Social Marketing: I Tweet, Therefore I am
January 11th, 2011 by Nish Nadaraja
Or more importantly, to tweet or not to tweet, that is the question. If you’re at all a believer in reaching and connecting to your customers on a 1:1 level, then the answer is yes! Every company or business has its own unique experience on Twitter, from Neiman Marcus to Fred Flare, but there is some common wisdom out there.
1. Build Relationships, not Broadcasts.
Twitter is first and foremost a place to connect, learn, and listen. So instead of thinking of it as a place to broadcast information about your sales, promotions, etc., think about it as way to interact and initiate conversation…
2. Provide real value, not real spam.
Whenever and whatever your tweet, think about the value, not to you, but to your followers. So when you’re offering a deal or coupon, why not make it exclusive? Take your followers behind the scenes and give them a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors: share cool photos from the office and of the team, let people get to know you. Can a brand have a human touch? Yes it can! And the more social trust you have, the more likely those followers will become fans (if not already), and even better, your evangelists.
3. Follow and Be Followed.
It goes without saying (or does it?) that your own tweets should be insightful and interesting. You can tweet choice quotes or stats, tweet about events or happenings that pertain to your business, but always tweet stellar content. Think of it like your best merchandise. But Twitter is just as much about followers as it is about being followed…
Here are some handy resources for all things Tweeter:
Have no idea what Twitter is about?
http://www.howcast.com/videos/149055-How–To–Use–Twitter
15 Twitter apps for professionals:
http://www.dotsauce.com/2009/03/17/recommended–twitter–apps/
Killer content in 140 characters or less
http://www.twitip.com/writing–killer–content–in-140-characters–or–less/
Twitter ‘follow me’ badges:
http://www.twitip.com/181-twitter–buttons–badges–widget–and–counters–to–help–you–find–followers
Add Tweet This button next to product descriptions
http://twitter.com/goodies/tweetbutton