For some individuals, Twitter seems like a silly waste of time favored by celebrities and teenagers who have nothing better to do. However, underestimating the power of Twitter is a mistake, especially in the business world. Surprised? Don’t be. There are more than 200 million active Twitter accounts, approximately 50 million of who log in every day. More than 230 million tweets are broadcast daily, a number that continues to increase.
Twitter is undoubtedly popular and this includes business professionals, which means that smart companies can utilize Twitter for effective B2B social media marketing.
1. Task someone with a thorough understanding of the social media world to create a company business profile on Twitter and then start making smart, interesting and relevant tweets.
2. Encourage the business audience to “Follow” the company page on Twitter and encourage comments and questions as well. The more that the audience interacts and tracks the company, the more loyal the audience becomes to the company. The process is similar to friends who “follow” each other online – as they see each other’s thoughts, comments and information, the more closely the two are linked.
3. Use tracking tools such as Hootsuite or Bitly to track what the audience is listening to and what they are ignoring on Twitter. After all, in a business capacity, it is important to know what tweets are capturing the attention of the business audience.
4. Do not leave the job of social media networking to just one person in the office. The business audience reacts and pays more attention when several, high-ranking individuals in management also post and stay active on Twitter. After all, people want to hear what the CEO has to say as well as what the Product Development team is thinking. Using multiple points of view will ensure a lively stream of activity from the company that will catch the attention of the business audience.
5. Note that as with everything else in business, this requires a balance. Resist the urge to bombard the audience with constant tweets all day, every day. This amounts to spam and will turn people off very quickly. Instead, aim for one or two relevant, interesting and smart tweets on a daily basis. Remember as well that the more relevant and surprising the news, the more likely it is to be shared with others.
6. Keep track of trending topics on Twitter by searching top keywords on the Twitter site to see what others are saying. This can provide valuable information about the topics that are trending and getting the most attention. Utilize this information to drive tweets and, conversely, to know when not to talk about something that is not getting much attention.
7. Finally, use Twitter to promote the business audience in a positive, sincere manner. Often, the business audience will respond with positive tweets of their own, thereby increasing visibility for everyone.
Use Twitter wisely for a B2B audience and watch how much some simple tweets can change an entire business.
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