Twitter is being talked about all over the world. In fact, the application has now been around for some time and each day new uses are found for this blog like tool. As a marketer, I’ve been wondering whether or not how it might be used to help my business.
As someone who resisted Twitter for quite some time, I finally dove in and learned what all of the excitement was about. Similar to other social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and others, Twitter provides a forum for real time communication. It connects us all and brings us closer to others with similar interests.
One of the aspects of Twitter that is so vital to me is the ability to stay on top of information in my industry. With so many information sources out there, its impossible to consume it all. By following certain people in positions of influence within the industry I can quickly find out whats worth my time and what isn’t. More importantly, I can access information that’s been referred from others I trust versus simply trying to locate it on my own.
Once you have established a good list of people to follow, you can add others to your list that are either outside your industry or perhaps bring something else of value to your day to day activities. What’s great about building a list of people to follow is that you are in control and can either start or stop following people at will. This is a great way to focus your efforts and get value from everyone you follow.
Just like you follow others, others can determine that they want to follow you on Twitter. You might be asking what the purpose or point of building a list of followers may be. This depends on what you are trying to accomplish with Twitter. If your goal is to use it casually, then you may be looking to build a list of followers among your friends. If you are interested in Twitter for business purposes, you should consider your list of followers just like you would a house list that you market to on a regular basis.
After building a list that is comprised of followers that value what you have to say and offer by way of free information, consider how you can encourage them to move through your purchase process. One tip is to offer free information that they can register for or download from your site. You can use an auto responder to help move them through to the purchase of a product or service you or your company has to offer. This is one of many ways to benefit from Twitter.
If you haven’t already reached this conclusion, using Twitter is like have a direct dialog with prospects. Begin by offering something of value, gaining their trust and following. Once you’ve proven yourself as an expert or industry leader it’s time to promote products or services that help to solve a problem. Twitter is a great tool for building your online business and targeting prospective customers.
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