This presentation discusses how businesses can use Twitter for marketing and customer service purposes. Key points include how to set up a Twitter profile, engage with followers by tweeting relevant content and retweeting others, use hashtags to join conversations, and leverage tools like lists and advanced search. Examples are given of how companies have benefited from addressing customer complaints on Twitter and building communities around their brands. Best practices like regularly engaging others and avoiding self-promotion are also covered.

1. Twitter for Business
Presented by: Leslie Hughes

2. Twitter.com – a “microblogging”
platform
 Limited to “tweeting”
in 140 characters
 Increasingly being
used for customer
service
 Most updates are
from mobile devices

3. Agenda
 What is Twitter?
 How You Can Use Twitter
 Twitter Terminology
 Getting Started
 What to Tweet About
 Advanced Search
 What the Tweet is a Twitter Party?
 Best Practices and Crisis Scenarios

4. Twitter Page

5. Twitter Statistics and Facts
 Grew by over 1900% in
2008 to 2009
 Over 200 million members
and growing by 350K per
day.
 55 million tweets per day
 Politicians, brands, big
companies and celebrities
now embracing Twitter
www.digitalbuzzblog.com

6. How You Can Use Twitter
 Connect with strangers/build alliances
 Promote your brand
 Create buzz - events, promotions, free trials:
 Customer relations
 Crisis management
 Issue/charity advocacy and awareness
 Increasing sales (use sales messages sparingly!)
 Track what people are saying about your business.
 Calls-to-action to other content you’ve created.
 Create relationships with journalists and influential
people.

7. Twitter Terminology
 Handle: Twitter username ie. @punchmediadotca
 @ = replies: Refer to someone using @ symbol. Will allow
them to know you’re tweeting with them or re-tweeting
their content.
 RT = “re-tweet”: You are sharing someone else’s tweet
with your followers and giving original person credit.
 DM = Direct message. Private messages. You can only
DM if you both follow each other
 # (hashtag): easier to follow trend thread. i.e.
#JapanDisaster
 Bit.ly Tiny.cc Ow.ly: way to turn a very long URL into a
shorter version to fit within 140 character requirement.
(Note: Bit.ly tracks clicks)

8. Why 140 Characters?
•If you keep to
less than 125
characters, it
makes your
content easier to
re-tweet (aka
share)

9. The RT = “retweet”
 Give credit to the original source by RT
@username or (via @username)
 Try to keep the original tweet as intact or clear
as possible
 If you only type 125 characters, you leave room
for people to RT with comments.

10. Twitter Trending Topics
 Hudson plane crash was
captured and shared
long before traditional
media.
 Trending topics often
include deaths of
celebrities and scandals
 Usually # hashtag thread
is used

11. Unsuccessful Twitter Tactics
 Random mass follow in the hopes that anyone
will follow back
 Direct Message a “Welcome”
 Develop brochure-ware
 Tweet too many times
 Randomly post
@username and put
spam into “status”
 Don’t use numbers or
underscore in name

12. Brochure-ware vs Engagement
Canada USA

13. Additional “real
estate” Twitter Page
@ “replies
Status update Direct messages Following Followers
Search

14. Set Up
Use personal
name for Full
Name
Username
should reflect
business
branding
Add picture/
personalize =
avatar

15. Design
 Set up a custom
background
featuring your logo
for increased brand
presence.
www.Twitbacks.com
 Custom Background
size 1600px by
1200px
 Settings>Design >
Change
Background image -
browse (find file) -
save changes

16. Find People
 Browse Suggestions
 Find Friends
 By Email
 On Twitter: through
other people you
or your competitors
follow
 Find a community
of like-minded
people to connect
with.

17. Follow People or Businesses
 Follow influential people and thought
leaders.

18. Other Twitter Functions

19. Getting Started: I
 Start by using Twitter Search to follow
relevant people (and competitors)
 Note: following is not reciprocal
 Add a picture to show you’re a real
person
 Be personal, interesting, conversational

20. Getting Started: II
 Build list slowly
 Note: You don’t have to read every
tweet.
 70/20/10 rule = 70% Good info, 20% RT
10% self promotion.

21. Things You Can Tweet About
 Job postings
 Exclusive “Twitter” coupons or deals
 Behind-the-scenes of your company
 Sneak peeks of projects or events
 Links to your articles/blogs or other
content
 How-to’s: instructional videos or stories
 News: especially breaking news

22. Things You Can Tweet About
 Respond to customer service issues.
 Warnings: scams or viruses.
 Freebies and contests.
 Observations.
 Books you’re reading
 What you’re watching on TV.
 Join conversations.
 Re-tweet other people’s content.

23. Lists
 Keep track of
topics/groups
Source: @danzarella

24. Hashtag #
 Purpose is to follow a thread
 Group chat/tweetup (use
TweetGrid.com or Tweetchat.com)
 Ask a question and collect ideas
 Share an experience (#olympics)
 Popular #FollowFriday or #FF =
recommended people to follow

25. Shorteners: Bit.ly
fb.me = Facebook, goo.gl = Google, ow.ly = Hootsuite

26. Advanced Search
 search.twitter.com or
 http://search.twitter.co
m/advanced
 Enter relevant
keywords and your
brand
 Set up RSS feed
 Engage: Ask a
question, or start a
conversation
Source: @danzarella

27. Useful Tools & Tips
 TwitterGrader: ww.tweet.grader.com
 Klout: www.klout.com
 Friend or Follow: www.friendorfollow.com
Find out who is following you/who isn’t/who
has the most followers etc.
 Ask “Please RT” (sparingly!)
 Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Co-Tweet

28. HootSuite: Management

29. Tweet Ups and Twitter Parties
 TweetUps: Twitter friends get together in real
life.
 Twitter Parties: Twitter people gather
together at a designated time to chat
online. Sometimes sponsored and prizes are
given.

30. What can happen on Twitter…

31. United Breaks Guitars

32. @ThatKevinSmith
 Kevin Smith (1.6 million followers) became a PR
nightmare for the SouthWest airlines.

33. Kogi: @kogiBBQ
 Kogi (90,000 followers July 2011) a mobile force of Korean Mexico taco
BBQ trucks in L.A.

34. COLDFX
Porter Airlines

35. How to get lots of followers
 Put your Twitter logo on your website,
handle on business card etc.
 Make your tweets re-tweetable = kick ass
content. Be a thought leader.
 Be public (not private profile).
 Engage - a lot.

36. Next Steps
 Begin tweeting
 Follow relevant people & “talk” to them!
 Measure your goals against your
benchmarks/strategy but remember
“sentiment” cannot be measured.
 Identify “Brand Ambassadors” or key
influencers who will help you spread your
word. Reward them.

37. Be sure to…..
 Follow us:
www.facebook.com/punchmediadotca
 Tweet with us:
www.twitter.com/punchmediadotca
 Learn from us: www.punchmedia.wordpress.com
 Learn MORE from us:
www.punchmedia.ca/email.html