Twitter for Business: A Brief Guide to Providing Value

One thing I’ve discovered during my time on twitter is that many businesses are still unsure about how they can really connect with their clients. Many people hear about it and approach it purely as a sales platform.

While this can work, most companies do this incorrectly and leave a negative impression on their clients. There are multiple ways you use this tool without being seen as a spammer.

5 ways businesses are using twitter:

• Talking about the company positives
• Encourage sales leads
• Providing support
• For promotions and specials.
• Directing people to your other social media outposts

This may seem overwhelming, but isn’t. You can speed up your social media education by watching how other companies are utilising twitter as part of their social media strategy. We will be covering some of the top businesses in future posts on this blog.

There are three main methods that businesses use twitter. I’ll be writing about the positives and negatives of each one.

Encourage employees to use it

Positive:

• It can make your workplace feel more like a community. People in different parts of the office can follow other peoples tweets
• They can share the exciting things they are doing at your business
• You can show the personalities behind the brand. Each twitter user has the potential to find their own following and can spread the message further

Negatives:

• People may tweet sensitive information about your brand. You should provide a set of social media guidelines so they know what is, and isn’t allowed.
• People may spend too much time on social media sites. You should encourage them to use social media during work hours but will need to set limits

Get an account for the person behind the brand

Positive:

• It can give people the chance to see the main personality behind the brand
• It will ensure that news about the brand comes from a really trustworthy source
• In a crisis, you can ensure that you are the go to person for consumers. Some company representatives have gone straight onto twitter after a press conference.

Negatives:

• It may be hard to keep up with the number of replies. This may lead to getting overwhelmed
• People may feel slighted if you don’t respond to them

Create a branded account to tweet from.

Positives

• You can have multiple people tweeting from the same account. This can result in a constant stream of information as it isn’t dependent on one persons schedule
• You have more scope to use inclusive language. This is really useful for community building
• You can have the same consistent image across multiple social media outposts

Negatives

• People may get attached to the people behind the brand. This can cause problems should they move on.
• People may doubt that they are talking to a real person and may be worried they are talking to a social media firm. (At Think tank, we work hard to ensure this doesn’t happen. On one campaign, my friend and colleague didn’t even realise that it was me tweeting him)
• It can seem impersonal and self promotional. Rather than constantly talking about yourself, make sure to focus on the community.

Ways to make contact with the consumer

There are many ‘entry points’ to make contact with your customer. In some cases, they will initiate the conversation by sending an @reply and opting in to read your tweets.

In this section, I’ll be discussing four ways you can make the first contact with the people that are already talking about your brand.

When they tweet something negative about you

When someone goes to social media to complain, they are usually very frustrated. This is a really good time to approach the customer but it has to be done in a way that doesn’t alienate them.

So, how do you respond to them in a tactful way?

• Publicly apologise – even if simply saying you are sorry they feel that way
• Offer to look into a problem personally. This isn’t always possible but it puts a face to the solution
• If possible, add a bit of humour. Sometimes, people don’t know that their tweets are being watched and genuinely didn’t mean to offend
• Thank them. In many cases, the issue will give you a way to improve something. Make them feel they are part of the process.

When they tweet something negative about the competition

The emotion behind the tweet in this situation is similar to the above example. However, they may be very wary of getting ‘pitched.’ If you want to target these people, you should be very cautious.

• Say your sorry to hear about the problems they are having
• Mention a solution that you think may help them – even if that solution doesn’t give you business
• Behave like a person and a brand. People often get upset because they feel like a faceless consumer rather than a real person.

When they something positive about you.

If they are complimenting you on twitter, they are probably complimenting you in real life. If you show them that you are paying attention they will continue to talk about your brand.

Tips to encourage this:

• Retweet the top compliments.
• DM those who have complimented you
• Highlight other social media sites – like blogs – where people have said positive things
• Reward those who have consistently supported your brand.

When they are looking for more information about your service

People in this case are very much in ‘buy’ mode. You can take advantage of this but the customer may feel annoyed at you later if they regret an impulse buy. In this case, you should provide as much value and encourage them to make informed brand comparisons.

How to do this:

• Have a collection of links with reviews and product comparisons on standby. They will appreciate the time they saved by not having to do the research themselves
• Ask them details that will inform your recommendation. Check out their profile and their blog, if time permits. You can then make personal comments about their needs and interests.
• Occasionally, offer them a special deal or tell them a way to find out about extra promotions.
• Offer to help them throughout the buying process.

Over to you:

This article was designed to give you an overview of how you can engage with your clients. I excluded a lot of information because I didn’t want to overwhelm you. I’ll be expanding on many of the concepts in future blog posts. This is where you come in.

What would you like to read more about? Do you want specific case studies? Would you rather a list of businesses that are successfully utilising this space?

Let us know in the comments section. If I wont be writing about it, I’ll try to help you through my twitter account – www.twitter.com/jadecraven.

Tagged as: business, employees, guide, Twitter