Tips for Using Twitter For Business
Posted by E-Marketing Specialist Marisa on Sat, Apr 23, 2011 @ 07:00 AM
“Don’t be a Twitter loser!” Joked Social Media Consultant Deborah L. Smith when she presented Mastering the Twitterverse to individuals who attended the April 19th seminar at First Financial. Who would want to be a loser at anything, right? Well, according to Deborah, if you have less followers than your following, you don’t hang out with the “in crowd” on this micro blogging tool. If you have no idea what I’m talking about right now, you’ll just have to visit Deborah’s website for more information! For now, anyone who was unable to get out of bed at 8:30am to attend this seminar (or for those who simply just couldn’t make it), learn what you missed at Mastering the Twitterverse – Twitter for Business, by reading more.
With spunk and Twi-smarts, Deborah introduced the audience of the Twitter curious and already at it Tweeple (Twitter peeps) on what Twitter is, why they should use it, what the rules of Twitter are, how to navigate it, the importance of and how to make a first impression, how to communicate effectively via the Twitter universe, how to find people to follow, gain followers, and using Twitter to gain information (whoa, that was a mouthful!).
Some important things to remember when using Twitter for business and personal use, according to the dedicated Tweeter herself:
1. Provide value and be helpful.
2. Don’t direct sell.
3. Ask, engage, and answer questions.
4. Patience, participation, and consistency are key.
5. Don’t post angry – there is no guarantee that even though you may delete a Tweet from your page, that it would completely disappear off the Internet. Be aware of what you’re sending out.
6. Fill out your Online Twitter bio! (We want to know who you are and why we should follow you).
7. Don’t be a Twitter loser by following so many people that your following to follower ratio is in favor of the number of Tweeps you follow.
8. Try to follow influential people who could send referrals your way.
9. Advertise your Twitter page in as many places as you can.
I convinced Deborah to do a video for First Scoop readers even though she doesn’t like how she looks on camera – so please tell her how fabulous she looks (Is that a new haircut Deb?)! View Deborah and her fab new haircut as she offers her top three tips to remember when using Twitter for business:
“From the day of chat rooms, I recognized the value in using social media for business, but of course it was not called social media back then” said Deborah. From chat rooms to message boards, Facebook, and Twitter, Deborah truly enjoys social media. In addition to working as a coach for small and medium sized businesses, she is the founder and owner of a successful food blog – Jersey Bites, which welcomes over 13,000 visitors per month.
To learn more about Twitter and other forms of social media, visit Deborah’s website here.
First Financial holds monthly business seminars and Deborah will return in June. To learn more about upcoming seminars, visit First Financial’s website, subscribe to this blog, become a Facebook fan, or of course, follow us on Twitter.
Seminar attendees: reply to this blog post below by leaving a comment on it, writing on our Facebook page, or using your new Twitter skills on Twitter to send us a Tweet telling us something you learned at Mastering the Twitterverse and you will automatically be entered to win a free ticket for the next Deborah Smith seminar! A random drawing will be held three weeks from today based on all entries. The winner will be notified on or after the end date.