How can Twitter strengthen the bottom line of your small business? Twitter, which now has 140 million active users, 70% of them international, is a conversation in which all small businesses will want to participate. Last month, Twitter announced that they were partnering with American Express to offer US-based customers and small businesses an opportunity to advertise on the microblogging site. Through American Express, the first 10,000 eligible Card Members and small businesses to accept the card will automatically receive $100 in free Twitter advertising just for registering.
Further, their informative new 20-page guide offers many solutions for small businesses to fully engage their audience, making their Twitter accounts more effective. The guide falls into three categories: 1) Getting Started, 2) Engage Your Audience, 3) Amplify Your Impact.
In the first category, Getting Started, the guide goes through the preliminaries—hashtags, retweets, and link love—defining its principal functions with brisk tips on effective use. Even the veteran Tweeter can come away with something through the definitions of basic terms. For example, on a small business Twitter profile, the guide suggests that owners always write a clear and informative bio that includes a link to their site and an image that reflects the best side of their organization. Another helpful suggestion, “It’s very likely that your employees are tweeting from their own personal accounts. As a business owner, you can retweet or mention them when what they are tweeting about meshes nicely with your business’ interests and goals.”
In the second category, Engage Your Audience, the discussion advances to advice for listening on Twitter. One of the best tips given is to follow reporters and news outlets that cover your particular vertical, retweeting and responding to Tweets that directly affect your business. Further, on Search.Twitter.com, using keywords associated with your vertical, a small business owner can listen to relevant social media conversations.
Beyond simply listening to Twitter, there is the tricky matter of voice, of conveying information without being a magnum of chloroform or, worse, a press release. There is a thin line between not sounding overly formal on Twitter—which no one wants to do—and being perceived as flaky.
The guide suggests that merchants share behind-the-scenes action of your workplace via Twit Pics. There is the suggestion to launch special Twitter-only promotions to your followers. “Some conversations need to be taken offline,” is another great piece of advice. “If there is too much back and forth between you and your customer, or the exchanges become too specific for your timeline, ask the follower to send you a direct message (DM) with contact information so you can communicate further by email or phone.”
In the third and final category, Amplify Your Impact, are a lot of practical pieces of advice to grow your audience, extend your reach, and measure impact. Some ways, for example, of promoting your Twitter handle include placing your @username on a blog, on business cards, in emails, and affixed on product packaging. In short, promote your Twitter handle and any relevant hashtags as if they were the company logo (which, in a Web 2.0 cosmos, a Twitter username sort of is). “Anywhere your customers interact with your brand is an opportunity to encourage them to follow you on Twitter.”
The guide also encourages small businesses to create tweets that reward retweets. There is an art to this. Providing value to a tweeter’s followers is the best way for a small business to get retweeted. “One simple method is to announce that you’ll offer a discount to everyone who retweets your offer, but only if you get a total number of retweets (like 10 or 25). Offer your customers a reward if they mention your business—a discount, free trial, or extra service—whatever makes sense for your company.” Another suggestion for the brick-and-mortar small business owner would be to ask customers to show you the tweet via mobile device at the checkout counter.
Promoted Accounts are suggested as a great method to amplify your most engaging tweets. They scale a follower-base of advocates and influencers for your vertical. Small businesses can also, using twitter, target the whole world, specific countries, or target their reach to specific areas in the US. Promoted Accounts are also featured in search results and within the “Who to Follow” section, extending the reach of small businesses. Finally, In February, Twitter announced Promoted Accounts for iPhone and Android as well as Tweets in the timeline on these mobile apps.
Any thoughts on Twitter’s new ads option for SMBs? Will you give it a shot? Let us know in the comments and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn.
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Ron Mwangaguhunga is a former editor-in-chief at FishbowlNY.com and contributor at Silicon Alley Reporter. He was named one of “25 Media Insiders to Follow” by TheWrap.com and one of “140 (Social Media) Characters” by Paper Magazine. Ron’s writings have appeared on CBSNews.com and in New York magazine.
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