One “Tweet” can reach millions of people!

What is Twitter? Twitter lets you write and read messages of up to 140 characters , or

the very length of this sentence, including all punctuation and spaces.

The messages (also known as tweets) are public, and you decide which accounts you want to receive messages from.

When you combine messages that are quick to write, easy to read, public, controlled by the recipient and exchangeable anywhere, you’ve got a powerful, real-time way to communicate. And real-

time communication is turning out to be ground-breaking for users and businesses alike.

A few Twitter facts (updated September 14, 2010):175 million registered users. 95M tweets are written per day. 300 employees

Everyday, millions of people use Twitter to create, discover and share ideas with others. Now, people are turning to Twitter as an effective way to reach out to businesses, too. From local stores to big brands, people are finding

great value in the connections they make with businesses on Twitter.

Business Individual User

Twitter is a communication platform that helps businesses stay connected to their customers.

As a business, you can use it to:

• Quickly share information with people interested in your company,

• Gather real-time market intelligence and feedback

• Build relationships with customers, partners and other people who care about your company.

As an individual user, you can use twitter to:

• Share your experiences, both good and not so good

• Provide feedback on recent events or launches

• Discuss product ideas• Learn about exclusive deals or

offers• Get customer service

Twitter connects you to your customers right now, in a way that was never before possible. One of Twitter’s key benefit is that it gives you the chance to communicate casually with customers on their terms, creating friendly

relationships along the way.

Twitter lets you build relationships with customers, partners and other people important to your business. Twitter shrinks the emotional distance between

your company and your customers.

Businesses of all kinds, including small businesses, increasingly find that listening and engaging on Twitter leads to happier customers, passionate

advocates, key product improvements and more sales.

1. Would you like a way to connect and network with others in your industry or others who share your views?

2. Would you like a way to get instant access to what’s being said, this minute, about your organization, people, products, or brand?

3. Would you like a steady stream of ideas, content, links, resources, and tips focused on your area of expertise or interest?

4. Would you like to promote your products and services directly to a target audience?

Why use Twitter?

Follow industry leaders who post links to important resources and influence conversations

Post questions for quick answers, Twitter is GREAT for getting opinions, and answer questions to establish your credibility

Create links to your Web site or blog (Don’t over do it!)

Keep up on the buzz in your industry

Network with like-minded people Do more than promote your own

agenda Share links to neat things in your

community Talk about non-business too and

talk to people about their interest When you DO talk about your

business, make it useful – give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.

Make sure your tweets provide some real value.Mixing up your tweet content and staying active is a good way to

build followers.

Offer Twitter exclusive coupons or deals Take people behind the scenes of your company Post pictures from your offices, stores, warehouses, etc Share sneak peeks of projects or events in development Add content about events Add your blog posts

Examples of Tweets: A restaurant tweets their daily specials A ticket agency tweets about-to-expire tickets A realtor tweets new homes on the market A chamber of commerce tweets local events and promotions

Tweets

Dry, boring feeds rarely draw many people. Successful Twitter business accounts, though can take many forms.

They may be personal and chatty or they might even have mostly automated information. But no matter the style, the key is to post

messages that your followers will find compelling.

Twitter works best for businesses when you start slow, devoting a few minutes a day.

Tip: Help people understand what to expect from your Twitter account by posting a little description in your Bio.

(Bio = only 160 characters)

Successful Twitter Business Accounts

Sony announced in February 2010 that through Twitter they had earned an extra $1million in sales.

Dell announced in June 2009 that their presence on Twitter accounted for $3 million dollars increase in sales.

You might argue that these are two big companies and they already have a brand reputation. However, other smaller

companies have also experienced increased sales.

John Fluevog, Boots & Shoes Ltd, a small shoe making company in Canada, reported a 40% increase in sales in 2009, the same year it started social media marketing.

Here are some ideas on getting others to follow you: Follow them Tweet great content 3-4 times day Post some good tweets right before following someone else Complete your bio Add your Twitter feed to your blog or to other social media profiles Reply to people you are following, especially if they’re not following you Commenting on other’s tweets and retweeting what others have posted is a

great way to build a community

How to Get People to Follow You

Tip: By default when someone follows you, you’ll get an email from Twitter saying so with some basic information about the user. Anyone can turn off those notifications (Settings/Notices) so don’t assume people will know you’re on Twitter just because you’ve followed them.

The more people who follow you on Twitter, the more influence and networking opportunities you have. So it’s important to try and build a following.

In twitter terms, following someone simply means that their posts, or tweets as they are called, show up on your homepage, on your desktop

(desktop apps – twhirl) or by text message via mobile phone option.

Quality over quantity is best.

When you find a good candidate, look under their picture for the Follow button.You can also choose to interact without following an account, just send them a

tweet.

2 sites that will help you locate people with focused interest:Twellow: http://www.twellow.com/ is like a twitter phone directory that

sorts people by industryTo get listed on Twellow, go to: http://www.twellow.com/user_add.php

http://twitterpacks.pbworks.com/

Twitter ToolsA few of the tools that Twitter

offers: Splitweet - Allows you to monitor

your brand mentions Tweet2tweeet - Allows you to put

two twitter names in and see the full discussion between the two much like Facebook’s wall to wall

CoTweet - Is built for company or brand that wants to both serve and engage new prospects

Yammer and Group Tweet – Allow you to send a tweet to a group of people you designate

Tweetdeck - Can operate a bit like your desktop dashboard to help you set-up searches for key terms and respond directly

Text Messages via Mobile Phone

Signing up for an account takes just a few minutes To help people recognize and trust your account, fill out your

profile completely and include a picture

Video – Discover Twitterhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NshQFrpC2O4

Getting Started is Easy