As Tech Girl grows I’m trying to take it a bit more “seriously” and it has developed from a blog to an SME. One of our incredible contributors, Jade Brennan, also happens to be a Google Analytics genius so she has been talking me through the platform and showing me a few things to help create content you actually want to read.
One of the things we’ve noticed is that when it comes to social media referrals (so people who found the blog via social media). The majority of these referrals are from Twitter! For any SME, social media marketing is an extremely important facet of the marketing mix. It is word of mouth marketing on steroids! Over the last decade, social media has transformed the way business is carried out in South Africa.
Through a platform like Twitter, SMEs have an opportunity to talk directly to customers. But as consumers get increasingly social-media savvy, businesses – small or big – need to take on a more strategic, relationship-building approach. An integrated approach inclusive of social media marketing is the best way to reach today’s increasingly social-media-savvy consumers, which means that brands have to tap into their audience’s interests and channel the power of moments.
Twitter, in essence, is all about moments. Whether new to Twitter or looking for ways to grow on the platform, here are some tips for businesses to get the most value from Twitter:
Building a Twitter presence
Find your voice – Don’t be afraid to let your personality, or that of your employees come through. Of course, business styles vary so you need to find a tone that works for your business and your customers.
Monitor – Research the conversation happening on Twitter around your company, products and competitors.
Engage – Use Twitter to convey insights and information about your company that your customers can’t find elsewhere. Ask your followers questions and listen for constructive comments.
Respond – Reply when people tweet about you. Favorite and Retweet positive messages, and thank those who are supporting you. Don’t ignore Tweets just because they are critical – address issues if possible and look for valuable feedback to incorporate. Some conversations need to be taken offline.
Keep it fresh and timely – The real time nature of Twitter creates a short shelf life for content so Tweet often and about relevant topics. Try to engage with trends and hashtags that fit with your company.
Offer value in your Tweets – Value can mean different things to different people. For some it’s knowledgable information or witty observations, for others it’s competitions and special offers. Find out what your audience likes and tailor your Tweets. Not everything has to be about your products or company.
Tweet something sharable – People engage more with interesting content, include a photo, ask a question, or even share a Vine.
How Twitter can help your business
Connect in context – On Twitter, people talk about what they care about and what’s happening around them right now, including your business. This gives you a powerful context to connect your message to what’s most meaningful to your customers in real time. Engaging with real-time Tweets can influence conversations in a way that can help build your business.
Listen and learn – See what your competitors are tweeting about or search for industry keywords to listen and gather market intelligence. It’s an easy way to get insights that you can use to inform your strategy.
Drive awareness – Raise the profile of your business and increase the impact of your marketing by using Twitter to regularly communicate with your followers. Extend your reach even further with Twitter Ads.
Provide customer service – 73% of SME Twitter users said Twitter provides them with a quick way to reply to customer service issues. Use it to quickly and easily respond to support queries and to develop a good reputation for your business and strong relationships with customers.
Connect with influencers -Twitter breaks down the barriers and enables you to connect with anyone. It’s a great way of joining or even starting discussions with influencers and industry experts to raise the profile of your business and build valuable connections.
For more tips and ideas on how businesses can benefit from Twitter, visit business.twitter.com.
Special thanks to Twitter for helping out with the information in this post. Did you find it helpful?
