Using Twitter to promote my business online

Can sending out tweets really boost your business? Yes they can. Tweets are the short messages that you send out using Twitter. They help you gain a following, and if you are a business owner, a large follower base can become the springboard you need to spur growth.  If you still don’t understand then let’s take a look at the basics … So what is Twitter anyway?

Twitter is a social network much like Facebook that allows you to make meaningful connections. Unlike Facebook where you can have an entire business page, with Twitter you have to say what you need to using a limited number of characters, 140 in total.  That means if you want to engage the audience in ‘Twittersphere,’ your tweets must be relevant, interesting, and engaging.

Knowing about Twitter is one thing, using it effectively is quite another. If Twitter is going to work for your business, you need to:

• Choose a user name that expresses your brand.
• Get your brand out there, where it can be seen.
• Follow the right people – customers, suppliers, industry organisations, employees, even your competitors.
• Promote your Twitter account on your website.  

If you get all that done right, you will end up with a captive audience, and from there all you need to do is to keep them engaged. Use Twitter to share industry news, offer tips or discounts, run competitions, or share information on special events. Twitter can help you generate more website traffic, and this provides the perfect opportunity for you to turn those visitors into paying customers.

Although Google does not index tweets, posting quality content will boost your links and web traffic, and this will make Google’s search engine take notice.  So if you’re not already using Twitter to boost your business, now is the time to get started.