Twitter for Business

The case for

Who are your followers?

Presenter: Rabiya JilaniDirector, Business Incubation Center

CEO, Lumenica, LLC

Twitter: @bizincubation

Agenda

• What is Social Media?• Why is it important?• What is Twitter?• Getting started with Twitter• Twitter in Plan English• Tips • Understanding the Twitter Lingo• Twitter tools• Things to Remember

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

Social media is more than just building relationships on big networks, its about….

Brands having conversations

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

Social Media Influences Decisions

• 91% say consumer reviews are the #1 aid to buying decisions

• 87% trust a friends recommendation over critics review

• Online social network users were 3 times more likely to trust their peers decisions over advertising when making purchase decisions

• 26% of search results link to user-generated content

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

What is Twitter?

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

http://www.twitter.com

What is Twitter?

• Founded in 2006• Micro-blogging service that enables

users to send and receive messages called tweets

• Tweets are text based only• Limited to 140 characters• Twitter is ranked as one of the 50

most popular websites worldwide by Alexa's web traffic analysis.

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

Twitter Getting Started

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• Video Explaining Twitter: http://help.twitter.com/portal

Twitter in plain English

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• 140 characters of syndicated consciousness of what you are thinking or sharing

• Works like an email blast/press release• Build relationships• Connect with media• Great focus groups• Works with other social media platforms

Twitter is……A 24/7 cocktail party

Twitter TIPS

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• Be a resource• Offer value• Understand the lingo• Promote others• Quality vs Quantity• Be thankful• Post videos, blog updates, pictures• Share • Play giveaways/contests• Include in your email signature/business

card

Twitter lingo

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• Tweet- a message of 140 characters or less

What: Ask a question

Announce blog update

Read an interesting article?

Link to a website update

Announce an upcoming event

Discuss current news

Twitter lingo

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• @ - Direct a message to someone

Reply to someone

Keep in mind these are public

How: @username

Twitter lingo

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• RT – Retweet means repeat/quote someone’s tweet that you found interesting your aim

How: RT @username

Want to be RT? Keep YOUR message shorter than 140 characters

Twitter lingo

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• Follow/Followers: You/Them

• DM-Direct Msg, Private message

How: D username

• # Hash Tags- Tweet that starts with a “#” for tracking purposes, similar tweets, identify topic (eg #smallbusiness, #FF, #FollowFriday)

Twitter tools/websites/cool resources

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• www.twitterbackgrounds.com- customize backgrounds

• www.Twellow.com: Directory of public twitter accounts. Organizes by categories.

• www.Friendorfollow.com: Who are you following that's not following you back? Who's following you that you're not following back? Find out!

• www.Twittercounter.com:

Twitter tools/websites/cool resources

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• www.Tweetdeck.com:Desktop Twitter application. To allow users to send and receive tweets and view profiles. It is the most popular Twitter application

• www.whatthetrend.com: Find out what's trending on Twitter and why.

• www.Bit.ly: Shorten a URL, Track clicks. Similar to www.Tinyurl.com

Twitter tools/websites/cool resources

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• www.Tweetchat.com: TweetChat helps put your blinders on to the Twitter-sphere while you monitor and chat about one topic.

• www.Search.twitter.com: Search everyone’s tweets – in realtime

• www.Twittersheep.com: Enter your twitter username to see a tag cloud from the 'bios' of your twitter flock.

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

Twitter tools/websites/cool resources

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

Cross Promote

Things to Remember

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

• Learn what people are saying about your brand

• Covert customers into brand advocates

• Encourage referrals

• Create a buzz

• Increase brand exposure/website traffic

Questions?

© 2009 Business Incubation Center at CBP

Contacting me

Email: [email protected]

http://www.cbponlne.org/bic/facebook

http://www.linkedin.com/in/rabiya

http://www.twitter.com/bizincubation

http://www.slideshare.net/rabiyaj