Success for many businesses is measured in sales generated by walk-in customers.
If this describes your business, then you may be wondering about how you could benefit from Twitter.
Face it, having followers around the globe is wonderful, but to leverage Twitter for your foot-traffic business, you need to reach people in your community.
Here are some tips on how you can effectively use Twitter within your business, reach local customers, and provide real customer value.
1.
Create a Business Presence on Twitter It's always good to start at the beginning.
Create a Twitter account for your business, and customize it with a branded background page.
Hire a decent graphic designer to incorporate your business logo, address, and other contact information into a clean, professional Twitter background.
People will be looking at your Twitter page - and they WILL judge your business by how it appears.
2.
Tweet Regularly About your Business Designate someone, an employee or yourself, who will be responsible to provide Twitter updates on a regular basis.
Tweet about what's going on inside your business, and in the community.
Are you running any sales or special offers? Do you have new products to announce? Run special Twitter promotions along the lines of: Mention this tweet and get an additional discount.
Look for ways to create added incentive for locals to frequent your business, and call out the reasons people in your community should be coming to your business.
3.
Participate in Conversations About Your Brand or Store Search Twitter for mentions of your store, brand, or main products and reply to questions and even complaints.
Think of Twitter as not only a communications medium, but also a customer service forum and business intelligence tool.
You can use Twitter search and tools like Tweetdeck and Twhirl to keep tabs on what people are saying about what's important to your business and its reputation.
The important thing here is to actively participate in, or even start, conversations about your business - preferably with locals.
4.
Find and Connect with other Twitter Users in Your Community Actively look for local followers and post a tweet each time you're planning to look for people in your community.
Once you've done that, feel free to add local followers.
Again - your community makes up the your customer base - so find the ones that are using Twitter, follow them, and engage them.
There are several sites that will help you find locals on Twitter.
Twitter Advanced Search, Nearby Tweets, Tweepz, and ChirpCity are all good places to look for locals on Twitter.
5.
Keep in Mind: Your Customers Probably Carried Twitter In With Them With current mobile technologies, it's now a safe bet that the customers walking into your place of business probably have a fully functioning web browser and wireless internet access in their pocket.
Take advantage of this and add some signage - somewhere around the cash register or on your shop floor - that calls out your Twitter name.
Encourage customers who walk in to follow you on Twitter for updates, special offers, and customer service.
Most of your customers could be following you before they walk out the front door.
Also, when you ask your customer for contact information - make sure you ask for their Twitter name too.
If they're on Twitter, they likely want followers - so you might get this information more easily than an email address or phone number.
Afterwards, follow them, and even send a nice DM thanking them for their business.
People like being thanked.
6.
Here's Your Sign Treat your Twitter account as you would treat your email address or phone number - as vital business contact information.
Add it to your Yellow Pages listing, mention it on your local print and radio ads, and put it on your email signature, business cards and stationary.
In the 90s, when businesses were just starting to build a web presence, many companies were slow to realize the importance of adding their email and url to their business collaterals.
Don't be one of many businesses that makes the same mistake with their Twitter name.
7.
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts Finally, consider using Twitter as more than just part of your marketing efforts.
Make it part of your business.
Twitter can give you insight into how customers perceive your company or brand.
Twitter provides an avenue for you to interact with customers in ways that current customer service models don't.
For example, imagine that a customer opens Tweetie on their iPhone as they walk from your place of business to their car.
Since you asked for their Twitter name, you were able to follow them immediately, and you sent them a quick direct message thanking them for their business.
Imagine how they'd feel if you made it clear that you thought they were important, or if you helped them work through a legitimate complaint and then thanked them on Twitter.
I think they would feel like telling a friend or family member about your business, and then they would be following you on Twitter as well.
And that friend or family member would be walking in before long too.
If this describes your business, then you may be wondering about how you could benefit from Twitter.
Face it, having followers around the globe is wonderful, but to leverage Twitter for your foot-traffic business, you need to reach people in your community.
Here are some tips on how you can effectively use Twitter within your business, reach local customers, and provide real customer value.
1.
Create a Business Presence on Twitter It's always good to start at the beginning.
Create a Twitter account for your business, and customize it with a branded background page.
Hire a decent graphic designer to incorporate your business logo, address, and other contact information into a clean, professional Twitter background.
People will be looking at your Twitter page - and they WILL judge your business by how it appears.
2.
Tweet Regularly About your Business Designate someone, an employee or yourself, who will be responsible to provide Twitter updates on a regular basis.
Tweet about what's going on inside your business, and in the community.
Are you running any sales or special offers? Do you have new products to announce? Run special Twitter promotions along the lines of: Mention this tweet and get an additional discount.
Look for ways to create added incentive for locals to frequent your business, and call out the reasons people in your community should be coming to your business.
3.
Participate in Conversations About Your Brand or Store Search Twitter for mentions of your store, brand, or main products and reply to questions and even complaints.
Think of Twitter as not only a communications medium, but also a customer service forum and business intelligence tool.
You can use Twitter search and tools like Tweetdeck and Twhirl to keep tabs on what people are saying about what's important to your business and its reputation.
The important thing here is to actively participate in, or even start, conversations about your business - preferably with locals.
4.
Find and Connect with other Twitter Users in Your Community Actively look for local followers and post a tweet each time you're planning to look for people in your community.
Once you've done that, feel free to add local followers.
Again - your community makes up the your customer base - so find the ones that are using Twitter, follow them, and engage them.
There are several sites that will help you find locals on Twitter.
Twitter Advanced Search, Nearby Tweets, Tweepz, and ChirpCity are all good places to look for locals on Twitter.
5.
Keep in Mind: Your Customers Probably Carried Twitter In With Them With current mobile technologies, it's now a safe bet that the customers walking into your place of business probably have a fully functioning web browser and wireless internet access in their pocket.
Take advantage of this and add some signage - somewhere around the cash register or on your shop floor - that calls out your Twitter name.
Encourage customers who walk in to follow you on Twitter for updates, special offers, and customer service.
Most of your customers could be following you before they walk out the front door.
Also, when you ask your customer for contact information - make sure you ask for their Twitter name too.
If they're on Twitter, they likely want followers - so you might get this information more easily than an email address or phone number.
Afterwards, follow them, and even send a nice DM thanking them for their business.
People like being thanked.
6.
Here's Your Sign Treat your Twitter account as you would treat your email address or phone number - as vital business contact information.
Add it to your Yellow Pages listing, mention it on your local print and radio ads, and put it on your email signature, business cards and stationary.
In the 90s, when businesses were just starting to build a web presence, many companies were slow to realize the importance of adding their email and url to their business collaterals.
Don't be one of many businesses that makes the same mistake with their Twitter name.
7.
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts Finally, consider using Twitter as more than just part of your marketing efforts.
Make it part of your business.
Twitter can give you insight into how customers perceive your company or brand.
Twitter provides an avenue for you to interact with customers in ways that current customer service models don't.
For example, imagine that a customer opens Tweetie on their iPhone as they walk from your place of business to their car.
Since you asked for their Twitter name, you were able to follow them immediately, and you sent them a quick direct message thanking them for their business.
Imagine how they'd feel if you made it clear that you thought they were important, or if you helped them work through a legitimate complaint and then thanked them on Twitter.
I think they would feel like telling a friend or family member about your business, and then they would be following you on Twitter as well.
And that friend or family member would be walking in before long too.
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