The Social Enthusiast

   “How can I use Twitter to increase my sales?”

   “What’s the best way to reach out to my customers using Twitter?”

   “What exactly is a Tweet?”

    If you work in client services like I do, you probably get asked these questions on a daily basis.  (And it’s a good thing to be asked these questions.)  Smart entrepreneurs and businesses are taking advantage of Twitter. They see others reaping the benefits of this social marketing tool and want to join in as well. 

    The trend has gotten so popular that Twitter recently posted an online guide about utilizing the site for business purposes.  They link to case studies like CoffeeGroundz and Tasti D-lite to illustrate their points. 

    Twitter is a fantastic way to communicate with your consumers and get to the heart of what they’re saying about your brand. A company that does this well is Whole Foods.  They’ve hired a full-time person to respond to customer inquiries and issues, promote products and pass along news about stores all across the country.  Pretty savvy, if you ask me.

    Here are five quick tips on how businesses can benefit from using Twitter:

    1.  Do a search for your company or industry on Twitter and see what users are saying about your brand.  Is it positive?  If so, retweet it.  If not, reach out to the person and see what you can do to remedy the situation.

    2.  Reach out to media that frequently cover your industry and begin to build relationships with them. Many writers and bloggers have Twitter accounts now, so take full advantage of this opportunity to get to know them.

   3.  Hold Twitter-only contests and giveaways. Hey, we all love free stuff and what better way to attract new consumers than by letting them try out your product or service?

  4.  Ask questions.  By using Twitter as your personal focus group, you can gain a lot of valuable feedback.

  5.  Post photos, news and any other interesting tidbits as a way to give customers an up-close-and-personal glimpse into your company. By providing users with an idea of the culture and inner workings of your business, you can start to build up an army of Brand Enthusiasts.