1. Network with noteworthy business associates, competitors, and peers. You don’t have to simply befriend every person you can that requests you or vice versa on Twitter. Instead, choose your networking buddies carefully. Look for fellow executives or business owners who work within your particular niche. Then, follow their progress, look for advice, and of course, throw in some of your own two cents as well. By befriending people who are in the same line of work as you, you’ll get an insider’s look at how their successes compare to yours.
2. Update your audience fairly regularly, but don’t over load them. A lot of people are most likely interested in what you have to say, otherwise they probably wouldn’t have added you to begin with. This means you should be updating them on a fairly regular basis so they can keep up with what’s happening in your world or your business’ world. On the other hand, you don’t want to overload people so much that the feel of your Twitter site feels “spammy” and they turn away. Try to maintain the balance between good updating and overwhelming people with insignificant updates.
3. Use Twitterfeed to help people stay updated. Twitterfeed is basically the website’s answer to an RSS feed, and it’s a great way to automatically keep your followers updated without them checking your page too often. It also allows things to be updated on their own, so you don’t have to spend extra time telling everyone you have an updated; it’s all done for you.
4. Use Twitter at conferences and trade shows. When you’re out and about networking in the REAL world, don’t forget to use Twitter then as an opportunity to update your customers and peers on what you’re seeing and doing. This shows them that you’re being proactive and it’s a lot of fun as well. You can tell them some funny things you might be seeing at the trade show, or maybe inform them of an interesting vendor you’ve hooked up with. By sharing your experiences as you go along, you’re garnering more interest in what is happening with your business.
5. Keep an eye on what people are saying. Don’t forget that Twitter, like any other virtual conversation, is a two-way street. Pay attention to what other members are saying, and see if they’re Twittering about you. If they are, you might want to use that as an opportunity to either thank them for a nice compliment, or to make good if they are posting a complaint. Remember that you’re never 100% safe from someone who might try to talk negatively about you, your website, or anything else on Twitter. Be sure to use this to your advantage in a diplomatic way.
6. Display your Twitter profile on business cards, your website, and in email signatures. Remind people in other ways that you’re on Twitter. Some clients and customers might not know this until you pass the information along. Get a nice snapshot of your Twitter home page and then display it along with a link to the Twitter page on your actual website. Include the page’s URL in email signatures and you can even print this on a business card if you like.
7. Make Twitter another home hub. Use Twitter to display your business growth, charts, statistics, and other factual data. This way, people who prefer to watch what’s happening with you on Twitter have the same basic information and access as those who usually just visit your website.
8. Promote Events. Remember to not just update people on the comings and goings of your business, but also to get them hyped up for any big events you may have coming up. This can be anything from an appearance at a trade show to a huge seasonal sale or a launching of a new product. Always keep Twitter in mind when it comes to these updates, and remember that it can reach a lot more people than just your email subscribers.
9. Filter your traffic to other places. You can use Twitter to also steer people to other resources that you use for marketing such as a blog page or website updates. The exchange of information through Twitter can go both ways, so keep that in mind. It’s a good way to get others moving to different resources that you have available that they might not know about.
10. Find a cool template that says who you are as company. Twitter now allows users to customize the look of their home page. Use something individual and creative as your Twitter page. This can be the same graphics you use on your website, a company logo, or something you’ve customized just for Twitter. No matter what it is, make sure it’s appealing to the eyes and does not look too “busy.”