Twitter – Listen and Engage
In the last blog I talked about twitter vrs. Linkedin and why I think twitter is the better networking tool. I ended that blog by stating that “search.twitter.com and listening” is the reason twitter is my crown jewel in social networking for businesses.
Most businesses use twitter as a broadcast channel like TV, radio or print. They blast their messages out to their followers without any real engagement. Twitter is best used by any sized company as a two way street of listening and engaging with your consumer. The problem is most people aren’t educated enough on how to use this tool and that’s what social media is a “tool” to market, engage, find new business, promote, pr and more.
Imagine if you could search every conversation being said everyday by everyone in the world. And every time your brand is mentioned you could say thanks or share a coupon, that would be game changing? Well now with the creation of twitter you can search 100,000,000+ conversations about things related to your brand and start listening then engaging. It’s ridiculous. Does your company build cars, are you a dentist start listening and engaging. Not selling, talking! Answer questions, point people in the right direction become a service or a platform for your field of expertise and with that comes many added benefits. The opportunities are endless. The tactics are numerous it’s about being creative, authentic and providing a service.
Search.twitter.com searches the entire database of twitter. Lets say your a website development company like ours you can use the site and search phrases like “I need a new website.” You may get 100 conversations from the last hour on this exact subject. We then could write them “how can we help” or “we’ve been doing websites since 1999 can we send you an email?” Visit search.twitter and experiment the opportunities are endless.
If you’re trying to get in business with Bob Evans start engaging and searching for employees on twitter and be real and approach them. Maybe talk with them for a few weeks build a relationship on twitter and then ask to connect with them on the phone or via email.
Twitter trims the fat. With only a 140 word bio, a link to their most relevant website and a few choices; follow, @, message or list. These 4 choices allow you to do so much. Twitter aggregation tools like (my favorite) tweetdeck or hootsuite make the experience that much more efficient. These aggregation tools will be the subject of my next blog post.
All the examples above I have used in my own business finding new clients or for my clients as a social media consultant. If you need to learn how to use the tool of twitter or linkedin contact our company Artversion or a company near you and begin using these tools to effectively grow your business.
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