9 Ways to Grow your Small Business by Tweeting Smartly

When it comes to your online or small business, increased website traffic is vital to the growth and success of your business. The number of social media venues seems to increase daily, making it hard for business owners to know which ones to include in their social media marketing plan. Twitter, which was officially launched in July 2006, if used properly is an effective venue small-business owners can use to drive traffic to their websites and increase business.

Use these tips to help you Tweet your way to a traffic and customer base increase.

Follow Twitter Etiquette

• Tweet Consistently. Drive-by tweeting won’t do a thing for your credibility. To build a following and drive traffic to your website you should Tweet at least three to five times per day. Conversely, don’t saturate Twitter with spam or constant self-promotion.
• Retweet. It’s a good practice to retweet the posts of those whom you’re following or users who are following you. Be selective to ensure that whatever you retweet is in keeping with your business and its brand.
• Follow Others. Other Twitter users will soon catch on if you’re gleaning follows but not being reciprocal. Again, you should be selective in who you follow and make sure they’re people or businesses you want to be associated with.

Post Effectively

• Vary Your Tweets. It’s smart to Tweet about specials or new products if you are promoting any, but don’t come across like a broken record by focusing solely on promotions. Vary your Tweets to include useful information and motivation that followers would view as beneficial.
• Reach Out to Similar Users. Invest some time each week in searching for additional people to follow. Use the search function to find other Twitter users who are in a similar business so you can network with and learn from them. Follow users who might also become potential customers; but again, be selective.
• Offer Exclusives for Twitter Users. On occasion it can be beneficial to your business and website traffic to offer exclusive Twitter deals. Tweet a promo code or link to a discount coupon and encourage followers to retweet it. Rewarding followers is smart business; just make sure that whatever you’re offering is worth their while. Use this strategy monthly or quarterly to maintain the excitement it brings.

Connect with Other Social Media Venues

• The Perfect Trio. Social media marketing works most effectively when you employ at least three venues. Whether you enjoy Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or any other number of social media venues, you’ll see a lot more traffic from your Tweets if you use them in conjunction with two other social media venues.
• Encourage Others to Tweet. Add a Twitter button to new products and services on your website to encourage customers to Tweet about your business. You want to encourage others to Tweet on your behalf because a good recommendation from a loyal or happy customer can often result in more traffic and sales than any other marketing method.
• Tweet Your Blog Posts. Having a blog on your business website is a prudent marketing move. Be sure to Tweet your blog posts after you’ve published them to drive traffic back to your site. Link one of your website pages within the blog to further encourage subscribers to peruse your webpage.

These three steps will help you reap the most benefits from your use of Twitter. Remember that social media marketing is all about connection. As you connect with other Twitter users, give them valuable reasons to follow the link back to your business website.

Once they get there, you must continue to offer something of value to help convert visitors to customers. Twitter is your foot in the door that allows you to meet potential customers, make a good first impression and give them reason to follow through to your business website.

Image Credit: Broodwich