Twitter: how to get involved & beyond

You’re a business and you have a twitter account.  Great.  You tweet about your specials, your company changes, etc.  Great.  But now what?

The same principal holds to twitter as other social media platforms: who cares what you’re saying if no one’s listening.  Fortunately, twitter is one of the best (and easiest) ways to get involved.  Here’s how:  hashtags.

Hashtags are used on twitter as searchable keywords included in your message.  They’re also used to create strings of conversation people can find quickly.  Enter: twitter chats.  Twitter chats are opportunities for people to chat about a specific topic with others.  A bit more about that later.  First, how does this all relate to your business twitter account?  It’s an easy way to reach out, get contacts (new business), and learn along with others within your field.

Start by compiling a list of 5-6 twitter hashtags your business targets or would be interested in.  For example, a marketing company might want to look at the twitter hashtags: #socialmedia, #marketing, #SM, #onlinemarketing, etc.  The twitter hashtags will be specific for your company or industry and it might take some time on twitter to get the feel for them.  Once you have a list, start searching the twitter hashtags regularly and see what people are saying.  The goal is to find helpful articles, blogs, videos and industry expert in your field of interest via twitter; then, start networking, tweeting, talking, and communicating within your field.  Offer your expertise, comments, suggestions and discussions.

Once you’ve started talking with industry experts on twitter, you’ll probably find a twitter chat that happens regularly surrounding your industry.  They may be moderated by an industry leader, or have a guest moderator weekly.  There are twitter chats for everything from social media, marketing, business to business chats, small business tips to customer service and leadership twitter chats.  You can use the Twitterchat.com app to help you streamline your experience.

Are you already a twitter chatter?  Or are you ready to get involved?  Tell us about your experiences twitter chatting at Facebook.com/219Group or @219Group.  Have questions about getting your business involved in twitter or social media?  Connect with us by clicking here.