Rumor has it that Twitter will be adding to its 140 character limit making it easier to share longer updates. Whether that is a benefit for those who use Twitter for marketing remains to be seen.
If you’re not using Twitter for your business, you’re missing out on a lot of great conversations and a way to interact with more potential customers. Here are six ways to maximize the time spent on Twitter:
- You can monitor conversations in real time. Twitter makes it easy to search by hashtag and trending topics. Conversations can be monitored either on Twitter or on platforms such as Hootsuite. If you’re a swimming pool service contractor you can search #poolservice and see what’s being talked about.
- Monitor what individuals are saying about your company. Had a great interaction with a company? Go to Twitter and mention it. Had a bad customer service interaction, go to Twitter and mention that – chances are you will receive a response. If you’re on Twitter, monitor it in case your followers message or “talk about” you.
- RT to share valuable content with your followers. Yes, it’s great to share your own information and blog posts, but caring is sharing. If you RT (that’s re-tweet) an update, chances are your information will get retweeted and that will help your updates be seen by more people.
- Use Twitter to test market promotions and run special deals. Run your own A-B testing on Twitter. See which promotion flies and that way you will know what to focus your efforts on.
- Use Twitter to build your brand. It’s a great way to interact with potential customers on a global scale. It’s easier to connect on Twitter, some times, than it is to “friend” someone on Facebook.
- Use Twitter to mine new business contacts. You can use a platform like Twello to search for potential new clients.
Remember, even though you’re making connections on Twitter, you also need to be social. No one wants to come to your Twitter feed if all you’re doing is selling your goods and services.
Use Twitter to build your brand and become a valuable and respected colleague.