Twitter Guide for Small Business: A Great Read!

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. You are a small biz owner and you’ve heard that this “Twitter” online service is pretty much anything BUT business….and so why should you even consider adding this media outlet to your marketing mix?

So….with time being the major constraint in your world….why indeed?

Well, answer is….there’s more – much more to Twitter, than simple personal revelations like “I had Cheerios this morning” and “Didn’t like John Carter very much…” and to combat that thought alone you are in luck!

And the Guide itself, available here….offers up much in the way of rationalizing your foray into social media via Twitter. You see, as they put it so well, “…a Tweet is a powerful tool. Every week billions of Tweets flow through Twitter about every imaginable subject. A wide variety of people, organizations, businesses — big and small, local and international — all use Twitter to make their presence known. And this guide is intended to help small business owners understand how to use Twitter better. Twitter can help your company connect with customers, amplify your message, and ultimately, grow your business.”

Here’s a quick look at the contents….

• 1. GET STARTED
  Your customers are already on Twitter. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the conversation. Learn how to use Twitter effectively to meet your business goals.
• 2. ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE
  Make sure your voice shapes the online identity of your business. Tweet about the ideas, principles and value of your business. Share links and pictures with your customers. Let them see what happens behind the scenes.
• 3. AMPLIFY YOUR IMPACT
  The more people who talk about your business on Twitter, the more followers (and customers) you’ll get. Focus on activities that promote your @username and expand your business.

While the advice is top notch over the complete 22 page Guide, there are a couple of standouts that I especially love, the first of which deals with the mantra to “listen first” before going out and tweeting…and that’s a spot-on rationale!

Too often I see or read about firms who have made a total mess of their online reputation via Twitter by “posting first” and then comes the denouement! Like your Dad used to say – “listen first…then talk!” and that is well covered in the Guide!

And while there’s no mention about those folks who try to “impersonate” someone else or another firm for whatever reason, but a quick Google for same shows millions of hits on that bad mistake – one that you can avoid by following the great advice in this Guide! In our own Canadian online marketing practice, we already preach that our clients should & must be totally transparent and honest, something to remember, eh!

Further there is another great section that deals with how to Amplify your media positioning and the tips there are pretty darn good! Read closely on the section that deals with “working with others” and on “how to measure your impact.”

Twitter is here. You need to use it to get some social media online reputation traction. Honest you do…and the Twitter Guide for Small Business can get you started, eh!