Is your small business on Twitter. If you haven't yet taken to Twitter Time, chances are your competition has - but how 
Twitter is a great FREE way to build brand awareness for your company or small business. Twitter will help to up your brand's mentions and keep your brand top of mind with customers BUT to maximize your effectiveness and reach you must have a smart marketing plan.
Let’s go through the 7 steps you’ll need to take to create and implement an effective twitter marketing campaign for your small business.
Step 1: Know Your Brand
Before you can introduce your brand to others, you’ve got to know your business inside and out! Ask yourself just how well do you know your brand?
- What’s your company's message?
- What’s your vision?
- What are your core values?
- Why do you do what you do?
- What’s your company culture?
- What value does your company bring?
- Who is your target audience?
Always start with Why. When you know exactly why you’ve built your business and how it can help others the achieving your goals becomes much easier.
Step 2: Become An Expert
Twitter is a great platform for demonstrating your expertise in a specific niche and establishing yourself as the go-to resource in your industry. This means you have to know your business, know your industry and know your target market.
For example, Wine Enthusiast Gary Vaynerchuck built an online empire by first starting a daily video podcast, and then using tools like Twitter and Facebook to engage with his audience and share his passion.
Step 3: Build An Audience
Before you can use Twitter to increase profits, you’ll need to build an engaged audience of followers.
Make it a habit to search and follow 20 Leaders on Twitter Per Day. Here are two FREE methods that you can use to find industry leaders.
- Twellow.com (like a Twitter Yellow Pages)
- Search.twitter.com
You can search company name, twitter username or keyword and easily find 20 people in your industry you can follow.
Step 4: Promotions and Specials
You’re building an audience, now it’s time to start offering specials and promotions to followers, and finding unique ways to showcase your brand using Hashtags and catch phrases.
You can run contests, offer discounts on your own products or services, or simply give recognition to increase awareness and follower participation. Get creative.
Step 5: Break The Mold
A great way to increase revenue through Twitter is to spotlight what differentiates you from your competition – particularly when it links directly back to sales. What makes your company unique? How can your company use Twitter and other social media networks in creative ways to build credibility, exposure and buzz?
Make your Twitter followers feel special by offering promotional deals and discounts exclusive to your Twitter followers.
Step 6: Be Consistent
What makes social media work is consistency and like any other legitimate marketing effort, it takes time to build a raving community of customers, followers and fans that promote your business and brand on your behalf.
The most important aspect of social media is paying attention to what your potential clients and customers want. If you can provide for them products, services, and solutions that make their life easier you’ll have a loyal fan for life.
Step 7: Use Smart Tools
Implement tools that not only make your social media engagement easier but saves you time in the process. Your goal as a business owner is to make money and the more efficient and productive you are the more you can focus on things that matter.
Take a few minutes a week to pre-schedule your updates for the week, but also make sure to set aside time to reply, respond and engage your community. Nothing is worse that posting an update then not being around to respond to comments, questions and feedback.
Remember, tools are great but real connection is what makes social media work.
Time to get your Tweet on!
