The Website Design Blog

More and more companies are now using twitter to “engage with their customers” but how many really understand it?

Netting the followers

It seems that many companies are jumping on the twitter band wagon without proper planning or a real idea of how to achieve what they set out to. If you are a new company that nobody or very few people know about then just tweeiting “10% off mens hair products today only” isn’t going to get you anywhere, as you will more than likely havevery few followers who will actually see your tweet. A company needs to create a relationship with the customer – after all that’s what social media is about!

I have concocted a short checklist/ plan of action for new companies trying to harness the power of the tweet!…

The twitter profile

Your twitter profile is part of your brand’s image. You should by now have a consistent brand identity…so make sure you incorporate twitter into this…make an effort – it acts as a point of sale!

Netting the followers

To be honest getting a good following on twitter takes time bt it will take even longer if you don’t pro-actively stick a fat juicy worm on the end of your marketing hook.

Use twitters search functionality to find people who are tweeting about the products or services that you sell. For example, if I had a website selling hair products I would search “hair products” on twitter. This wil bring up a list of tweets from people talking about hair products. This is where your audience is hiding..approach them and tell them about the great deals at your website. But save them the sales pitch – talk to them on a one to one basis – make them aware don’t shove it don their throats. If they find that you really do have some good deals they’ll share this with their friends.

Be part of the community

Find people of authority within your industry and follow them! That way you’ll always be up to date with what’s going on and what your potential customers are doing. If you find something useful that somebody has said about your industry retweet it and let other people read it – retweets are a good way of promoting other people’s content and forming a friendship (you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours situation).

Talk to real people don’t just chuck links into your profile. This will give your company a more personal and approachable image.

Keep tabs on the competition

Look at what your competitors are saying. It’s a good way to spot opportunities in the market or to keep up to speed with the competition. They’ll probably be doing the same to you anyway.

Leave the ego at home

People don’t just want to hear about your company and your amazing products… share other information with them. And mix it up sometimes by tweeting about things that aren’t directly linked to your company but may be interesting for your online community.

Twitter for customer service

If people don’t like your product they will let you or other people know about it. Twitter is a great platform for them to do this – but it is also a great platform for you to show your companies excellent customer service, if deserved.

With twitter you can see what people are saying about your company, product or service and you can address them directly to try and retain there custom and show your other customers that you are committed to them not just their pockets!

Anyway i’m running the risk of writing an essay – not a blog post! Please feel free to add your own findings in the comments section or if you have any questions you can throw them at me by following me on twitter.