Twitter has a lot to offer the local business, but it’s all about strategy. It took me a couple of years to figure out. Back then, no one really thought about using Twitter in the office interactively. Few are talking about it now.
Let’s say you operate a micro-business, maybe one person in the office and a two to five people off-site visiting clients. By using Twitter tools like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and SocialOomph, you can build a network of local followers that are very likely to need your services.
Why Should Your Company do This?
I believe the beauty in what Twitter offers local business is the mobility. You see it every day, people staring down at their phones to text, search or call. To do that effectively requires a compatible phone. Those phones aren’t cheap. I think that’s a strong argument for segmenting the population right there. First and foremost for most companies is building a client base of customers who can afford their products or services. Marketing on a mobile platform increases the odds that your message is going out to that base.
Add to that the ability those clients have to tweet to their friends and family about the great company they just hired, and you’ve again increased your company’s validity online.
How Does a Staff Work Together for Your Company’s Brand?
Large corporations have been doing this for years. They learned early on that when a company has a presence on a powerful network like Twitter, they increase their brand awareness and customer loyalty.
Small companies can learn from this as well. Each member of your company should have a Twitter handle, and a company bio and link back to the website from the profile. They should all have a picture.
With Tweetdeck and Hootsuite tools, each member of the team can be monitored in column view by all or one person. In a micro-sized company like described above, the office staff monitors the column view while the off-site staff simply interacts and comments with their phones between customer visits. All have the ability to retweet a message.
With each of the members developing their own personality and list of followers as they build this network, they begin to approach and follow the others’ lists. Brand recognition ensues, and if managed responsibly, the local market is now exposed to a company where they are already looking when they need a product or service.
This method will work with any size company, from a chain organization to a mom and pop business.
For more insight into building your local business presence online with Twitter, download your free copy of The Very Best Way to Use Twitter for Local Business today.
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