There are so many posts from “experts” debating whether or not to use Twitter for Business. I believe they all have valid arguments depending on how you want to read the latest report or statistics that are available. After all we can make statistics tell any story we want to, can’t we?
These reports are all informative, but who do you believe?? They are all “big picture” stories and do not really answer the simple question that most clients want answered. IS TWITTER RIGHT FOR ME?
Below are 3 easy steps to decide if you should invest your time in Twitter.
Before you start I want you to think of Twitter as a search engine, much like you would Google. The only difference is that you are searching real time conversations and you are able to read what people are talking about right now! Is your brand, competitors or industry spoken about online? Well here is how to find out.
- go to http://search.twitter.com/
- Enter in Keywords that relate to your company, your products, your competitors and your industry. Remember that these keywords relate to conversations. Not many people will type in a full company name or brand in a conversation so think about how you talk about your industry and enter those keywords and acronyms. Think conversationally, not Google-ly. (Strong brands are mentioned all the time – Search Starbucks as an example, but companies are less mentioned)
- View the results
It’s that simple.
Now you need to analyse the results. What does it all mean?
If your company or products are not mentioned well then no one is talking about you. Try searching your competitor’s brands and see if they are appearing? Finally search your industry and industry terminology. If no results appear from these searches, then Twitter is not for you. Look at other social media platforms (LinkedIn, Xing, FaceBook etc) and do the same type of searches.
If your keywords are appearing, then people are using this platform to discuss your interests. Read the conversations, what are they saying? Are they saying the right things? Can you contribute to the conversations or answer any of the questions? – If you feel that you have something to add to these conversations, then you should definitely be in Twitter participating in them.
I know of many companies that are mentioned incorrectly in a press release or where there products are spoken about incorrectly If they were actively involved in social media, they could have stopped this misinformation quickly and given the right information before it became “gospel” online.
So is Twitter now right for you or not?
If it is, Download Tweetdeck (www.tweetdeck.com – a Free application) or some other free Twitter application that allows you to monitor what is being said.
Enter in your keywords
Start monitoring, participating and creating these conversations….
Have fun!
