Twitter is one of the largest social media websites out there with millions of users successfully accessing the power that comes along with it. People are tweeting what ever is on their mind at that moment. eBay auction members are tweeting their latest additions. Marketing gurus are tweeting their newest way to make money online and I tweet a combination of all of the above.
But, what is a tweet? A tweet is just one of the ways that you can communicate with the world on Twitter, and it is also the most common way of communication on the site. You have 140 characters to say whatever it is that you want to put across to the people that have chosen to be your followers. It's your sounding board. It can be your soapbox or your chalkboard and a key to driving traffic to your website if you know how to use it correctly.
I periodically do a test tweet with my 2,500+ followers on Twitter. I will Tweet one of my eBay auctions then check the auction a few minutes later to see just how many views have been added. At first I thought that there was an error in the counter when one auction increased over 600 views in less than an hour. But there was no error. That's the extreme power of Twitter for your business. It works if you know how to use it.
So, you decide that you would like to open an account for your business on Twitter. Excellent idea! You can join in the conversation and spread the word about the goodness that your company has to offer. But, how do you get people to follow you and once they do, how do you keep them interested in what you have to say?
Twitter for business can be a bit tricky. If you are constantly sending out tweets for buying your product, you probably will be labeled as a spammer and your account will be filled with numbers instead of real people that are interested in what you have to say and offer. And that's if you aren't deleted for spam. You need to create a balance with your tweets. Information that your followers can use, along with the occasional "come and get it here" tweet that will drive traffic to your site and customers to your door.
I tweet a well thought out and rounded combination of things. First a good morning when I first log in. I tweet the things that my dog Sophie does, what I'm writing about at the moment, what I had for lunch, about my blog and my auctions. Sometimes I throw in a random thought here and there. My followers have responded very well to the combination by engaging me in conversation on the site and following the links that I post every time. I am not constantly bombarding them with spam and sales links and they always respond to what I put out there. And my sales are better because of it.
The simplest way to gain Twitter followers is the follow for follow method. You first follow them and they follow you back as a courtesy. It is the most common way to gain followers but it does take a bit of time. Be patient when building your followers. Twitter monitors the accounts on their site for aggressive follow and un-follow behavior. You do not want them limiting or flagging your account.
Do what is called a shout out to your new followers thanking them for following you back. They will see that you are paying attention and there is a real person behind the name. Respond to some of your follower's tweets by re tweeting them or commenting on what they have tweeted. It only take a few seconds but it can make a big difference in how your account is viewed by your followers and you want them to pay attention to what you are putting out there.
You can hire someone to start your followers list off with whatever amount you can afford or want. There are a lot of people out there willing to do that for you. But if you are looking for quality as well as quantity then you need a professional who will acquire targeted followers for your niche. These cost more per follower but really are worth it in the long run.
Remember that the quality of your tweets is the most important thing. If someone follows you and they think you are "cool," they will tell all their friends. And that is the best way to make Twitter work for your business. Word of mouth is just priceless.
About the Author:
Lanie Ricketts is a freelance writer, blogger, ebook author, artist, online entrepreneur and auction guru. Lanie has developed many different forms of making social networking pay you for using it. She teaches and preaches about how profitable using social media websites can really be to your business if they are used correctly. She blogs a few times a week about her life and what she does in the online world. You can subscribe to her blog at http://www.hasquin.com/blog. Lanie lives in her Indianapolis home with her husband that she affectionately refers to as "Sweets" and her antic filled Siberian Husky, Sophie.
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