USING TWITTER FOR BUSINESSFrederick Chamber of CommerceNew Media & Technology ConferenceFebruary 19 2010February 19, 2010

SO YOU’RE ON TWITTER… NOW WHAT?What is Twitter?Getting startedB2C tipsB2B/B2G tipsTwitter toolsHow do I know if it’s working?Q&A

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WHAT IS TWITTER?Twitter is a microblog.gPeople type short, 140 character posts, called “tweets.”If you follow someone on Twitter, their tweets show up in your timeline. When people follow you your tweets show up in When people follow you, your tweets show up in their timeline. Posts show up chronologically in real time. Tweets can include pictures, links to Web sites, or videos.

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BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Twitter helps people (potential customers, p p p (p ,clients, partners) get to know you in a relaxed, comfortable way. It’ t j t b t h f ll It’s not just about how many followers you have… interaction is key!Tweet about things others would find interesting. Tweet about things others would find interesting. Become a resource for your followers. Be sure to add a picture to your profile. People

k b i ll want to know more about you – a picture really helps them connect with you.

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TWITTER RULES OF THE ROAD

Common terms and definitions:Tweet – a post, an entry. Retweet (RT) – when a tweet is forwarded.H ht (#) A l b l f t t th fi d it Hashtag (#) – A label for a tweet so others can find it easier. Also an easy way for you to search for a tweet. #FredNMT is the hashtag for anyone tweeting about thi f this conference. FollowFriday (#FF) – how you recommend people to others on Twitter. (also written #FollowFriday)Direct Message (DM) – a way to privately talk to someone. DMs don’t show up in any public timeline. You can only DM someone who is following you.

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MORE TWITTER RULES OF THE ROAD

EtiquetteqDon’t tweet private or sensitive information. Use DMs instead. Some people auto follow anyone who follows them Some people auto-follow anyone who follows them. Others follow only those who are in the same field or interest them. Auto-follows aren’t necessarily a good idea you may wind up following questionable idea – you may wind up following questionable people.Don’t send your tweet more than twice, or you risk

i f llannoying your followers.Use “please RT” sparingly in your tweets. Your tweets should be valuable to your followers, not blatant sales messages. Block spammers.

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GETTING STARTED

Hands-on exercise: You may want to follow:Log in now at twitter.comFollow a few people itti t t

@ fredcochamber / @jesshibb@FrederickCoMD

dC Ositting next to you.Post a tweet with the conference hashtag#FredNMT

@FredCoOED@frednewspost@MdBiz@ hi t tSend an @ reply to

someone in this room@washingtonpost@FredrkMemorial / @AmandaChanguris@mashable@mashable@smartdogu / @laurieluck@dynport / @AprilFin@ y p @ p

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GETTING STARTED (CONTINUED)Monitor your Twitter account at least dailyy y

Check for @ repliesCheck for DMs

U l h T itt tti ill t Unless you change your Twitter settings, you will get an e-mail when you receive a DM, but NOT for @ replies

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MAXIMIZING YOUR TWITTER TIME

How to find and be found on TwitterPut your Twitter username on all your print and electronic media: Web site, business cards, fliers, etc.Offer useful content consistently Offer useful content consistently. Search for people or businesses in your field. Follow them, and also look at who they follow and who f ll th follows them. Don’t pay anyone who promises to get you followers!How to search on Twitter:

In the right column of the Twitter page, there is a search box. Type in a person’s name or a subject to see the relevant Twitter results.

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BUSINESS TO CONSUMER (B2C)Make a list of who might find your services or g yproducts useful and follow them.

Don’t stop with the end-user. What are the related fields? Who else might be interested? Don’t forget the fields? Who else might be interested? Don t forget the media!

Use Twitter to listen to your client’s needs. What are their pains? Tweet about those questions, needs, pains. Use different types of media: video documents Use different types of media: video, documents, links, pictures.

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BUSINESS TO CONSUMER (B2C)Use Twitter to drive traffic to your blog or your y g yWeb site. Post your updates to Twitter with a link. Make sure your information is valuable and not a sales pitch!not a sales pitch!Share helpful or interesting information, even if you didn’t create it. Generosity is good!Be professional at all times. Never bash your competition and don’t use inappropriate language. P id l f l bl f i f i Provide lots of valuable, free information.

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BUSINESS TO BUSINESS (B2B)Readers expect at least some evidence that you’re p yhuman.

Automated feeds, postings and replies are a good way to lose followersto lose followers.

No matter how regulated you are (SEC, FDA, etc.), there’s always something to tweet about.

Business people are people too!

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B2B – WHAT YOU CAN TWEET ABOUT

Business opportunities ppSources sought notices, requests for proposals, etc.If you’re looking to partner with other businesses, put it out there!it out there!

White papersEvents/conferencesEvents/conferencesIndustry trends/researchEmployment

Jobs at your companyArea job fairs or training opportunities

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B2B – MORE YOU CAN TWEET ABOUT

Useful resources/informationCompany culture/recognition

The bottom line: Examine your goals and tweet about Examine your goals, and tweet about

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SOME FINAL TWITTER TIPS

Have some goals before you start. Examples:g y pPosition your company as a resource/expertOffer specials/discounts for Twitter followers

Add h i (d ’ j b d )Add to the conversation (don’t just broadcast)Seek to truly help others; the rewards will followAsk your audience what they’d like to hear aboutAsk your audience what they d like to hear about

Track how popular your links are for a better ideaBe a real person, but be wary of sharing p , y gpotentially controversial content that could harm your business/reputation.M it @ li d DM t l t d ilMonitor @ replies and DMs at least daily.If it’s not one person’s job, it’s no one’s.

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TWITTER TOOLS

Helpful Tools to Improve the Twitter Experiencep p pTweetDeck – www.tweetdeck.comHootSuite – www.hootsuite.comT hi l/S i iTwhirl/Seesmic – www.seesmic.comTweetBeep – www.tweetbeep.comMobile Apps – search for “Twitter”ppURL shorteners – for example, bit.ly

These tools make it much easier to navigate the T itt “ t ” Y Twitter “stream.” You can:

Organize people you follow into categoriesSee DMs at a glance gReceive audio and/or visual alerts for @ replies, DMsStreamline your Twitter experience

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IS TWITTER WORKING FOR YOU?Measure the value of Twitter to your business.y

Do you have more followers?Are you interacting with your target audience more now?now?Is your voice part of the conversations you wanted to become involved in?Have you had inquiries or sales due to your Twitter use?Have visits to your Web site or blog increased? Where are the visitors coming from?Have you had other positive experiences, such as media inquiries?q

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SAMPLE MEASUREMENT IN HOOTSUITE

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QUESTIONS? (AND HOW TO FIND US)Laurie Luck, KPA-CTP,

Smart Dog University, LLCwww.smartdoguniversity.coml i @ td i itlaurie@smartdoguniversity.comFaculty, Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior@smartdogu and @laurieluck

April Finnen, MBAD Po t Vacci e Co a LLC A CSC Co a DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, A CSC Company www.csc.com/dvcafinnen@csc.comAssociate Director, Communications@dynport and @AprilFin

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