How are you using Twitter for business? 10 things to know

Twitter has exploded in popularity over recent months, especially its use by small businesses as more and more people join the way of thinking that they have more to say than what they are having for dinner. After doing a talk on social media at a networking group (@TLB) at the beginning of July I’ve noticed just how many small businesses are really getting their tweet on.

There are still lots of ‘it’s not for me’ and ‘I don’t get it’ types, and it isn’t for everyone, and no one gets it straight away (although we like to pretend we do).

As a small business myself I’ve found it invaluable. New suppliers, advice, opinion, useful articles, something to make me smile when I log in first thing in the morning.

There are huge possibilities for small businesses, so Twitter is worth investigating. It's not simply a case of tweeting about you're products or services, there's much more to it.

Here are our 10 things you should know about Twitter for business:

1. Twitter is just like any face to face networking event. When you first join you should take a step back, get to know people, let them do the talking and get comfortable in your new environment. Once you’re ready, make the break from shy to sociable.

2. Make some boundaries. One you’ve got a feel for what people are talking about and how you could contribute, establish whether this is a purely work tool. If you are connecting with friends as well as potential clients on Twitter, be mindful that a blow by blow account of the 5-a-side football match you’re watching may not be of interest to everyone!

3. Be yourself. Don’t try and be the corporate face of your business. Be you, tweeting on behalf of your company. Just because you’re using this for business reasons, doesn’t mean you need to start speaking in the same tone that your corporate brochure; it is a social application.

4. Who are you? People want to know who the person behind the tweets is so add a good photo and write a concise biography that not only tells people who you are but also helps people to find you when searching for certain businesses.

5. It’s not a sales tool. Don’t start posting 10 times a day about your 50% off sale. People will get bored very quickly. It’s almost like spam.

6. Start following interesting people. Don’t feel that you need to follow everyone who follows you. It’s doubtful that following Sexy Sandra who wants to talk naughty with you, is going to add any real value to your business! There are lots of good applications that help you to find relevant people, check out this fab post from Twitter pro Mashable.
7. Go with the flow. After you’ve been using Twitter for a few weeks you will soon find your feet. Find out who you know is already on Twitter and use them as guinea pigs to get into the swing of things. Don’t get sidetracked into reading each and every post and replying to everything that has a vague connection to your business.
8. On that note, keep your objectives front of mind. It’s not a sales tool, but what are you trying to achieve? Are you looking to explain what services you actually offer? Search for people looking for those services and reply to their questions. Are you looking for new staff? Diversifying and trying to establish if there’s a need? Use Twitter to build conversation, but also to build your business.
9. Do it regularly – Twitter requires some maintenance. The great thing is, updating the short 140 character tweet is quick. But if you’re starting to chat with people, and you don’t reply for a month, they’ll soon lose confidence in you.
10. Finally, enjoy it. If Twitter is going to add value to your business you need to enjoy, not dread using this tool. There are many, many great articles available on how to use Twitter; get on to Google and have a read.

Another great post comes from Sponge NB on Twitter for business, have a read.

The Late Breakfast, the networking group I mentioned, started using Twitter a few months back and have already welcomed new attendees through tweeting about themselves, and have found that Twitter allows them to communicate with a much wider audience than they have done previously.

The ‘Twitterverse’ is a vast online chat room to explore and use in the way that suits you; a place where people hang out, talk, share advice. To talk more about Twitter do get in touch with me – catherine@warrilowpr.co.uk or call 01235 202284 (it’s still good to talk and hear a voice!).

The rise of social media in PR and business communication

Ingrid Semanikova recently joined Warrilow PR on a freelance basis having just graduated from Thames Valley University.

Ingrid wrote her dissertation on social media, so it is a pleasure to welcome her as a guest blogger on the subject.

In recent months there has been significant growth in interest in the micro-blogging social media service Twitter among PR professionals. Why? Because it’s about communication, interaction and engaging.

PR, in very simplistic terms, is about the ability to communicate a series of messages to a target audience.

There are many directions that could be taken and many audiences every company needs to communicate with in order to succeed, including potential customers, existing customers, employees and others. Good PR practitioners do not only communicate their messages, they listen to their stakeholders, monitor what is being said and done and respond accordingly.

Where other activities such as marketing and advertising are normally shorter term campaigns with one clear target, to sell, PR enables companies to have ongoing conversations with their target audiences where they can demonstrate their knowledge and expertise of products and target markets.

While advertising and marketing are one way monologues about the benefits of certain product or service, PR being a two-way conversation actually helps to identify what matters to customers. This can be then reflected in an organisation’s overall strategy.

The evolution of technology combined with the natural human desire to converse has brought about a real change into the way businesses and individuals communicate and relate to others.

The work of the PR industry, in building and sustaining reputation while spreading awareness, therefore has to adjust.

For businesses the immediate challenge is to identify processes and procedures that will enable them to interact online as members of specific communities, while simultaneously maintaining their role as guardians of reputation. This is not a challenge that will be overcome lightly, requiring commitment to deploying time and resources. But it is not something which can be achieved without becoming immersed in this post-Web 2.0 environment, and the implications of failing to face these challenges adequately could ultimately prove more time-consuming and costly.

If a growing number of customers now seek information online, then a business needs a successful approach to online PR. Those turning away from online PR and social media, whatever their motivation, risk becoming ignorant of their target audiences, but also turning down the opportunity to create word-of-mouth endorsements.

Social media are communication tools with a truly global reach potential. However, there are rules to be followed in order to succeed. These are not defined by the business community, not even by those who develop and sell the technology itself, but by those who use it.

Of course there is a lot more to say on this topic, and that's what I intend to do here. In future posts I plan to examine Twitter and social media in more detail.