To Twit or Not to Twit? Using Twitter for Business

These days, everyone’s all a-twitter about Twitter. Everyone’s twittering these days, from Oprah to Deepak, is telling us what they’re doing (in 140 characters or less). Businesses are getting in on the action as well. For example, companies like Comcast and Carnival Cruise Lines use the microblogging service to communicate directly with customers and solve service issues. But twittering is not for everyone and it does have its limitations. For those who know how to use it and use it properly though, Twitter can grow your business exponentially.

So how should you use Twitter? We’ve rounded up some of the best ways to twit your way to a successful business.

1) Follow people relevant to your business
Sure, it’s fun to see what people like Ashton Kutcher or Demi Moore are having for dinner right now, but you should also follow those people who are relevant to your business or may have already succeeded in your area. It’s often a great way to get ideas and find out how they tick, and build relationships with your peers.

2) Be conversational
The idea of Twitter is that you can contact a person directly, as opposed to being an anonymous entity. Use “I” or “we”, when tweeting and be chatty and informal. If there is more than 1 person tweeting for the company, take advantage of services like CoTweet which allows multiple members of one organization to tweet using one account.

3) Interact with customers
Twitter is a two way street – make sure you answer “@” direct messages or questions sent out by people you follow.  You can also ask your followers questions like what they think of your product or any improvements they’d like to see.

4) Don’t forget to update
That’s the reason why you should twitter! Update your followers on any new developments, new blog posts or events. However, don’t be overpromotional. The twitter masses are fickle and can turn against you in an instant.

5) Provide useful information
Sending out links and information that is useful is a great way to build a great reputation (increase the possibbility of retweets!). For example, if you sell hand-made toys on your website, sending out breaking news about toy trends (or recalls!). Constantly tweeting about your products can make you seem like a spammer.

Twitter is still relatively new and no single technique is appropriate for every business. You may find that applying a variety of methods and experimenting on what works (and what doesn’t) is the best way to take the plunge after getting your feet wet.