Don’t Be A Twit.. Twitter
This topic has been requested by two of my three readers so it must be important.
After all, were this a poll result we would be looking at a 70% agreement rate.
It seems there is some doubt about the usage of Twitter to promote your business. Not Twitter per se but rather how to make it work for you as an effective promotional tool.
The answer probably lies in the set up of your account in Twitter. So perhaps to clarify things for my majority followers and assist the remaining 30% who may not have done this before let me start at the…er…start.
If you’ve already setup an account, you can still optimise your account profile by following the steps outlined below – just skip the first four points and continue from 5 to optimise your existing account.
But first things first: Go to Twitter and, click the “Get Started – Join!” button.
2. Enter your first and last name in the “Full Name” box.
3. Next up is the “User Name”. Just as you should choose your web domain name with care don’t underestimate the importance of choosing a good user name for your account. If you’re setting up the account for your business, try to incorporate the name of your business in some way. Just remember your user name can only incorporate a total of 15 characters (including numbers, dashes, underscores or other character types. You cannot use spaces in your user name).
I would recommend using title case for your user name because it provides a bit more branding emphasis for your name that will make it stand out a bit more and will lend just a little more importance in your follower’s minds than an all lower case user name would. For example; use “Twitter.com/YourName” rather than “Twitter.com/yourname”. If you are unable to fit your full business name with the 15 character limit, use an important keyword relative to your business.
4. Enter a password and your email address and the “captcha” code, which are those distorted letters and so on, then click on the “Create My Account” button. Be cautious about the next few steps which will allow you to select from among some high profile accounts to start following.
I suggest you click on the “Skip this Step” link on the “Suggested Users” page just below the big “Finish” button. If you want, you could follow one or two of these high profile accounts but I would strongly urge you to limit who you initially follow to avoid cluttering your account with updates from celebrity and high profile personality types.
5. Next, you want to click on the “Settings” link at the top of the page.
Change your time zone setting to match up your location.
Put a link back to your web site in the “More Info URL” space. This URL can provide a significant source of traffic to your site once you start growing your following.
Importantly take care entering data in the “One Line Bio” space. Here describe who you are or the type of business you are in using relevant keywords. This is a critical element of how people will find you in various Twitter directories available online. Enter your physical location (city), select your primary language, check the “Protect My Updates” box and then click on the “Save” button.
Click on the “Notices” tab and check the “New Follower Emails” and “Direct Text Emails” boxes to be notified when someone starts following you or sends you a direct message. Click the “Save” button.
Click on the “Picture” tab to upload your business logo. A photo of you will keep it a little more personal but a business logo might be more appropriate for others. When you’re done, click the “Save” button.
Do not use the default image that Twitter provides. Using the default image is a clear indication to other followers that you’re not really serious about Twittering.
Next, click on the “Design” tab and play around with the background image and design colours to get a feel for what your page will look like. For business owners, I recommend personalising or customising your Twitter background. A customised background is another way to show your followers that you are a serious business. You can of course design your own but a good place to start is http://www.twitbacks.com/ where you can find some free designs amongst a large range of professional selections.
After you’ve made all of your profile updates and are satisfied with your account setup, go ahead and log back into the “Account” tab on your profile page and uncheck the “Protect My Updates” box. This will make your account profile publicly available.
And this is where it all starts! You will now have a constantly updated stream of information from your followers – similar to a news feed – of all the tweets of people you are actively following. Those who follow you back will be able to see your updates. Users can reply and update their tweets with a simple click of the mouse. Twitter allows you to stay in constant communication with your followers in real-time. You can also send direct messages that are private to those on your follow list. Do not over do direct messages. Use it sparingly and only in specific cases.
Just remember that what Twitter calls followers are you customers – current or future.
What I have described here applies in a similar manner to Facebook that, by the way, has more powerful tools available for you.
It is not immediately obvious why some of these tools apply to some businesses, and it’s definitely true that not all these tools will be useful to all businesses. But to not even consider how your business can improve its productivity, its customer service experience, its product design, and more, is fraught with the real risk of being left well and truly behind. The cost is minimal but the gain can be enormous.
So I now hope I have satisfied 100% of my readers.
Arvo Elias
Cybercons
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