Twitter offers the potential to improve sales, raise brand awareness and encourage customer loyalty. If you truly listen to tweets offered by your customers and employees, it can also be an invaluable source of market research and inspiration
Twitter is a micro-blogging site that allows you to post short messages with a maximum of 140 characters. Tweets are really a lot like text messages, however, they are directed to a wider online audience. The key aspect of twitter is that users can ‘follow’ your tweet and receive regular updates. If you can build a following you can really make some marketing strides.
Large and small companies alike can use Twitter as a powerful social networking tool to keep highly competitive. Twitter is an online virtual culture, and like every culture, you have to adopt the dominant values and beliefs in order to fit in and succeed.
BE A GOOD LISTENER
You must respond to your user because communication requires give and take. Posting your product on twitter and leaving it at that will not work. You should supply regular and responsive tweets that show that you are listening to your customers.
BE CONSISTENT
Use the same approach as you use for your advertising and business communications but adapt it so that it suits the twitter environment. If someone in your business is tweeting, allow that employee to express personal interests and experiences so that they become real to fellow tweeters.
BUILD CUSTOMER LOYALTY
By remaining responsive and listening to your customers, you can use twitter to build customer loyalty. Offer rewards and incentives through twitter so that customers return and stay interested in your site.
A HOLISTIC APPROACH
Twitter should be just one part of your entire digital campaign. You really need a complete social networking strategy and you should ensure that you have a consistent and carefully planned pathway and clearly defined goals.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
By following the tweets of employees from specific companies that you are targeting, you can form a connection and hopefully meet in real life. Connections made online can be just as successful as connections made in real world environments like parties and bars.
BE INTERESTING
Spare everyone from another boring product pitch. Think of an interesting and creative angle to capture the interest of your following and build from there. If you are feeling uninspired, hire a freelance writer or advertiser to think of a series of catchy tweets.
As every day passes the competition in your industry grows, so knowing how you can promote your site is key. Businesses have moved away from traditional marketing techniques and are now focusing on the highly publicised social media methods, of which there are many. In the world of search engine optimisation, and particularly SEO Yorkshire services, social media can be used to help promote a site and generate links in a very easy and exciting way.
Everyone Is Equal
Many people enjoy using social media techniques just to chat and share information, but others can use social media sites for much stronger potential. A backlink from a site like Delicious for example could be highly beneficial for your site and it will look good in Google’s eyes. Links from trusted, authority sites are revered and in-demand, but one has to set their sights at an obtainable level. For example, you’re not likely to get a link back from the BBC if you’ve just set up your website 3 days ago. It’s all about being realistic. Realism is exemplified through the use of social media, because everyone helps each other and those with something interesting to say will always do well. Even the most popular sites will interact with the lesser known ones.
The Various Options
Social media revolves around the idea of sharing and general interaction. This is orchestrated by a number of different websites which tend to fall under one of 3 categories:
Social News
Social Bookmarks
Social Networks
As any SEO Yorkshire specialists will tell you, social media can be used in a very positive way. People can use either social news or social bookmarking sites in order to promote their business and social media is becoming a powerful marketing tool. In addition to great links from high-authority sites like Reddit, Digg and Delicious, you can get people talking with sites like Facebook and Twitter. This form of social media is classed as ‘social networking’ and it helps people interact with each other. You can instantly message people that live half way around the world and form a Facebook group for your business in order to attract attention. Members join your group if they like what you’re about.
So, if you’re considering using social media, you’re not alone. It is estimated that 60% of Americans use social media sites, but there is still great potential for others to get on board and join the web 2.0 revolution. Take a look at the wide variety of social media sites available today – or speak with your local SEO specialist who will guide you in the right direction.
Well, whadda ya know? Rand is talking about Twitter this week! Oft accused of under-utilizing his widely followed Twitter profile, Rand takes a moment this week to explain what you can do to increase the likelihood of getting yourself re-tweeted. As Twitter continues to grow and become an increasingly valid traffic driver, it’s important to consider the best ways to improve the likelihood of your tweets going viral (twiral??) via extensive re-tweeting.
