2011 Twitter Marketing Tips

Twitter, among Facebook, are those hot keywords we see from clients quite often who want to build into their marketing mix…yet let alone understand what it is or how its useful. Everyone is one it, everyone is using it, but how its used is another story among businesses. While we find the use of Twitter and Facebook used sparingly among client internet marketing strategies, there is a fit in the mix to compliment other online marketing programs – Search, SEO, direct marketing, branding or even an arm of a seasonal marketing campaign. So for those Internet marketers, or business owners, kicking off 2011 with SMM (social media marketing) at the top of their marketing list, we’ve provided a few Twitter tips to help you consider where and how the dirty blue bird will fit within your plans.

Now remember, Twitter is one of those media’s that really does not have a specific approach for every business but rather a variety of approaches that businesses can take depending on what is right for them. It’s a business tool to reach your market and audience. While the jury is out if Twitter is just a lot of noise with no one really listening, we have seen it work for clients who can build up a solid loyal following – quality over quantity.

Tip #1:  Twitter & Promotions
Got promotions for your business and not sure how to exactly go about pushing the message to the market? Sure a targeted email blast is a given, but Twitter is also a great way to go.  Not only does your audience pick up the promotion immediately on their Blackberry or iPhone, but Twitter posts now appear randomly in search results giving you an increased chance for visibility. Hint – think ‘local’ (ex. Vancouver cupcakes 50% off).
Tip#2: Announcements
Relevant company announcements in general should be made regardless of the platform but your Twitter audience could respond to a company announcement very well. Plus if you have any loyalists and evangelists…yes, cheerleaders, that follow you they might even take that announcement and push it out a bit further for you by posting to their blog or re-Tweet to their followers.

Tip #3:  Google Saturation
Twitter offers a similar ability as Facebook to build additional brand presence in the search results by developing a Twitter profile. Creating a branded profile page about your company helps saturate the top 10 market share of search results when individuals search Google for your company or services.  Your website is your number one goal to be found in the search results, and the remaining 9 results left to your competition? Why not steal more ‘search share’ of that top 10 results and add your Twitter profile to the search results, or other social profile pages as your Facebook business page or Youtube? Search engines are giving more and more weight towards social reputation that is relevant to users search results. So rather than striving for the one position in Googles top 10, why not take 20-50% of these results with social profiles…including Twitter.

Tip#4: Blog Posts
It’s a given your social media blog should be posted through your Twitter account as well. You can do this manually, or set up widgets to post automatically when a new blog post is published. You could very well be losing out on a some really great targeted traffic if you’re not doing this already, and the after affect of Search indexing the Twitter stream and reciprocal linkage.

Tip#5: Industry Tips
Leaving behind industry related tips is a great way to build up a nice following, and build the reputation as the go-to peer in your industry. People love free information especially if it helps them out with their career or profession in any way. Once people catch on that you are offering really valuable industry tips your Twitter stream will grow.

Tip#6: Comedic Approach
Break the ice and tension from time to time and build some memorable content. Posting photos or video streams of funny situations that might be happening inside your office, industry, seasonal, etc. It can give your business some personality – and a lasting impression.

Twitter has a number of advantages for businesses to consider mashing its use into their marketing mix. Test a variety of efforts to see which one meshes best with your business style and culture. Track the metrics through available online tools and even your Google analytics. See what impact it has on any online goals, or what your audience is saying about it. If your not using the dirty blue bird already, 2011 is a good time to start.