Why You Should Be on Twitter

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It is time for a refresher course on Twitter. There are many social media strategies behind Twitter’s use for business and why it is effective and valuable for your business. Revisiting Twitter basics is a good idea. Why are you on Twitter? Of course there are several good reasons.

Why

  • Communicating with your friends: Twitter is definitely a good tool for communicating with your friends; however, if that is your only reason for being connected to Twitter, you should make sure that your tweets are protected so that you have control over who is allowed to read them. You should only allow your tweets to be viewed by people you trust.
     
  • Networking for business: Twitter is an excellent tool for building your professional connections of value. You are not limited geographically. You can connect with people on a universal basis, which will most likely be beneficial to the success of your business. You can make all sorts of connections with people with whom you share professional interests and who are in your industry or niche.
     
  • Spreading awareness: Twitter allows companies to spread awareness, discuss industry trends, and connect followers to company blogs by creating an online dialogue that easily reaches a large audience — an audience that is looking for information about your company.
     
  • Sharing knowledge: Twitter is a great tool to share your knowledge and expertise and discover new opinions and thoughts from like-minded people in your industry.
     
  • Customer service: Twitter is a great tool to monitor what your customers are saying about your company and your product. You can proactively respond fast to customer complaints and avoid them being turned into major issues. You can also use Twitter to offer special deals and promotions to your customers.
     
  • Engage with clients and build your reputation: Twitter is a great way to engage with your current and future clients, building your company reputation through constant engagement and quality content and building your personal reputation as a thought leader and industry specialist. 

How

  • Choosing a Twitter name: The Twitter name that you choose should be your whole name (or at least your first name and last initial) or some variation of your name. It is important to make sure that your real name is on your Twitter profile.
     
  • Making your profile publically accessible: The whole purpose of your being on Twitter is so that you can build relationships with people. You are using your Twitter account for business purposes. The more high-quality connections you make, the more business you will potentially bring in.
     
  • Using a real location on your profile: If you provide your real location on Twitter, you will be able to build deeper relationships with people in your area. Once you have established a relationship with those people on Twitter, you can go to the next step of networking with them in person.
     
  • Customizing your biography: You should make sure that your biography mentions your professional activities and objectives but also gives a sense of you as a person. Twitter limits you to 160 characters maximum. Make sure that you use them most effectively.
     
  • Choosing your photo: Your photo should appear professional (but not dry). A head shot is the best choice. This is how people will relate to you on a human level. It is very important that you choose the right photo.
     
  • Choosing your URL: If you are connected to other social media channels, you should link them to your Twitter account. It is a good idea to have your name in your URL, if at all possible.
     
  • Being discriminating in your choice of who you follow: It is not a good enough reason to follow someone just because they follow you. You should follow people back if you feel that your interactions will be mutually beneficial and that you can build a valuable relationship together.
     
  • Starting to follow people gradually: Your list of people whom you follow should consist of people who have some relevance to your business. You don’t need to connect with a large number of people at once.
     
  • Paying close attention to valuable and relevant tweets: Before you write a single tweet, you should listen to what other people are writing. Once you have really listened well enough, you should start to interact with others . There are many different ways in which you can effectively interact. A great way to interact is to show your appreciation (or gratitude) of the tweets that other people are sharing with you or retweeting what they have tweeted. Your Twitter interactions are the beginning of your relationships that you will build over time and eventually, hopefully, you will get to know those people in person as well.

Conclusion

Twitter is a wonderfully rich source of instantaneous information. The information presented here provides you with a foundation of how Twitter works and why it is worth creating an account and starting to tweet to others. Twitter has rapidly become one of the most valuable and popular social media tools that exists. People use it for personal communications and business communications. The potential is far reaching. More and more people are recognizing its worth and are leveraging it in so many ways for their business.

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Author

  • Michael Cohn

    Michael Cohn is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CompuKol Communications. He has decades of experience in IT and web technologies. Michael founded CompuKol Communications to help small businesses and entrepreneurs increase their visibility and reputation. CompuKol consults, creates, and implements communication strategies for small businesses to monopolize their markets with a unique business voice, vision, and visibility. Mr. Cohn earned a Master’s degree in project management from George Washington University in Washington, DC; and a Master’s degree in computer science and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.

16 Responses

  1. Gina says:

    I am not on Twitter – yet – but this may be what convinces me.  Thanks for the info!

  2. Samantha Osborne says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Woman 2 Woman Business
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    TWITTER is a solid marketing tool. Remember that Twitter can be thought of like a PA (Public Address) system. You only have a few characters, about a sentence or two to make your point. Keep it concise and attach a link in all your comments to direct them to your website or business. HAPPY TWEETING!!
    Posted by Samantha Osborne

  3. Cheryl Hendricks says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: The Content Wrangler Community
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    I would like a hear some ideas. I've kind of dabbled in this, but even with using an automatic tweet poster, it is so time consuming, and I've not really seen any results. Would like to hear your experiences.
    Posted by Cheryl Hendricks

  4. Stewart Reubens says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Jewish Professionals
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    I am of the uninitiated in Twitter. Why is it so good and what are its benefits that make it such a necessity for me and my business
    Posted by Stewart Reubens

  5. Pensacola H Jefferson says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Books and Writers
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    I am new to twitter, but I would be interested in hearing the ideas of why twitter works and what is its importance in today's industry.
    Posted by Pensacola H Jefferson

  6. Lisa Kanarek says:

    Twitter is my favorite way to communicate and connect with others. Some people think it's a waste of time and a way to tell others that you're buying frozen yogurt or having dinner at a restaurant. Not so. I use it to promote my blog posts, connect with other business owners and share articles of interest. The information in this blog post is perfect for someone getting started on Twitter or someone who has been on the fence and needs a little push.

  7. Ann Mullen says:

    I have been getting a little deeper into Twitter using TweetAdder and BufferAp. I think I can already see some success.

  8. Ron Calhoun says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media For The Clueless
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    I'm considering dropping Twitter. Twitting is almost a full time job. I plan on continuing to 'follow' a few select people.

    I'm getting around 11 incoming tweets a minute. I don't have time to check on all of them. I did send out a tweet today that was re-tweeted by one follower. Increasing the number of re-tweets would be valuable.
    Posted by Ron Calhoun

  9. Lisa Tener says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: AssociationofWriters.com
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    It's where the journalists/media are and authors can develop relationships fairly easily with them through twitter when done right.
    Posted by Lisa Tener-Book Writing Coach

  10. Martha M Moravec says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Business Writers of America
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    This is great, and quite timely for me. I just created a Twitter account and I've been wondering why, exactly. Thanks again!
    Posted by Martha M Moravec

  11. Angela Bray says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Professional Bloggers
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    Twitter is definitely benefitial when used actively and effectively. Any specific Twitter questions?
    Posted by Angela Bray

  12. T. Shakirah Dawud says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media For The Clueless
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    It's certainly not for everyone, and it's a good idea to have a specific goal in mind for engaging in that sphere. I do on a daily (weekday) basis and have acquired and maintained many valuable connections and relationships, businesswise.

    I get a whole lot more than 11 tweets a minute, but of course I don't read every one! It doesn't have to be a full-time job, but once you get comfortable "talking" with at least some of those people with like interests or potential clients, and enjoy following the tweets of others you can learn from, it's not so much a duty as it is a pleasure to check in on a regular basis at least weekly.

    Or you can schedule your tweeting to join in only on more structured discussions about topics of interest to you and your colleagues or target market. They're called tweetchats and there are hundreds.

    But again, if you'd rather make connections in other ways and find tweeting isn't necessary, Twitter is one less thing to worry about.
    Posted by T. Shakirah Dawud

  13. John Hardy says:

    I am going to get onto twitter. I just got a facebook page. I am a private tutor and I think this is a great way to promote my business.
     
    John Hardy

  14. Lisa Valladares says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Linked-N Bergen County NJ
    Discussion: Why You Should Be on Twitter

    Thank you for posting this. I feel that many new brands do not effectively use Twitter to promote their businesses. It is a valuable cost-effective marketing program that all brands should use in some form.
    Posted by Lisa Valladares

  15. Jenny Johnston says:

    What a great blog post, I agree with everything. Twitter is now starting to over take Facebook for promoting businesses and awareness.
    I will put a link to this article on my blog!

  16. Rohit says:

    Thanks for compile all these best point why should we make account on twitter and its benefit..