Turn the clock back a year and I didn’t have a smart phone, the last time I’d log into my Facebook account was about 3 years previous and I thought Twitter and social media was a waste of time…
What happened!
Well wasn’t there a report out recently that showed scary statistics of the number of adults addicted to their smart phones? Well I reckon I’m one of them, especially when it comes to Twitter.
But in my favour it’s for good reason – in fact here are five reasons why I reckon it’s worth tweeting for business.
1. They say who you know is more important than what you know
Twitter lets you make contact with people you’d otherwise never meet. What’s more it’s a FREE way to put you and your business on the radar and get engaging with people who are interested in what you do.
And if you want a quick way to increase your tribe it’s worth following @Gladstone_Net, @purpledognet, @TheHelpfulDog and @UKStartUP. These UK networking tweeters will help widen your influence by promoting and advertising your business. I’ve followed lots of new people this way and made some great contacts.
2. “I get so emotional baby!“
It’s really interesting reading how people and businesses from all walks of life use those 140 characters. You’ll laugh, nod, agree, complain, share, reply, ignore, be inspired… What gets you hooked?
3. Get answers to your questions – in super quick time.
Try using Twitter to conduct some quick and simple market research. People love to be asked for their opinion and have the chance to say what they think.
I recently asked “why would you write your own copy?” I got some snappy insights from a cross section of small businesses and some useful material to help me market my own copywriting work.
4. Build your credibility:
Twitter is a great way to build your presence. You can:
- Gain clout by sharing useful content, tips and stuff about you and your business.
- Build your credibility through #FF’s and RT’s of the things people say about you.
5. Find work?
Although this should never be your primary reason for tweeting – if you show up in the timeline with interesting and engaging content, when a follower needs your product or service you could make it to their short list.
A word of warning.
Despite these benefits, if you’re tweeting for business it’s crucial you develop a strategy – otherwise you’ll end up spending lots of time for few results. So do work out what you want to achieve and then figure out how you are going to get there. And if you’re not sure how to start – it’s always worth following the leaders in your field and check out what they are doing. Alternatively you could get some training.
And although it’s exciting to have a mass of followers – I think quality is more important, in particular the amount people are engaging with you. So do take the time to figure out which of your tweets generate the most replies and what content gets retweeted.
It’s worth it!
So late at night when I’m tippity tapping away on my phone and getting “that look” from my husband, I can rest knowing I’m spending valuable time with my business. Oh and having fun too.
You can join in my conversation @GemWriting. I’ll look forward to tweeting with you.
Kerri says
I completely agree, Twitter is like my yellow pages, my colleagues by the water cooler, my gossip magazine and my networking all rolled into one.
I have two Twitter accounts, a personal one @K_erri and a business one @BuyStudentArt, and keep the tone of them both different. But I have made some amazing friends and I am just about to launch a new business…….with some I “met” on Twitter!
Georgina says
Hi Kerri, thanks for reading the post. I do like your definition of what Twitter means to you. And good luck with your new business venture. I image you will keep us up to date on Twitter! I’ve found LinkedIn and Facebook really good for networking too.