As a speaker and author always on the quest for what’s hot, I get updates and emails daily all talking about tweeting. Now let me be clear: these are not tweets, but tons of reporters looking to write about Twitter.
It feels as if Twitter is the “It Girl” of the moment. She’s sexy, new, and enticing. But, that doesn’t mean she’s the right partner for all. Here’s my take about what works, what doesn’t when it comes to writing in 140 character blasts.
Tweet If It’s Timely
My #1 litmus test for Twitter is if it is timely. If you could have written your message last week, it’s probably not right today. In reviewing successful tweets, they are “news” of the moment including the downing of US Airways into the Hudson or the latest controversy in Iran’s election.
As momtrepreneurs, our issue is: how do I use Twitter to help my business? Last week, Dell reported that it sold over $3mm through the service. How? They promote specials through the Dell Outlet store that sells returned and refurbished computers at a significant outlet. The minute the items come in, they can go out on special.
Using my favorite analogy of R&D (Rip-Off and Duplicate), we can adapt this sale philosophy to fit our needs. If you sell a product, you can post a limited quantity on sale at a killer price. The catch is that the special codes are only tweeted to followers.
If you sell time, seize the moment! As a massage therapist, facialist, therapist or hairstylist, once your time is gone, it’s gone. So, tweeting your available openings at a savings is a great idea.
Tweets Must Be Relevant
Even if your message is timely, it must also be relevant. Apparently, over 1 million followers want to know what Ashton Kutcher is doing, but us mere mortals need to connect the dots a little bit better between our message and its meaning. Since so many people hear me speak, I often tweet about my next speech or where I am traveling. That way, folks can plan accordingly.
Traveling lunch trucks are reporting a booming business as they let followers know where they’ll be next. Again, it is relevant and creates a win-win between hungry workers and upscale caterers.
Provide Value
As in virtually all social networking activity, all promotion all the time will kill your brand quickly. You can tweet about your blog, link to free material, or even blast about new discovery, as long as it helps others.
Cautionary Warning: Tweeting is Forever
Just as everything else on the Web, you want to tweet about items that help your brand. This is not the place to talk about your social activities, drinking habits or Saturday night rendezvous unless these habits are part of your brand and its mystique (think Lindsay Lohan). Otherwise, it should be all business.
Feel Free to Experiment
Twitter is exponentially growing every month, but most followers don’t stay for long and most do not read the tweets posted. Therefore, this site is prime for testing. See how, when, and why it might work for your business. But remember: it might not work at all. Certain businesses might just not benefit from tweeting and find that it is not the place to spend their time or energy.
Until next week…..Liz
Branding speaker and expert Liz Goodgold has over 25 years of experience working for clients such as Quaker Oats, Times Mirror, and Arco Oil as well as with small business owners and start-up. Her specialized, one-on-one branding and coaching programs spark new ideas that deliver sure-fire results. To find out how Liz can help you, contact her at liz@redfirebranding.com.
Liz is also the author of RED FIRE BRANDING: Create a Hot Personal Brand and Have Customers for Life and DUH! Marketing.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The hard stuff I found last time when I used twitter as a marketer for my services ,was time and competitors.right now I’m working on plan to make it easy and friendly working for me …
Great article Heather ! I Tweet everyday on my twitter page for my company, I tweet about topics that are revelant to the company like allergy issues, and environmental issues which I will be tweeting about for the next few weeks so far it seems to be working, and thanks for the great advice you gave me about Twitter.
Bountiful of twitter tutorial in cyber world… a maze of information, so today’s post was very helpful in clarifying. Specifically learned – info should be timely and relevant, and if brand building, keep tweets professional and less about personal activities. Thanks, great tips about twitter!
Since my website is not launched yet, I actually used twitter for testing purposes. I released the website preview for sometime on twitter, and I learnt several things from this testing. Then, I shortlisted someone for writing my press release. So, you can actually use twitter other than just brand building. But of course, in near future I will post relevant tweets about my brand.