Using Twitter for Business - A Crash Course in Creative Tweeting

"What the Tweet am I supposed to do with this thing?" Using Twitter for business can be tricky if you're new to it. Without taking too much of your time (we'll do this post "Twitter-style"), I wanted to touch on a few basics.

1. Tell people you're on Twitter! They might not just find you or follow the icon link from your website, so tell people they can find you on Twitter every chance you get. Put it on emails, quotes, other social media channels, receipts, etc.
2. Tell them why they should follow you! Connecting with your customer should involve some form of interacting, so you can find out what they are really interested in. Once you do that, if it makes sense for them to follow you, go ahead and let them know. "Oh, you're interested in vintage clothing? That's great! You should follow us on Twitter; we Tweet pictures, outfit ideas, sales..." You get the idea.
3. Keep it Short! Remember that Twitter only allows for 140 characters, which is usually a couple of sentences. If you can't say the whole thing in that limited space, Twitter is probably the wrong medium to say it. Put it on Facebook or use it in a blog.
4. Be Creative! If you're a salon, post pictures of hairstyles. If you're a landscaper, post pictures of completed jobs. The classic use, of course, is if your business is mobile, use Twitter to announce where you'll be going (or are) at any particular time of day. Other ideas that work pretty well with Twitter are as follows:

• Passwords - put these out for discounts, freebies or entrance passes. There was a bar I went to that wouldn't let you in unless you knew the "password". It made the interaction a little more interesting. What if the first person to provide the code at checkout got a free bonus or coupon? How quick do you think others would want to follow you then? You can tell people to use the password as a subject line in an email in order to receive a free quote, coupon or newsletter, as well, which builds your email marketing list.
    
• Riddles & Trivia - an easy way to run a trivia game and build followers is to release the question over the Twitter account, then sit back and wait for followers and answers to roll in.
• Shout-outs - it doesn't cost you anything to say thank you to a new follower, retweet an important emergency message or a touching tribute, or even post a joke or interesting quote. Twitter is built for that. Short bites of info. You can also wish people happy birthday, congratulate staff members or thank public servants. Your message has the potential to go a long way.
• Events - Sales (especially fun, super secret sales!), events and happenings are perfect to announce on Twitter. People don't need a lot of information if they already know you - just tell them what's up, when and where the event is, and watch them share it with interested friends. Sometimes Twitter followers get together as directed (known as a "Tweet-up"). You can draw a very interesting, diverse group of people when that happens, which has been used to great effect in the museum setting.
• Hashtag Fun - Remember, because Twitter has such great search abilities, you can announce something (in an advertisement, hidden message on your website, coded message in your blog, etc.) and have people reply or Tweet with a particular hashtag (#, with some sort words included in the message), which can then be used to sort the messages. This could be used to spread the word about an event, shout-out to a particular fan, collect images of people using your product, etc. 

When done correctly and with a little time invested, Twitter can be a quick way to connect with your customer and build brand equity at the same time. The possibilities are endless, so get out there, start Tweeting, and have some #FUN!

About the author: James Maxim is the Director of Client Services for KD Linked - a subdivision of Kreative Dezign, a website & graphic design firm located in Leominster, MA. KD Linked provides writing, website content and social media assistance to businesses. www.KDLinked.com for more info.