Introducing a Simple Twitter Approach Guaranteed to Take Your Business to the Next Level

Many entrepreneurs who are new to Twitter approach it like traditional media where the flow of communication is strictly one way. That won't work. With more people getting on the Internet and less on television, your advertising strategy needs a facelift. What a business needs to improve results and drive profits is to ride the wave of new, emerging technology, especially social media. Playing in the big leagues of social media are Facebook (social networking) and Twitter (social networking/microblogging) and it's about time that your business shifts gears and gets in on the biggest marketplace in history, the Internet.

So how can you effectively use Twitter to dominate the competition? Two words: create relationships. Consumers are becoming smarter these days and the regular sales pitch and message flooding no longer flies. They want personalized selling. They want to feel good about you as much as your product. They want to make you a friend. Businesses lure in more new customers by using indirect marketing. So instead of saying "Buy me, now!" customers are more attracted to "It's beautiful here. Join us and be one of my beautiful/cool/smart/nice friends, too."

Therefore, if you want to improve results using the Twitter approach, start by creating good relationships with your prospective audience. When you log into your account, visit as many profiles as possible. Make sure that you get active users! Next, click the link that directs you to their Twitter page. From there you can send them a DM or a direct message, or you can mention them by using @ followed by their name. For example, "Hey @twitterusername Have you gone on that vacation you mentioned, yet?" That way, even if they're not following you, they can read that Twitter mention. Tip: Keep those traditional sales pitches in the can...throw them away. Please!). You won't be needing much of that in creating relationships via the Twitter approach. Take time to read through their latest tweets and mention something that seems to interest them or like the one above, ask a question about them. Not something like "Hi, @twitterusername, would you like to lose a little weight? I have just the product for you!" You might have just dug your own business's grave.

Finally, the Twitter approach requires follow up to ensure that you will improve your results. Don't do a Tweet-Them-Then-Forget-Them setup. Follow them, keep up with their responses until they are comfortable with you. When that user responds about the vacation she's been planning, answer back. Being friendly is easy. Ask how the vacation went, etc. The Twitter approach can only improve your results if you take care of your customers. You don't have to hide the fact that you're in business but don't make it the central focus of your tweets. That's what business is about anyway- give and take.