Are you using Twitter to market your business?

[SearchDarren]

If the answer is yes, I would love to know how you have been using it and what success you have had.

[Steve B]

I'm not using it.

[vangogh]

I use Twitter in several ways with different levels of success. First and foremost I use it as a networking tool. I'm not on Twitter all the time, but most days I'll pop in and out for a few minutes here or there. I'll reply to people I know and don't know, post links to content I think others will like, ask questions, answer questions. The usual. I have gotten to know some people better, though not only through Twitter. Usually Twitter has been one of several places where I have connected.

I also use it for market research. I have several searches set up so I can track what's being said about certain topics and about certain companies. It helps know what to include in things I'm developing as well as helping with ideas for content on my site.

On occasion I'll use Twitter as a promotional tool. Lately I have tweeted after each new blog post, which has helped bring in new traffic and subscribers. I don't promote myself a lot. It amounts to one tweet per week at the moment. I tend to be more focused on promoting others. The next time I redesign my site I likely will add a tweet this button of sorts.

[rezzy]

Steve, redesign your site? You just finished this version.

I dont market my business per say with Twitter. A common misconception are the people that create to blast advertisements about their business. Those types are worthless and never really see the benefit of Twitter.

On Twitter, you are in basic conversations with people. First, share what drives you or what you have to offer the community. As people around you gather you skills and abilieis they may come your way. I every so often talk about something I am working on, but this is very rare.

I use Twitter much more to help people. They in turn know, I am knowledgeable and when they have needs they will come my way. Its sort of creating a word of mouth recommendation.

I actually have recieved a few interested clients via Twitter.

[vangogh]

Steve, redesign your site? You just finished this version.

I was ready to redesign it the day after I took it live. I designed it a year before anyone else had seen it. As soon as I take a new design live on my site I immediately see all the things I should have done with it. I'll probably come up with something new later in the year and then turn my current design into a free theme.

I use Twitter much more to help people. They in turn know, I am knowledgeable and when they have needs they will come my way. Its sort of creating a word of mouth recommendation.

I actually have recieved a few interested clients via Twitter.

I think most miss seeing this possibility. It's not really much different than what we might do here. It's just done 140 characters at a time.

[orion_joel]

I do use twitter. Not so much to promote my business, but more so my blogs, and to gain feedback on other ideas for my business or blogs.

So far it has been quite good for what i am using it for, people have responded quite well to what i share and what i do, and while i find that it is maybe a bit of work, i think it has taken my blogging from one level to the next. Between the 6 main sites that work on, i did have it topping out at about 500-600 visitors a month, since i have been sharing through twitter, this has moved up to about 1800-2200 visitors a month. And has also started to provide some low levels of income via adsense.

Twitter has it's place and it isn't for everyone, as it can potential create a lot bigger market then you may like. For Example Steve B may find that being on twitter will get leads for pet fencing however i would imagine a much greater number of these leads would land outside the area of his business. Therefore i doubt that it would be any benefit at all.

[Patrysha]

Twitter works well for my publicity/marketing side of business. It helps me keep engaged with the movers and shakers in the PR/Marketing world and has reduced my research time by a fair bit.

It has not been very effective for local stuff though. There are only 2 adults that I know of so far engaged in twitter in my town...still that account has led to connections with the head of marketing of another Northern Town and it looks like we may be partnering on an upcoming project. And it has led to connecting with a potential client in another small town north of here...

[vangogh]

It's interesting you both say that Twitter probably won't do much for local business. It didn't happen right away, but starting a couple months ago many businesses in Boulder started following me. Most were likely auto follows hoping I'd follow back and in general they promote stuff to me instead of paying attention to me.

However I do now have a group set up solely for local area tweets. I'm getting the headlines from the local papers and also keeping up with what some businesses are doing.

I agree Steve isn't likely to find a lot of customers through Twitter. I won't say none, since you can't really know, but for the most part I wouldn't expect it to be a boon to business. However, I do think local businesses can still do well in general by appealing on a national level.

First when it comes to ranking search engines like links. You aren't going to get all those links locally, though links from local sites will be good for local searches. A site that can produce content that appeals beyond their town or city has the potential to gain links from a wide variety of sources and those links will help your site rank when the person a few blocks over searches for your product or service.

You can also generate buzz through social media that can get picked up by your local media. Just because the business is local it doesn't mean they should ignore everything that isn't 100% local.

[Patrysha]

Well if I lived in Edmonton I'd be singing a different tune about local Twitter...for absolute sure (many on my current Twitter stream are from there and I have been very tempted to drive in for the Friday "Safety Meetings" if only I wasn't so nervous about driving on my own in the city)

But you have to remember I live in a town of just under 10,000...a town in which the two primary activities are Oil/Gas & Forestry...just not enough of a base to work with at the moment.

It's just not as mainstream as Facebook.

And even with Facebook we're looking at about 1200 or so on there...

Now that's not to say nothing can come of it. I actually met with the other active local twitter adult at the coffee shop today to do a short consult on his network marketing business.

And I did meet with an event planner from the city that I met via Twitter when I did my presentation for the Progressive Group of Independent Business Women last month (and she even brought a friend...and she'd never heard of PGIBW before - frankly neither had I till they asked me to speak at their luncheon) and she's coming here towards the end of August...

[Patrysha]

Oh and the local media...not on Twitter. Not the paper, no one at either radio station...and no plans to be as far as I know.

I even sent my former manager the information on a teleseminar on exactly how to utilize Twitter for programming and sales in a radio station (after we'd talked about it a couple days previous it landed in my inbox and I passed it on)...nothing.

But that's kind of why I left in the first place...no clue and didn't want to get one

The extent of being able to use social media is to be able to do things like I did today...saw that the news director was online on Facebook so I asked what she would need for the summer promotion to get another news hit :-) She told me, I told her I'd get her the information as soon as I have it...but I could have done the same with a phone call or email and I was planning to because I knew what info she needed before I asked but now I've prepped her for getting it