap into a wealth of resources.
When you look at some of the active tweeters out there, you’ve got a real-time encyclopedia at your fingertips. Social media experts like Chris Brogan, entrepreneurial advocates like Guy Kawasaki. Experts from businesses that work with small businesses like Business Week’s Entrepreneur or Dell Small Business. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to see what some of these folks are thinking, would it?
When you first log onto Twitter, one of the biggest stumbling blocks is figuring out how to find the people you want to get tweets from, or follow. An extremely useful application that can help is Tweetdeck, which can be downloaded for free. With Tweetdeck you can categorize your list of people to follow. Whenever someone from your list sends a tweet, you can see it on your deck.
Check out Small Business Trend’s Ultimate Small Business Twitter list for an excellent start.
You can also set up a search for a phrase, such as “social media for small businesses” or “independent grocery stores” or even your name or the name of your business. Whenever someone makes a comment, positive or negative, discusses a trend or proposes a problem, you’ll be in the know.
Look for people in your industry or community as well to create a network of information that benefits you both.
Keep in mind that, despite the PR, Twitter is just one tool in your arsenal for communicating with your audience. There are still plenty of others.
Small businesses can find success connecting with customers by setting up their own social networking sites, like those offered by rSitez.com. There, businesses can create a community that encompasses a specific audience with similar interests. Members can communicate through blogs, forums, articles, videos, photos, and chats about important issues.
So don’t think of Twitter as being an all or nothing proposition. Instead of feeling the pressure of creating brilliant 140 character posts, think of how to funnel the up to the minute information on Twitter in a way that is convenient and useful for you. And consider it one more tool to help your business grow.
Eventually, the rest will come.
