10 Savvy Updates for Twitter

What makes social networking so exciting right now is that “the book” is still being written. What I mean by that, is that people are finding a multitude of ways to use tools like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to promote themselves and their businesses. Are they producing the intended results? In many cases, the answer appears to be, “absolutely.” If you haven’t stepped foot in this arena yet, at the very least set up your accounts and post a picture and a link to your website. It takes 15 minutes and it’s free.

frontpage-birdThe big question after you are LIVE is, “now what do I do?” The quick answer is start by posting updates and inviting people to be part of your network. In this article, let’s start by looking at what type of information you can post to boost exposure and promote your business. I’m not one personally for updating the world on the newest run in my nylons. So what kind of comments should you post? Strategic, well-thought-out ones of course, mixed with a personal flavour – hmmm sounds just like live networking.

Here are 10 clever ways to use your updates in Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Twitter to get results.

1. Think Media – Did you know the larger news and broadcast media are watching social networks for relevant news ideas? Well they are. So think of some catchy headlines that are topical and use these for updates.

2. Q. & A. – Do you get asked a lot of common questions? Pose the question via your update and then develop a link back to your site for the answer.

3. New Article or Newsletter Link – Check the software you are using. Can it automatically update your status? If so, set it up to do so or manually enter the topic and a link to read more.

4. Conduct a Poll – Want to test a new product or service or gauge market demand? Ask people what they think on a topic.

5. Brag - Share your successes. It lets people know you are in business and making progress. This could be a big client or an award or media exposure, as examples.

6. Invites - Invite people to your next Free tele-seminar or webinar or even to a paid event.

7. Share Interesting Resources – This could be a helpful tool, recommended reading, a great blog or a useful website.

8. Announce New Products or Services – Again, this lets people know you are invested in growing your business.

9. Introduce/Promote Others in Your Community or Network – Networking is about connecting people. Make sure you “give” back and support others by singing their praises, providing a testimonial or commenting on a useful page on their website.

10. Stay Human – Ask for help or expose a weakness. Because you may never meet these people face to face, it’s important to show people you are just like them. Poke fun at yourself every now and then, or allow others to help you. Otherwise they may see you or your company as too high-level for them.

Think about it. If you can think of 3 examples for each of the above ideas you would have 30 updates. That’s a month’s worth!

ducttapemarketingbadgeCidnee Stephen is the owner of Strategies for Success – a marketing company that focuses on the needs of budget-minded small businesses and professional services. She has helped hundreds of small businesses get out of their peak and valley ruts to finally achieve that next vital level of success. Cidnee is also a sought-after speaker, writer and blogger on marketing topics that affect small businesses and B2B service based operations.

If you would like to build a system to reach those goals quicker, check out Cindee’s Speak for Leads & Expertise Program.

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3 Comments on this post »

show or hide Comment by Jeny on 2009-10-28 03:11:49

I’ve heard that soon Twitter will start to charge businesses a small fee to one of their upcoming feature, so i think entrepreneurs should use Twitter to the fullest while it is still free.

show or hide Comment by Chelle Parmele on 2009-10-28 10:22:04

Yes, several signs are pointing to the fact that the era of “Free” might be coming to a close.

Being that Twitter is a business too, I would hope they find a way to monetize the service and if a business believes it’s helpful for their bottom line, I’m sure they (for the most part) would be happy to pay for it.

 
 
show or hide Comment by Ron Derven on 2009-10-29 21:54:32

Social media, particularly Twitter at the moment seems to have huge potential. I was disparaging of Twitter when I first looked at it and fooled around with it. But as I have studied it and researched what others are doing, I believe it has big financial potential for many small businesses.

Ron D
http://www.start-a-business-faw.com

 
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