Twitter for Business

Presentation via Herb Lawrence Center Director ASU SBTDC@asbtdc_asu Special Thanks to Our

Sponsors

“Twitter is an information network. Millions of people, organizations, and businesses use it to discover and share new information.” – via Twitter.com

Twitter allows you to read and write short messages (called tweets) that are displayed publically and can be searched. You decide who’s messages you want to read by following other accounts and people choose to read your messages by follow your account.

You can use Twitter at your desk or on the go!

What is Twitter?

via twitter.com/what-is-twitterhttp://pinterest.com/pin/273382639850698413/

Tweet: the 140 character message you share or read on Twitter. Includes punctuation & links.

Retweet (RT): if you see a tweet by another user you want to share, you click Retweet to send it out to your followers instantly.

Twitter Tag: when you sign up for Twitter you choose a username this becomes your twitter tag: @username. People can then directly interface with you via Twitter.

Mention: Once you have a Twitter Tag, you can mention others and people can mention you in their tweets. Example: “@asbtdc_asu I’m in your workshop, and I’m tweeting you!”

The Lingo – a Twitter Glossary

Message (DM): If you want to privately share with another user on Twitter you can Direct Message them if they are already following you. Example: “DM (or D) @asbtdc_asu I’m really confused, can I ask you a question later?”

Hashtag (#): Many users will create a tweet centered around certain topics. You can use a hashtag to send your message to others also interested in that topic. Example: “Businesses are using social networks more every day – see the stats here: http://blahbl.ah #socialmedia #business”

Short Links: web addresses can be really long and take up all of your room. Using a short link can help save room in your tweets.Example: http://www.asbtdc-asu.com/do-it-yourself-bookmarks-for-business.htm --- can be shortened to: http://ow.ly/5DBNk

•You can get a full glossory at: https://support.twitter.com/entries/166337-the-twitter-glossary

The Lingo - continued

Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds & will continue to grow with the new integration of all Apple devices running iOS 5, released this fall.

Great for direct website traffic, interacting with a niche industry or community.

More targeted audiences & analytics of click through rates and targets on links.

Great way to build yourself as a resource in an industry & you can be found locally, nationally & internationally.

Twitter & Your Website

• What are your goals?– Education? Sales? Phone Call?– Lead Generation?– Communicating an idea, thought, or brand?– How are you currently trying to reach them?

• Do you have a website?– Is it updated? Do you have control? Is it flexible?– Are your customers finding and using your website?

Think About Your Online Strategy

Before you get started spend some time searching on http://search.twitter.com for the keywords you think people would be using when discussing your business, industry or product. Try Social Mention http://www.socialmention.com

Listening first can help you decide if this social network is where you need to be and will also allow you to see how others are using the platform in your industry.

Do some research…

http://twitter.com

Let’s get familiar with Twitter

Let’s Take A Break!

Follow Me on Twitter!www.twitter.com/asbtdc_asu

http://twitter.com

Hands On in Twitter

Choose a short & memorable twitter tag for your business. Name of business works best.

Fill in as many fields as possible in the profile. Great for search engine & also helps people identify if you are worth the follow!

USE A PHOTO – this is important – credibility is crucial on Twitter and most “spammers” do not have a photo set, don’t get lumped with the rest!

Don’t get too excited – take it easy. Don’t auto follow anybody – you will get kicked off. In the beginning, follow relevant, local people you trust. Don’t follow more than 100 people in one day – spread it out and take your time.

Tweet something before you start following people – put out at least 10 tweets. People won’t follow you if you aren’t saying anything.

Setting Up An Account

Don’t click on links with suspicious messages.

There will be people who follow you that are “spammers” you can recognize them by: Same message over and over again. Photo is an easter egg. Photo is a scantly dressed female or male. They are following 1,000+ people with 0 followers.

Beware!

Hootsuite, TweetDeck, Twuffer…You have options – if maintaining a strong Twitter presence you should be tweeting often. Anywhere from 15-25 times/day.

Schedule. Respond. Retweet. Share.

Time Management

Let’s look at Hootsuite

http://hootsuite.com

Build your following, reputation, and customer's trust with these simple practices:

Share. Share photos and behind the scenes info about your business. Even better, give a glimpse of developing projects and events. Users come to Twitter to get and share the latest, so give it to them!

Listen. Regularly monitor the comments about your company, brand, and products.

Ask. Ask questions of your followers to glean valuable insights and show that you are listening.

Respond. Respond to compliments and feedback in real time.*Source: http://business.twitter.com/basics/best-practices

Best Practices via Twitter

Reward. Tweet updates about special offers, discounts and time-sensitive deals.

Demonstrate wider leadership and know-how. Reference articles and links about the bigger picture as it relates to your business.

Champion your stakeholders. Retweet and reply publicly to great tweets posted by your followers and customers.

Establish the right voice. Twitter users tend to prefer a direct, genuine, and of course, a likable tone from your business, but think about your voice as you Tweet. How do you want your business to appear to the Twitter community?

*Source: http://business.twitter.com/basics/best-practices

Best Practices… Continued

Great video from Howcast to help freshen your memory tomorrow: http://youtu.be/JXPmI4YaOpM

Let’s Summarize

Thanks Again -- ASBTDC Online:

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/ASU.SBTDC

Twitter:http://twitter.com/asbtdc_asu

Blog:http://www.asbtdc-asu.com/

Connect with Herb on LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/asusbtdc

Thanks For Coming!