As you might know, I manage Twitter accounts for business owners who don’t have time to spend on Twitter. The reason I have a business in the first place is that companies are finally starting to recognise the importance of Social media in their marketing strategy. It’s not all about Facebook now, there are several platforms out there that really work. But my favourite is Twitter of course!
The demographic on Twitter is mostly urban (probably due to the lack of proper wi fi in some parts of the country still) but also professional and aged 35 – 55 (The highest growing demographic on Twitter is the over 55’s, probably due the the large amount of grandchildren who are skyping from wherever their parents have emigrated to, and the fact that we all bought our parents ipads and iphones last Xmas)!
Twitter is all about surrounding yourself with people who ‘get you or your product’, they understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Attract like minded people – you will find them on Twitter. It’s easy to find these people using Twitter search and hashtags. You start by following people who attract YOU. Why do you click ‘follow’ ….because that person looks interesting or looks like they know their stuff. So what does YOUR bio look like? Would YOU follow YOU? If you get a negative person following you, don’t follow them back. Keep good folk close. These are the people who will spread the word about you.
Unfortunately there are still the minority of business owners who could do really well on Twitter, yet they aren’t utilising this amazing platform for their business. Some don’t even have a Twitter account at all! So I’ve decided to share with you the top five comments I get regularly whenever I ask business owners are they on Twitter……here we go:
1. ‘I don’t do Twitter’ – This one has to be the top phrase I hear. Why? Usually it is because the person doesn’t understand it or doesn’t want to. There is a huge fear among people about social media. Mostly because they have read about negative experiences from companies who weren’t using it correctly to engage with their customers. Twitter is not a platform for ads. It is a ‘Social’ platform. A place to engage with your audience and show that you are the expert in what you do. How do you do this? You Tweet out tips about your industry, ask questions and get feedback, direct them to useful and practical tips to help them understand and learn.
2. ‘Sure I’m on Facebook, have x amount of likes isn’t that grand sure’– When I ask are they getting sales from it, they say well I think so. Facebook is great for brand awareness but with all the new rules it’s difficult to get the reach you used to. Are your target market there? Facebook is for family and friends and Twitter is for friends you haven’t met yet. Also there are so many journalists and celebrities or leaders on Twitter that it is now easier to connect with them. I know lots of SMEs who have got business from celebrities and then they have tweeted their products and comments out to their own followers, which is a huge boost for a small business owner or start up. For bigger companies, Twitter is a wonderful way to keep in touch with your customers. Measure reactions to certain tweets by using Twitter analytics or Agora Pulse. You can get a report of what was the most popular tweet for example. If this tweet got a great reaction, then do something similar again! If you want to see are the sales coming from Twitter, get access to your Google analytics. You can actually see are the sales coming from Twitter. If Twitter isn’t getting you sales then use it for engagement and Brand awareness. And concentrate on the platform that IS getting you conversions. But if used properly, Getting sales from Twitter is easy.
Engage. Remember, people buy from people and people also buy from brands they have already engaged with on Twitter (72% of people buy from brands or companies who they have engaged with on Twitter). (source: Twilert)
3. 'Ah I don't get it. Couldn't be bothered using another platform.' You could be missing out on valuable opportunities. Twitter is a wonderful B to B platform and it's a great driver of traffic to your website. But are your audience there? Perhaps they are you know. If one platform is working for you and getting you results then of course you don't need to be on Twitter. But if I did a search on your competitors would I find them there I wonder? Businesses that do well on Twitter are printing companies, hotels, solicitors, Fashion, Beauty, Consultants, Dentists, Tourism destinations, charities, Recruiters, Marketeers ....the list goes on...(providing you are adding value of course)
4. ‘I tried Twitter once, but it didn’t work for me’ – I look at the Twitter account they have set up and I see that they have only tweeted a few times, and it was all ads or all about ‘me me me’ no interaction, no retweets of others or anything. Twitter users are among the most helpful I find. If you interact and engage with them, they will happily help you out with a Retweet and spread the word for you.
5. ‘Ah I haven’t time’ – Well don’t worry, help is at hand! There are many like me who will happily manage your Twitter account for you! I have a whole team who are like me, love Twitter and are fantastic at tweeting, interacting and engaging with your audience. We know who the active Twitter users are, what time they are online, and how to target the people you want to. We know what your customers want and how to deal with them.