7 Steps Towards A Successful Twitter Account For Businesses

Posted by Tehneyat Waseem Jul 15th, 2010

www.howcast.com is a great site to figure out how to do things. I came across this video which gives you a very easy 7-step-by-step on how to use Twitter if you have absolutely no clue about what it is. Twitter can be a valuable social media tool for your business to share information, gather intelligence and build relationships with potential customers, collaborators or the like.

Here’s the 7 steps as explained in the video:

1. Create an account
The first step it describes is to simply create an account. My addition to the first step is: people leave companies, so remember to link the account to a generic email address, and create an account that is not tied to an individual.

2. Personalize: show who you are
Yes, put a face to your profile so people can see who you are. Under settings you can upload a picture, and add names of people who will be tweeting on that account from your company. Space is limited to a one line in the bio section, so use this opportunity to sell your company in a one liner: something radically awesome and concise that will sum up the essence of what your company does, don’t just blab. Look into your company’s vision and mission, and plot that in to allow people within a few seconds to decide whether or not your profile is relevant or not. Make it easy for your customers to make their decision. If you are in need of space, you can also add additional information in the background image under the design tab in ‘settings’.

3. Build relationships: give a feeling
Yes, do what you came here for: to network. Update your profile frequently when you have something relevant to say. Something relevant could be breaking business news, posting links to sites or articles your followers might be interested in, repost other tweets you like, and don’t feel afraid to write a personal tweet saying ‘our team just did a great job wrapping up project xyz, and are now preparing for our final presentation!’ (remember you only have 140 in total). Give a feeling to your followers of what it’s like to be and work at your company, and don’t underestimate how much branding you can get through personalizing your tweets and having an opinion about a tweet, article or link. Show people what you are all about!

4. Listen: get valuable input from your tribe
This should go without saying, but business is very much about listening to customer demands and needs so you as a business are able to meet their expectations and blow their minds with awesome solutions. So when people complain, then stop and listen. Tweet about the complain ONCE it’s resolved to show your customer friendly, solution-based approach to dealing with obstacles. To find out what is being said, type the name of your company, brand or products in the search box.

5. Connect with customers: give replies
Like in number 4, listen to what your customers are saying, and take time to address their concerns. Every interaction with a customer, positive or negative, is an opportunity for you to spread the word about your company, your work ethics and brand yourself. Remember to say thank you, and respond to questions.

6. Give value
Use Twitter to figure out what your customers want – and how to give it to them. Re-read number 4 and 5!

7. Pay attention
Remember to pay attention to what works, and what doesn’t work for your company. It’s all about paying attention and being passionate about your product enough to care and listen when people are upset. So remember to evaluate, interact and engage with your customers in a genuine way.