10 Practical Tips for Using Twitter to Grow a Small Business Anita Campbell Editor, Small Business Trends http:// smallbiztrends.com Twitter: @smallbiztrends Cool Twitter Conference Cleveland, August 7, 2009

How to Use These Tips The following are tips I’ve used or seen others use with success for business growth Not a hard and fast formula Not every tip fits every situation – not everything will be right for you My goal: trigger ideas for you

The following are tips I’ve used or seen others use with success for business growth

Not a hard and fast formula

Not every tip fits every situation – not everything will be right for you

My goal: trigger ideas for you

Tip 1 Have a strategy – keep the end in mind when tweeting for biz Don’t become a Digital Sharecropper Always make Twitter and other social media secondary to your own properties

Have a strategy – keep the end in mind when tweeting for biz

Don’t become a Digital Sharecropper

Always make Twitter and other social media secondary to your own properties

Tip 2 Reinforce your brand Use your brand name or URL in your Twitter handle Complete your profile/bio Consider a Twitter landing page

Reinforce your brand

Use your brand name or URL in your Twitter handle

Complete your profile/bio

Consider a Twitter landing page

Tip 3 Become a trusted source of on-point information Stay on point 85% of the time Sprinkle in personal info Be findable by searchers – use relevant “keywords” in your tweet

Become a trusted source of on-point information

Stay on point 85% of the time

Sprinkle in personal info

Be findable by searchers – use relevant “keywords” in your tweet

Tip 4 Drive traffic to your blog Trend: 5% of my blog traffic is from Twitter One example: 24,000 visits within 4 days from one Twitter article; 10% of traffic “stuck” with monthly uplift Be careful of Hootsuite or other tools that “frame” pages

Drive traffic to your blog

Trend: 5% of my blog traffic is from Twitter

One example: 24,000 visits within 4 days from one Twitter article; 10% of traffic “stuck” with monthly uplift

Be careful of Hootsuite or other tools that “frame” pages

Tip 5 Be “retweetable” – every retweet is a brand building opportunity Trend right now is lots of retweeting (repeating) of tweets Make short enough for others to retweet without changing your words ~120 characters long

Be “retweetable” – every retweet is a brand building opportunity

Trend right now is lots of retweeting (repeating) of tweets

Make short enough for others to retweet without changing your words

~120 characters long

Tip 6 Monitor for use of keywords Good way to find like-minded people to follow Gives you a reason to contact people, although requires a light touch Twitter Search and TwitterHawk help monitor

Monitor for use of keywords

Good way to find like-minded people to follow

Gives you a reason to contact people, although requires a light touch

Twitter Search and TwitterHawk help monitor

Tip 7 Don’t forget to “Engage” Respond back to people – people respond to people Try to use complete thoughts in your response – promotes wider conversation – others jump in and converse

Don’t forget to “Engage”

Respond back to people – people respond to people

Try to use complete thoughts in your response – promotes wider conversation – others jump in and converse

Tip 8 Follow Back Generously Following is act of courtesy; actively builds “community” thru inclusiveness Makes it easy for people to DM you Most small biz don’t have big enough brand to command large follower ##s without going this extra step

Follow Back Generously

Following is act of courtesy; actively builds “community” thru inclusiveness

Makes it easy for people to DM you

Most small biz don’t have big enough brand to command large follower ##s without going this extra step

Tip 9 Hold or Participate in TweetChats A chat session using Twitter Community of like-minded people in Twitter Small biz using effectively: #SBBUZZ #DIYMKT #SMBIZ

Hold or Participate in TweetChats

A chat session using Twitter

Community of like-minded people in Twitter

Small biz using effectively:

#SBBUZZ

#DIYMKT

#SMBIZ

Tip 10 Use Tools for Efficiency TweetBeep Alerts Scheduled tweets: TweetLater & Adjix Be careful of automatic “add followers” software

Use Tools for Efficiency

TweetBeep Alerts

Scheduled tweets: TweetLater & Adjix

Be careful of automatic “add followers” software

Bonus Tip Be Authentic! Distinguish yourself from the bots on Twitter Be YOU! There’s only one YOU

Be Authentic!

Distinguish yourself from the bots on Twitter

Be YOU! There’s only one YOU

What else would you like to know?

Thank you! Anita Campbell http:// smallbiztrends.com Twitter: @smallbiztrends